Going alone!

[Sweet Pee 349]

I went to Tijuana, Mexico by myself July 2011 for my sleeve. I returned 4 week ago to see Dr. Victor Gutierrez for plastic surgery, and it was great going by myself. My husband says he wants to go with me next time. No way, I want to go by myself!!

[Melixxa 125]

The alone time was WONDERFUL!

I felt the same!

If my mom or a friend had been there, I would have been worried about their needs and honestly, I just wanted to have think about myself for a bit. This surgery was a pretty big deal in my little world.

In the end, I met several really nice people and had buddies in the hospital and at the hotel so I never really felt like I was on my own, anyway.

[aliekat55 157]

I am getting surgery tomorrow by myself. dont know how I will do but i am having a great time here by myself. although it is North Carolina and not Mexico ( only because it is closer to baltimore)

[tessies 224]

I went alone to Tijuana. Dr. Garcia at Mi hospital. Did just fine. It was better alone to be honest.

[hurley911 59]

Nomore, I will be there with my gf on 7/23 for same day with Garcia too!! We will be there until 26th! I had mine done on 4/2 with Garcia and it was the best decision of my life!!! Maybe we will see u there!!?? Garcia and his team are awesome!!!!!!!

[soocalchic 1,087]

NoMoreDonuts' date=' My husband does not want me to go alone, but if he comes, that means I will have to tell my mom and dad who live right down the road and would be the one's taking care of my animals. That wouldnt be so bad but 2 yrs ago my brother flew to California, bought a truck and drove it back here to Louisiana. It sent her into a tailspin of extreme anxiety that took months to get her out of. I shutter to think what going to Tijuana Mexico for weight loss surgery would do. Trying to get over there and back without her knowing anything about it until its all over. Just thinking about it is stressing me out and I want to go eat something.[/quote']

Tell your mom your vacationing and need her to watch your pets.. a little white lie won't harm anyone besides you will need your hubby there

[Canary Diamond 186]

I'm alone in MX as I type! Had the surgery Saturday, July 13 w/ Dr. Illan at florence Hospital, now recuperating at Hotel Lucerna. I must say, it's been WONDERFUL. No one else to worry about, a hotel room all to myself, and I can fart as loud as necessary (and boy, is it necessary!) and don't have to apologize to anyone.

I don't know who your surgeon is, but if you're with Dr. Illan, Omar with make sure your every need is met and you won't have time to feel anxious or scared.

[Jenniferkatie 21]

Agree here!! More ME time and I got to do things on MY time and not feel like i'm having to entertain them Here is my story if you want to read :)

Who would of ever thought, as a RN who has worked out of many hospitals in the USA, some of the best even, that I would choose to go to Tijuana, Mx for a major surgery? But, it was the BEST decision I could do for myself and my family! I have NOTHING but wonderful things to tell you about Dr. Ferdenando Garcia and his team out of florence Health/Oasis of Hope Hospital. It all begins with an internet search in looking at Medical Tourism as I have been checking into costs of self paying for the Gastric Sleeve as my insurence, as many others, either wouldn't pay or make you go through some long drawn out process and still in the end, you have to pay loads out of pocket (more then going to Mx), and often still don't even get approved after waiting 6 monthes to a year to jump through all of their hoops...So i did my research...I found some places you wouldn't want to go (DON'T go to anyplace working out of a Clinic in a strip mall! That goes for Mx and the USA!)...but then I found, www.ready4achange.com, and I finally found a place that used a hospital and who had nothing but wonderful reviews for Dr. Garcia and his team of doctors! So, I wanted to get some information and contacted alma, the coordinator who sets up the ball in motion and boy is she fast and efficient! Super sweet too! She makes sure you get all your paper work in, everything you could possibly need in line to go down to Mx...and she will respond at even the oddest of hours too! So after I got all the finances set up (its $4700 for BMIs up to 50 then its a step increase up to BMIs over 70 even!), I had my surgery date set! It was that easy! In just a month a way, i would be having my surgery!

