Mexico Doctor

[klvn1675 0]

Everyday when I think about how much money I still owe on that worthless LOPEZ surgery......it boils my blood. Now, I owe an additional $15,000.00 to my credit card for Dr Billy to do my revision! That $9,000.00 I threw away for Lopez to botch my surgery, was a total waste. I wish I would have just gone to Billy in the first place. The reason I wrote was to say that when Billy took out my slipped Lopez band....he gave it to me. It sits in my sock drawer.

Lopez failed me back in 2003.

Dr Billy fixed me in Jan 2007.

Those of you who praise the wonders of Dr Lopez have just not had your problems yet. Just wait. He will ignor you just as he has done the rest of us. I was confused at first also. P.S...who does your fills? Lopez PROMISED he would personally do my fills. I never saw the man again. He had his flunky asst. do it.

Delara,

Please add my name to your list of people who have been hurt by Lopez.

Warmly,

Christine

O MY GOD! I DON'THINK YOU SHOULD CONSIDER LOPEZ Corvala, HE SEEMS LIKE HE'S HAD PROBLEMS INSTALLING LABANDS!

DO YOUR RESEARCH!

[mistyone 0]

CHRISSY:

JESUS MARY AND JOSEPH!!!!!!!!

I'M SCARED!!!

Is the Lopez Corvala in legallyblonde's quote the same as yours?

You know I have been reading posts on this site for a while, looking for a lap band surgeon and I thought I had found Lopez to be a good one, but upon further searching I came across legallyblond2. It's horrible the way she was treated by Corvala. I am no longer considering Corvala. Legallyblonde2 you hang in there! We are all rooting for you!

Concerned Calvin

If you want a good doctor in Tijuana at the Angeles Hospital, I second the motion on using Dr. Valencia. Just go directly to his coordinator and don't call the hospital. They can book you with Lopez and you will find out after you get there! Dr. Valencia's coordinator is at 877-765-8446. Good luck! We're all rooting for you!

[christine yng 0]

If you want a good doctor in Tijuana at the Angeles Hospital, I second the motion on using Dr. Valencia. Just go directly to his coordinator and don't call the hospital. They can book you with Lopez and you will find out after you get there! Dr. Valencia's coordinator is at 877-765-8446. Good luck! We're all rooting for you!

Thanks for your advice mistyone, but I tend to disagree. I'm scheduled for surgery with doctor Francisco Gonzalez on the 24th. I did a lot of research prior to deciding on my surgeon, my question is this: How can someone just be booked and find out afterwards? Shouldn't you find things out beforehand???

Many of you out there have given me great advice and I felt I should contribute and give back, so I have posted a few of my findings along the way. I strongly recommend the article by Ken Miller in the thread: advice on picking the best surgeon.

Also, what is this about "don't call the hospital"? Shouldn't the hospital be one of your primary sources of information? Especially if they have several surgeons who do the same procedure? Well that is my humble opinion, I think this is important. By the way, today was my first day on my pre-op diet, so far so good!!!! I welcome any tips, or words of advice!

Christine.......T minus 8 days, and counting!!!!!!

[mistyone 0]

Oh, I didn't mean that you shouldn't call the hospital for information. I read somewhere else on this board that some of the hospitals have their own coordinators that schedule surgeries through the hospital program but you will get the surgeon that they pick for you. Some of the surgeons on staff do surgeries above and beyond their own patients for the hospital. I would never pick a clinic or hospital for my surgery and not choose my doctor. I would want to pick my own surgeon and not have someone else pick for me. So I guess what I mean is make sure you schedule with the doctor's own office.

I'll see if I can find that post about it and put it here.

[Chrissy 0]

Dr. Corvala vs. Dr. Valencia

Please Help!

I am scheduled for banding on 7/26 with Dr. Corvala in Mexico. The reason I went with him was because I know 2 people that had it done by him and they thought he was wonderful. The more I read on this board the more I hear bad things about him. His partner is Dr. Valencia and i have heard some good things about him. I am coming down to the last days and I am beginning to think twice about this. How could their "lead doctor" (Dr. Corvala) not be the best one in their practice. I need advice please. What doctor is the best!?

