In Mexicali!

[meggiep 57]

I am also glad you posted it Renee- I was shocked to hear that Dr. Aceves told you the fibro was "all in your head" - essentially you were forced in to withdrawal by inadequate pain management AND you were told your diagnosed conditions do not exist when I worked for a team of research scientists at Stanford University working tirelessly to help find treatment for those conditions.

One of the things that upset me the most about this experience for you is that you were promised your pain would be managed and your fibro taken in to account. Is this just the way to get you down there?

I am so deeply upset that my friend suffered in this way and I wonder how man people will be affected in this way.

I know it took a lot of courage to come forward too- you have no idea how many people will benefit.

[Lynn Byard 0]

It needed to be told Meggie, even if it meant possibly being banned from here. Not everyone has wonderful experiences. If, by posting this experience, it helps just one person to ask the right questions it will have been worth it to have them benefit from Renee's experience.

Big hugs to you!!

Lynn

[Disney 20]

It needed to be told Meggie, even if it meant possibly being banned from here. Not everyone has wonderful experiences. If, by posting this experience, it helps just one person to ask the right questions it will have been worth it to have them benefit from Renee's experience.

Big hugs to you!!

Lynn

Why on Earth would you be banned from here? Most people here (you can just take a tally) have a great experience with Dr. Aceves, et al. But when someone here has health problems that require extra attention that they do not get, then it SHOULD be brought out for people to see. Someone else with Fibro might be considering surgery there and they need to know. I think this forum is PRO truth, not just PRO Aceves.

Thanks again for sharing Lynn.

[Disney 20]

Nancy, YES! Make sure they know how medications react with you. INSIST on a one on one meeting about the medications you're on now and demand to know how your pain will be dealt with once you wake up. What medications do they use to control pain, etc. Seriously, it matters a great deal. I was by no means the only one in pain and vomiting during the night.

Also, I was so out of it from the anesthesia that I couldn't communicate how much pain I was in. I also noticed when I got home that my paperwork said I weighed in at 250 when I got there. This isn't true. I was 287 on that day and I think 281 2 days later. How much more pain meds would I have received had they gotten my weight right? I don't know, I just know this is something I wish I'd known the truth about.

When Lynn told Dr. Aceves "I thought Renee was going to have an epidural?" he looked at her like she was bonkers and said he doesn't know why she thought that because it's not something he routinely does. Well, she thought that because this is what we were told lol

At any rate, ask those questions! Hope this helps you

XOXO Renee`

Renee, I asked Nina about the epidural because I had read here that it was sometimes given. When I got there for all the pre-op testing, and met with the anesthesiologist, I asked him about it and since I had a blood clot after having my daughter, he said I would not be getting it. Can't remember why, but people with blood clot history can't. Anyway, 2 friends that were there at the same time as me, both had an epidural. Sounds like some miscommunication going on. Sorry you had this train wreck of events happening to you. Almost as if every person that has a good experience down there, you in contrast had the opposite effect. I hate that for you.

Glad it is all over with and you can start down the road to recovery

[MissMinnie 5]

HI,

Glad everything worked out in the end. Dr Aceves and Dr Campos were great with me. This was the first time I went to Mexico and actually couldn't believe I was doing it. The hospital, the testing, the doctors and their staff was MUCH better than any hospital I had been to in Florida, California and AZ.

This incident should help them with others that have the same condition. I found them to be very positive and helpful. Also through all of my research they are the best revision surgeons around.

Just my 2 cents and I am really glad it all worked out and now on to drinking and Protein for you.....

[SouthernSleever 228]

I'm a firm supporter of Dr A and his team but no one is perfect and they did NOT handle your case well. I posted before about waking up in a lot of pain and them saying I had a low tollerance for pain. I told them I had 17 hours of pit labor, walked on a broken ankle for 4 hours, and had a Home VBAC all that without meds. Don't TELL me I have a low tollerance for pain. Dr A did talk about them being very careful with pain meds so not to cause an addiction and that some pain would be expected. I hope you are able to heal from this and the word will be loud and clear to them that they need better pain mgmt skills. I did have a car wreck the day before I left for surgery and so I didn't know how much of the wreck played into my pain.