And boy did that day come fast!! I did my preop diet, and that was tough but I kept thinking about my liver and how small I wanted it to be as I already have fatty liver disease so didn't want that to be an issue...Samuel (the driver) and alma emailed me a couple of days before departure to let me know what to expect, contact numbers, and any information I would need to know as I arrived into San Diego...and boy are they johny on the spot! I had just barely gotten off the plane and Samuel Sr. was already waiting and ready for my pick up!! I was the only pick up at that time and he quickly drove me across the boarder and to The Marriott where i'd be staying before and after the Hospital Stay. He was super nice, spoke great English and even pointed out things along the way as a private tour guide I arrived at The Marriott and he assisted me with my luggage and helped ensure I got checked in without any difficulties. He ensured me that Irene, another coordinator, would be contacting me shortly to meet to sign paperwork and to answer any questions I had and also to give me instructions and what to expect the next day, my surgical day!....

Within an hr or so of my settling into the hotel, Irene shows up What a sweet lady!! She signs concents with me and also gives me a stack of papers that were questions regarding my medical history...a much more indepth one then I did previously when getting preapproved for the surgery. She told me to fill these out and bring to hospital the next morning. Talk about thourough! She also explained that I would be checking out around 1015 to be picked up by the drivers at the hotel who would be taking me to florence health at 1030. At that time, i would have all my presurgery testing done and most likely my surgery time would be around 3. There were only 2 cases on my day of surgery and I would be the first!! YEA! So, a half hr later, all the paperwork was complete, and I was free to do what i wanted till the next day! So, as i was on Clear liquids only, i made up some Jello for later (there is a small fridge and coffee maker in the room!) and siped on some Clear Liquids and even ordered the complimentary chicken broth from the restraunt in the hotel! It was GOOD!! I decided to hang out at the pool and just catch some rays and relax to mentally prepare for the next day...I'm glad I got to do that as it really helped get my mind to be calm and let me rest well and I slept great that night! The beds are comfy and LOTS of pillows!

The next morning, i indulged in a long shower and used the hotel supplied bath products...they are wonderful Bath and Body shop items of the Orange and Ginger Aeromatherapy items! Loved the smell!! It realy helped to relax and I was set to check out! Made my way downstairs and there was another lady, a Dr. from the Bahamas even, who was going with me over to Florence and she was the second case of the day! The driver quickly got us over to Florence which is about a 30 minute drive through some beautiful country side to the VERY beautiful and SECURE hospital. The Hospital (Oasis of Health) has a wall surrounding the grounds and an entry door into the wall is the only way in and out of the facility....and its gaurded to keep it secure...inside the wall, there is a beautiful garden you can walk around and some patio chairs and tables you can sit and enjoy the sun! Upon entry into the Hospital, we are greated by Eduardo, the hospital coordinator who will be keeping us up to date while we are in the hospital. He takes our paper work and shows us to our private rooms. I was in Rm 13, the same room my hubby was in when he went down 2 weeks before me!...The room is spot clean, not a speck of dust anywhere...The hospital bed is comfy and has a nice fluffy comforter instead of those drab hospital blankets! There is a lounge chair and also a day bed of sorts for any guest that was staying. As soon as I arrive, they bring me my gown to put on and do my labwork (they draw a CBC/BMP/Cholesterol/PTINR and a Urine HIV test), EKG, and Chest XRay. Then a nurse comes in and starts my IV...all of this within an hr of arriving!! So, i'm quickly settled in and then the march of Doctors starts. I had one MD doing the EKG, another is an Internal Med Dr. who comes and asks her questions, then the Follow Up Dr. who does your after care while in the hospital and hotel introduces herself (Dr. Velasco was awesome!), Anesthesiology comes in and does his questions as well, then Dr. Garcia comes in with his IPad and he explains the procedure and draws out the operation to illistrate everything...and they all speak PERFECT English!! All through this process, I have a team of 3 nurses who are tending to me. They start Abx and stomach medications before surgery and also give me an antianxiety medication to drink along with a blood preasure pill to take before going back. Dr. Garcia explains that they are ready for me and I'm quickly taken back to the OR.