[christine yng 0]

Dr. Corvala vs. Dr. Valencia

Please Help!

I am scheduled for banding on 7/26 with Dr. Corvala in Mexico. The reason I went with him was because I know 2 people that had it done by him and they thought he was wonderful. The more I read on this board the more I hear bad things about him. His partner is Dr. Valencia and i have heard some good things about him. I am coming down to the last days and I am beginning to think twice about this. How could their "lead doctor" (Dr. Corvala) not be the best one in their practice. I need advice please. What doctor is the best!?

I feel for you Chrissy!!!! I decided on mine by doing research and more research. I got tons of info from my doctor's staff and facilities as well as other doctors, but most of all his patients. I was able to speak with about ten of doctor Gonzalez patients and I was flabbergasted. I mean you should hear the things his patients say about him ( all positive!)! And you know what, they even gave me numbers of two patients that have had minor complications so that I could get a first hand account of how he attends to you if (God forbid) you ever do have a problem.

Not trying to hide this to me is simple honesty. Have any surgeons asked you: "do you want to speak to a patient of mine that has experienced complications?" They don't have to and it is probably not good business practice. Patients of surgeons in the United Sates have complications, as do patients of surgeons all over the world and that is a hard and cold fact. The most important question we should ask ourselves in this case is this: how does my surgeon deal with this type of problem? How many times has he been in the O.R. performing this procedure? Does he attend to patient's complications, questions or concerns afterwards?. The misfortunate legallyblonde2 was operated on by a doctor who would not even return her calls, who buried his head in the sand and hoped she magically went away and stopped distracting him from his lucrative lap band assembly line.

Is that where you want to be if (again, God forbid) something goes wrong? Doctors that can't look you in the eye and tell you of their complicated cases square in the face are simply not trustworthy. Sadly, just as there are honest ones, there are the ones that hide the truth.

I feel that a good surgeon should care about the health of each and every patient. And if something should happen during or after surgery, that doctor should be there for his patient.

The sad side of all this is this: Unscrupulous surgeons and their team of "facilitators" (who obviously get a nice cut) will continue to prey upon the unsuspecting patient, who in his or her desire to lose weight and be a healthier man or woman, falls victim. And you can't just blame the surgeon because I can bet that his or her entire team knows the doctor's REAL track record. They eventually become the surgeon's accomplices.

Think it through Chrissy. Then decide.

As for me, I know my doctor is, if not THE best, he is sure right along side the BEST. I've seen the facts and I know this is right. Good luck!

T....minus 7 days.....and counting..........

[gutierrezea 0]

Well I think you need to relax, they work as a team. Dr. Corvala did mine and I'm so thankfull. It truned a month yesterday. I've lost 25 lbs. so far. I'm getting my fill with Dr. Claysa in TJ, she is also part of thier team. But you could ask them if they have any affiliated Dr. in your area.

Dr. Corvala vs. Dr. Valencia

Please Help!

I am scheduled for banding on 7/26 with Dr. Corvala in Mexico. The reason I went with him was because I know 2 people that had it done by him and they thought he was wonderful. The more I read on this board the more I hear bad things about him. His partner is Dr. Valencia and i have heard some good things about him. I am coming down to the last days and I am beginning to think twice about this. How could their "lead doctor" (Dr. Corvala) not be the best one in their practice. I need advice please. What doctor is the best!?

[Guest zsflower]

I just received a copy of this thread from one of my clients. I want to clarify the differences between Dr. Valencia's own practice that that of Hospital Angeles and "BeLite Weight". Dr. Martin Salvador Valencia FACS has opened a practice in Tijuana and Ensenada, Mexico. Previously, Dr. Valencia finished his surgical residency in 1998. He was then appointed as Associate Professor of the Advanced Laparoscopy Fellowship at ABC Medical Center (One of the most prestigious medical schools in Mexico). He was then invited as a visiting professor of minimally invasive and bariatric surgery at UCLA in Los Angeles, CA. He was a full time professor there. When not doing surgeries as part of the UCLA bariatric team, he traveled all over the world proctoring other surgeons in minimally invasive bariatric surgical techniques. He continues to teach at UCLA part time while building his own practice in Tijuana and Ensenada, Mexico. All this information is not meant as a commercial, just an explanation in my attempt to clear up the confusion.

