Read some things that Dr. Aceves’s patients are saying about him.
These posts are from: www.obesityhelp.com
Surgery Day!
on April 1, 2012 9:19 pm
After weighing in and a last meeting with Dr. Aceves, I learned that I was going to be the first surgery of the day. I was very thankful for this, because I was extremely nervous and weepy and would have needed a substantial amount of anxiety medicine to keep myself sane if I had been made to wait too much longer. I’m pretty sure that Dr. Aceves chose to operate on me first for this very reason, because there was a patient there for a lap band, and Blanca had made a comment yesterday about how generally they do the lap bands first.
As I was being rolled into the OR, I couldn’t stop crying. My husband walked with my bed as far as he could, and then smiled and waved from the doorway.
Once I was in the OR, I remember moving from my bed to the OR table, with the help of the anasthaesiologist, who was very kind and comforting. I remember asking him if he had ever had someone not wake up, and he promised me that he had never ever seen that happen. Then he asked for “two minutes of my time,” during which he explained that he would be “making me feel really good” before having me drift off to sleep. This went pretty much just like he said.
When I woke up in recovery, I itched all over and was bound and determined to move my legs. Then my knees. Then my feet. I must have fought for half an hour or so to wake my body up, and finally I could move my toes again. It was hot in there, and I was still itching, so the minute I could wiggle my toes I asked (in English) to be moved back to my room. Not sure if they understood me or not, but when I woke up again, I was in my room.
Soon after I woke up, Dr. Campos came by. His first words were, “good morning, Sleeping Beauty!” This made me giggle, and I couldn’t help but smile after that, even though I was sore. I was immediately given something for the itching, a fan to help with the heat, and something else for pain. I was offered nausea, medicine, but since I didn’t have any nausea, I declined that one.
The rest of that day is pretty much a blurr, other than a visit from Dr. Aceves, who informed me that everything went well and that I would be able to drink water tomorrow. The rest of that day, I was allowed to swish water in my mouth to keep my tongue wet, but I could not swallow it. I also had to begin using my spirometer to keep my airways strong, which was more of a challenge than I thought it would be!
Once I left recovery, almost all of the nurses understood enough English to make sure that I had what I needed when I needed it. I never once felt insecure, unsafe, or even uncomfortable, beyond pain medicines wearing off. I’m pretty sure that most of my pain, even through today, has been because of the fact that I had a drain, which is Standard for Dr. Aceves. But if my results are as great as the rest of his patients, I can deal with a little soreness to have an Aceves sleeve!
I’ll be posting the rest of my journey in Mexicalli in the next day or two… I’ve just gotten home from the trip and can barely keep my eyes open. 🙂
on August 11, 2010 5:22 pm
on July 13, 2010 4:12 pm
Ernesto picked us up right in time. He is very polite loads your bags for you.
The drive to Mexicali was crazy! They drive a lot different here very wild. The were
so many mountains and high rocks. The drive was about 1.5hrs. When we got to the hospital they drew blood, collected urine did a EKG and Chest Xray. Met with the anesthsiaologist, he is very nice and welcoming. He expalined everyhting very well.Spoke good English he just talked really fast:) Then off to the hotel. It was AMAZING! It was like a little resort.Had 3 nice places to eat, Italian, mexican, coffee shop. The pool was fantastic! Take your suit I didnt know about the pool so I was so disappointed I couldnt get in. We were allowed a last meal and I had mexican of course! YUMMY Dr Aceves came to the hotel to meet with us (Can u believe that:) to go over the process and what he expects from us ect. He spent about an hour there with us. Then off to lay down and we had a 5.9 earthquake!!! It was a little scary but way cool!!! I just cant say enough about the hotel it was SO NICE. So day 1 is an A+++++++
Day2
Picked up at the hotel right on time 0700. Taken right to my private room. Has a nice leather couch for the husband to sleep on. The floors are large beautiful tiles and the bathroom is very nice with a tile shower and it is private so I loved that. They gave me a shot in my abdomen (blood thinner) and my machine for my breathing exercises after surgery.
