maestrita

@@Susan Lackey. We're still waiting for truthful answers regarding these questions about the events that may or may not have been associated with your series of "warnings" to direct people away from medical groups in Mexico. It's very unclear which doctors you may have accused over the last two years and your the nature of your association with these professionals. Some doctors you are claiming not to have accused have lost business due to these "warnings." I was advised today, on another forum, that people avoided Dr. Kelly due to your accusations, but I understand now that you didn't mean to accuse him. Is this true? Are you asserting that you do not have a personal relationship with one of the founding members of this website? Is that relationship predatory? Could such a relationship be considered predatory since you are a patient, as well? If I were he, I'd stay well away from someone with such a long list of accusations. Do you mean that you did not work for a competing doctor at the time of the "discovery" of the first incident? Do you mean that you referred many patients to the doctor for whom a patient died? Are you certain that you didn't take issue with the death of that patient until AFTER you were dismissed from employment? Didn't you seek medical treatment from the doctor to whom you referred patients but now discredit? Didn't you, in fact, seek medical treatment in Tijuana AFTER you posted that it was extremely dangerous to do so? Are you sure you didn't "find out" about a personal relationship of Omar's IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING being denied for medical treatment by one of the medical teams you've accused? Could it be possible that this denial comes, in part, from medical professionals fearing getting involved with someone so inclined toward slander and defamation? I'm curious as to why, and perhaps you can answer this... Why would women randomly seek you out to confide their deepest secrets if they'd felt victimized? I mean, I'm struggling to understand how it comes to be that a coordinator who is in no way connected to a medical team becomes the personal confidant of SO MANY slighted or victimized patients. Can you tell me how, was it seven you said?, how did these women come to find you to express this very personal experience of feeling "taken advantage of?" and more recently... Why do these long time users, these "victims" with whom you've gotten so close, have accounts that don't reflect being long term users of this site? Do you know all 7 of these women personally through another forum or another avenue of life? I'm still wondering why you answered another person's post in the first person. You can scroll back through the comments, I'm sure if you need to refresh your memory.

I thought I'd turned off this thread, but I found another nasty note that'd been directed to my home email from this site. I'll have to figure out how to change that setting in a minute. I just don't know; to what lengths do you think I've gone, Chelcy? You've said that a couple of times. I did defend Omar. He's not a saint, but he's not who's been painted here. He's had a hard life, and he's made some bad choices, but he's not a predatory, either. I don't have a romantic relationship with him. I am in a happy, healthy relationship. Thank you very much for the sexist rants, though, really. My issue, and thank you for helping me to clarify my thinking on this matter, is with Susan. I think she's a horrible human being because she's done this before. Maybe we should post some warnings about her. Or maybe, we could just back up and wait to see if she'll pay attention to what's happened here in order to make some better, kinder decisions in her dealings with vulnerable people. I asked several questions regarding what I came here to ask. Most have been glossed over, so I'm going to ask them again, and I'll keep asking them each time I'm reminded of this thread. There should be no problem addressing them, because unlike the barrage directed at me, these questions do not sink to the level of insult and false accusation. They are simple questions, and it should be no problem to answer them. I'll cut and paste them again now so that you don't have to go find them. Are you suggesting that ethnic slurs (and now sexist remarks) are acceptable when a person feels slighted by others? Also, I wonder why you responded in the first person to a statement I made to different user of this website. Hmm. Are you asserting that you do not have a personal relationship with one of the founding members of this website? Is that relationship predatory? Could such a relationship be considered predatory since you are a patient, as well? If I were he, I'd stay well away from someone with such a long list of accusations. Do you mean that you did not work for a competing doctor at the time of the "discovery" of the first incident? Do you mean that you referred many patients to the doctor for whom a patient died? Are you certain that you didn't take issue with the death of that patient until you were dismissed from employment? Didn't you seek medical treatment from the doctor to whom you referred patients? Didn't you, in fact, seek medical treatment in Tijuana AFTER you posted that it was extremely dangerous to do so? Are you sure you didn't "find out" about a personal relationship of Omar's immediately following being denied for medical treatment by one of the medical teams you've accused? Could it be possible that this denial comes, in part, from medical professionals fearing getting involved with someone so inclined toward slander and defamation? I'm curious as to why, and perhaps you can answer this... Why would women randomly seek you out to confide their deepest secrets if they'd felt victimized? I mean, I'm struggling to understand how it comes to be that a coordinator who is in no way connected to a medical team becomes the personal confidant of SO MANY slighted or victimized patients. Can you tell me how, was it seven you said?, how did these women come to find you to express this very personal experience of feeling "taken advantage of?" and more recently... Why do these long time users, these "victims" with whom you've gotten so close, have accounts that don't reflect being long term users of this site? Do you know all 7 of these women personally through another forum or another avenue of life?

