- Name: Lisa Walters
- Age: 39
- Surgery: Gastric Sleeve
- Surgery date: November 2nd, 2011
- Testimonial date: January 13th, 2015
- Surgeon: Dr. Almanza
I am 5'6" & I was 237 pounds. Before my gastric sleve surgery, I was very sad all the time, had horrible back pain, & no life. My weight made my back pain worse which caused me to eat more due to the intense sadness I felt every second of every day! I couldn't do things with my kids because I was at risk of throwing out my back & being laid up for a week at a time. I was missing out on life. I felt ugly, disgusting, & worthless. After researching weight loss surgery in the US,I discovered my insurance wouldn't cover it because, get this one, I wasn't "fat enough"! I had to gain another 50 pounds, develop diabetes, or very high blood pressure. While my fasting blood sugar was getting close to being called a diabetic & my blood pressure showed an upward trend, my insurance company still said no. I pleaded with them about my back pain & submitted the xrays showing the bulging discs in my spine. Still they denied my request. I am an intelligent nurse & I knew I needed to take action now, my physical & emotional life depended on it. I decided to research medical tourism. After a long detailed search, I found Dr. Almanza & Jerusalem Hospital. I called & was given excellent service from day one. They provided written & video testimonials, a contact person to answer all my questions, an affordable price, & the ability to pay using Paypal. Ever time I spoke with them they were respectful, caring, & very knowledgeable. I decided I was just handed an opportunity to get my life back. I paid the deposit, bought a plane ticket, & had the surgery within 2 weeks. Everything, and I mean everything went smooth & just as they described. There were no surprises, everyone was professional, kind & caring. On the day of surgery we arrived at the hospital. Right away labs were drawn & the Cardiologist performed a pre-op physical exam. Next Dr. Almanza met with us to answer any questions. He was very informative & was not in hurry like doctors in the US. Hey I'm a nurse, I work with doctors every day & we all know they are always in a hurry. Dr. Almanza was wonderful though! He treated us like real people & not a way to make money. He actually cared about all of our concerns & provide us with his own life experience with weight loss struggles. This man really gets it! Next was surgery. I walked into the operating room to be greeted very kindly by his surgical technicians. Then I laid on the table, was given anesthetia & fell sleep quickly. The next thing I knew I was waking up in a different room to a nurse asking me how I was doing. I had a little pain so he gave me some medication to make it go away & I fell back to sleep for a few hours. The hospital was small but extremely clean. The staff was professional & clearly dedicated to their jobs. The next morning we went to the recovery house & got settled in our rooms. The on site nurse kept up with providing pain meds for those who needed it. I didn't need it very often, the pain was usually tolerable for me. The cook prepared home made chicken brother which tasted amazing! Plus there was an endless supply of freeze pops which was perfect to hydrate myself & the coldness felt soothing. We were encouraged to walk laps, several times a day, in the house's courtyard to prevent blood clots in the legs. That is normal post op procedure for any post op patient. The rest of the time we socialized with the other surgical patients & relaxed on the warm sun. On the 2nd day we were brought for a leak test. It was very simple & quick. You just drink a small cup of radio opaque liquid & they take a picture of your new stomach. Not invasive at all & puts your mind at ease right away knowing you don't have a leak. On the last day, we went shopping in town. The staff was always friendly & accommodating. For the most part, I felt like I was on vacation! Soon, I was on the plane headed home. I did not have one complication or post op infection. I followed up with my family practice doctor back home & everything went great. In three months I was down 50 pounds and had NO back pain anymore. In six months I was down a total of 90 pounds. By nine months I had lost 100 pounds & felt wonderful. At the one year point I had lost 117 pounds. I know weigh 125 pounds but I coast 5 pounds below or above with my menstrual cycle. I have maintained that for 3 years now. I will admit that I didn't do any exercise in the first 2 1/2 years. Last summer I started walking for fun & just naturally added hiking & swimming. It's mostly for fun but I do enjoy the health benefits as well. Everyone tells me I don't look like I lost that much weight cuz my skin is not saggy. I can't give the doctor credit for that. That's from my genes. I am furtunate that my skin has cooperated well. It did take well into the 2nd year to really tighten up. I could go on forever about how happy I am. Thank you to Dr. Almanza & the whole team!
