Dr. Gilberto Ungson and Dr.Esquerra Mexicali MX

Brandy

Freddled gruntbuggly
Joined
Jul 7, 2014
Messages
179
Location
Seattle, WA USA
Admin note: This thread started as a review of Dr. Ungson. Since he has gone into the government, the practice is now in the hands of Dr. Esquerra. However, I left the two together in this thread.

Update (10/2018) Ungson is back in practice with Dr. Esquerra. And Dr. Wilhelmy is also a DS surgeon there.


___
Sometime in the 1970’s my aunt was one of the first to have weight loss surgery and she was never quite healthy again. I had ruled out WLS as a solution, even though my weight was ever climbing and my health was starting to falter. Then my husband met a guy who used to weigh over 400 pounds but was now just this skinny guy. He told us how far the medical science behind WLS has matured and changed. Many, many hours of research later and I DECIDED TO DO IT. Screw my fears and all the bull hurdles that my insurance company wanted to put in my way. Screw it all. So, within two weeks I found the best place in Mexico and signed myself up, just like that.

The people and place I found, was Dr. Ungson along with all the rest of the team at Mexicali Bariatric Center. I decided I wanted a DS performed on me because I knew I needed the malabsorbtion to be successful. They did a terrific job. They really knew what they were doing. It make sense, they have helped many, many people through weight loss surgeries, but I feel like they have done an especially wonderful job tuning the whole experience to be the best possible under the circumstances.

Although I did not need it, I really liked that my recovery was in a real hospital. And it was a real hospital, with all the staff and equipment needed to handle anything. It was also the cleanest hospital I have ever been in, you couldn’t take a walk without dodging 3 or 4 cleaning people. The few times I needed to press my call button, it took them less than a minute to respond. Generally, the staff were so on top of things that I had what I needed before I needed it.

One place where I didn’t follow their recommendations was that I refused to have my husband bunk on the sofa in my hospital room and so he returned to the hotel every night around 8 pm. I’m very happy we did this. With the staff so responsive, I did not need his help at night. This mean he was fresh and cheerful at the end of the week, unlike many of supporters that stayed in the room. He said the food at the hotel was very good.

Dr. Ungson was an absolute privilege to meet. He has the best bed side manner I’ve ever experienced. It is very clear that he cares deeply and understands. All the doctors and staff were terrific to deal with. Above all else, they were super competent. I fully recommend them. I would pick Mexicali Bariatric Center again without a seconds thought.

It was an odd leap of faith to grab ownership of my health this way. We are so used to waiting for permission from our insurance company and/or doctors. Three months ago I was beaten. I had no hope of ever really losing weight or keeping it off. Now it is just a matter of time. I am empowered and that has made all the difference.
 
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It was an odd leap of faith to grab ownership of my health this way. We are so used to waiting for permission from our insurance company and/or doctors. Three months ago I was beaten. I had no hope of ever really losing weight or keeping it off. Now it is just a matter of time. I am empowered and that has made all the difference.

beautifully said! and I'm really glad it went so well for you.
 
Sometime in the 1970’s my aunt was one of the first to have weight loss surgery and she was never quite healthy again. I had ruled out WLS as a solution, even though my weight was ever climbing and my health was starting to falter. Then my husband met a guy who used to weigh over 400 pounds but was now just this skinny guy. He told us how far the medical science behind WLS has matured and changed. Many, many hours of research later and *I DECIDED TO DO IT*. Screw my fears and all the bull hurdles that my insurance company wanted to put in my way. Screw it all. So, within two weeks I found the best place in Mexico and signed myself up, just like that.

The people and place I found, was Dr. Ungson along with all the rest of the team at Mexicali Bariatric Center. I decided I wanted a DS performed on me because I knew I needed the malabsorbtion to be successful. They did a terrific job. They really knew what they were doing. It make sense, they have helped many, many people through weight loss surgeries, but I feel like they have done an especially wonderful job tuning the whole experience to be the best possible under the circumstances.

Although I did not need it, I really liked that my recovery was in a real hospital. And it was a real hospital, with all the staff and equipment needed to handle anything. It was also the cleanest hospital I have ever been in, you couldn’t take a walk without dodging 3 or 4 cleaning people. The few times I needed to press my call button, it took them less than a minute to respond. Generally, the staff were so on top of things that I had what I needed before I needed it.

One place where I didn’t follow their recommendations was that I refused to have my husband bunk on the sofa in my hospital room and so he returned to the hotel every night around 8 pm. I’m very happy we did this. With the staff so responsive, I did not need his help at night. This mean he was fresh and cheerful at the end of the week, unlike many of supporters that stayed in the room. He said the food at the hotel was very good.

Dr. Ungson was an absolute privilege to meet. He has the best bed side manner I’ve ever experienced. It is very clear that he cares deeply and understands. All the doctors and staff were terrific to deal with. Above all else, they were super competent. I fully recommend them. I would pick Mexicali Bariatric Center again without a seconds thought.

It was an odd leap of faith to grab ownership of my health this way. We are so used to waiting for permission from our insurance company and/or doctors. Three months ago I was beaten. I had no hope of ever really losing weight or keeping it off. Now it is just a matter of time. I am empowered and that has made all the difference.