The wait was long as I ended up being the last of the day. When she finally came in and gave me my “happy” pill I was so excited, I knew it was finally almost my turn! They came to get me. I got on the OR stretcher and they wheeled me to the OR. Every one is the room said hello and told me they would take good care of me. Then out I went. I had a spinal so when I woke up in recovery I couldnt move my legs. It lasted a long time too. I couldnt go back to my room until I could move them so I tried and tried until finally I could. They wheeled me back to my room. At this point I was feeling ok. About an hour or two afterwards I became very nauseous! I was dry heaving badly and the nurses must have heard me because they came in right away with meds. I had another episode of that again that night but then that was it. I slept ok that night. Dr Aceves came in that night to check on me and told me I had a wide hiatel hernia and that he had repaired it for me.
Day 3
I drank the blue dye which wasnt near as bad as I thoguh it would be. Passes that! YAY So then they brought me in some apple juice, it was so good but I had a really hard time getting anything down. I walked some and visited with other patients I had met. It was a very uneventful day.
Day 4
Today I got some chicken broth, it went fown SO much easier that the cold juices. I also had the other leak test, now that was VERY nasty, yuk!! Dr Campos was present and told me I was having some spasms and thats why I had been having a hard time getting stuff down. He said it was probably due to my hernia surgery, BUT I passed the test. No leaks and got to see my tummy. They also took my drain out. It was wierd not really that painful just uncomfortable and strange. I felt so much better when that was out. I took a shower and felt like a new person. We walked over to the pharmacy to get our RX’s for home.
Day 5 HOME! The flight home was brutal! We had a total of 19 hours of travel time from the time we left the hospital to home.
Now extra tidbits and helpful hints…
Dr Aceves/Dr Campos both came in twice daily to check on me and educate me. They were never in a hurry and always very friendly. My only complaint about the hospital was the beds were very uncomfortable but I think that is true of all hospital beds. Dont over pack. You really dont need much. Your phone will work fine at the hospital but not at the hotel. If you can afford it first class on the way home or atleast a non stop flight would be so helpful. Also request a wheelchair when you make your reservations, it will be very helpful. I actually gained a few pounds the first 5 days so dont fret if you do. Dont invest too much money in protein before because you probably wont like it after. Stock up in popsicles, jello, chicken noodle soup (to strain) and diet gatorade before you go.
Overall I give my experience with Dr Aceves a 10. He is very professional and runs a tight ship. The staff was great! They do this daily and know what they are doing. When you push that call light they are there right then. I am so happy to be done with the surgery so I can move on to the losing! Good luck to anyone thinking of doing this. If I can help or answer any questions about Dr Aceves or the experience please email me.
jarabacoagirl
Post Date: 4/24/12 8:08 am Since you messaged me about Dr Aceves. I have talked to 4 ppl on the forum about Dr Aceves by phone and they all had good things to say. You can put a post to talk to different ones about a doctor and most people if they have the time are willing and you can private message them your number or vice versa.
Post Date: 3/13/12 3:31 pm
I’m having Surgery on March 30th with Dr Alberto Aceves At Almater Hospital in Mexicali Mexico….
Please be Careful on how you choose your surgeon..
ND2BTHN
Post Date: 4/17/12 5:57 pm
I chose Dr. Aceves, because he is not only the president of the Mexican Bariatric society, but he works out of a state of the art private surgical specializing hospital. He has many years of experience, uses the drain, 3 leak tests, 3 full days in hospital, not a hotel. His surgical partner, Dr. Campos who works along side him, as well as his driver trusted him with their surgeries too. That spoke volumes to me. I was so comfortable with my choice, that I wasn’t even afraid to fly from Canada and go through major surgery by myself. I am very happy with my decision and would recommend him to everyone.
Post Date: 3/23/12 2:23 pm
Last Edit: 3/23/12 2:24 pm
Dr. Aceves works from Almater Hospital in Mexicali. It is a private surgical hospital with all of the state of the art equipment. You can find it on youtube. This video is presented by a medical tourism company, and shows everything the hospital specializes in. The hospital is exactly as you see here, and very clean. I really liked it, and felt completely safe. Also you spend your entire post surgery in the hospital, not in a hotel or recovery house. That gave me peace of mind, and round the clock care.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4I46qknE5M
Kelly L.
