Reflections on Cancun from a Woman’s Perspective

[jan8j 30]

I chose Dr. Perez to do my vertical sleeve in Cancun in June 2013. I can’t say enough good things about Dr Perez and Alma and Gail, with Ready 4 a Change, and Abraham, our driver. The hotel and beach was fabulous. My experience was pretty similar to all the others that have been reported in detail, so I am not going to repeat all that, but you can send me a private email if you have questions. I had minor gas pains (none in the shoulder), with the worst issue being regular-type gas pains accompanied by diarrhea. That didn’t happen until I started with the ice and the blue dye. I quickly realized that GasX helped to ward that off. I took some light days pads, which came in handy, but I wished I had brought full sized ultra-thin pads. But I made do with no big problems. If you can go with the flow and can accept the differences, Clinica Victoria is a good place for the surgery. If you expect it to be just like the States, you might not like it. It was a good experience for me and I credit Dr. Perez and Ready 4 a Change for helping me change my life.

The best thing I bought for the trip were Big Skinny wallets for my husband and myself. They are very thin and they have pockets that your Passport fits in, slots for a few credit cards, a coin pouch, and slots for bills. We found that dollars could be used everywhere, but you should make sure you have small bills so you will have less issue with change. Use a bill close to the total amount of what you are purchasing. I would recommend that you take clothes and particularly bathing suits that dry quickly because of the humidity (maybe it’s not so bad at other times of the year, though). We went swimming the day before surgery and our suits were still wet when we had to leave the hotel. I hung mine in the bathroom of the hospital room and left it there during my stay. Flipflop or slipon sandals are the best for the beach and for putting on quickly at the hospital. If you are like me and don’t like to flap around a lot in public, you should take a soft comfortable bra like an Ah Bra for after the surgery. One of my incisions was right at the bra band. I put a Band-Aid on it when I was flying home, but left the other incisions uncovered.

The Lagunamar hotel prefers to take a credit card and then if you purchase anything at the gift shop or restaurants there, you just give them your room number and they charge it to your bill. Make sure you review your bill when you leave, ours had added for the two days we spent there after surgery, but after we pointed that out, they checked and found that all 3 days were prepaid, not just the first day. You will check out the day you go to the hospital and then check out again when you are ready to go home. You won’t keep the same room. BTW, they upgraded our room both times to a one bedroom suite, which was SWEET!! Hotel dining can get rather expensive—we noticed that the Breakfast buffet was $35. But if you skip the buffet and order a la cart, prices are pretty reasonable. There is a palapa restaurant by the pool, several other restaurants throughout the hotel that are open at different hours, a sports bar (pizza and wings), and a small gift shop/deli. My husband said the food was good at all the restaurants, and I enjoyed photographing him stuffing his face while I had nothing! It was nice to be able to sniff the pizza and cinnamon French toast that he ate, though. I appreciated the smells, but I wasn’t really hungry. There is a mall just across the street from the hotel. You can buy souvenirs, go to restaurants (your companion!), and there is a small convenience store where you can buy some personal products and other things if needed (Band-Aids!).

While we were at the Clinic, my husband fell in love with 100% Natural, a café a few doors down from the Clinic. He also walked a block to a local Market for souvenirs and sightseeing. Someone else’s hubby liked 100% Natural too, it has all kinds of juices, breakfast, Mexican, Italian, and deli foods—or so I was told. We have to go back to Cancun when I can eat—I want to try that place!

Al-in-all, my Cancun adventure is one we will never forget. I’m looking forward to my new life, thanks to Dr. Perez!