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Meet Our Patients
Support is a critical element throughout this process. Reading about the
progress of others can bring comfort during trying times. Read what some
of our patients have to say about their experiences.
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Comments About Dr. Alberto Aceves M.D.:
I chose Dr Aceves to perform my vertical sleeve. After all my research here and on other sites, I found myself most comfortable with his stats and the fact that he has never had a leak reassured me that he was the right choice.
He and Dr Campos have made this life changing experience a more comfortable one for me. Both are very professional and personable. Always visiting and inquiring as to how I was doing.
Ernesto the driver was so kind and made the drive there and back to the airport entertaining. The co-ordinating staff Yolanda was awesome. She helped with all the pre-tests before the actual surgery day.
I did have a bit of trouble communicating with the nursing staff because my spanish sucks but overall, got through what and how I was feeling and what I needed.
The hospital was impeccably clean and comfortable even for my spouse who accompanied me. He told me the cafeteria food was great.
An easy but detailed list of instructions were given to me prior to and after the operation. I'd rate his nursing staff a 9 out of 10 and Dr Aceves' surgical experience and bedside manner a 10/10.
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Comments About Dr. Alberto Aceves M.D.:
My first impression of Aceves was he is a kind-mannered professional, ready to educate me on the journey and risks with a soft kind voice. I trusted him before I met him and he more than fulfilled my expectations as my surgeon, even unwrapping my legs for me after my surgery while we chatted and putting my slippers on for me. Campos was just as happy to educate and help out, and hung out with us on our laptops for a bit in the hospital since there was no one else to talk to during my stay. The anesthesiologist explained everything he was going to do during my surgery, and I don't remember a thing from the first IV injection. The staff was impeccable, giggling with me and helping me as soon as I needed anything, I had no later infections. The hospital is scrubbed everywhere at least three times a day due to it being owned by doctors. The aftercare is so emphasized it was like being trained for a new life as you heal, with an online nurse emailing me daily with reminders. My incisions are very small and healing fast, they take every pain precaution and make every decision based on patient safety. I rate my surgical team and hospital Almater very highly. 9.5/10!
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Comments About Dr. Alberto Aceves M.D.:
Wow!!! Wow!!! My first impression of Dr. Aceves was he is so young. He is a great surgeon. I did a lot of research and I went with Dr. A and set up a date. The staff was awesome. They were so nice and whatever you needed they were there. Dr. Aceves is the best I can't explain but awesome!!! His after care is wonderful. He does have a structured aftercare program and Gaby is wonderful she makes sure you are doing good. If I had to do it all over again I still would pick him. I can't say enough about him. He is really the best I would never go to anyone but him. His bedside manner is the best he is wondering how you are doing and only you. He came in at 10pm and asked how I was doing. What doctor does that in the States NONE!!. Surgical competence was awesome he tells you what he is going to do during the surgery and what is going to happen when you get out. He is wonderful. He really stresses the vitamins and the protein. At first you don't get in but with time you will. Dr. Aceves is awesome!!!! and all of his staff..
