What the gastric sleeve changes
Vertical sleeve gastrectomy, the gastric sleeve, changes the size of the stomach and leaves the intestines on their usual path. The surgeon removes most of the outer curve and closes the remainder as a narrow tube. Food still leaves through the pylorus into the duodenum. There is no new join between the stomach and the small bowel. Many people notice less hunger because the fundus, where much of the hunger signal is made, is removed. That change is not the same in every person, and this page does not quote a weight-loss figure.
Because the intestine is not bypassed, the sleeve does not create the same vitamin risk as a bypass or a duodenal switch. People still need protein and the vitamins the team prescribes, especially if intake is very small. Reflux can become more noticeable after a sleeve, which is one reason the pre-travel questions ask about heartburn, night cough, and acid medicine. A person who already has severe reflux may be steered toward a different operation after the record is read. The sleeve is not restored by reversing a connection, because stomach tissue has been removed.
Who may be considered
Programs that follow widely published guidance often look at a body mass index of 40 or higher, or of 35 or higher when a related disease such as type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure is present. Pompeii México uses that kind of review and does not print a cutoff on this page as a guarantee of acceptance. Age, prior stomach surgery, reflux, and the ability to follow a liquid diet all change the decision. The candidacy quiz on this site is a first sort. It is not a medical clearance.
People who have tried structured diets and medicines, including GLP-1 injections, still need a surgical opinion of their own. Stopping an injection is a medical decision, not a website instruction. Pregnancy, an untreated ulcer, and active nicotine use are examples of situations that delay surgery. Dr. Sergio Quiñones reads the list before a date is offered. The $4,900 figure is the published package for a sleeve that he clears. It is not a quote for a revision or for a switch.
How the operation is done
The operation is laparoscopic. Small incisions in the upper abdomen let a camera and instruments reach the stomach. The anesthesiologist manages the airway and the medicines that keep the person asleep. The surgeon frees the outer curve of the stomach, places a sizing tube, and staples along that tube so the remaining stomach is narrow. The removed portion leaves the abdomen through one of the incisions. The staple line is inspected before the instruments come out. A drain is used only if the surgeon decides it is needed for that case.
Most of the work happens under the diaphragm, near the spleen, so a smaller liver from the pre-operative diet makes the view safer. The team confirms the plan in the operating room if the anatomy is different from the imaging. A hiatal hernia, if one is seen, is discussed as its own finding. This page does not state a minute count, because the JSON record for this procedure does not publish one. Time depends on scar tissue, liver size, and whether another finding has to be handled.
Risks discussed before travel
Every stomach operation can bleed or leak at a staple line. A leak is a serious problem that may need a return to the operating room, a drain, or a transfer to a higher level of care. Complication insurance is included on the priced sleeve package so that this class of event is part of the written plan, not an afterthought. This page does not publish a rate and does not promise that insurance pays every bill. The certificate is the document that states the terms.
Other issues that are named in the consent conversation include blood clots, infection, injury to the spleen or esophagus, and a later stricture that makes swallowing hard. Reflux and heartburn can start or worsen. Vitamin and protein gaps appear if the diet is ignored for months. Death is a rare but real risk of general anesthesia and of abdominal surgery, and it is said out loud before travel. A person who wants a guarantee of a certain clothing size is not being offered that guarantee here.
How the sleeve differs from the other operations
A gastric bypass creates a small pouch and a new route for food into the small intestine. A sleeve does not. A mini gastric bypass uses one join and can expose the stomach to bile. A duodenal switch combines a sleeve-like stomach with a much longer intestinal bypass and a stricter vitamin plan. Revision surgery is a repair or a conversion of an older operation, and it does not have a published package price. Choosing among these is the point of the record review, not of a quiz score.
People comparing a sleeve with continued GLP-1 injections are comparing a single operation with an ongoing medicine. The injection page on this site is the place for that cost contrast. On this page the surgical fact is simpler: the sleeve is one operation in Tijuana, the published package is $4,900 USD, and the person applies with a $0 deposit. Weight change after surgery varies. Pompeii México does not print a percentage of excess weight loss as if it were a personal forecast.
Eating before surgery
In the weeks before surgery, many patients follow a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet so the liver is smaller and the upper stomach is easier to see. The exact menu is written after the record is reviewed. It is not the same sheet for every person. People with diabetes may need a change in glucose medicine during this diet, and that change is made by the clinician who already prescribes it, together with the surgical plan. A patient does not stop a prescribed drug because a webpage said so.
The usual targets are steady protein, fewer sugary drinks, and no alcohol. Carbonated drinks are stopped because gas is uncomfortable after stomach surgery. Smoking and nicotine products are a separate risk for healing, and the team asks about them directly. Blood thinners, anti-inflammatory pills, and herbal products are listed by name so the surgeon can say which ones pause and when they restart. The application itself does not require a deposit while this list is being collected.
Eating after surgery
After the operation, the stomach needs time before solid food is safe. The first phase is clear liquids: water, broth, and sugar-free gelatin, in small sips. The next phase adds protein shakes and other full liquids if they are tolerated. Pureed food comes later, then soft food, then a regular texture in small portions. The day each phase starts is assigned by the team. This page does not publish a personal day count as if it were a promise.
Protein is the nutrient people most often miss. A shake or another protein source is part of the early plan, and the amount is written for that person. Vomiting, dizziness, or an inability to drink is a reason to call, not a reason to push the next phase. Vitamins are added when the surgeon says the stomach will tolerate them. The five-year nutrition follow-up included with priced packages is the place where those doses are adjusted. A blog schedule from another clinic is not the Pompeii México plan.
The days in Tijuana
Patients who fly into San Diego International Airport are met for the private transfer into Tijuana. The package that has a published price includes that round trip. The address used for the stay is Av. Diego Rivera 2550 in Zona Río. A companion can travel with the patient. The coordinator sets the pickup time after the surgery date is confirmed, and the patient keeps the passport and the medicine list in a carry-on bag.
The hospital portion is a short stay for walking, liquids, and pain control. Nurses help the patient sit up and walk on the day of surgery when the anesthesiologist agrees. The recovery suite comes after that hospital portion. This page does not name a hospital and does not describe an accreditation, because that document is not part of the public file. Questions about the room, the companion bed, and the ride back to San Diego are answered by the coordinator before tickets are bought.
The package and the five-year follow-up
The published gastric sleeve package is $4,900 USD all-inclusive. Where a price is published, it covers the surgeon, the hospital stay, the recovery suite, private transport from San Diego, and complication insurance. It does not cover a personal airline ticket. Applying to be reviewed costs a $0 deposit. If the surgeon does not clear the person, the trip is not treated as a booked surgery. The insurance is described as included. This page does not name an insurer, a dollar cap, or a list of exclusions. Those terms are explained from the certificate before travel.
After the return home, priced packages include nutrition follow-up for five years. The contact is for diet stages, vitamins, and symptoms that need a surgeon's eye. It is not a substitute for emergency care in the patient's own city. Chest pain, fainting, uncontrolled vomiting, or a fever is a reason to use local emergency services and then call the Pompeii México number. The phone published on this site is +1 (858) 439-7931. Dr. Sergio Quiñones remains the reviewing surgeon named on the plan.
| Checkpoint | What is reviewed | What the patient does |
|---|---|---|
| Before travel | Weight history, reflux, medicines | Sends records and applies with a $0 deposit |
| Clearance | Whether a sleeve is the right operation | Waits for a written plan before paying |
| Hospital days | Walking, liquids, pain control | Starts the liquid phase the team assigns |
| At home | Protein, fluids, vitamins | Keeps the follow-up included in the package |