- Name: Jessica Gay
- Age: 20
- Surgery: Gastric Sleeve
- Surgery date: May 14th, 2013
- Testimonial date: September 4th, 2013
- Surgeon: Dr. Almanza
My expierence was amazing! I found out I could go to Mexico to have this surgery and it was $10,000- $20,000 cheaper and that my doctor had more expierence because he does them so frequent. I called the weightless agents and they provided me with all the information I needed as put up with me being a little nervous and calling everyday about what foods I could and could not eat for pre op and post op. it's hard to go those several days with out eating but your body will adjust after about the 3rd day. So the day I got to San Diego, CA there was a bus there to pick up the group who was traveling to get their surgery done as well. We drove into Mexico and to the hotel. The hotel is NICE! It is nicer than a lot of the hotels around where I live in Virginia. My friend who went with me said that even the food there was good. That day at the hotel there were several nurses that come to do the check up stuff and ask me questions to prepare my self and so they would know my history regarding if I am allergic to medications and what not. The next day we went to the hospital which looks small on the outside (it is sort of in a strip mall) and they talked to everyone (patients and who the friends brought). The hospital is very clean!!!! I'm a neat freak and it met my requirements! Then the patients went upstairs and talked to the Dr. and one by one we got an IV. We waited for each person to get the surgery and time flew quickly while waiting. I noticed all they instruments were sterile and in the same Johnson's and Johnson packages we have. I felt very safe and comfortable with that. I went down stairs when it was my time and laid on the surgery table and I was OUT! With in a blink of an eye they gave me the medicine to put me to sleep. They woke me up after surgery and I stood up and had to walk up stairs to my room. It was not hard or uncomfortable to walk up stairs!!!! I did it kind of fast they told me. I laided in the hospital bed and they took great care of me. It took about an hour before they would let anyone come in my room, I guess to make sure I was ok and safe. After that my friend was able to come sit ad talk with me. The gas pains were a little uncomfortable. But not to bad that I couldn't manage. I did not take the gas x strips they recommended. I didn't need them. The first day and night was a little rough being that the surgery make story gag and throw up. It's ok and hurts a little. But now that I have lost 60 pounds, I don't even remember. They do an excellent job keeping your pain level under control and the entire time you are in the hospital (1night) you are on an IV so you don't get dehydrated. The next morning you go back to the hotel and later that day you go back to the hospital and get another full IV to make sure
You are still hydrated. They recommend that you walk around a lot or as much as you can. In the beginning it is harder to go long distances but by the 3rd and 4th day I could walk anywhere I wanted to and however long I wanted to. There are tons of places to go around the hotel. We were told to go back to the hotel when it started to get dark for safety. There is a nurse at the hotel on duty the whole time. 24-7. They were very friendly. The last day they get you to drink this purple dye that is DISGUSTING! I threw up trying to drink it. It was totally gross! I chases it with some nector juice (fruit juice) I liked apple the best. And that helped a lot! The purpose is to see if there is a leak in your stomach when they do the x-ray. Walking around helped to get the dye down also. After the x-ray we walked back to the hotel. The radiology center was about 3 blocks down. It was a great expierence! I would recommend it to anyone! Actually when I go out and see overweight people I just want to tell them that Mexico offers a great surgery and that will help them and it is affordable. I do not regret getting the sleeve at all! I have became good friends with a girl the same age as I am that the weightless agents found that had the surgery before I did. The agents were able to find people who didn't mind talking about and sharing their expierence to someone. Which I found very comforting. Before I left for Mexico I talked to about 3-4 people about their expierence. I would do it all over again if I had to.