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Comments About Dr. Alberto Aceves M.D.:
This are my own personal experiences and impressions. I had a revison from the Lap-Band to an RNY in 2005. My surgeon was Dr Aceves in Mexicalli. Personally I don't think I could have found a better doctor and I would not hesitate to recommend him, and highly too. I really liked him and felt very confident in his abilities. When I first heard about Dr A I did my homework on the Internet before I committed, I didn't uncover any negative reports from the various sites I visited. Dr Aceves has a full support staff, from the girls in the office, his coordinator and an assistant doctor who is with him most of the time. The hospital, Dr Aceves' coordinator told us, is owned by an Chinese American doctor and operates to the same standards of hygiene as a US hospital. The hospital is small but used by Mexican's too, or those that can pay or have insurance. His coordinator meets you either at the border or at the hospital if you drive there. She was very friendly and totally fluent in English and totally smoothed the way during the admission process. We were expected and the admission went as smooth as clockwork. She was very attentive and visited often during my stay. The room was plush and spotlessly clean, more like a high end hotel room abet with a up to date hospital bed and all the medical paraphernalia that goes with that. The room was beautifully appointed, complete with silk flowers and marble floors and shower. My husband was made welcome, encouraged to stay in fact. We were provided with extra bed linen and he slept on a long leather couch. He was also able to wash and shower in my room too, linen provided. Dr Aceves has a good bedside manner and my care was excellent, while not all of the nursing staff spoke English, if I called, someone who spoke some little English came in to see to my needs. Dr A and his assistant doctor came through numerous times throughout the day and his assistant visited in addition to that. Dr Aceves also has very friendly and competent office staff who are able to answer most questions that are put to them. If they don't have an answer, either Dr A calls back later himself or they call back after conferring with him. I have had no problems with my RNY, which I had five years ago now and was up and about after a couple of days an resumed my everyday life, without any lifting or strenuous activities of course. After the first year, as we go down south for the winter, we went over for a check-up. I had bloodwork and a swallow test and I think it cost us $65US. He was very pleased to see me and introduced me to some of his patients. Dr A operates a full four or five days a week on weightloss patients and thus has a huge number of surgeries and good deal of experience under his belt. Prior to the RNY I was a failed band. Actually I was one of those at the forefront of the band in BC being only the third person to have it in the Province. Dr Leung, in Surrey was my surgeon, he put in my band as one of his 'three proctoring' or training surgeries the surgeons have to go through before they are qualified to perform the procedure. His mentor was a surgeon from Australia. However, I had to have it removed. Consequently after removal of the band I packed on the weight again at an alarming speed - after three years of eat/puke, eat/puke and heartburn with the band it felt so good to be able to eat normally. But after my RNY I'm stable at 125lbs and have a BMI of 18.6. I find the RNY easy to live with and not to difficult to work around with respect to meals - my philosophy is stop eating the moment you feel sated, remove what's left from the table and stay the heck away from anything that has more than 4gms of sugar. I feel so very fortunate I was able to afford to pay for the surgery. Two years following my RNY I returned to the same hospital to have some 'face reconstruction' with Dr Bello. He took 1.5" of sagging skin from both sides of my face. This was also a good experience. The only drawback for me is that going back across the into the States is an ordeal because of all the crowds and the long time having to sit in the car while it is in line. In summary I know you are supposed to 'hang all the dirty laundry out' and identify the negatives, I honestly can't say I had or experienced any negatives. I do admit I was taking a leap of faith having surgery so far away, but as we winter in Yuma, which is close by, I would be close for at least six months of each year, should there be any problems. The only negative I have found is here in BC with my own GP, who doesn't want to know I have an RNY. I know for a fact some doctors sneer and really get quite snippy and uppity if you let on you had surgery in Mexico. If asked I say I had surgery in Yuma and leave it at that. Well folks that's my story - a good one.
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Comments About Dr. Alberto Aceves M.D.:
I had my surgery with Dr. Alberto Aceves on July 17, 2010. It was everything I'd expected and more. From picking my sister and I up at the hotel we stayed overnight in until we were dropped back off at the airport in San Diego, the whole process was graceful and professional. You were never left to wonder what happens next. It was very well cordinated and everything went smoothly. Dr. Aceves himself and his staff were compassionate and informative. His assistant Dr. Campos was wonderful as well. The bedside manner of everyone was excellent. Some of the nurses didnt speak English but you had a list of translations and I always felt safe. The hospital was sooo clean!
Overall I had a great experience and would definately recommend surgery with Dr. A to anyone!
I'm almost two weeks out and I am recovering well.
