A year after her gastric sleeve surgery in Tijuana, Mexico, Haley, a patient from Washington State, has lost 94 pounds and counting. Her recovery was smooth, with no major complications, and she credits the Obesity Control Center (OCC) team, led by Dr. Arturo Martínez in her case, with a level of care and long-term follow-up she hadn't found anywhere else. In this blog, we'll walk through Haley's journey, from her initial hesitation about traveling to Mexico for bariatric surgery to the vacations with her kids she can now fully enjoy.
Why Haley Chose Gastric Sleeve Surgery in Tijuana, Mexico
Haley didn't decide on gastric sleeve surgery in Tijuana overnight. She first heard about OCC roughly five years before her own procedure, when a friend traveled to Mexico for the sleeve. Her initial reaction was skepticism. Over the next few years, more friends had the same surgery and shared strong results, and the idea stayed with her.
About two years before her surgery, Haley started researching seriously. She wanted more than online reviews, so she asked her brother-in-law, a surgeon practicing in the United States, to review OCC directly.
- She had him look over the OCC website and practice credentials.
- They emailed questions to the OCC team together.
- He confirmed the standards were legitimate and, in his assessment, higher than many American facilities.
That outside medical opinion, paired with OCC's responsiveness to her own questions, gave Haley the confidence to move forward. She also joined the OCC Facebook group and began following other patients on Instagram, which helped ease her nerves before traveling.
What to Expect From Dr. Martinez and the OCC Surgical Team
Haley's surgery was performed by Dr. Arturo Martínez, Chief of Surgery at OCC and a board-certified bariatric surgeon with over two decades of experience performing weight loss procedures. Dr. Martínez holds the Master Surgeon of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery designation from Surgical Review Corporation, a distinction held by only a small number of surgeons worldwide.
Haley specifically remembers Dr. Martínez greeting her personally before her procedure and describes his presence as calming heading into surgery. She also noted that the OCC staff communicated with one another throughout her stay, rather than treating each stage of her care as separate. From arrival to discharge, she said every staff member she interacted with knew where she was in the process and what came next.
Life After Gastric Sleeve Surgery: Haley's Recovery and Results
One year out, Haley has lost 94 pounds with more progress still ahead of her. She described her recovery as easy, without any major incidents. Part of what she credits her ongoing success to is OCC's long-term nutrition support, which continued well past her hospital stay.
Haley kept in regular contact with two members of OCC's nutrition team after returning home. One called her weekly for a stretch after surgery, and both remained reachable by email whenever she had questions. If a message went unanswered right away, Haley said she'd get a note letting her know a response was coming. That kind of consistent, ongoing follow-up was, in her words, one of the biggest differences between OCC and other options she looked into.
Research supports what Haley experienced firsthand: according to the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, studies show bariatric surgery may reduce a patient's risk of premature death by 30 to 50 percent, in addition to improving or resolving many obesity-related conditions.
How OCC's Approach Builds Lasting Weight-Loss Success
Haley pointed out a distinction between her experience at OCC and what she'd heard from friends who had bariatric surgery in the United States. Many U.S. programs, she said, only require a few pre-surgery classes, without requiring patients to lose weight beforehand. At OCC, she was expected to work toward weight loss ahead of her procedure.
For Haley, that requirement mattered. It meant she'd already put in effort before her surgery date, which she says built genuine confidence rather than a sense that the surgery alone was doing all the work. She describes the sleeve as a tool that supports the mindset shift, not a replacement for it, a distinction that continues to shape how she approaches her health today.
The impact has extended well beyond the scale. Haley has two young kids, and weight had previously kept her from joining them on certain rides during family vacations. On her first big trip after surgery, she rode every roller coaster and zip line alongside them, something she says she wouldn't have done before.
Is Gastric Sleeve Surgery in Tijuana Right for You?
Gastric sleeve surgery is generally considered for adults with a BMI of 40 or higher, or a BMI of 30 to 35 accompanied by an obesity-related condition such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, or sleep apnea. A consultation with the OCC team is the best way to determine candidacy, review medical history, and walk through what recovery and long-term follow-up will look like for your specific situation.
Every patient's circumstances are different, and outcomes like Haley's 94-pound weight loss reflect her individual results, not a guarantee for every patient.
Ready to Start Your Own Success Story? Dr. Martinez and OCC Are Here to Help
Haley's experience reflects what OCC aims to deliver for every patient: thorough communication before surgery, a skilled and steady surgical team in Dr. Arturo Martínez, and a nutrition support system that doesn't end at discharge. With more than 25,000 successful bariatric procedures and a five-year post-op follow-up program, OCC's team is ready to guide you through the same kind of process Haley found worth the trip to Tijuana.
If you're considering gastric sleeve surgery, schedule a consultation with the Obesity Control Center team to find out whether it's the right option for you.