Post Date: 12/8/11 9:40 am
There are a lot of Dr Aceves patients on this forum as well as other forums, but they may not come to the Mexico board, I know a lot of them hang out on the VSG board. You may want to ask your question there too if you haven’t already. I think he is in Mexicali? I don’t know his actual website because I didn’t go to Dr Aceves, but I think his coordinator is Nina. Dr Aceves has a really good reputation and low complication rate. Good luck on your research and your weight loss journey.
Post Date: 12/9/11 2:13 am
I had surgery with Dr. Aceves on Sept. 17, 2011.
He is located in the border town of Mexicali. I had an amazing experience and everything was great from the Hotel to the Hospital to the Staff. Check out my profile for a brief day by day of my experience while I was in Mexicali.
Please feel free to ask me any other questions you may have.
I used this website to contact them when I booked my Surgery.
https://www.mexicalibariatric.com/
All the best on your journey!
Post Date: 1/11/12 4:44 pm
I had surgery with Dr. Aceves on Dec, 27, 2011. I had a wonderful experience. The hospital is exceptionally clean and the surgeons are fluent in English, kind, and easy to talk with. The care was much better than anything I received in the US. I would go back there in a second. I had never had surgery before so I was pretty scared. I also went by myself so it was quite a trip. I felt safe, well-cared for, and had no pain other than soreness! In fact I was worried they didn’t actually do it until I saw my small incisions! I also was found to have a hiatal hernia and that was repaired for free. Feel free to PM me if you would like anymore details. I used these boards to decide on my surgeon and Dr. Aceves really does live up to his reputation.
Post Date: 9/26/11 11:41 am
I highly recommend Dr Aceves. If you want it done right he is a great choice! I had ZERO complications and have lost over half of my body weight.
Post Date: 10/1/11 2:14 pm
Hi, I just had surgery with Dr Aceves in Mexicali on Friday September 30th. Everything has been good. The hospital is exceptionally clean…my surgery was without any complication, and the staff working with Dr. Aceves are very caring and most speak English very well. I would recommend Dr. Aceves to anyone thinking about coming to Mexico to have weight loss surgery.
My Story
Posted Date: 12/15/11 10:15 pm
Suzanne B Weight Loss Story
I worked with a friend and noticed that she had lost weight, so I started asking her questions. Then she told me about going to Dr. Aceves, MD in Mexicali during the summer. She is a nurse and I really trusted what she was telling me. She directed me to his Web Site and then to the Yahoo Support Group site. I researched WLS (Weight Loss Surgery) for about 6 months before I made a choice. I sat and watched the people on the Yahoo Support Group and never said much for quite sometime. I read all their postings and was getting a lot of information. Now I have learned that is pretty normal for newbie’s to sit and watch for awhile. Then I was sure I wanted to have WLS and my choice was VGS –referred to as the “Sleeve.” So that is the start of my Weight loss journey. I just didn’t wake up one morning and say “oh in October 2008 I am going to have WLS.” I went through a process of getting here. I believe you have to have your “head” in the right place for this to be successful. I felt awful, I hated my body, and I wanted to be healthy again. If I walked very long my back and leg would hurt. I knew my head was in the right place, when I put myself ahead of everyone else. So many of us are care takers of everyone else and we come so far down on the list of taking care of ourselves.
Be prepared for the opposition that you may face from your own family and friends when you tell them that you want to go to Mexico and have weight loss surgery. I believe that we really need to educate them so that they know exactly what we are doing and how safe it is. But this is about YOU and NO one else. You have to be willing to stand up for yourself; you have earned the right to do this. Believe in yourself enough and want this enough to be successful. You also can go and not tell them what you are doing. This is entirely up to you. You can bring a family member or a friend with you too if you feel you want someone to come along with you. Your room will be big enough for them to stay in it. They have some nice sofa’s that your family member or friend can sleep on. I went alone and was just fine. I also went back in April 2009 with a friend of mine who had Weight Loss Surgery after seeing how I was doing. She is at her goal now too, and is just as happy and thrilled as I am with the results.
