• Name: Jaclyn Frost
• Age: 40-ish
• Surgery: Gastric Sleeve
• Surgery date: January 1st, 2015
• Testimonial date: January 20th, 2015
• Surgeon: Dr. Almanza

Hi,
I had mixed feelings at first when I arrived at the San Diego Airport. The driver was late and the white van that was used to pick us up was in need of some repairs. To my surprise, the cup holder was a "hole" and I almost lost my drink when I placed my water in it. The center seat belt did not work. The other "sleeve" clients that showed up with me at the Shuttle to Tijuana were also a bit unsettled about the poor shape of the van. But we all reluctantly climbed in and off we went. There was no problem at the border and no long wait to cross. At the very nice hotel, there was no one to greet us, so we all checked in our rooms and met in the lobby in hopes that some one would tell us something. We were told through the "weight loss agent portal" that we would have our labs drawn that evening because we were having surgery the next morning. That did not happen. We were hungry and did not know what to do. There were suppose to be nurses there at the hotel but we could not find anyone associated with the surgical team except the driver, and he did his best to give us information, which was conflicting with what the people at the front desk were sharing. We all finally went into the dining room and ordered chicken broth and asked the waiter if he could charge it to the hospital since it was suppose to be provided. The waiter returned and said yes but that we would have to pay for our waters. This did not set well with us after all we had been through this day. As we were about to head up to our rooms, still unsure what time to be in the lobby in the morning, a driver comes in with more clients for the "sleeve" surgery. He finally tells us to "eat nothing after midnight" and he would pick us up in the morning at 9am. He then tells us our labs will be done in the morning. He said a group arrived at the airport before us and the surgeon decided to do their surgery today. He said all the nurses are at the hospital but that they will be at the hotel later tonight. Finally the driver told us that it was their first week back from 2 week holiday vacation and there was some confusion on nursing assignments, etc...he apologized for the poor organization on this day and assured us that things will be much better in the morning.....he was right! The next day was much more organized. We met the cardiologist, had and EKG, paid our balances, then most had labs drawn while others did not. We did not know the reason for this random selection as to who had labs drawn and who did not. It did not make sense because, my daughter was one of them that did not have her labs drawn. Even so, I was pleased with their care. My daughter and I were able to be in the same room together with two other women we had met earlier that morning. The surgery was fast, with little problem recovering for both of us. We stayed in the hotel one night and left the next morning to the hotel. There were nurses at the hotel that gave us IV meds and answered all our questions. They were very nice and were good nurses. There was a male nurse at night that almost gave me the wrong antibiotic which I was allergic to and I recommend always ask what they are giving you just in case they grab the wrong medication.
The hotel was clean and comfortable with room service as needed. The hardest part was the gas build up but we used the gas-x strips under the tongue to help relieve the pain from this. We sipped on clear liquids and chomped on ice. Had jello and Gatorade too(we brought the powder form from home). We had a barium swallow to x-ray our stomach the next day and check for leaks. We got to keep the x-ray (I also kept the EKG). All in all,neither one of us has had any problems so far. It was a good experience even though we were a bit terrified upon arrival. We were shuttled back to the airport way ahead of time which was comforting since sometimes the border crossing going back into USA can be lengthy. I am two weeks out and lost 13 pounds. My daughter has also lost 13. Others are losing more quickly but we chose to follow our local hospital's bariatric sleeve nutrition plan instead of the one they give you on discharge. Anyway, its taken me a lot longer to write this testimony than I planned. I hope it helps in someway to other people out there going to do it soon.

* This is an actual testimonial, however, your results may vary. For more information, please read our Testimonial Disclaimer and Risks of Surgery.