@Brandy I have been reading Dr. Ungson page and see that he has now started (well for some time now) the SADI-s. I noticed your surgery date was this year in August. Did you discuss in detail the duodenal switch....while the traditional DS has the name the SADI-s procedure is a form of switching the duodenal...therefore some of the confusion. I just wonder.....did you get the DS or the SADI-s......?
 
@Brandy I just wonder.....did you get the DS or the SADI-s......?

No, we didn't even discuss the SADI-s. All my paperwork was BDP-DS.

I once stayed on phase zero of the South Beach Diet for three months and lost 4 lbs. I was Atkins 20 g of carbs a day for three weeks and lost one pound. I knew I wanted the surgery with the most malabsorbtion and any discussions I had with Dr. Ungson were about me asking him to maximize that aspect.

After surgery he told my husband that the length of my short intestine was almost one for the record books. At least a meter and a half longer than most. Come the famine, I would have done better than most. I don't know how that would have changed my results with a SADI-s.

Although I occasionally wonder if life would have been easier with a VSG or SADI-s, I am happy I went with the BPD-DS. I think I would be stressing and stressing over my future results with the unknowns. I understand everybody is different.
 
No, we didn't even discuss the SADI-s. All my paperwork was BDP-DS.

I once stayed on phase zero of the South Beach Diet for three months and lost 4 lbs. I was Atkins 20 g of carbs a day for three weeks and lost one pound. I knew I wanted the surgery with the most malabsorbtion and any discussions I had with Dr. Ungson were about me asking him to maximize that aspect.

After surgery he told my husband that the length of my short intestine was almost one for the record books. At least a meter and a half longer than most. Come the famine, I would have done better than most. I don't know how that would have changed my results with a SADI-s.

Although I occasionally wonder if life would have been easier with a VSG or SADI-s, I am happy I went with the BPD-DS. I think I would be stressing and stressing over my future results with the unknowns. I understand everybody is different.

Brandy, You sound exactly like me! I am what I call a "super absorber". I only eat lean meats and vegetables most of the time, very few carbs and only avg about 800 calories or so a day. IF I go over that amount, I gain weight, period. I have recently thought through recent research that maybe we "super absobers" have a longer small intestine. I even asked two of the DS surgeons I interviewed was that even a possibility and they said no. I thought maybe we evolved a longer intestine because our ancestors were in areas were the food was limited so they evolved to store EVERY GD thing you eat. I still maybe believe that and your post explaining your per-conditions and your way longer intestinal length further gives my theory a little validity. How long did he leave your common channel?
 
My small intestine was, according to my surgeon, of average size, but I could sure absorb like crazy. I could gain weight on under a thousand calories a day.
 
My small intestine was, according to my surgeon, of average size, but I could sure absorb like crazy. I could gain weight on under a thousand calories a day.

Yeah, that's right, I remember you saying that. You was only one or two of a few I've seen on here and other sites that seem to be like this. I have to lose 13 lbs as a "pre-condition" prior to my surgery date and the only way I can do that is to go down to just 2-3 protein shakes, (200-300 cals) AND workout!! Getting ready to do that also, and not looking forward to it...and yes, I know its BS from the surgeon, but I'm going to try to do it anyway. Also, am curious, what did he do your common channel at?
 
100 cm is my common channel.

I was very thankful I was self-pay in Mexico when I weighed in and my pre-surgery diet caused a total of a ONE POUND weight loss. I did 20-30 carbs a day and one week of a liquid diet. I never cheated. I'm glad I did the diet because I learned a lot about carbs. Also, the night before the surgery, when the nerves hit, I knew my choice was exactly "surgery or MO." The starkness of the landscape kept me grounded.

Doesn't it blow your mind that with our mighty tools of science and all the $$$$ in the diet industry, they still don't have answers for these kinds of questions.
 
Doesn't it blow your mind that with our mighty tools of science and all the $$$$ in the diet industry, they still don't have answers for these kinds of questions.

Yes it does. What blows my mind even more is the prejudice against fat people. The skinny people think, "WTF, why cant they just stop eating so much? ". For them all they have to do is cut out the ice cream every night or whatever and they lose weight. Even normal weight Dr's think like that, especially @&$&*@ worthless Endocrines, and they should know better. If a normal person with a normal metabolism ate what I do, less that 1000 calories a day, they would lose about 2-3 lbs or so a week. It really sucks to be judged when you did nothing wrong. I've been living that life for about 42 yrs.
 
I know what you mean.

Learning that my short intestines were that freakishly long helped me to forgive my body. So, I got the famine gene. Big deal. I took one for the family. In different circumstances I would be the only one left. Of course, it is rather hypercritical of me forgiving my body after the surgery, but such is life.
 
I am a self pay as well, do you mind me asking the cost? I was considering this option but everyone thinks I'm crazy....well I am but, lol.
 
I had a VSG to DS revision with partial resleeve with Dr. Ungson on 11/28/14 and the cost was $14,500. A virgin DS is $13k I believe.
 
I had a VSG to DS revision with partial resleeve with Dr. Ungson on 11/28/14 and the cost was $14,500. A virgin DS is $13k I believe.
Thanks. I just found him on fb and requested prices. Did you have it laparoscopic? Was the hotels close? Do they recommend hotels? Was the airport far?
 
Yes it was lap.
They arrange the hotel and its included in the fee as is transportation to and from the airport. The drive was a little over two hours from the airport to Mexicali.
The only other cost was our airfare.
 

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