[kwikwits 20]

Renee,

As a newbie about to have surgery on Wednesday, June 1st, I truly appreciate your honesty and candor

about your experience. More importantly, I am so happy that you are feeling better and improving daily.

I am worried about immediate post op because I've never had surgery before so I have no idea how I will

react when coming out of general anesthesia. Plus I don't know how I will react to post surgery pain.

Yes, I am scared but having this surgery will save my life -- so I'm going remember how brave you are

and how you handled a very, very rough experience -- and came out on the other side.

Please keep us posted about how you are doing! I hope & pray as each day passes you are feeling

better and better. EJ

[meggiep 57]

I'm a firm supporter of Dr A and his team but no one is perfect and they did NOT handle your case well. I posted before about waking up in a lot of pain and them saying I had a low tollerance for pain. I told them I had 17 hours of pit labor, walked on a broken ankle for 4 hours, and had a Home VBAC all that without meds. Don't TELL me I have a low tollerance for pain. Dr A did talk about them being very careful with pain meds so not to cause an addiction and that some pain would be expected. I hope you are able to heal from this and the word will be loud and clear to them that they need better pain mgmt skills. I did have a car wreck the day before I left for surgery and so I didn't know how much of the wreck played into my pain.

See- that is a similar thing- making the issue YOUR problem due to a "low tolerance". That is BS. This is major surgery- there are incisions into your abdomen through muscle- there may be intense pain and it needs management. Addiction? Baah- more BS. Pain management after surgery is not something to withhold due to fear of addiction. That is absurd. I am starting to wonder if there is actually access to the medication needed for surgery of this type. Expecting you to just bear it is barbaric. The chemical changes your body undergoes while in pain are harmful and can affect your recovery.

This situation is serious IMO and needs addressing.

[ybnormal 21]

Renee,

As a newbie about to have surgery on Wednesday, June 1st, I truly appreciate your honesty and candor

about your experience. More importantly, I am so happy that you are feeling better and improving daily.

I am worried about immediate post op because I've never had surgery before so I have no idea how I will

react when coming out of general anesthesia. Plus I don't know how I will react to post surgery pain.

Yes, I am scared but having this surgery will save my life -- so I'm going remember how brave you are

and how you handled a very, very rough experience -- and came out on the other side.

Please keep us posted about how you are doing! I hope & pray as each day passes you are feeling

better and better. EJ

Thanks EJ! You can ask Lynn or Sarah though, I didn't handle it very well at all. I was in a total panic attack because I couldn't fight my way through the pain to TELL someone that I was in pain. You will probably have a button to push that gives you the good stuff, so don't worry, you'll be fine! I get very emotional with anesthesia and Lynn knew this going in, so she thought I was just very very emotional from that, but it was more than that she just didn't know it at the time.

I'm anything but brave, trust me, I was scared and bitchy and horrid for a couple weeks before surgery

Good luck and if you need to talk, pm me anytime!

xoxo Renee`

[Disney 20]

See- that is a similar thing- making the issue YOUR problem due to a "low tolerance". That is BS. This is major surgery- there are incisions into your abdomen through muscle- there may be intense pain and it needs management. Addiction? Baah- more BS. Pain management after surgery is not something to withhold due to fear of addiction. That is absurd. I am starting to wonder if there is actually access to the medication needed for surgery of this type. Expecting you to just bear it is barbaric. The chemical changes your body undergoes while in pain are harmful and can affect your recovery.

This situation is serious IMO and needs addressing.

Meggie, with all due respect, what do you mean exactly when you say 'I am starting to wonder if there is actually access to the medication needed for surgery of this type"? Again, I ask this respectfully.