Chelcy, That was a direct response to the assertion that I'd been involved with Omar. Surely I don't have to be accused without being able to deny the allegation. Linda, my background is in law enforcement. I've served the federal and state governments with commendation. Like I said, you can dig all you want. Madame, you can go through the threads to compare them, I assume. I am not interested in doing that for you. I assume you have the stated ability to compare texts. VSGAnn-You're not even a patient in Mexico? For the love o' Pete... This has really deteriorated into silliness at this point. I think I've contributed what I can. I understand that you-all think that Omar did something wrong. Many of us think that Susan is a really bad person. People can read the backgrounds and make their own decisions. I think I've brought all I can to this discussion, and I find myself almost sinking to the level of this discourse. With that, I'm going to bow out. I came here with good intentions, and even if I think you're wrong, I wish you happiness and good health.

For the record, I don't have any interest in Omar romantically. He is a friend. One way people try to discredit a woman when they don't have a valid complaint is to attack her reputation as a chaste person. I'm glad that we've rounded out the full spectrum of discriminatory language in one thread (Oh, wait, I think we're missing a direct racial slur). Keeping it classy.

Seriously? The post above me referenced Ted Bundy. REALLY glad her kids aren't in my class now.

I don't believe that there are a lot of people making these claims, and I don't think you have to be very clever to figure that out. I believe Susan and one other woman who is a former patient of Dr. Illan's (who, I understand, did date him after her surgery) have fabricated most of this. Aside from watching Susan do this twice before now (there are allegations that it's happened a third time), there are problems with the credibility of this story. The tone of this story and the "supporting evidence" takes the same shape, rhetorical pattern, and writer's voice as her past campaigns. Funny how witnesses here use the same exact phrases that they used in the last campaign. Durp! Maybe I've just noticed that sort of thing because I've graded so many papers in my life. Another thing that stands out to me is how new these women are to this forum. They knew Susan for years on this website, enough to confide their deepest secrets (for which she was not fishing, mind you), but their profiles have like 7 posts? I find that part curious. I noticed that same thing when Dr. Kelly was slandered on this website. Isn't it more likely that these are created just for this purpose? I said I am a friend and former patient of Omar and the other members of Team Illan. Omar has been very open about changing his life and about his weight loss. Like I said, you can dig all you want. My hands are clean. My interest here is that I don't like seeing people harm others. Susan is not a nice person for doing this. It is morally incorrect. Oh, and Linda, about supervising your kids... the feeling is mutual.

I meant to say "our group of friends." I've edited it to make it easier to get to the point. I hope you find that helpful. @@maestrita are you sure you aren't in a cult, dear? Your post above sounds cultish to me. Edit: it's mainly the second paragraph that I find strange.

I don't think you meant that in a positive way. I think you used in a paragraph while trying to describe someone who you think is somehow more sexually inclined and in some way negative or dirty because he is of Latino descent. I believe that you said he was "looking to get his rocks off." in the same paragraph. That is discriminatory language, and that's not ok with me. I'm always going to address that when I see it. It's ignorant and not called for. I really don't care if others aren't offended by it. I am, and I'm going to call it out. Lipstick Lady, I don't care if you're Mexican or not. I don't appreciate discriminatory language such as "beaner." You aren't entitled to offend others due to your heritage. This phrase is ignorant, and it contributes to people thinking that Latinos are less educated and aren't as valuable in our communities. I can't believe that we still have to address matters like this in this day and age. It's deplorable. Yes I mean it in a positive way. We all have had a lover in our lives , it's up to us to decide which lover we want to be with.

