Kailet

It definitely looks a lot nicer! I have to admit I'm a little jealous. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Good luck! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

This is so cool! I had a great experience at florence hospital, but I know that wasn't the case with everyone. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Not everyone uses the Facebook group though. Joining it should not be a requirement to have communication with Dr. Illan. I never said that it was a requirement, just that he is active there. I haven't emailed him because I get a response from the Facebook group. If I had something more private, I would email him. I did email him prior to my surgery with some questions and didn't receive a response. However, I mentioned it to Bill, who had Dr. Illan call me the same day. When I spoke with Dr. Illan he did say that he had responded to my email, so I'm not sure why I didn't receive it. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I didn't see him until I was already downstairs waiting to go into surgery. I was already medicated so I barely even remember it. I didn't see him post-op at all, but Dr. Flores was really great for my post-op care. However, I have posted questions for Dr. Illan in the FB group and gotten responses. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I'm not sure what to say about most of the issues that you had, because my experience was not the same as yours. I live in Southern CA so I drove down and met my driver at the cell phone lot while she was waiting for another patient to land. I stayed at the recovery condos and not at the hotel, but I was never charged for any transportation at any point, but I did tip my drivers/valets. I also did not have the post-op diet talk right away. She went over it with me in the car on the way back to San Diego, but I was fine with that because I was given the packet with the guidelines the day I got to the recovery condos. As far as my registration and post count, yes I made an account to reply to this post. I generally tend to lurk on forums and I have been reading posts here for the past few months but never signed up. I joined the Bariatric Pal Facebook groups and prefer to post there instead. I used my real picture (same as my FB profile), and not a random avatar or meme, so I'm not sure why you'd jump to that conclusion other than paranoia. I'm truly sorry that you were unhappy with your experiences with BP. I felt very well cared for while I was there. My only complaint was that I barely saw Dr. Illan at all. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I'm not sure why you think it would have been better going with Baja instead of Bariatric Pal. You would still be in the same hospital, and unfortunately if they do not have room in the newer wing, some patients end up in the other wing. I don't think it's up to Bariatric Pal or Baja Bariatrics to decide. I was fortunate to be in the newer wing and did not have trouble communicating with my nurses. I had a great experience with Bariatric Pal Team MX, but I can understand why not being able to communicate with your nurses would change things. Nothing felt underhanded to me, and I'm not sure why it matters if the nutritionist also handles some of the transportation. The office manager helps with it as well. I'm sorry that you had a bad experience, but I don't think that Bariatric Pal is to blame. Dr. Illan is not the only bariatric surgeon who works there, and if they don't have enough room in the newer wing, some of the patients will inevitably end up elsewhere. Just like the hospital handles the OR schedule, I think they are also the ones to decide where the patients end up. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App