I can't think of one negative experience I had in Mexico! Thank God!!!!!!! :-)
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Comments About Dr. Alberto Aceves M.D.:
I would highly recommend Dr. Aceves. My husband & I both had a VSG done on the same day. Our surgeries and experience with Dr. Aceves was EXCELLENT. I can't say enough about him and his staff (most of whom speak excellent English). We sent numerous e-mails before our surgery (plus phone calls), all of which were answered in detail.
His staff kept us informed at all times about what was going to happen, when, and what we needed to be doing. We felt we were in great, caring hands. They have emailed us after surgery to check on us & Dr. Campos (nutritionist) even called last week.
Dr. Aceves is very professional and takes time for all his patients. I believe he is a highly skilled surgeon (my opinion), because of our surgeries, his credentials and the fact that none of his patients had any complications while we were there. I've never heard anything negative, although I know there is always a small percentage of risk & problems.
Our surgery was such a breeze & I still can't believe how easy & efficient it all was. They have this down to a fine art! Dr. Aceves truly cares about his profession and the people he treats. He was in & out of our rooms several times a day checking on us.
On a scale of 1-10, Dr. Aceves is a 10+.
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Comments About Dr. Alberto Aceves M.D.:
Dr Aceves, Dr Campos, and the Almater hospital were FANTASTIC!
My first impression of them all was that just seeing Dr Aceves, I had the feeling I could trust him. He was honest, open, and friendly. His moustache made me giggle. :)
My first impression of Dr Campos was that holy hell was he young... but he's not, he just looks it! He also had the VSG, and is VERY cute!! ;)
The staff at Almater hospital was great, except for a couple issues with some of the night nurses. And the hopsital was so CLEAN! Even during recovery, there was occasionally some of the cleaning crew coming into my room and asking if it was ok to clean out the sink or the bathroom or mop the floors... it was really comforting to see!
I think the only thing I didn't like much about it was that I didn't see too much of the doctors, but then they had 6-7 other patients to see along with me, so to be honest I understood. And any time I had a question or needed to talk to one of them, they made themselves available, so it worked out well!
After-care wasn't emphasized too much, but what Dr Aceves DID emphasize was the fact that this is a *tool* not a cure, and that there's a lot of hard work ahead in changing our behaviors and habbits. When you can only eat a fistful portion of food, you can eat the good stuff, or you can eat the bad stuff. And if you eat the bad stuff... well, no surgery is going to fix that. He was very clear on that, as well as all the risks and possible complications. Which, while it can be scary, is also good, because he made very sure we knew exactly what we were getting ourselves into!
Overall, I'd rate both Dr A and Dr C an A+, they were amazing, and I'm so grateful to them!!! Also, the Anesthesiologist there, I can't remember his name, but we met him our first day in Mexicali, was awesome. He was funny, patient, and explained EVERYTHING to do with that part of it as well. Also A+!!
As for the surgical competence and bedside manner... I do think both were great for all the doctors. I am so glad I did this!!!!
The only thing I could really say negative about the whole experience was possibly that the nurses didn't speak much english (and some none at all, almost). And a couple of the night orderly-type guys were... well, not the best.
Just as an example:I brought my own "pocket translater" aka my cuban-born sweetheart who's been speaking spanish longer than english... and even though he clearly and explicitly stated he was asking them to check the bathroom (because in the first day or two, they check your pee each time you go) so that *he* could go to the bathroom, the night guy apparently misunderstood and instead started pulling on my arms, getting me upright out of the first sound sleep I'd had, to try to pull me to the bathroom. Sadly, I wasn't able to get back to sleep, heh.
Oh, and one other thing, not really negative, but more a word of caution. If you bring a companion with you (I was the only one of us to have done so), make sure you request a room with a full couch if available. My poor honeybunny was stuck trying to cramp himself into the loveseat in the room I was given, while some of the other gals with no companions had full couches, or large chairs with leg rests. Poor guy! Haha!
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Personal Comments:
My wife had a VBG done on Dec. 31, 2001 and I am looking into getting a Lap RNY or the Lap Band. I am just in the "curious" stage right now, but am seriously considering it. I am trying to decide which surgery would be the best one for me.