Let me explain why we defend him. Many of us know Omar to be a kind and exceptional human being. He is our friend, as well as one hell of a coordinator. We know him to be the exact opposite of what's been described here. When you know a person, it doesn't matter what others can dig up on the internet to scare you (Yes, we know that Omar has changed his life following a series of difficult circumstances and some bad choices when he was younger. When that didn't get a rise the first time you posted it, you'd have thought you'd move on from the topic. His charges were actually pretty benign, and wouldn't have been felony charges if he'd been born 50 miles to the north). This fear campaign only matters to new patients who don't know this team and who just want to change their lives. Shame on those who would put fear in the hearts of others who are looking to escape obesity. That is unkind. The people who defend him (most of us know one another) don't believe these accusations, and Susan has had several "be afraid" campaigns to share with people immediately following exchanges where people didn't do what she wants. She did something similar when I was desperately searching for a surgeon due to some complications with my lapband. She'd referred me to Dr. Kelly, and then shortly after that was telling people that he'd killed a woman in the OR. Now, I have asked, and would really like to know, Susan, did you not seek medical treatment from Team Illan less than two months prior to your "concerns?" Did they not decline to help you out of the concern that you do this sort of smear campaign and have done it several times before to other medical providers?

Susan, you may have responded already, but since there have been so many posts, I didn't see a reply. I'll paste my questions here again. Are you suggesting that ethnic slurs are acceptable when a person feels slighted by others? Also, I wonder why you responded in the first person to a statement I made to another user of this website. Hmm. Are you asserting that you do not have a personal relationship with one of the founding members of this website? Is that relationship predatory? Could such a relationship be considered predatory since you are a patient, as well? If I were he, I'd stay well away from someone with such a long list of accusations. Do you mean that you did not work for a competing doctor at the time of the "discovery" of the first incident? Do you mean that you referred many patients to the doctor for whom a patient died? Are you certain that you didn't take issue with the death of that patient until you were dismissed from employment? Didn't you seek medical treatment from the doctor to whom you referred patients? Didn't you, in fact, seek medical treatment in Tijuana AFTER you posted that it was extremely dangerous to do so? Are you sure you didn't "find out" about a personal relationship of Omar's immediately following being denied for medical treatment by one of the medical teams you've accused? Could it be possible that this denial comes, in part, from medical professionals fearing getting involved with someone so inclined toward slander and defamation? I'm curious as to why, and perhaps you can answer this... Why would women randomly seek you out to confide their deepest secrets if they'd felt victimized? I mean, I'm struggling to understand how it comes to be that a coordinator who is in no way connected to a medical team becomes the personal confidant of slighted or victimized patients. Can you tell me how, was it seven you said?, how did these women come to find you to express this very personal experience of feeling "taken advantage of?"

I guess if I were the type of person who seeks that kind of attention, I wouldn't be offended. I don't seek that type of attention, instead looking for something more substantial, and I get tired of the assumption that I welcome FAR MORE advances than I actually do. Maybe it's not a problem for some women. I can see that being the case for some. It IS a problem for me, and I don't care for it. There is no connection with heritage and sexuality other than an imagined one.

"You've never heard the common phrase Latin Lover? That's not a slur by any means." Lipstick Lady, I don't agree with you, and I think using the phrase contributes to the degradation and abuse of Hispanic people. Of course I've heard it. I get to hear it all the time. It's really ignorant, backwoods thinking to think that just because of a person's heritage, he or she welcomes this type of attention.

