slcmommy5

So I've picked Dr Quinones to perform sleeve for my teenager and husband in October. I've heard great things and feel good about my choice but I'd like to know one last time if there is anyone who has had a negative experience. If you have had a great experience please let me know that as well. Thanks!

Let me preface by saying we have done everything we can to help our daughter. Dr.'s, nutritionists, personal trainers etc, since she was 8. Nothing has worked. We think she's beautiful the way she is! This is something she has wanted and been begging us for! She wants to enjoy her teenage years, make friends and enjoy life. She doesn't feel like her physical appearance reflects who she is in the inside and feels like it holds her back. She is very depressed and begging us for surgery. We cannot afford a US doctor. I need to know who you would go to in Mexico if this was your 13 year old. This would be for sleeve.Please I don't need mean or critical comments. Thank you

Hello, I'm excited for you and your son, it will change your lives. As far as the surgery there are always risks. I had mine in the states at a Bariatric surgery of excellence. My husband and daughter saw Dr. Q. Their experience was actually better than mine. I'm grateful there was no emergency in Tijuana however as they would have had to transport to a Hospital. That being said things went off without a hitch. You will want someone there to help take care of you and your son and get you the things you might need. My daughter has done great. She is very mature for her age and has been able to handle things very well. She lost 35 pds the first month and has lost 48 total(about 9 weeks) she is so much happier and more confident. She was able to hang out with friends 2 days after she got home. My husband also lost 35 first month after surgery and has lost about 50 pds(11weeks). As far as risks go I feel that being obese causes more health problems and eventual death. So even though there are risks with surgery at least you are doing something that will benefit you for the rest of your life. Dr Q is great, the translator/helpers are awesome and will help with whatever questions you have or if you need anything. The room is almost like a motel room and very basic so it does throw you off a little. But it's why things are cheaper. However the Dr and nurses are professional and Dr Q is very caring and clearly experienced. Tijuana was much more modern than I anticipated. It was like going to parts of California. It wasn't scary like everyone tried to make it out to be. Anyway I hope that answers your questions. Good luck and feel free to contact me with any more questions.

Beebe As far as the surgery there are always risks. I had mine in the states at a Bariatric surgery of excellence. My husband and daughter saw Dr. Q. Their experience was actually better than mine. I'm grateful there was no emergency in Tijuana however as they would have had to transport to a Hospital. That being said things went off without a hitch. You will want someone there to help take care of you and your son and get you the things you might need. My daughter has done great. She is very mature for her age and has been able to handle things very well. She lost 35 pds the first month and has lost 48 total(about 9 weeks) she is so much happier and more confident. She was able to hang out with friends 2 days after she got home. My husband also lost 35 first month after surgery and has lost about 50 pds(11weeks). As far as risks go I feel that being obese causes more health problems and eventual death. So even though there are risks with surgery at least you are doing something that will benefit you for the rest of your life. Dr Q is great, the translator/helpers are awesome and will help with whatever questions you have or if you need anything. The room is almost like a motel room and very basic so it does throw you off a little. But it's why things are cheaper. However the Dr and nurses are professional and Dr Q is very caring and clearly experienced. Tijuana was much more modern than I anticipated. It was like going to parts of California. It wasn't scary like everyone tried to make it out to be. Anyway I hope that answers your questions. Good luck and feel free to contact me with any more questions.

Thank you for asking she is doing great she's actually adjusted much better than my husband who had the surgery a week before. I think because she's young but mature for her age it's actually been easier for her mentally and physically then it is for my husband who's been dealing with his obesity a lot longer. She's very hopeful and optimistic and excited to start exercising. It's been 2 weeks and she's lost 20 pds.

She just got out of surgery and doing great. This has been a far better experience than my own which happened to be in the States and at a center of excellence. Bill the patient coordinator was very prompt in answering any question I had. Pick up at airport went smooth and the Dr is very sweet and you can tell he really cares. Thanks for all those who were supportive even if you didn't agree with my decision. By the way tijuana looks like many parts of California and I'm starting to believe that the scary stories I hear about Mexico are all made up by people who have actually never been here. I don't feel unsafe here at all. At night I would but there are places in US you wouldn't want to be out at night either. I guess your always scared of the unknown. Anyway. Good luck and well wishes to all of you

I've narrowed it down somewhat. I'm looking for my teen daughter. Im still not sold on Mexico but if there are any of these you absolutely would not go to or have gone to and love please let me know. I'm leaning more towards Ariel Ortiz. Thanks Ariel Ortiz-$6995-OCC Hospital- center of excellence-4 days included Ricardo Ramos Kelly- $7000- Mi Doctor in Tijuana or San Javier in Puerto Vallarta Guillermo Alvarez- $8500 - Piedra Negras Medical Center - 5days included Alberto Acavez- $8750- Almater Hospital

She just got out of surgery and is doing great. Tijuana is nothing like I thought it would be. It simply looks like some places in L.A truthfully. The doctor was great. Pick up at airport went smoothly. Bill the patient coordinator was very helpful and promptly returned my messages /emails. My husband just went last week to Dr Q and his surgery went well also. I can honestly say I am so glad I chose Dr Q. Thanks for all your advise, support and well wishes

Beach guru, there are many adolescent bariatric Centers in the US. As matter fact there are thousands of teenagers getting bariatric surgery every year in the US, and as young as 11. Maybe you should find out who all the parents are and report them. While you are at it call the authorities on the many Dr's who perform them.

