NothingUpMySleeve

Those of you who started out relatively smaller, what was your rate of loss?

I think he's based at the IMSS Regional Hospital in Tijuana, so maybe that's an avenue.

So, I work in a hospital but I had surgery in Mexico, and yeah, I can certainly see where corners are cut, but not always in the ways people bring up here. Is it possible my surgeon lied about the brand of staples used? Possibly, but I really don't think so. It's more about how hospitals here in the US have tremendous costs that aren't necessarily tied to the procedure. For example, I had a complication. It was scary, but I'm fine now. Had this happened in the US, I would have had a visit from Risk, a nursing manager, some additional sort of patient advocate, so forth. There may have been an investigation involving numerous parties, legal, HR, administration, etc. These things are hugely expensive, and the documentation involved goes beyond what even a nurse or physician is aware of. I know because I see it. Does this regulation and liability due diligence add an extra layer of safety? Absolutely! Would it have been worth an extra $15,000 to me? Hard to say. Sometimes my decision to go to mexico still makes me uneasy, but other times I'm at peace with it. Regardless, I've been very pleased with my results (size 2!!!!) and anytime I've had questions, the practice has quickly gotten back to me via email. So no, I don't find it impossible for this surgery to be done for $4500, but there are differences, certainly. I know this is a rambling response, but I see such polarized responses on this board: it's either, "Mexico has only corrupt evil doctors who use vet equipment and steal your kidneys and hit on you," or it's, "Mexican surgery is the best and even better than the US, so OMG," when in reality I think it's neither extreme. There are good and bad surgeons everywhere.

I'm 8 months post op, and I'm wearing a size 2! I never thought I would be wearing a 2. Folding laundry is surreal--surely these tiny pants won't fit...but then they do. Everything fits, it's so easy (too easy) to find clothes. Feeling good!

The first little but is tough, but then you get used to a new way of eating and BAM the sizes drop. I was in a 14 for eons, then a 12 for a long time, but after that the sizes drop fast. I think I skipped 8's mostly. I did this for my health, but the clothing is sure a good motivator to stay focused! You can do it!

You have to get down to basics. How much does it cost the surgeon to do a surgery. The cost of staples alone is astonishing. The cost of the hospital, the cost of paid and trained staff.. you can't do it for $3500. It is impossible. Surgeons that do cheap surgery tend to use black market supplies, veterinary equipment from China, etc. You get what you pay for, that is the bottom line. You want cheap surgery? You take risks. We are talking common sense here. Yes, I had read about the staple expense thing, so I did ask about the brand, etc. and asked about it locally (I work in healthcare consulting.) My surgery was $4500, which yes, was cheap. My local quote was over 18k. I'm no groupie and definitely am not looking to add any more drama to the fire, I just wanted to know if you had specific examples of cut corners so that I could talk to dr illan and my pcp to see if I should be worried. 'Now..... do you honestly believe a surgeon using veterinary supplies or black market supplies will come clean with you? Seriously? I am through with this thread. I am through with this site. I have never seen such sheer ignorance in my life. I have what I need. I *am* going to follow through with formal complaints to the proper authorities regardless of Susan's PMs to me. I know that I have the knowledge of how to do this so I will. If you go to Illan just know, you are looking for cheap surgery. Not safe surgery. No, I would not necessarily expect him to come clean if he was cutting corners, but it helps me ask the right questions. I'm not an unintelligent woman; my questions stem from concern not stupidity.

You have to get down to basics. How much does it cost the surgeon to do a surgery. The cost of staples alone is astonishing. The cost of the hospital, the cost of paid and trained staff.. you can't do it for $3500. It is impossible. Surgeons that do cheap surgery tend to use black market supplies, veterinary equipment from China, etc. You get what you pay for, that is the bottom line. You want cheap surgery? You take risks. We are talking common sense here. Yes, I had read about the staple expense thing, so I did ask about the brand, etc. and asked about it locally (I work in healthcare consulting.) My surgery was $4500, which yes, was cheap. My local quote was over 18k. I'm no groupie and definitely am not looking to add any more drama to the fire, I just wanted to know if you had specific examples of cut corners so that I could talk to dr illan and my pcp to see if I should be worried.

Howdy. I am a long-time team illan poster, and I've referred two other people to him. For what it's worth, Omar was helpful to us, though I do think these stories are gross. At any rate, I am concerned about the post saying that Dr. Illan cuts corners for surgery. I am not being snarky at all; I would genuinely like to know if this is true and if I should be concerned. He seemed very thorough in discussing his technique, supplies, etc., but are you aware of anything different?

He has kids. Think it was 3 girls and a boy. They live in the US. Husband and I saw pics.

I had a good experience with the team, but I am sorry to hear your story. I'm sure this isn't fun to hear about a long-term relationship. Best wishes to you and your family.

amen. all i care about is how much weight these former patients lost...was their sleeve surgery successful??? did their incisions heal up the way they should? i'm not here for the other stuff. i don't care if omar broke their hearts, or if they stalk him. good grief. I am not a key player in the Pantygate scandal, but my incisions did heal nicely and I am happy with my loss this far.

Milk duds, oh man. Yum. Popcorn. Arghh, sliders.

Yet they have no issue with publicly ousting the victims' affairs and personal life stories for their own benefit. Huh. Interesting. Yeah that was unnecessary too. I don't think anyone's name needed to be given. Just seems to agitate hate.

Nonetheless it seemed unnecessary to post them here. It only serves to further incite hostility.

Are our personal names not protected here? That is really uncomfortable given the nature of the site. .

Many, many, many Americans wanted proof of WMDs prior to invasion. I mean, I know that's not really the main point of your post, but hey.

The Flying Spaghetti Monster says, "Be cautious with thine colander, lest you lose thine pasta."

And dang it, now I've got "lookin' for love in all the wrong places" stuck in my head.

If you can't find true love during a 3-day surgical trip in a Tijuana Hospital, then where the hell can you find true love?

Well, those compression thigh-highs are pretty enticing. And the drains really add a certain je ne sais quoi.

Another Dr Illan patient here... Omar was very supportive and professional when I had my surgery in December. I went alone, was with Omar alone, and his behavior was completely professional. I had a bit of a complication and the Dr and Omar were kind and helpful. I had some follow up questions that were promptly addressed. My husband subsequently returned for a sleeve and Omar was again very helpful. In the 8 months I've been in the patient support group, I have seen one or two women who seem overly consumed with Omar. So I'm sure there are two sides to any story... Anyway, I spent quite a bit of time with Omar on each trip and I was never uncomfortable. Just my two cents...

Amazing results, and lovely collarbones.

Wtf does "lacks nutritional insight mean"? I mean, I guess I do see some people here talking about burgers and goodies at two days out, but if you've done south beach or Atkins, you probably get the gist of lean Proteins, etc. Could he give you any more detail? To me, the bad candidate would be one who wanted to keep on living the same, but expecting a different result. A good candidate (I guess) would be someone willing and ready to live a healthy lifestyle, but needing a little extra help from the sleeve.

You can do this!

Hurray! Congrats on a life-changing year!