The suggestion that Latinos are somehow more sexually inclined is an ethnic slur. It's about as clever as bringing up a picture of Sambo to African-Americans, and it gets old. Also, to Susan, I posted before I told you who I am. I am a public school teacher in Washington State. I'm going to avoid posting my name, as all teachers should do in public forums. Before my degree in education, my background was in law enforcement. You can dig all you want to. There's no dirt to find. What more would you like to know that you can't find in my past posts? I don't know why my photo disappeared from this site, but I'll post a new one some time today.

Are you suggesting that ethnic slurs are acceptable when a person feels slighted by others? Also, I wonder why you responded in the first person to a statement I made to another user of this website. Hmm. Are you asserting that you do not have a personal relationship with one of the founding members of this website? Is that relationship predatory? Could such a relationship be considered predatory since you are a patient, as well? If I were he, I'd stay well away from someone with such a long list of accusations. Do you mean that you did not work for a competing doctor at the time of the "discovery" of the first incident? Do you mean that you referred many patients to the doctor for whom a patient died? Are you certain that you didn't take issue with the death of that patient until you were dismissed from employment? Didn't you seek medical treatment from the doctor to whom you referred patients? Didn't you, in fact, seek medical treatment in Tijuana AFTER you posted that it was extremely dangerous to do so? Are you sure you didn't "find out" about a personal relationship of Omar's immediately following being denied for medical treatment by one of the medical teams you've accused? Could it be possible that this denial comes, in part, from medical professionals fearing getting involved with someone so inclined toward slander and defamation? I'm curious as to why, and perhaps you can answer this... Why would women randomly seek you out to confide their deepest secrets if they'd felt victimized? I mean, I'm struggling to understand how it comes to be that a coordinator who is in no way connected to a medical team becomes the personal confidant of slighted or victimized patients. Can you tell me how, was it seven you said?, how did these women come to find you to express this very personal experience of feeling "taken advantage of?"

Sure it matters. It speaks to her credibility. Also, I don't appreciate the dig at Latinos.

I had a great experience with Dr. Illan, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this team to you. Please feel free to message me if I can answer any questions you might have about the procedure.

Susan, You are not a nice person. This is not the first person to whom you've done this, and you are only getting away with this since these professionals reside in another country. You'd better hope that Dr. Illan and Omar don't convince a judge in the US that there is jurisdiction based on the nature of their business. You and this website would be in a heap of legal trouble for defamation and libel if this were a US doctor. Aside from it being illegal, it is morally wrong. If anyone is interesting in deciding how credible Susan is, just read her past posts. The timing of these "warnings" seem to be immediately after she's had personal interactions with these professionals. When they don't do what she wants, she tries to defame them. I hope that they can make a case for defamation here because it's time for some accountability.

I just wanted to update people on my status. I had a band placed in 2009, and it had slipped a few years back. I went to a consulting surgeon, and he suggested that he didn't think it had slipped. It turns out it had. It had slipped below my stomach and was causing my liver to become inflamed and creating medically significant amounts of scar tissue (2 hours to remove the tissue to get the band to remove it). At the same time that I became symptomatic here in October of 2013, I came back to this site for support and ideas about how it could be remedied. I learned that having it removed where I live would cost 12,000. (I paid under 10,000 to have it put in). If I were willing to be treated poorly, I could use the clinic that took over when my original surgeon retired. I could have it removed for 4,500.00 there. I also learned that the FDA recently reported that the number of complications is not what Allergan has reported. The FDA suggests that, based on their research, close to 50% of Lap Bands result in complications. I just wish I'd had that information before I began. 50%. I never would have signed up for surgery that was about as successful as flipping a coin. I'm telling you in case you're about to do this. I sincerely wish I had not. Before it was through, I wasted 16,000.00 (not including the revision to a new WLS). I know some of you have good experiences with the band, and I hope that you continue to do so. I'm not interested in challenging your experience, and I'm only interested in sharing what happened to me in case there are folks who have been mislead to think that this is safer than it is. I hope you find this information helpful. Amy

You might. I did have an account, but I left when I had just had enough from people who are emotionally unhealthy. I see that there are still people who like to unload on others here, so I won't frequent this site. I just wanted to share my experience in case someone really needs help. I really needed help, and Dr. Illan and his team really saved me from the complications of a rather severe lap band slip. I am so lucky I found them.

