Questions for anyone who has had their sleeve or is going to have their sleeve done is Mexico

[SweetCaroline]

Hi there, I just joined yesterday and am excited to get moving with this process. I've had more than enough of being fat!

I do not qualify for WLS through insurance: I have a BMI of 36.5 but no comorbidities.

Because of the lack of support here at home (that isn't a plea for pity - it is just the fact) - I am going to be alone through this process. I am married and my husband does want me to lose weight, but he is in shape and hasn't ever struggled so he just doesn't get it. He is freaking out over the money as well. I have the money - it's mine to use so I am doing this for me.
I can handle $5k for surgery; I really don't want to take out a loan to have the same surgery here in the states for $15k.

Please forgive my naivety: but for those who have done their surgery in Mexico, weren't you afraid because it's not the US? Besides the price, what convinced you that surgery there would be ok (other than reviews on the surgeon's websites). If you were going to do the process alone, where would you start??
Even mentioning considering having this in mexico seems almost taboo (no judgement from me at all - I'm just talking about if anyone I know found out - they would be inclined to think I was nuts!).

So, please help! How can I over-come the fear of having this done outside of the US? Where is the best place to start? Why did you have yours done in Mexico? Would you change anything about your trip/surgery there (opt to stay in the hospital, bring something you didn't, etc.).

Thank you for any input. I hope I didn't offend anyone!

SweetCaroline

[Luckyirish]

Hello,

I'm from Canada and have the same issues as you having to pay for it myself.
I did almost a year of research before I decided on Mexico. My Dr here worked with me to investigate my doctor there.
I am having surgery in 11 days and I have completed confidence in the service, cleanliness, and care that I will recurve.
Part of that for me comes from the company I booked through. I went through Medical Tourism Corp. Cyrel Partosa was my correspondant. She had been amazing.
Ive worked with a hands on nutritionist and the asking if medical questions I was asked makes me feel like my Dr wants what's best for me.
Have some faith! And if you are ready to do it for yourself.... Don't hold back! This will be your year to change your life and how you feel about yourself

[Belle2]

I'm sorry you aren't getting the support you need at home. You have come to the right place though. I had complications from surgery here in the U.S. so it can happen anywhere. Ask your surgeon how many surgeries he has done and how many leaks he has had. They are rare but I had one. From what I have learned, the percentage of complications is 1%. My doctor has never had a leak but his partner has had one. Odds are it won't happen but it has happened. There is always a chance any time you have had surgery. I have had many surgeries in my lifetime (age 59) and this was the first time anything has gone wrong. I guess I played the odds and didn't do well just once. It is important to know that I'm not trying to scare you. There are many patients that go to Mexico and do better than I did....without a doubt. It is always important to know that your doctor can handle things in the event of a problem. I assume that he can, but since you are worried, ask him. With that said, I am more than 6 months out and almost at goal. I started at 237 and weigh 165#. I am happy with my body and am now glad I did it. I feel so much better carrying less weight. I hope you can take someone with you to Mexico to support you. I will explain anything you have questions about. I don't want to scare you. It's about the rest of my life, not a couple of months.

[SweetCaroline]

Thank you! You didn't scare me.....I'm sorry you had complications though. That is a concern of course. I will definitely research the doctor I choose to see. Your stats are very similar to mine and give me so much hope! I wish I was on the weight loss path already! I'm sure I will have more questions so I appreciate your willingness to answer them. Great job on your weight loss!

[SweetCaroline]

Thank you for your response! Good luck in days! I'm really glad and somewhat surprised that your doctor helped you research a doctor in another country. I know my doctor will discourage me from going there so I doubt I will even tell her - I will likely tell her I am having the surgery but not where I am having it.
Again, good luck and let us know how it goes - I'll be very interested in hearing about it!

[Leah hagmann]

I will be going to get my surgery done on February 16 have not told many people either But I will talk to doctors tomorrow but me getting my operation hopefully I can get help from them when I come back home

[mrsbeezley20]

Hi Caroline. I had the same bmi as you. I was self pay, had surgery 11/24/15 (about 10 weeks ago). Had surgery with Dr. Guillermo Alvarez. He is the best! Has done over 9,000 surgeries. Doesn't do more than 2-3 surgeries a day. I have lost almost 40 pounds, had zero issues. I flew from Wi to Mexico by myself. Surgery was $8500, but I think I would rather pay a bit more than have a surgeon that does 10 surgeries a day, and they are out there. You can do this. I am 56, and my only regret is not doing this sooner. I would recommend Dr. Alvarez to anyone. If you have any other questions, just let me know.

[SweetCaroline]

Hi Mrs. Beezley. I am 46 and in Illinois. $8500 seems higher than what others have quoted. May I ask if there was a reason it was that high? I am going to request my gall bladder be removed with my surgery and know that will increase my price, but I've had gall bladder issues for a while now - so I might as well get it taken care of while I am "under".
How long did you stay in Mexico? One of the things I'm not too excited about is the length of time people are staying. I understand the over night in the hospital. Two more nights at the hotel seems ok if someone isn't recovering well. Is it done this way to monitor for leaks? I just prefer to recover at home but will do whatever I'm told to do.

