- Name: Jennifer K
- Age: 45
- Surgery: Gastric Sleeve
- Surgery date: December 6th, 2019
- Testimonial date: July 20th, 2020
- Surgeon: Dr. Mario Almanza
My husband and I were tired of the yo-yo dieting. One month it was the Atkins diet, then keto, then calorie counting...etc. everything we did brought results that could be seen, but then came the plateau and the disappointment of ending up in the same rut we always did. Eventually the 25-30 pounds we lost would creep back on. And the cycle would begin again. We both aspired to lose more than we had (60# for me and 75# for my husband) but could not figure out how to get off the plateau. I even tried hiring a personal trainer. I felt stronger but the weight would plateau once again. It was very frustrating for us both. One day a friend of mine said she was going to Mexico to get weight loss surgery. I thought she was crazy! I had seen the result of a botched mommy makeover 2 years earlier when I worked as an RN at a wound care clinic. After the 7th person from my workplace went and had the surgery and seeing first hand how the weight melted away my interest peaked and I started asking my colleagues questions about their experience. Every single one of them raves about their experience at the state of the art facility in Tijuana. I went home from work one day and decided my husband and I would be numbers 8 & 9... we flew into SanDiego and were transported by minivan to Tijuana for our stay at the lovely Baja hospital, which I later learned was brand new. Even though we know limited Spanish, we had no trouble communicating with the staff and they were very welcoming. The staff were warm and friendly and patient as we had a lot of questions. The screening process (bloodwork and ekg) were done in a very professional manner by the on site phlebotomy staff and onsite cardiologist. Dr. Almanza was as kind as my 7 friends had told me he was. He took the time the morning of the surgery to come and greet all of his patients and answer questions we had. He genuinely seemed to care about us and was professional and thorough. He took a photo with us and we were off to the OR. We woke up not knowing how we would feel physically. I have to tell you it really was not bad! The worst part is the 10 seconds when they remove the JP drain. The facility is clean and the staff are attentive. The post surgical tests are done on site and were efficient and accurate. After we got home they checked on us frequently. We followed all recommendations of Dr. Almanza and the nutritionist. 7 months later and my husband has lost the 75 pounds and I have lost 62. And it's still coming off. Never would we ever have dreamed we would be back to our college weight let alone our high school weight which is where we are headed. We feel great and look great. Only bad thing is having to buy an entirely new wardrobe ... boo hoo! LOL ... my husband's cholesterol and blood pressure are nearly normal now and I no longer fear he is headed for cardiac issues down the road. ...in any event I highly recommend Dr Almanza and his staff if you are considering this surgery for yourself... it will change your life! My husband and I have a new lease on life and we are loving every minute of it! We can't thank them enough...