I just got back from Baja California from having my lap band removed and getting a gastric sleeve revision. I have to tell you that I was a little scared to go to another country to have surgery (at one point terrified actually), but I had talked to a lot of people who'd been to this particular team. I could find no complaints, whatsoever, about the doctor, the assistant doctor, the anesthesiologist, or the hospital. I had a very good preliminary discussion with the doctor regarding my particular situation (which was problematic to be sure). He happily reviewed my CT images of the slipped band (and also had his radiology department consult) and addressed my concerns. I have to tell you that I am beyond pleased with the care I received while there. If you are considering going to Mexico, and you're just not sure, IM me, and I will provide my phone number so you can ask me any specific questions. I'll sum it up here. I recommend Dr. Illan and his team without hesitation.

Thank you to those of you who responded out of concern. That means a lot to me. This has been very scary and physically and financially painful for me and my family. I never encountered any "research" (holding a Master of Science degree, I think the term tends to be used rather loosely) on the band that indicated that it could slip downward or that there was a risk to other organs. I was surprised to find the FDA's report on the incidence of complications. I thought that if there was a slip, it would only impact my stomach. I didn't fail at weight loss. I didn't have problems getting stuck or vomiting... I lost a significant amount of weight before I became symptomatic. I believe that the slip was caused by an aggressive fill. A nurse accidentally put in two ccs, and at that point I became symptomatic (I only found out that she'd overfilled me in the emergency room the following day when they extracted all of the liquid from the band and there were 7ccs instead of 6). The bariatric surgeon who did my aftercare suggested that the overfill caused the slip and that it might have resulted in the stitches separating, but I can't be sure. Sure anything can happen. You can get hit by a car crossing the road.... but this did happen. This is my story, and I will continue to post right here where people can see what can happen. Perhaps its anecdotal, but it's my anecdote, and to try to cover it up or minimize it is not only hurtful, it serves to mislead others who come here hoping to learn about what can and does go wrong sometimes. People need this information before they make the decision to move forward.

Thank you for your concern, Rinny. I did have it removed. I came here to share my experience with the best of intentions. I would hate to see anyone go through what I did, and I think it's fair to share that this is something that happens. Often. Cheryl, I'm not going to respond to you again because I didn't come here to do battle. I think your comments are meant to minimize what happened to me, and I find that extremely cruel given what I've been through. I sincerely wish you the best of luck and health, and I hope that nothing bad happens to your band. B-52, I did follow the rules. I'm not a binge eater. My BMI barely qualified me for surgery, but because I have spinal arthritis, I did go ahead and have it done. I knew that some would not like to hear my story, but I won't be silenced on this matter. People need to know what a "complication" looks like. That real people have them. That they are expensive and dangerous. Mostly, I want people to know that the band can slip down below your stomach (my surgeon once removed a band from the intestines). If you start to experience pain just below the xyphoid process and terrible gas and nausea, do not ignore it (I'm sure glad I did not because, as I said, my liver was inflamed). If there are still signs of liver inflammation again in a few months, I will post again to share that, as well.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-21/obesity-lap-bands-may-cause-more-complications-than-weight-loss.html and http://www.dayonehealth.com/resources/blog/231-long-term-complications-after-lap-band-surgery.html and http://healthland.time.com/2011/12/14/fda-warns-about-misleading-lap-band-surgery-ads-in-california/ I'm not here to argue. I just think that people should be advised. This last study says 60% need additional surgery. That's not what I was told, and I had relied on that information to make a medical decision.

I beg your pardon. I meant to say band. This has been a little bit emotional for me, and I have not been communicating well. Not even Allergan reports <1%... http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm283455.htm

I had a great experience with Dr. Illan Fraijo. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend him and his team. I just got back from having them perform a somewhat complicated band to sleeve revision, and the experience was better than I've had in the US. You can IM me if you're interested in my experience or have questions for me. Amy