things that make you go hmm...

[CaraOC]

Hi,

I am an international school teacher and I work overseas, so hoping to have a DS at the end of June or beginning of July so I will have maximum recovery time before I have to return to work in August.

I'm sure about my choice to have WLS and sure that I want to go with the DS. I will be self-pay so I have been checking into the best surgeons that I can afford. So far, so good.

I heard about Dr. Esquerra with Mexicali Bariatric Center and checked into it. He seemed like a good choice, so I contacted his assistant Nina.

My current BMI is 51 and I was asked to try to get it to 45 in the next month, which would mean a 45 pound loss in roughly 5-6 weeks. I am happy to do my best, but this seems a bit unreasonable. If I could lose that much weight in a month, I probably wouldn't be severely obese and looking for surgery. But again, I'm happy to do my best to lose weight. The rationale for asking me to do this (according to Nina's email) was not to shrink my liver, but because my intestines are currently "too heavy" so there is a greater risk of complications arising during the healing process. Okay, so I am happy to stay at the hotel longer until the risk of complications is significantly lower. This response was not acknowledged, but now the reasoning has changed to needing to shrink my fatty liver. This is what I have always heard in my research of the DS--I have never heard anything about intestines being "too heavy" and causing complications. I'm not saying it's not possible, just that I had never heard of that before.

Today I checked their website because I was trying to find the information of where to send the deposit. The website is down, totally down. I can't access any of it. I tried to call Nina to find out what was going on, but there was no answer, just a recording, which has never happened before. Nina has always answered, every time I called. So now things are starting to look a bit sketchy, IMO.

I've heard nothing but good about Dr. Esquerra and their facility, but all of these little things together are causing me some doubt. Is the website and the phone thing perhaps due to whatever issues that may come with being located in Mexico? (I don't mean to dump on Mexico--it's just that because I live overseas, I understand that things in other countries don't always work like they should, so sometimes I need to be flexible in my expectations.)

Anyway, advice? I need to schedule a surgery soon. Are these issues valid enough to constitute a red flag? Should I start looking elsewhere, or should I be patient and wait for these minor kinks to work themselves out?

Thanks in advance for your insight.

Just wanted to say I too am an Esquerra grad. Had my lapband to DS February 4th. I have every faith in Dr Esquerra and honestly feel you're in good hands. Keep us posted.

 

[Will2014]

Just do the best you can because shrinking the liver is very helpful to the surgeon, and thus is helpful for you. I had my surgery there with Dr. Aceves in May 2014. Trust me, this is one of the best DS practices in the world. You are going to have an amazing experience and a great outcome! Gratz to you!!

 

[Porkchop :)]

Thanks everyone! I am feeling really comfortable with my choice of surgeon and looking forward to my lucky day, July 7th.

I really appreciate all of the positive energy on this board. It's great to have this much support from the get-go.

Oh, and thanks HarrietVane for your excellent advice about stocking up on vitamins & protein powder. Even when I do find a supply of something from home here, I never really know how long it will last or if it will still be there the next time I go back...

 

[Susan in Tennessee]

Thanks everyone! I am feeling really comfortable with my choice of surgeon and looking forward to my lucky day, July 7th.

I really appreciate all of the positive energy on this board. It's great to have this much support from the get-go.

Oh, and thanks HarrietVane for your excellent advice about stocking up on vitamins & protein powder. Even when I do find a supply of something from home here, I never really know how long it will last or if it will still be there the next time I go back...

July 7! Good for you. It'll be here before you know it. You're having your own personal Independence Day!