Does anyone know of anyone who has had the gastric plication? Wondering how successful that is in comparison to the sleeve?

Thanks for your response Mrs. Beezley!

[mrsbeezley20]

Hi Caroline, I researched for the best surgeon I could find. Dr. Alvarez had zero mortality. And as much as I tried to find one single negative comment about him, there are none. They have this process down to a science. The only thing I had to do was schedule my flight. I felt so safe at all times. I don't think an hour passed in the hospital that Dr. Alvarez or one of his assistants were not checking on me, in addition to all the nurses. I don't think I could have found such good care in the states. The local surgeon who does this procedure where I live is a general surgeon. Unreal. I wanted a specialist! First night was in a hotel 1 mile from Mexico border. 2 nights in hospital, and final night in hotel near San Antonio airport before I flew home on Friday (surgery was on Monday). I was back at work the following Wednesday (desk job). To me, $8500 was well worth it. Had I opted for surgery in states w/insurance and a 6 month wait while jumping through hoops, I would have probably paid that much as my deductible. I borrowed money from my retirement fund to pay for the surgery.

[SweetCaroline]

I am starting to move the process along now: looking at an end of april or early may surgery with Dr. Ortiz. VERY happy!

[shparks]

Please forgive my naivety: but for those who have done their surgery in Mexico, weren't you afraid because it's not the US? Besides the price, what convinced you that surgery there would be ok (other than reviews on the surgeon's websites). If you were going to do the process alone, where would you start??

My mother has been a nurse in the U.S. for decades. She trusted that everything would be okay in Mexico, so I did as well.

The place that I went - Hospital Jerusalem - would probably be good for someone going alone. They picked me up from the San Diego airport and drove me to the clinic. They also drove me to a recovery house for a few days, and back to San Diego when I was ready to go home. It was nice to not have to worry about travel and accommodations in Mexico.

[SomeGuyJeff]

i went alone. met some folks there. i missed my wife dearly, but really only needed her just before surgery for support. but going alone is not bad since you have to get up and move around. if youre not motivated enough to do that little bit on your own you need to make sure priorities are in line. the surgery wont solve your weight issues and you need to work at it. its a tool like everything else.

i wanted to strangle my roommate as he snored so loud i was wishing for a quick death and i think thats the only thing i would change is paying for the private room

i would do it again.

[browniebits]

Is there a list of Dr's in Mexico that are top rated for this surgery? Which parts of Mexico are they? Just found out that my husband's insurance will not cover any part of the surgery. So I now have to find another surgeon because the original doctor that I started with does not take self pays. The surgery here is $21,000. Really can't afford taking out a loan. UGH. My husband says to me this morning...."well the house will be paid off in 5 yrs 10 months and then we should be all set" Yeah well, I cannot even fathom living like this for another 6 years before I have surgery.

Like I mentioned earlier, I have already started with one doctor (went to his seminar, had my 1st consult with him, set up an appt for blood work and upper GI plus the cardiologist appt. But then had to cancel everything since he doesn't take self pays) Anyhow, how does it work with the doctors in Mexico? Do they also require all these "pre-op" appts? I was supposed to go see the cardiologist, pulmanologist, psychologist, dietician 3x, stress test and sleep agnea test. Do you need all this stuff done down there too?

And what happens if you get home and stuff goes wrong? How do you do follow up appts? I'm assuming I wouldn't be traveling to Mexico for every follow up, right? I'm in CT, so it's not like it's right down the road. LOL

[sraebaer]

I don't know anything about Mexico (it would scare me to death, but tons of people here loved it), but the support from home is really important. Hopefully you can get your husband on board.

In the beginning he took care of me, started slow walks with me, and was totally encouraging. He never brought "crap" into the house. (I would have killed him if he ordered pizza those first few weeks.) He even gave me those dreaded shots I had to have for about 10 days, there was no way I could have given myself shots. Later we got into really amazing hikes, and then into running. This morning our fun was to walk to the coffee shop, probably 2 miles each way.

I'm 2 years out, and he is still my "chef," always cooking a protein with veggies. He could open a restaurant our meals are so good. Last night it was paella for two, with shrimp and scallops. We eat out all the time, and he is cool about sharing. (I just need 1/4 of your burger please.)

He's also my fashion consultant. Every morning it's "Do you think this looks better or this."

Then sometimes he's brutally honest, like "Why on earth did you eat that?!?"

I seriously don't think I would have met my goal weight without hubby's continual support.

[SweetCaroline]

@Browniebits, I've been researching for over 6 months. I've chosen Dr. Ariel Ortiz at the Obesity Control Clinic. Many on here have used him with amazing results. I have to take out a loan to do it and my husband is not supportive of the money part either. Like you though, I can't live like this anymore. They do offer financing through several different loan companies - but they are high interest rates. I'm going through a credit union here. May I suggest you go onto the OCC website and take a look around there? Like you, I have many of those same questions - keep browsing these boards and contact OCC = hopefully you can get the answers you need (no they don't need all those pre-op tests. They do labs and an ekg the morning of your surgery). I hope this helps?!