Has anyone been to the hospital "Sanatorio"

Jayburn · September 7, 2005

in Tijuana, used by Dr. Kuri and associates? Also the Hotel Palacio Azteca? Your views and feedback appreciated.

Jaxson_Lee · September 7, 2005

No I went with Dr. Joya in Vallarta and he uses a real hospital, the San Javier and an American hospital called the Cornerstone owned by a group out of Houston Texas. The photos are on his website http://www.drjoya.com

BandsterHopeful · September 9, 2005

Yes I have been there and had surgery there. I don't know what you mean by "a real hospital" but the Sanatorio San Francisco is a small but completely clean and sterile "real" hospital with perfectly-trained staff (by Dr Kuri) who anticipate your every need. About 80% of the surgeries there are Dr Kuri's band surgeries, so you can bet all the nurse are very well trained. All the medical and surgical equipment is new and top-of-the-line. The bathrooms are all new, the beds new, and the same hospital equipment is there that you would find in my own hospital at home.

The Palacio Azteca, the hotel 1/2 block away where you stay before and after surgery, is 4-star American quality and beautiful. Lovely large rooms, beautiful pool, attentive service, great restaurants, as well as the perfect Mexican restauarant across the street and the pharmacy on the other corner. wonderful in every respect.

I am a physician myself and checked out everything VERY thoroughly. The the infection rates and they are non-existent - much lower than the hospital I trained at - UCLA. I observed several surgeries with the patient's permission before my own, and Dr Kuri and his assistants (all also Inamed-trained and proctored Band surgeons) are all wonderul, attentive, and excellently-trained.

I could not imagine any better service. I have gone back to have the first fill and have already lost 28# since surgery, and I have barely started. I don't really even have a great fill yet. I could not believe how great everything was. I had no worries at all. i am delighted. Dr Kuri's online education forum is especially good, with direction and education from medical professionals. trained by Dr Kuri.

This is your health here, not a second-hand car you are buying - don't go with anyone but the best. Forget the cut-rate doctors, or the ones who have been banding only a few years. you get what you pay for, and the surgery and followup care, post-op and online teaching, and such with Dr Kuri and his team are wonderful.

myli1111fe · September 13, 2005

yes I went to Dr. Kuri and stayed at the hospital Santdiago, nothing fancy but it's clean and the staff(except for one) was great!! If you are in pain don't get the shot :cry she jammed the needle hard in your arm get pain pills !!!l

Jayburn · September 15, 2005

Hi all, Well I am experiencing first hand the Kuric -Tijuana experience and wanted to share the last two days with you. I am using the computer in the business center of the lovely Palaciia Azteca hotel. · $3.00 per hour charge.It is one short block away to the hospital which is clean and orderly. Recently it was modernized and the bathroom in my daughter´s room is a tiled delight.

The neighborhood appears to be safe. I don´t feel jeopardized when I go back and forth and I am paranoid.

My daughter Tracy and I (Jean) arrived here on Tuesday after spending Monday night in an airport hotel. We were picked up along with Terri from Oregon and her daughter Katie and taken to Tijuana by the clinics driver, Miguel. First stop was at a squeaky clean laboratory in a modern building for urine and blood testing. Then to another facility for an EKG, finally to the hotel.

We had lunch around the pool, the others went for a walk and came back with a pedicure and a haircut. A light dinner in the dining room )THE LAST MEAL for Tracy / Terrri) then attended a meeting in the hotel´s business center with Dr. Kuri. At this time, he brought a simulated stomach and a band and displayed exactily how it is placed and how it is filled. More easilly grasped than when seeing it as a page in a book and a very informative session, including the rationale that they must adapt in order to succeed. The band is a tool, not the magic solution.

I have been very anxious for my daughter Tracy and her decision to do this. And very anxious about it being done in Mexico which is not known for it´s sanitary conditions. By the time operation time came this morning, my fears were mostly gone, but I had in my bag sanitary wipes and a sniffy pouch ' a cotton ball soaked in eucalyptus oil ' a trick used in Australian hospitals to ward off staph. I wish I had brought gloves because they do not seem to use them in this hospital. Tracy requested them several times and because the staff does not speak much English they were able to escape her request. But this afternoon when the nurse came in to take out her catheteer she had on rubber gloves so perhaps they listened anyway.

Also, there is no bottled Water at the hospital so I ran back and got some from the hotel so that when she is allowed to have some, it won´t be from the tap. Terri was given ice chips and I worried about that.

We have all avoided ice, non bottled Water, salads, raw vegetables and even fruit. Not a problem , the food is great in the hotel and there is plenty of other things to eat. Soups are awesome and the shrimp cocktail unlike anything ýou´ve seen. The hotel staff does not offer a lot of English, there are no clocks in the rooms, so bring a travel alarm because no one called us for the wake up this morning at 5.30 am.

Terri & Tracy had a few unpleasant hours, had pain medication via IV, and snoozed half the afternoon. They are awake now and moving around hauling their IV´s behind them. They will come back to the hotel tomorrow morning sometime after seeing Dr. Kuri as long as they are progressing satisfactorily.

Optimists, they are hoping to visit a shopping street fair called the Revolution. There is also a big fiesta downtown to honor Mexican Independance day. We might take a tour to be able to see the scope of the city. It is poor and shabby but the areas I´ve seen are not as bad as some parts of North Philadelphia or Atlantic City. The tour is $70 for four people and lasts for 3 hours..I asked the desk for the information.

We met Denise Danci and her Daughter Kiana who left today for home. Kiana was feeling very good the day after surgery. Today she was a little under the weather , probably over did it yesterday. Betty from Virginia joined us for dinner last night, she is having her surgery tomorrow morning.

We fly home to NJ on Friday .

Jayburn · September 18, 2005

We are home now(2nd day) and Tracy is progressing every day. Not much pain, tomorrow she'll leave the all clear liquid diet behind and go to the next eating stage. She's done two 15 minute walks today and plans to embark on a third.

Her incision is clean and mending. Dr. Kuri is indeed, a skilled surgeon and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend his services. His staff and fellow physicians are capable and friendly.

I wanted to mention in the above notes that the phones in the hotel rooms do not enable you to contact outside calling card services such as my ATT International. For that you have to find a phone boot and if you don't understand the language you won't get very far. The small kiosk in the lobby sells Mexican phone cards for $5. but I assume you'd have to respond to directions to use them also.

We ended up e-mailing. Along with the computers in the business center, there is wireless Broadband in the lobby and the fifth floor, so a laptop would come in handy for communication for the escorts at least.

I also recommend that you bring some sort of Spanish translating device. The hotel staff does not speak English and it was embarrassing to me not to be able to communicate with them. Looking around me I realized tha we Americans tend to think that everyone should know our language, but don't do such a good job of learning other languages ourselves.. so patience would be a very nice virtue to offer others. Except for one rather bitch barmaid who obviously hates Americans the rest of the hotel and hospital staff were very friendly and helpful..

And this will be the last time I will post... I intend to help Tracy join this board. She is a little puter impaired so lessons on how to sign up will be part of her recreation this week while she stays with us.

Good luck to all of you. Yes, you will transform your body... with the help of the band - and a lot of discipline to boot. I think these forums will help keep you going through thick to thin.....