Really confused and overwhelmed

[Michele in NY 13]

Absolutely I think talking to people. I am reading this board and will be reading others. I see different facilitators with the same drs and the same hospitals. What makes one better than the other? I've started a spread sheet type paper and am taking notes of the drs and hospitals etc. So far I'm hearing the most about Dr Garcia. I see he is under ready4change and alighterme and at florence hopital and MiDoctor. I'm hearing more about MiDoctor and alighterme. Where can I go to actually see their credentials, if they are posted, how do you know if they are for real? How do you find out how many surgeries they have done? how do you find out about a death or complications toll?

I appreciate all your help.

Cindy

I absolutely loved Dr. Lopez and A Lighter Me. Unfortunately, they're aren't any independent sources to find that kind of information. But just give them a call. They'll be more than happy to share that information with you. I've said it before and I'll say it again, A Lighter Me has been in business for over 10 years. That was HUGE for me. Not to say a company that's only been in business for a few years isn't reputable, but experience does say a lot for me.

[gibson_girl 108]

I knew from the beginning I didn't want to work with a large coordinating company and I wanted a surgeon with tons of experience and American credentials (FACS, American College of Bariatrics). Dr Kelly was the first one suggested with this profile and I researched him and kept coming back to him. I think if it wasn't Dr Kelly I would have chosen Dr Aceves but what hooked me was he trained completely in the states and has the most experience I could find and is 3,000 cheaper.

2 days out I feel I made the right decision. I'll certainly keep updating so you'll know how everything goes while I am here and after.

[lexysdad04 43]

Here is a website that gives you links on checking out doctors lic number to see if they are valid http://www.formerlyfluffy.com/researching-a-mexican-or-us-lap-band-or-realize-band-doctor/

Sent from my iPhone using VST

[gibson_girl 108]

You can also go to FACS, American College of Bariatrics etc online to check memberships.

http://web2.facs.org/acsdir/public/DetailMember.cfm?CHKDGTS=70304750667

http://web2.facs.org/acsdir/public/DetailMember.cfm?CHKDGTS=18700144761

Examples.

[dork 114]

Sorry I haven't responded lately. I've been so busy. I wanted to get this done this summer but I think more likely the first of next year. Daughter getting married, 2 cruises and running 2 home businesses...need more time to research. There's some very good information here and I will keep on reading for a while and taking notes. Thanks all. Cindy

[Olivia23 68]

What is most important to me is does the surgeon operate in a real hospital? Over in Mexico the word hospital is used loosely and many of these doctors and people on here say their doctor operated on them at a "hospital" when in reality it's a clinic and most clinics over there do not have an ICU or a blood bank. I'm mean what would they do if they nicked an artery during surgery (read somewhere it happened before) or what if something unexpected happened to you during surgery, would they know what to do at a clinic? I know a lot of people defend their surgeons and where they operate on here saying they were fine and nothing went wrong. Of course nothing bad happened, so how would they know what the outcome would be of their decision if something did go wrong.

The only real hospital that I have found that a weight loss surgery doctor operates at is Almater Hospital. The way I found out is I typed the name of all the hospitals mentioned on here in Google and the only one that showed up as an actual hospital was Almater. The others just link to coordinators websites.

Another thing that bothers me is a lot of these posts praising these doctors and their staff, they then mention that at night the nurses were loud, rarely came in to check on them, and they are unable to sleep without ear plugs. Also several mention that when the nurse came to put an iv in, it took them a long time to either find a vein or get it in correctly. A lot of people said that the doctor had to help them. This worries me because it makes me wonder if the nurses are even real nurses. Were they trained on how to put an iv in?

[gibson_girl 108]

Good luck when you do schedule!!!!!

[1hotmama*77 13]

Absolutely I think talking to people. I am reading this board and will be reading others. I see different facilitators with the same drs and the same hospitals. What makes one better than the other? I've started a spread sheet type paper and am taking notes of the drs and hospitals etc. So far I'm hearing the most about Dr Garcia. I see he is under ready4change and alighterme and at florence hopital and MiDoctor. I'm hearing more about MiDoctor and alighterme. Where can I go to actually see their credentials, if they are posted, how do you know if they are for real? How do you find out how many surgeries they have done? how do you find out about a death or complications toll?

I appreciate all your help.

Cindy

As far as I know Dr. Garcia is only through Ready4Achange now and he is switching everything over to florence. I don't think you have a choice of going to Mi anymore. It was getting too overcrowded and they were not able to guarantee each of their patients a private room which is what they want to offer their patients.

[gibson_girl 108]

Olivia,

Florence/Oasis is a full hospital with a blood bank and real ICU. It's actually a world renowned cancer hospital specializing in late stage cancer. There were people from Europe, New York and a lot of Amish folks.

When you pull up the first building is a one or 2 level building with a very nice lobby etc. The Bariatric section is in this building. There are 2 tall, multilevel buildings connected behind it.

I've worked in healthcare 15ish years and I have no idea where you get this hospital isn't a real one.

Oh and the nurse got my IV in on the first try and I am an IV therapist's nightmare lol.

[gibson_girl 108]

Here is a picture of Florence/Oasis of Hope.

[gibson_girl 108]

Again, thanks all. I have so much to look at. I'm really not reading anything too bad yet. As for price, under the 20 grand they want here, but care is what is most important. I want a few days in a hospital, a few days at a hotel, safe area, hospital not clinic, someone with lots of surgeries under their belt, only do a few a day. No deaths...least with complications, you know....what everyone else wants

Everyone seems to forget that Bariatric surgery has a statistical risk of death 1 in 400. The US leak rate is 1 in 100. The risk goes down significantly the more surgeries a surgeon has performed, but they do not go away. I went into my surgery knowing that my surgeon had almost 7k surgeries but I knew that I could die. I didn't and so far, so blessed.

The dead do not speak and most people having surgery are not on these forums. If your surgeon has any significant amount of experience he has had major complications and deaths. If you believe otherwise, well that is your choice. But if you really think your coordinator or surgeon is going to give up their true complication or mortality rate when it isn't recorded anywhere......I think you deserve to go into this with your eyes wide open for your family's and your own sake.