I had thought about going to Mexico since I was paying out of pocket but found Dr. Pleatman had a reasonable cash package. I would have had to pay not only my way to get there but my daughters as well and figured it would be close to the same price in the long run. I was looking at Dr. Alverez though. My surgery went great and I will say that Dr. Pleatman is an excellent surgeon although he is not very personable. His staff was wonderfull, and the hospital was clean and efficient. My only complaint was the surgical (prep) nursing staff. They were cold and mean and I got the feeling that they had low opinions of overweight people who needed surgery to control their eating problems. My package included 1,3,6,9,12, and 24 month follow up visits. It's kind of a pain driving 2 1/2 hours for a 15 minute appointment but I have done it so far. Weather permitting for my next appt. in Feb. I know of only one support group in my area but have not attended. I have had alot of support from this and the obesityhelp.com website which I attend daily. Where are you located in Michigan, I am in the Kalamazoo area.

Hey there fellow Michigander! Just wanted to say hi. I see that you went with Dr. Pleatman. I was so torn by him or Dr. Kelly in Mexico! How did it go? Are you invalid in any support groups locally?