"Dr. Almanza and Dr. Bentacourt both work very closely together. Dr. Bentacourt does not do any of the surgeries; he owns the clinic and works on the business side of things. He is also around at all times for patients care and questions.
When I first arrived, we (me, my husband that was accompanying me, and another patient Cher) were driven to have our blood work done and then to have an EKG done. We were having the EKG done at the clinic where Dr. Bentacourt was there waiting for our arrival. He is an absolutely genuinely kind man. He then answered any and all questions we had about surgery and then took us all out to eat at T.G.I. Fridays. There he also answered questions about the surgery we would be having and we all just enjoyed getting to know each other and he really made me feel at ease. I was extremely nervous prior to this. He treated me to soup (all I could have) and my hubby to steak & shrimp. :) I was really surprised at how kind and generous he was to us.
The following morning I was hooked up to my I.V. and being prepped by the nurses for surgery. Then all of the patients that day, I believe there were 6 of us were asked to come into the main lobby where Dr. Bentacourt was doing a drawing for someone to have a FREE surgery! Yes that is right an absolutely FREE surgery. He called everyone's name out of a hat and the last one left was the winner. He wanted to make sure that we all knew that our names were in the drawing. Unfortunately, I didn't win, but the woman that did was thrilled...for good reason!!! How exciting to have something you've wanted to have done so desperately at NO cost! That was amazing!
Dr. Almanza then came in and introduced himself to me and my husband and he explained everything that he would be doing during surgery. He also asked about prior surgeries I have had. A translator did accompany him as Dr. Almanza can speak english but is not extremely fluent in it. He was very kind and very patient in listening to my questions and concerns. He then came back in a few minutes before I was going to go back for surgery and wanted to make sure that I was okay. I told him that I was nervous. He put a reassuring hand on me and told me that he would take care of me.
I then was walked into the O.R. by one of the male translators. He held my hand the entire way because he knew I was nervous and I found that to be very comforting and kind. I then met my anesthesiologist and he asked me a few of the same questions I had answered several times before to other nurses and Dr. Almanza. I'm sure just to verify. I started giggling for no reason and knew that he must have given me the good stuff. I asked him if he gave it to me and he laughed and said, "Yesssss" that is all I remember before waking up and seeing my husbands face.:)
I woke up feeling very nauseous. I expected this because I have always felt this way from past surgeries after anesthesia. The nurses gave me something for the nausea. I still ended up throwing up a couple of times. :( It was what looked like blood and foam, but I realized it was actually the blue dye that the Dr. gives you for the first leak test while you are still in surgery. I also dry heaved several times which was awful. I made sure to keep getting up and walking because I knew that I was supposed to as soon as possible. So there I was walking and heaving while holding one of those half moon things under my chin in case anything came up. The medication started to kick in about 30 minutes later and I never felt nauseous again. :) The nurses checked on me frequently and made sure that my IV fluid was full and that if I needed anything for pain they injected it into my IV.
The nurses came in frequently throughout the night to check and see how I was doing. I wasn't able to sleep at all. My husband was laying in a recliner beside me snoring away in a little dream land and I so desperately wanted to join him. Edgar, one of the night nurses (who by the way may be one of the nicest people I have ever met!) asked the Dr. if he could give me something to help me sleep. Doc said yes and I was sent off to dream land. :) Granted it probably only lasted a couple of hours and then I was wide awake again. So I decided to do some more walking through the halls. I was able to chat with Edgar, and another patient’s hubby.
After making sure all was well, the nurses asked me to take a shower and they then changed my bandages before we were taken to the recovery house. The recovery house was very nice. Everything was immaculate!!! There are nurses, housekeepers, and cooks there 24 hours a day. Someone is always available. Whenever I showered there a nurse would come in my room and give me fresh bandages. The cook made some wonderful homemade mexican food for my hubby and the patients were made homemade chicken stock/broth that was delicious. Oh, I skipped a little.... we weren't able to eat until after we had our final leak test...which consisted of drinking a yucky blue dye and then being driven to the radiologist where I had to stand in front of an X-ray machine and drink another liquid that was clear while he was taking the x-ray. It was very interesting to see my new little tummy light up with the blue concoction.
The drivers were also wonderful and are available to take you sightseeing, shopping, or wherever you'd like. They picked up Burger King while they were on one of their runs for my and another patient's hubby’s.
The night before we left we were given the time that the driver's would be picking us up for the airport so that we could be ready. I received a packet full of post-op care instructions. I also received an anti-biotic, gas relief medicine, and pain medicine to take home with me. They also gave me a pair of brand new surgical scissors and tweezers that were sealed in the bag for those who choose to remove their own stitches. I also received a copy of my X-Ray of my new tummy that was taken the day before.
The nurse then asked me to shower and she would take out my drainage tube afterwards. After showering, I laid down on the bed and braced myself because I was really nervous about this. My hubby stood beside me. I had one nurse removing the tube and another one was down by my feet. She saw how nervous I was so she was kind of rubbing my ankles to calm me down. They were really all genuinely caring people. The nurse removing my tube was very gentle while pulling it out. She would show me every step she was taking, which I'd have preferred not to see. I just wanted to close my eyes and be done with it. It felt REALLY WEIRD!!! Almost like a snake was being removed from the insides of my body. It didn't really hurt it was just crazy weird. I honestly would have probably rather it hurt then to have that crazy feeling. When she got done and the nurses left the room, I literally stood up and starter crying to my husband. He was like, "Are you okay? Are you hurt?" I said, "No, I'm fine. I just REALLY didn't like the way that felt!" Then we both started laughing and I was fine. But I do warn....that was the absolute worst part for me! I can handle the stitches, the IV, the surgery, but having that tube pulled out of my innards was awful and something I hope to never experience in my life again.
To finally put an end to this novel, let me just say that Dr. Almanza, Dr. Bentacourt, their staff and facilities were all absolutely wonderful. I am a woman of very high expectations. We live in a beautiful upper-middle class home. I don't stay in hotels that are less then 4 stars. I'm not saying this for any other reason then to let you know that my expectations are very high for the care that I receive and the places that I will stay in. I never once felt like I was compromising the standards that I am used to in my everyday life. On the other hand the streets of Tijuana are nothing nice. The roads are extremely rough, there will be a beautiful home right beside a shack, and there is graffiti all over the place. Please don't let the area itself scare you away from the wonderful care that you will receive with Dr. Almanza. The Jerusalem Clinic has just been remodeled and I'm sure it is even more beautiful then before. The recovery house is beautiful and very serene. As I said before it is also immaculate…. especially the bathrooms. I wish I could hire their housekeepers to work on my home.
My experience was so good that my husband is actually planning on having the VSG with Dr. Almanza in the next couple of months. :)
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