My weight loss journey has been incredible, and I have learned so many things about myself. Food is no longer my driving force. I eat to live not live to eat! When I eat, I actually think about putting good and healthy foods into my (new) 65 yr old body! What a thought. When I am eating I now look for the protein first because I try to make sure I get 70 grams of protein per day and then my veggies and some fruit each day. I started keeping track on line what I was actually putting in my body so I would have some idea of the number of calories I was eating each day. I started an exercise program which was just walking and to this day I do some kind of exercise at least 5 days a week. It is mostly walking. I was the person who HATED to exercise and now I actually look forward to getting up early and go walking with some of my friends. Bob and I are very active people so we are always doing all kinds of walking.
I never imagined what life would be like almost 2 years later. And the new clothes that I have purchased since I am a size 8 or 10 depending on who makes the clothing. I see people who haven’t seen me in sometime almost walk right past me because they don’t recognize me. Then they figure out it is me and want to know how I lost all this weight. I have had them ask me if I have been ill and I always give them a big NO! I am more than happy to educate them about the “Sleeve” weight loss surgery. I am very proud of taking control of my life.
There is NO shame in making the choice to have weight loss surgery; it takes more courage to have the surgery than to keep failing at all the diets you have tried. This is not a miracle cure where the weight just melts off you. It takes effort on your part to take this new tool you have been given (a new small stomach that only holds 6 to 8 oz) and eat healthy and exercise, but it is going to work and you will be able to maintain your weight loss because you have changed your lifestyle. I never consider myself on a diet, but that I have made a lifestyle change that is going to add years to my life. I am healthy now for the first time in many years. I am not afraid anymore that I will regain this weight. I know that it will never happen because of my restriction I have with a smaller stomach and my lifestyle change that is so easy to do day in and day out. I NEVER feel deprived when it comes to food. I listen to my head when it “says no more food I am full.” I know that I need to stop eating and it is OK to not clean your plate and it is OK to toss the food out.
There are so many things to be thankful for. The first thing I am so thankful for is Dr. Aceves; there aren’t not enough adjectives to describe this wonderful gifted doctor. Dr. Aceves genuinely cares about each patient he takes care of. Dr. Aceves will answer all your questions until you are comfortable with what he is telling you. Dr. Aceves is such a talented surgeon, and if I lived closer he would be my Primary Care Physician. Dr. Aceves is down to earth, very kind, intelligent, and honest with you. You will receive the most wonderful care from Dr. Aceves and his team of doctors and nurses. Dr. Aceves comes into your room several times a day and checks on you after your surgery—where in the US will a doctor do this? Most of the staff speaks excellent English. Almater Hospital is the cleanest hospital I have ever been in. They are cleaning 24-7. The hospitals in the US could take some lessons from this private hospital in Mexicali. I would go back to Dr. Aceves in a heartbeat for anything!
I still am shocked when someone calls me skinny—I thought who me skinny—no way? But, it was me they were calling skinny. This is something that you have to learn to get used to hearing. People treat you differently when you are thin. This is so unfair. We are just like everyone else when we are fat and the skinny people just don’t get it. I am so thankful for my great healthy. I only take about ¼ of the medication I used to take when I was fat. That is because I have become so healthy and I make the choice to eat healthy. Now I won’t tell you that I haven’t had and cake, cookies or ice cream since I had Weight Loss Surgery. I have, but in small tiny amounts and not all the time.