I remember scooting from the gurney to the OR table and lying there with my arms on the armboards and starting to get a fuzzy sensation and looking up at Anesthesiology and asking if he had given me something already, and I could see his smiling eyes behind his mask and he said "A hah" and I said OK and then I was out The next thing i remember was waking up in my room again and having severe pain in my chest from the gas!! Also i was super hot...i had a oxygen mask on and i was pawing at it and moving my legs everywhere to kick off the blankets...i had my ted hose on that I had put on earlier that day and I also had the pnuematic osilating pressure things on my legs like they use in the states to prevent DVTs....I wanted to get out of bed NOW because all i could think of is that I wanted to walk to get the gas to go away...but i wasn't quite safe to do that yet....they had me sitting up at the bedside and a Dr. who stays on the floor 24hrs a day for any issues that may arrise, came to me and asked if i was having pain, and I told him Oh yea, Lots! And the nurse brought me a dose of Bupinorphine and gave me that in my arm and also another brought in the toradol and tramadol that went into the IV and before I knew it, I was asleep for another hr and half....and boy did i feel better when i woke up!! I was able to easily walk up and down the halls with minimal pain...the nurses were WONDERFUL about coming in like clockwork to give me all of my medications (sterioids for inflamation, toradol/tramadol for pain, reglan/ranitidine/zofran for stomach/nausea, and Abx to keep infection away)...not to mention the bag after bag of various fluids I recieved the 2 days i was there...There were only 3 patients on the whole floor and I had 3 nurses for each 8hr shift! When they do report, they do it at the bedside so there are 6 nurses in your room at that time. Most of the nurses speak good english, some speak enough to get the job done and questions answered, but they all were wonderful at their jobs!! That night, I couldn't drink anything and i did LOTS of walking to get rid of the gas...i was up about every hour and half walking the halls...come the next morning, they came in with a new gown and wanted me to shower. That felt really good getting fresh and clean and I finally got to look to see what all was done...I had 5 incisions and one JP Drain...And it seems they had to use the liver retractor which is why i was having the pain that I was having...hubby didn't have ANY pain and they didn't have to do the 5th incision over the liver/sternum area where the put the retractor...After getting clean, i went down to radiology for the 2nd leak test (they do the first one in OR)....i had to drink this nasty stuff but it showed no leak so i got to finally drink something! They brought me in a small cup of apple juice, Water, gatoraid and a glass of ice chips. They refreshened those with each meal time. I slowly worked on these items, never completing all of them ever during my time in the hospital. My little stomach was just not going to be able to get all that in right away...it was a slow process of learning what my stomach can and can't handle right now...As the day went on and into the second day, pain was getting better and gas was starting to move...On the day of DC from the hospital, Dr. Velasco came and took out the JP Drain. Boy did THAT feel weird!! But, i was glad it was gone as i instantly felt less pain with it out! She also informed me she would be by the hotel the next day to remove the staples. I was dressed and ready to go back to the hotel by about 10:30. .Eduardo arrived again with all of our DC bags of goodies! In the bag were medications for pain/abx/stomach medications that we would be taking for the next 5 days and also dressing supplies and our surgical report information and Nutrition information that explains our diet progression for when we go home. There was also a couple bottles of Water and a bottle of gatoraid too! We even got a stuffed "stomach" to take home with us!! Kids are going to love that!! LOL!

