Florence hospital was awful!

[nsena702 3]

I m going to start off saying I dont have anything too bad to say about the surgeon that was supposed to perform my surgery. Since I didn't have the surgery and he gave me my deposit back when I returned back home.... minus the fees I had to pay for the driver taking me back and forth from San Diego to Tijuana then back to San Diego. But here I go.... I purchased my plane tickets a month a head of time and like anyone else I was very excited about having this life changing surgery. I weighed 324lbs and my height is about 5'7... when I first booked my tickets. At that time my BMI was about 52... so the 2 weeks before I left I busted my hump trying to lose the extra weight so they wouldn't try and charge me $500 extra for the surgery... to make a long story short.. I get all the way out there and the staff at the hospital weigh me... 313lbs.... so im like great! Then they measure me... the nurse says 5'4!!! I quickly say "yeah right!! Thats wrong!!! Im almost 5'7!" They measure me again and say the same thing... at this point I am very upset and crying... thinking to myself .. I just traveled over 2200 miles for nothing.. all I had with me was the cashiers check for the Dr. .. (being in Tijuana. . I left everything at home. I did have my debit card but wad not using it over there) they wanted me to pay more for the surgery at that time and I refused. Then the staff started speaking in spanish about me and how im a dumb American and what did i think??? that they are stupid because they were Mexican and they didnt know how to measure someone... ( my husband speaks fluent spanish and my family is Hispanic as well.... and while I dont speak spanish I can pretty much understand everything). I they started saying they needed more money not only because of my height but because of prior abdominal surgeries I had.. which they knew about in the medical history forms I had filled out when inquiring about the surgery(that part I do blame on the Dr)....I was stuck there for hours!! After a little while a housekeeper came into my room and made me leave so she could clean it for another patient. . I then waited a few more hours in the lobby.. feeling very humiliated and nervous because I was somewhere I didnt know a soul... They finally contacted the driver who took the coordinator home before taking me back to the San Diego/Tijuana border.. I was very scared, hungry and tired..... the Dr never once came in to speak with me in the 7 hours I was STUCK there he was very rude in not coming to speak with me... Yazzy was the coordinator at the hospital and if it wasnt for her things would have been much worse. She kept me company and tried her best to make the situation not so terrible... I know lots of drs use the hospital. And im just one person but I just had to share this experience.. it was one of the worst things I have ever been thru and I dont wish it on anyone else.

Edited March 18, 2014 by nsena702

[Keepgoing247 116]

I'm so sorry you had to go through that! I would have been furious!!

Are you planning to use a different surgeon?

[nsena702 3]

Thank you I am planning to have my surgery with Dr. Kelly. He was my first choice to begin with but I went with the other Dr because it was $600 cheaper. .. dumb on my part... I dont know when I will be able to have the surgery now.. I took the time off of work and it didnt work out.. I do not recommend anyone have their surgery at that hospital.( florence hospital). I cried my eyes out for hours in that lobby and the staff just acted like I wasnt even there.. it was a nightmare. .

Edited August 20, 2016 by Alex Brecher

[BrandNewBrandy 79]

Which doctor were you scheduled with? My surgeon operates out of florence and I haven't heard of any of our patients (in our fb group) having any issues like that. I'm sorry that happened to you.

[Threetimesacharm 1,400]

You were at the hospital, ready with 99% of your payment, having lost weight, could your family not have wired you the remaining few hundred dollars? I am just asking because you are now back to square one, you must have paid for a flight for nothing, had the time off work and so on. Sorry you didn't go through with it.

I will share with you; the last time I was in Tijuana I went to see a plastic surgeon and he also measured my height; I am 5'10" and he measured me at 5'8", I think that there is something wrong with their measuring system. I was shocked also and thought, did I shrink? Of course I didn't I was measured by my doctor when I came home.

[nsena702 3]

@ BrandnewBrandy... thank you so much . My Dr was Garcia.. I researched him and I never heard anything remotely bad about him or the hospital only rave reviews but this was my experience and it was a nightmare. Im sure he is an excellent surgeon but hes still a jerk in my book. The least he could have done was made an appearance and explained things to me himself. Very unprofessional. ... @ Amazon13...and I could have paid the extra money but there was no way i was gonna give those swindlers one more of my hard earned dollars. I thought that too about their system being messed up but besides yours and mine.. I've never heard anyone else complain about this... I went by myself down there and didn't speak very much Spanish. I think they maybe thought I was an easy target... I am NOT 5'4.... its the principal. Had Dr. Garcia came and spoke with me himself my experience may have turned out differently. Who knows!! I may have had the surgery.

Edited March 17, 2014 by nsena702

[Truth&Gutz 20]

Hi.,so sorry that you had that awful experience..... I too,was going to go to Mexico and have the VSG...however, I decided not to go there for many reasons.....I ended up having surgery in NYC....at a major medical center......with whomever you choose to have your surgery.....make sure that you have every bit of information......I lost 125 pounds since July.....however, about 7 weeks ago...I started to have severe and intractable pain in my feet and now in my hands.....it was thought that I had a Vitamin mal absorbsion issues....the blood testss came out fine.....now, I am trying to read the literature from major medical centers in the USA to see what I am now dealing with......the weight loss and adjustment to the way I eat is fine.....but, this side issue is something that everyone is concerned and baffled about ?All the best....in your journey for good health......

[nsena702 3]

@Truth&Guts... u are so very right. Im so sorry to hear about this complication you are having. Praying they find out whatbit is and for a speedy recovery for you.

[Truth&Gutz 20]

Thanks so much........at this juncture....it is a struggle...the primary care doctor is trying to assist me in finding out the reason this is happening.......it is truly upsetting since the surgery went well......from the reading that I have done...Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins Hospital.......there are some people who have peripheral neuropathy after bariatric surgery.......I was given a cream to apply to my feet and I am taking medication given to people to help with the pain in the feet....such as diabetic neuropathy......? Thanks.....hope that you are doing well......all the best...