It's like telling someone to keep their drug addicted kid locked in a room so they can't buy drugs. Food is needed to survive and this surgery is a tool that will help her with this addiction. Either you don't suffer from obesity and have no idea what you are talking about or you are obese and simply angry that you are not getting surgery. Because if you had the surgery you would know that simply locking the fridge would be of no help to this situation.

Thank you for your concern but you have absolutely no idea what you are talking about????

Mine was with Sherman Smith at Rocky Mountain Bariatrics in Utah. My husband and daughters is Dr. Sergio Quinones in Tijuana.

Just wanted to update you all on our decision. After much thought, prayer and research we decided to go with Dr. Sergio Quinones for both my husband and my daughter. My husband needed the band removed as well as getting the sleeve done. My husband went last Tuesday and his experience was far better than mine and I had mine done at a Bariatric Center of Excellence! I'm starting to think that the scary stories we hear about Mexico are a bunch of crap or at the very least the media only covers the horror stories. He was picked up at airport, driven to the hospital, had the surgery, stayed 2 nights in a private room, driven to a hotel and driven to the airport the next day. He had no problems and is recovering far quicker than I did. His experience was great and said he feels 100% about my daughter going. Keep in mind he was totally against going to TJ and thought I had lost my mind. My daughter has surgery in 2 days. She saw my recovery(I had complications) and she has seen her dads. She is so excited to be able to exercize without the pain that the extra weight causes. She's excited to be healthy and active. I'm grateful for all those concerned and for the well wishes. I will keep you posted on her recovery. P. S. The total for both of them was $9500 for surgery and $600 for us all to fly to SAn Diego. The meds were $240.

I ended up choosing Sergio Quinones. My daughter has surgery in 2 weeks.

Hi I would love to hear your experiences with this Doctor. Thanks

Let me preface by saying we have done everything we can to help our daughter. Dr.'s, nutritionists, personal trainers etc, since she was 8. Nothing has worked. We think she's beautiful the way she is! This is something she has wanted and been begging us for! She wants to enjoy her teenage years, make friends and enjoy life. She doesn't feel like her physical appearance reflects who she is in the inside and feels like it holds her back. She is very depressed and begging us for surgery. We cannot afford a US doctor. I need to know who you would go to in Mexico if this was your 13 year old. This would be for sleeve.Please I don't need mean or critical comments. Thank you

Needed to lose 80 pds. Lost 30pds in mth 1 Lost 12 more by mth 2 8 pds mth 3 averaged about 6pds mth for next 4mths

225 to 140 size 20 to size 6 reached goal weight at 7 mths

Who was your doctor? Could you tell me your experience since surgery? Thank You!

Also, I would never consider the lap band for her. I had it and it was a miserable experience for me. I finally had to have it removed and got the sleeve instead.

Thank you for all of your responses. The first thing I need to say is that I would never consider surgery unless I had exhausted all other avenues for weight loss including medical, emotional, physical, psychological. We have reached a point where I feel like this is our last and only option. Some may say I'm unnecessarily risking the life of my daughter, but I feel like if we don't do the surgery I'm risking her life as well. She has just developed diabetes, she went from being the happiest little girl to a girl who is depressed and cries every day because of her weight. She has been bullied, tormented, and teased every school day since she was 7 years old. Of all 5 of my children she has been the one who ate veggies and fruits, she was also my most active yet she has continued to gain about 2 pds a month for the last 6 years. We have had her thyroid checked, multiple labs and nothing explains what is going on. The only thing that explains it is that she says she's hungry all the time 24/7. So even though she knows what to eat, what not to eat etc, it doesn't help if you are always hungry. You just end up being cranky and angry at having to limit portion sizes when your body is telling you your hungry. For all of you who have had surgery or are considering it, imagine how hard it is for you now as an adult, can you even imagine the torment of being obese as a teenager? It's hell. Kids are cruel and it's not right that she should have to endure comments day after day. I got the sleeve 8 mths ago, it has changed my life. She sees this, she has seen what it has done for me including the fact that I am happy and healthy now. I was hungry all the time, and now I'm not, I have to remind myself to eat. All I want as her mother is for her to be happy. And if she continues down the path she's on, I may not have her for much longer. She is in a place where she doesn't even leave the house. She has become a different person .If things don't change I can see not only physical dangers in her future but emotional and psychological damage as well. I want her to live a life where she can make friends based on her personality, not on her physical appearance, where she can focus on the normal teenage stuff and not about her diet. She just turned 13 and is 200 pds. As far as Mexico goes I'm still uncertian. The reason I posted this was because I was curious how many people would actually recommend a doctor from Mexico. It seems interesting to me that so many people will"risk" their own lives going there but not willing to recommend one for a 13 year old. Why is it different for an adult vs. a child? If you couldn't lose the weight as an adult what gives you the right to judge a teen who can't do it? It's interesting how hypocritical some people have been. I have in no way jumped to this decision. We have been praying and researching it for months. We've exhausted everything we have to help her and nothing has worked. Of course I would do everything in my power to see a U.S. Doctor but when you have 5 kids and make $30K a year it's quiet impossible to fork out 20K for the surgery. 8K will not be easy as it is. She has seen me go through the surgery, she knows what it entails but if anything I think the longer you are overweight, the longer you do the yo-yo dieting the harder it is to start thinking differently. If she does this now it will be easier to develop healthy eating habits and healthy emotions in regards to food. Not only that the fact that it wont be painful for her to exercise will be huge. She loves to exercise but right now it's extremely painful and embarrassing for her. I appreciate everyone's comments, but I would politely ask that you look at yourselves and realize how hard it has been as an adult and ask yourselves just how much harder it would be if you were a teen. I love my daughter but I want her around and I want her to be happy. If I dont do the surgery she may not be around much longer and she certianly will not be happy.

