- Name: Mark Cavaliere
- Age: 55
- Surgery: Gastric Sleeve
- Surgery date: April 10th, 2018
- Testimonial date: April 24th, 2018
- Surgeon: Dr. Mario Almanza
So first off I would just like to say that if I were asked to rate the entire process using 1 to 5 stars with 5 being the best, I would definitely give a 5 star rating. I, of course like everyone else was concerned about having this procedure done in another country. Don t be, everything was professional, the hospital beautiful ( and almost new), the staff for the most part attentive and friendly. Dr Almanza visits shortly with all of the days patients, explaining the procedure and answering any questions. I felt almost no pain throughout the process, this was my experience, I did see others that had more discomfort than I did. There are just a couple of things I was concerned with. Was told I had to be up at 6 am, and was, but was not operated on until approximately 3:45 pm that day, all the while being told things like it will be soon, a half hour etc, I would much rather have been given a more accurate time line to help keep my anxiety at bay. Also, in the operating room, I only saw a doctor other than Dr Almanza, never saw him again other than in the morning when he spoke about the procedure. Most patients are put into the hotel where they can gather, go to the pool, go shopping and various other activities, I was stuck in the hospital the entire 4 days, with literally nothing to do but watch tv. I was told I had to be up and in the lobby at 5:45 am to be picked up to go back to the airport , I asked for a towel so I could take a shower before traveling starting at 2 pm the day before leaving, I eventually asked at least 3 people for a towel throughout the day and into the evening, never got one and had to travel without having bathed. Also the driver didn t even get there until about 6:30 am. So, as I said above, I would still rate the experience a 5 stars, but these other little things having been made correct would have made the experience even that much better. I am now exactly two weeks out, had my stitches taken out yesterday and have lost 37 1/2 lbs already so far. If I was going to do this again I would definitely do it all the same with Dr Almanza s staff and facilities. Thanks for listening.
Mark Cavaliere