Weight Loss Surgery really has changed my entire life and it is all for the better. Weight Loss Surgery is a life changing event. Hold on to your hats because this is going to be the ride of your life. You will NEVER have one regret. You will only wish you would have done this years before. I think it was the best thing I could have ever done for myself. I am extremely impressed with the entire experience. Dr. Aceves’s patient coordinator Nina has always been very prompt, informative, and courteous with her replies. She is there for any question that you may have. I think this lady works 24 hours a day, because I always received an answer back right away. Nina is awesome and gives you so much support and help before you go and after your surgery too. DO NOT have any fears about going to Mexico, It is VERY safe in Mexicali and they ALL take such great care of you along your Weight Loss journey. I think we all have the wrong idea of what Health Care is like in Mexico, until we go there an experience it ourselves. It is far superior over anything that they have in the United States. I feel so much better and I would like to say I feel 20 years younger. Life is fabulous, and I did this for ME and NO one else. I know I will never be fat again in my life. I thanked Dr. Aceves for what he did for me and he said “I only gave you the tool to achieve your Weight Loss, give yourself the credit for making it work.” I still want to say Dr. Aceves you are the BEST!
mulamishka
Post Date: 4/2/12 6:14 am
I had a vertical sleeve done on 3/28/12. Dr. Aceves, Dr. Campos and staff are great! Your in good hands! Best wishes!
kitticat
Post Date: 1/25/11 12:24 pm
Hi Everyone,
I’m new here but glad I found this board.
I posted on the main boards about deciding between VSG & Plication.
I’ve decided on VSG with Dr. Aceves- after much research.
I have a 31 BMI and 36 years old. I’ve tried almost every diet and exercise program out there. I haven’t been at a normal BMI since I was 20 when I did phen-fen…
Obesity runs in my family, my mom had a gastric bypass and everyone in my family is in the obese range otherwise.
I got SOOO flamed about why I would even consider having weight loss surgery at my BMI, but the stats are stacked against me. I did HCG and couldn’t get below 160 (I am 5’5).
I can’t see a life in me starving myself to remain overweight. I eat fairly well, it’s just that I love food! I need that physical tool of a deterrent to correct years of yo yo dieting and being overweight and obese.
Is there anything I should know about or bring with me to my surgery?
Also, would love to know how my fellow Lightweights broke the news to their Primary Care Physician. (I know mine wouldn’t support my surgery, much less in Mexico). How did you go about finding a doctor who was understanding of your condition and aftercare?
Thanks for any words of wisdom you can provide 🙂
FatGuyInALittleCoat
Post Date: 11/9/11 6:56 pm
Dr. Aceves, in my opinion(and many other folks here), is one of the top VSG surgeons in the world. The level of skill, care & professionalism of Dr. A and his staff greatly impressed me. If you decide to go with him, I promise you won’t regret it.
Post Date: 11/9/11 7:38 pm
Hi,
I was sleeved by Dr. Aceves July 12, 2011. I initially thought everyone on these boards were paid to say nice things about him, but after talking to several people from the boards and hearing their kids running around in the background like mine, I knew they were real. I took a leap of faith and booked my surgery! It was the best decision of my life. My partner went with me and was even allowed in the OR and got to observe the surgery. She is a RN and said they were as sterile as any American OR she had been in. This was a total coincidence – Dr. Aceves and my partner were talking about her bariatric surgery two years ago and its ends up he is friends with her surgeon, Dr. Allen, here in Kentucky LOL. Dr. Aceves and his entire team are wonderful. When I arrived at the hospital I had a moment of panic, thinking what the heck am I doing here. I busted out in tears, Lucy was so kind and reassuring. I then spent the next hour meeting with the anesthetist, who gave such a good explanation of his role and what he would be doing that I immediately felt reassured. Next I met Dr. Aceves and I knew I was in great hands. He is awesome, he told me he’d take good care of me and he did. The hospital is spotless, every vistor is dressed so nicely when they came to see patients there..I walked non-stop and hads lots of time for people watching. I felt perfectly safe the entire time. Knock on wood my experience has been about perfect. I have lost over 60 lbs and feel great. I would be happy to talk to you by phone if you want to talk. Good luck with your decision. Cathi
Post Date: 11/9/11 9:57 pm
Hi! I had surgery Friday 11/4/11 with dr Aceves and he’s amazing! the hospital is very clean, nurses were great, and I’m in no pain only five days after surgery! If you go with dr Aceves tell him Brittany says hi! I’m SO happy with my decision to fo to him, he really is the very best!!