Dr. Valencia was invited to be part of the staff at Hospital Angeles in Tijuana, one of the finest hospitals in Mexico. He began to perform Lap Band surgeries for the hospital. However, he additionally has his own patients. Dr. Lopez is also on the staff of Hospital Angeles. Belite Weight represents Hospital Angeles. Belite does NOT represent Dr. Valencia's in any way. I am Dr. Valencia's coordinator for his practice. Dr. Valencia is NOT part Dr. Lopez’s team nor is he “partners” with Dr. Lopez. Dr. Valencia has his own team.

I personally do not agree with the practices of Belite. I believe Belite is deliberately using Dr. Valencia's credentials and expertise in the forefront of all their advertising to further there own business rather than doing what they should be doing, selling the lap band services of Hospital Angeles. I believe them to be unethical in their business practices and I would not recommend using their services. I'm sure not every one would agree, but that is my opinion.

For various reasons, Dr. Valencia very recently decided to stop doing surgeries for Hospital Angeles. He will concentrate on his own patients and building his practice in Tijuana and Ensenada.

If anyone has any questions regarding Dr. Valencia's status, affiliations, etc., I would be happy to answer any and all questions.

My best to everyone here and I wish all of you a healthy successful weight loss journey!

[legallyblonde2 0]

Imagine my surprise when I haven't been on this board in a long time and suddenly log on and find my posts here! I just want to YELL these two things!!!

1. How can anyone say they have read this site and not heard of all the Lopez Corvala horror stories???? You just haven't looked. Enter his name. Its all here!

2. It is really pretty simple.....IF something bad happens to you (God forbid) will your Dr step up to the plate and fix it or will he ignor you?? Many months later will his office asst call you and tell you that Lopez corvalas asst might be willing to do your revision for $4,000.00 plus hospital costs. Total $7,000.00. I paid $9,000.00 for the stinking thing in the first place!!!!!!! My slip was confirmed by 2 US surgeons to be that of poor placement. Perfect band pt be damned. All that work for what? We who have have been hurt by Lopez have every right to share our stories and express our anger at his incompetence. Read my posts....I was living in denial at first also. So sad. :faint:

[lindaa 1]

OK, so there are some strong feelings about Lopez Corvala. I posted most of this in the Lucky-7’s thread and someone suggested posting it here. I hope it helps anyone considering Angeles Hospital or Dr. Lopez Corvala

First you need to know that I am a nurse educator (in other words, I know how things SHOULD be) and I speak a little Spanish. The staff at Angeles spoke very little English, but with my limited Spanish we pretty much communicated the basics.

My experience with Angeles Hospital was that the hospital appears modern, beautiful and clean. My concern was that the standards of care are not the same as in the USA. For example, I am hypertensive and had a difficult time convincing them that it was not a good idea to keep my IV running at 125ml/hr, encourage fluids by mouth, and hold my antihypertensive meds the day after surgery! Finally, at 9:30 at night when my BP was alarmingly high, they called a doctor and got permission for me to take my meds. There were a couple other things like me having to show them how to eliminate artifacts on my EKG (something any EKG tech is taught to do), glass thermometers, no sharps containers or biohazard disposal bags, no ID bracelets (which did result in at least one patient mix-up—thankfully the other patient was also a nurse and caught the mistake) and absent or incomplete instructions--all of which would be considered inferior care in the USA.

Anyone going to Mexico should appreciate the meaning of "Mexican time." "Un momento" does NOT mean "one minute." It means "later." The people are very polite and will smile all the time and tell you what you want to hear, but then they turn around and do as they please. Since it's hard to communicate with them, it was hard to know if they understood what we wanted, or if they forgot, or what is going on. At the same time, I do need to emphasize that the many of staff were very nice. When I told someone in the pre-operative area that I was nervous, she hugged me and tried to communicate reassurance. Dr. Lopez only spoke to me for maybe a minute (not unlike some American surgeons), but the ansetheologist couldn't have been better, and Dr. Lopez's assistants were personable as well. I did receive written instructions in English and had some opportunities to ask questions of people who understood and spoke English.