Then, we were escorted from the hospital to the van of the Hotel where we went back and got checked in...unfortunatly, being it was still early (11am), our rooms weren't ready but they let us go to the lounge on the 10th floor to wait till they were available. Checkout at the hotel wasn't till 1pm (which is nice except when you want to check in early!)...so had to wait almost 2 hrs but the lounge was comfortable and they had a t.v. but mostly I naped lightly...Finally got settled into the room and relaxed...I had orriginally thought I would go do something this day, but i was quickly tired and prefered just laying around and working on trying to learn to drink again...I did end up going down to the restraunt to try the Soup later that night and only was able to get about 5 spoonfuls in before i was full...jello was my friend and seemed to go down better...The next day, i felt better! I did end up going to the Hipodromo down the road (its this beautiful colosium like place with a Walmart, shopping, cassino, food court, and arts/entertainment and even a theater!)...went to walmart and got more gatoraide and was back in time for the MD to arrive to take the staples out...Irene arrived with Dr. Velasco as well and explained that Samuel Jr. would be calling to set up a pick up time to head back to the airport the next day...so I ended up relaxing more this day, went and sat in the sun for a while to read a book, and mostly try to get as much fluids in as possible...i'm up to about 16ozs a day!! Improvement! Samuel called around 9 and let me know he would be picking me up at 12 the next day to head to the airport...And he was like clockwork! He picked us up and we were off!! We had a bit of time before our flights and asked if we wanted a little sight seeing before the airport!...So, we ended up driving through Balboa Park and got to see all the museums and parks and things to do in this "central park" of San Diego :) We made it to our airport in plenty of time and I was excited to finally be heading home to begin my new life!!

I again have nothing but wonderful things to say about my entire experience, even afterwards as I have Dr. Garcia on my FB and i can and have asked him questions afterwards and he has quickly responded to them!! If you are looking at having this done and want the BEST experience, Go to www.ready4achange.com and speak with Alma about arranging yours with Dr. Garcia, you will NOT be disappointed!! All for $4700 except for airfare!!!

[leslie1958 159]

I haven't scheduled a date yet but I can tell you I will be going alone by choice. When I feel like crap I just want to be on my own and not have to worry about someone else or feel that I have to chat when I don't feel like it. I'm not at all anti social but I do know that I just need to concentrate on myself for those few days.

[aliekat55 157]

I went alone and i ran into non-surgical trouble that would have been easier with someone there, but I would have been a beast. it was better for me to reach deep inside and make it through. Now my wife and family will get the better me to start this journey.

[Melixxa 125]

Jenniferkatie, you have described my experience almost exactly! LOL You just saved me having to write it all out!

[Jenniferkatie 21]

Mellixxa, i'm glad i saved you the time :) Took me 2 hrs but i wanted to get it down for all to see :) They are so efficient and smooth running machine, i think everyone's story would be about the same :)

[chickadee73 57]

Personally, I would not go alone, though I hear you about the "farm" lol and the worrying parents. I want someone to help me with my suitcase on the plane, make sure I get to bathroom, advocate for me if I am in pain, walk and talk with me in the halls. I need the support. It's a foreign country, this is major surgery. I want someone who loves me there beside me in case I need them or (heaven forbid) anything goes wrong.

[aliekat55 157]

I went alone and had trouble. i lost the keys to the rental car! and no they do not have duplicates. on the sunday before monday morning surgery. so i had to make the calls and arrangements to be towed to the airport when discharged, lug my luggage, wait for hours as the plane was delayed, etc.. Nevertheless I had support from my team and family and found reserves inside myself that I thought long gone with my youth. I am a different better person for the experience. Having to rely on my self on the day after the surgery when I was still in pain, no matter how much walking i did, was a true learning episode.

i dont think there is a right answer, just a different path.

[Canary Diamond 186]

I went alone and had trouble. i lost the keys to the rental car! and no they do not have duplicates. on the sunday before monday morning surgery. so i had to make the calls and arrangements to be towed to the airport when discharged, lug my luggage, wait for hours as the plane was delayed, etc.. Nevertheless I had support from my team and family and found reserves inside myself that I thought long gone with my youth. I am a different better person for the experience. Having to rely on my self on the day after the surgery when I was still in pain, no matter how much walking i did, was a true learning episode.

i dont think there is a right answer, just a different path.

I didn't think we were supposed to drive for two weeks after.