[meggiep 57]

It seems pretty clear that strong narcotics are not available for the patients. I would like to be wrong about that- but saying they do not use them for fear of addiction in the patients is absurd. Lynn and Renee were also told that "opioids are not used in Mexico." Just in this thread two patients have reported being told they 1- have too high a tolerance for medication or 2- they have too low a pain threshold- as the reason their pain can not be controlled. There have been quite a few other posts that have had me wondering what the pain management consists of. I think it is a pertinent and realistic question to ask. This surgery can OFTEN be very very painful. I would be concerned about an inability to access medication that can handle it.

I need to remind you I have a great respect for Mexican healthcare. One of my sisters has all her dental care in Mexico and another sister's life was saved in a Mexican hospital in Baja when she fell and broke both wrists and both knees and had internal bleeding. Nevertheless these accounts and a couple told to me privately have me wondering about this aspect of the care- in my opinion an important aspect.

[Lynn Byard 0]

It seems pretty clear that strong narcotics are not available for the patients. I would like to be wrong about that- but saying they do not use them for fear of addiction in the patients is absurd. Lynn and Renee were also told that "opioids are not used in Mexico." Just in this thread two patients have reported being told they 1- have too high a tolerance for medication or 2- they have too low a pain threshold- as the reason their pain can not be controlled. There have been quite a few other posts that have had me wondering what the pain management consists of. I think it is a pertinent and realistic question to ask. This surgery can OFTEN be very very painful. I would be concerned about an inability to access medication that can handle it.

I need to remind you I have a great respect for Mexican healthcare. One of my sisters has all her dental care in Mexico and another sister's life was saved in a Mexican hospital in Baja when she fell and broke both wrists and both knees and had internal bleeding. Nevertheless these accounts and a couple told to me privately have me wondering about this aspect of the care- in my opinion an important aspect.

Meggie, it's not all of Mexico, because others have posted that they have received narcotics at other facilities. It was our experience in Mexicali at a private hospital. So I don't know if it is hospital policy or the Doctor's policy.

Lynn

[Lynn Byard 0]

Meggie, it's not all of Mexico, because others have posted that they have received narcotics at other facilities. It was our experience in Mexicali at a private hospital. So I don't know if it is hospital policy or the Doctor's policy. We were told that they don't use narcotics like they do in the US

Lynn

[meggiep 57]

Ah, I see. That seems inadvisable for this surgery. And does not explain what seemed like a situation making the inability to administer medication be about the deficiencies of the patient. Not to mention the not believing in fibro and telling Renee to "Stop it". Would that it would be possible.... to just stop it. I do think it is important for patients to know the limitations or policies of a specific hospital or doctor before having a surgery that is possibly very painful. Especially knowing Renee was promised that her pain would NOT be a problem.

[AutumnLily 77]

Disney, yes it was Dr. Campos that was there and got down on the floor with her. She took the last Lyrica and Effexor the morning of surgery. The last Loritab the night before. Because she could not have any ice chips or Water the day of surgery it was the following morning before we were able to put the Lyrica and Effexor into juice to dissolve them so she could sip them down. She did not get any of the Loritab until we got her home. We didn't think about giving her the Loritab because she was getting pain meds in the hospital. We didn't realize that Mexico does not use narcotics like they do in the US. Dr. Aceves and Campos tried to explain it to us, but I am still confused about it. So she had gone 3 1/2 days without it. That was where the problem was as she was actually going through the withdrawal symptoms.

So for future patients of any doctor they should find out what the post op pain meds will be and then check with their own doctor who has prescribed their Fibro or other pain meds and see if there will be interactions with the drugs, or discontinue their prescription(s) or if they can take their prescribed medication with the pain meds that are provided. Plus maybe see if they can get a short term liquid version so as to avoid having to dissolve meds in juice/water.

We always learn new information by someone else's experience. Glad you are on the mend and that now future fibro/pain med patients know what to ask pre-surgery and will be able to understand how the pain can be controlled.