Comments About Dr. Alberto Aceves M.D.:
Dr. Aceves and all the staff at Mexicali Bariatric Center are top notch. I told them I felt more like a guest rather than a patient. They were there to make me feel as comfortable as possible. The hospital is small, but very nice and clean and modern. The nurses: Sergio, Lucy and Karen are angels, truly phenomenal people.
One of the things I was most impressed about was the pre-op screening. I did a urinalalysis, blood work, EKG and chest X-ray, all done by Lucy and all done in about 30 minutes. Then I met with the anesthesiolgist, then Dr. Aceves, then Yolana. She is awesome, too. I hope to go back down to Mexicali to visit, I feel like I made friends for a lifetime there.
My "black cloud" if you will, was I had nausea coming off of the spinal I had done. They were immediate with getting me medication to help that. I was scared I was going to break something inside me from dry heaving. Kinda funny to think about now.
If you have any questions or fears about traveling to Mexicali, please e-mail me, I will be glad to answer any questions.
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Comments About Dr. Alberto Aceves M.D.:
Dr. Aceves was wonderful. His staff is awesome. Dr. A checked on me 3 times a day every day and gave me a hug when I left. I've had more experiences with doctors and surgeons than I care to think about, and Dr. A is by far one of the best I've encountered.
Dr. Campos, however, is my new favorite fellow on this planet! He was SO caring, and compassionate; he worried and fussed over me as much as my own mother would have.
The entire experience was very enlightening just to see how a medical procedure SHOULD be handled when done by experts who are caring and compassionate instead of ego-centric. These were some of the first physicians I've met who didn't have the mistaken belief that they were gods.
The ONLY negative thing I have to say is that the day shift nurses didn't empty my bedpan often enough. They wanted it to stay in the toilet so they could measure fluids but I was going more than there was room for! That was my only frustration the entire time I was there. When I rang for a nurse, I never had to wait more than 20 seconds - NO EXAGGERATION. The nurse's station was 4 feet from my door and Dr. Campos was sitting there every day from 8AM until at least 6 PM. Most of the nurses spoke good English; the doctors are FLUENT.
It was horribly hot when I was there (105) but they kept the hospital nice and cool. One time I felt a little warm and they brought me a fan right away. When I had problems connecting to the internet with my laptop, they brought down their IT guy and he had it up and running in less than 5 minutes.
Everything that they did, they explained in full detail so there were no surprises. I am SO glad that I opted to use Dr. Aceves where I could recuperate in a full hospital, instead of a hotel. I was monitored constantly - temperature, blood pressure, blood sugar - and any aches or pains were attended to immediately.
If I could go back and do it over again, there are only a few things I would change:
1) I would not have gone alone. When I was feeling really raw after surgery, it would have been so nice to have someone to wet a washrag so I could wipe my face, or to rub my tummy when it hurt. (What can I say? My mom spoiled me)
2) I took WAY too much stuff with me. I would take my smallest purse, my cellphone, my heating pad and a good book. NOTHING ELSE! I wore home the same clothes that I wore there, and I lived in their gowns the whole time. I had a bunch of needless stuff that was TOO HEAVY to fight with on the trip home.
3) I would have arranged for a 1st class seat for the way home. Coach is no way to travel when you've just had major surgery. I WAS smart enough to arrange for a wheelchair on all legs of my trip so at least I didn't have to hike miles across airports to change planes.
Other than that, I wouldn't change a thing.
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Comments About Dr. Alberto Aceves M.D.:
The entire staff was wonderful. Some of the nurses spoke very little english but knew enough to care for my needs. The doctors literally came in atleast twice per day to check on me. The doctor came to our hotel the night before to educate us. The hospital was small but very clean and modern. the driver was so sweet. I would recommend the surgeon and hospital to anyone
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