Dr Lopez Corvala: Well, he IS a surgeon, and in general they are not especially personable so I didn’t expect much. People have to realize that there are always some patients who have bad experiences and have nothing good to say about their doctors. On the other hand, even the worst doctors can do a good job. The reason doctors (and nurses too for that matter) are licensed is to protect the public. The states set the standards and regulate who is allowed to do what. When you leave the USA, you can not assume that the physicians outside the country meet our standards. It’s a risk. For me, everything turned out well and I got what I wanted. I may feel differently down the road if something comes up and I can’t get it dealt with, but for now, I would say that Dr Lopez Corvala is neither better nor worse than any random surgeon in the USA. I just don’t know, and there really is no creditable way to know.

BeLiteWeight has some work to do too: We were initially told that my husband could spend two nights in the hotel and I would spend the second night in the hotel with him. But when the time came, no one could tell my husband how to get to the hotel so he ended up sleeping on a bench under the air vent (very drafty) in my room. The second day, I was told that I would remain in the hospital that night which meant a second night for my husband on the drafty bench. I ended up rubbing his back at 5 am as he was getting pretty grumpy about the whole thing. He had to fend for himself as far as meals were concerned, and beg for extra towels to take a shower in my room. (They don't provide washcloths either, so be sure to bring one from home)

I would recommend Angeles hospital and Dr. Lopez with reservations. It's really important to be informed before you go and know what to expect because until they resolve the language issues, patients would not have a way to know these things. (Where I live, the hospitals are required to provide translators for non-English speaking patients!)

Remember that Mexico was a "Blue Light Special" compared to what it would have cost me to have the band placed in one of the centers 50 miles away from my home. When are the insurance companies going to stop discriminating against obesity? They’re the real bad guys here, but that's a whole different issue. . .

[lindaa 1]

In the interest of fairness, I need to tell you that I no more than posted my previous message and I received a call from BeLiteWeight. They are aware of the issues they can control and have already implemented changes. For one thing, they, just this week, hired an on-site bilingual patient facilitator! They seemed very appreciative of my comments and are striving to continuously improve their services. Can't ask for more than that!

:clap2:

[mistyone 0]

Gee lindaa I'm sorry about your experience. I went to Hospital Angeles with Dr. Valencia. But I didn't schedule my surgery through beliteweight. Dr. Valencia spent about 1 1/2 hours with me on the phone before I went down and at least an hour with me before my surgery after I arrived. I thought he was very personable and thorough. He went over in depth, the pros and cons of all the different surgeries on the phone with me. Then I was able to ask him a ton of questions before surgery. We mostly talk about how he plans to bring UCLA residents down to Mexico to assist and observe surgeries there. He said he learned so much practicing in the U.S. and thinks that doctors in the states should have an opportunity to practice in Mexico. I really like his anestheologist (spl) too. I also felt the language barrier a little, but I was able to communicate. I wouldn't rate my experience as a blue light special, but I do understand your feelings.

[YOYO 0]

I invite you to visit Dr. Huacuz Website at lap band surgery mexico - Home take a look !!!

[HOTMOMMA 0]

I invite you to visit Dr. Huacuz Website at lap band surgery Mexico - Home take a look !!!

There are a lot of bad things about huacuz all over this forum. I went to his website and I didn't like it. What don't they do there? I dunno but something about a place that does 10 different things, I hthink this huacus guy even does hemorroids, notrhing wrong with that but I'm looking for someone that specializes in lap bands. I want a LAP BAND specialist!!!!

[YOYO 0]

I believe that you most be inform about surgeons training, so far all surgeons know how to fix hemorrhoids, but in fact He don’t say anything about hemorrhoids in his web, and I think that you are the one having this problem because your mind is looking for the solution on your real problem.

Give us an update, and let us know who fix your problem!

Good Luck!!! J

P.S. Remember this FORUM is only for obesity surgery.