Thank you for all of your responses. The first thing I need to say is that I would never consider surgery unless I had exhausted all other avenues for weight loss including medical, emotional, physical, psychological. We have reached a point where I feel like this is our last and only option. Some may say I'm unnecessarily risking the life of my daughter, but I feel like if we don't do the surgery I'm risking her life as well. She has just developed diabetes, she went from being the happiest little girl to a girl who is depressed and cries every day because of her weight. She has been bullied, tormented, and teased every school day since she was 7 years old. Of all 5 of my children she has been the one who ate veggies and fruits, she was also my most active yet she has continued to gain about 2 pds a month for the last 6 years. We have had her thyroid checked, multiple labs and nothing explains what is going on. The only thing that explains it is that she says she's hungry all the time 24/7. So even though she knows what to eat, what not to eat etc, it doesn't help if you are always hungry. You just end up being cranky and angry at having to limit portion sizes when your body is telling you your hungry. For all of you who have had surgery or are considering it, imagine how hard it is for you now as an adult, can you even imagine the torment of being obese as a teenager? It's hell. Kids are cruel and it's not right that she should have to endure comments day after day. I got the sleeve 8 mths ago, it has changed my life. She sees this, she has seen what it has done for me including the fact that I am happy and healthy now. I was hungry all the time, and now I'm not, I have to remind myself to eat. All I want as her mother is for her to be happy. And if she continues down the path she's on, I may not have her for much longer. She is in a place where she doesn't even leave the house. She has become a different person .If things don't change I can see not only physical dangers in her future but emotional and psychological damage as well. I want her to live a life where she can make friends based on her personality, not on her physical appearance, where she can focus on the normal teenage stuff and not about her diet. She just turned 13 and is 200 pds. As far as Mexico goes I'm still uncertian. The reason I posted this was because I was curious how many people would actually recommend a doctor from Mexico. It seems interesting to me that so many people will"risk" their own lives going there but not willing to recommend one for a 13 year old. Why is it different for an adult vs. a child? If you couldn't lose the weight as an adult what gives you the right to judge a teen who can't do it? It's interesting how hypocritical some people have been. I have in no way jumped to this decision. We have been praying and researching it for months. We've exhausted everything we have to help her and nothing has worked. Of course I would do everything in my power to see a U.S. Doctor but when you have 5 kids and make $30K a year it's quiet impossible to fork out 20K for the surgery. 8K will not be easy as it is. She has seen me go through the surgery, she knows what it entails but if anything I think the longer you are overweight, the longer you do the yo-yo dieting the harder it is to start thinking differently. If she does this now it will be easier to develop healthy eating habits and healthy emotions in regards to food. Not only that the fact that it wont be painful for her to exercise will be huge. She loves to exercise but right now it's extremely painful and embarrassing for her. I appreciate everyone's comments, but I would politely ask that you look at yourselves and realize how hard it has been as an adult and ask yourselves just how much harder it would be if you were a teen. I love my daughter but I want her around and I want her to be happy. If I dont do the surgery she may not be around much longer and she certianly will not be happy.

The reason is because I have had the surgery, I know what it entails . I simply need advise on surgeons in Mexico.

So I just thought I'd post before and after pic of my face. I couldn't bare to take a before pic of my full body. Anyway, I'm 10 days post op and have lost 20 pounds. I'm not complaining by any means but just hope I'm doing everything right. I spent a week in the hospital for several complications that arose because of some unknown preexisting conditions and also because my lungs basically stop working after anasthesia. Anyway I had broth 3 times a day for the first 7 days then introduced cottage cheese and cream of chicken with tuna, the next three days..

Thank you!