New and I have questions

[smarijczyn]

I haven't gotten the Gastric Sleeve yet, but I have requested a consult with a surgeon. I had some questions for those who have had the procedure done.
Not sure how to proceed, but if anyone is willing to tell me how their procedure went and if they are happy they've done it....

[GigiUSA]

Welcome to the site! You are in the right place for amazing support and a wealth of information and experience from countless others traveling along the same journey. Everyone here is fantastic!! You can search at the top for specific topics and see what people have discussed in the past. I can tell you that my only regret is waiting so long to have my sleeve surgery! I have seen others here say the same thing. As you move forward, be sure to post your experiences so you can help others too. Most importantly ~ here's wishing you MUCH SUCCESS (hugs)

[smarijczyn]

Thank you! I will!!

[NYCGIRL000]

I had the procedure in Mexico 2.5 months ago, down 50 lbs, best experience of my life. Would do it again tomorrow! If you have any questions, we are all here for you!

[Sammih]

Make sure your insurance doesn't exclude it. I just got this news today, after months of tests and just informing my employer that I will be out soon for a few weeks. How disappointing.

[NYCGIRL000]

It's cheaper to go to Mexico and self pay and they treat you better then any hospital in America!!

[smarijczyn]

Thank you!

[Sammih]

It's cheaper to go to Mexico and self pay and they treat you better then any hospital in America!!

well if my insurance covered it, would be cheaper in the US. I'm not going to Mexico to do it.

[ckelly6409]

Where did you go and may I ask the cost and doctor? My insurance won't cover it yet, I have to have comorbidities for so long, etc etc.
Also, how long did you need to take off work? I heard anywhere from 2 weeks to a month.

[NYCGIRL000]

I went to Dr Jalil Illan who is one of the top bariatric surgeons. I paid $4500 and got the best care and treatment I had ever gotten anyway in America. The cost included everything, hotels, transportation to and from hotel and airport, all medicines, 3 night hospital stay and after care. They give you a beautiful huge suite in a gorgeous hotel and they let you bring a companion for no extra charge and have a bed in your hospital room for the companion to sleep on, they also do tons of pre op testing before you can have the surgery. Let me put it this way. Even if my insurance had covered it, i would have still gone to this dr, The care was far better and we even got our own valet the entire time who there at our beck and call. I actually miss being at the hospital lol

[NYCGIRL000]

If your insurance covers it so its free, then absolutely! Most don't or if they do they make you go through tons of pre requisites to have it done and that takes up to a year. I didn't want to go thru all that crap. Plus some ppl i know had their insurance cover it and they still had to pay thousands out of pocket so do your research. The hospital in Mexico I went to was literally 20 min outside of San Diego. right outside the border very convenient

[Gvn71]

Feb. 2, 2017 was my surgery date. Surgery went fine with zero issues or complications. I have lost 100lbs since surgery, 120 lbs total. I have no complaints, and no regrets.

My insurance covered my surgery as I had other medical issues that were related to my weight issues. I no longer have any of the medical issues.

I would not have considered the surgery if my insurance had not approved it. I definitely would not have gone to Mexico to have it done.

Ask any questions you want and I will try to answer them!

[smarijczyn]

Thank you for this. I am waiting to hear back for a recommended surgeon here is SoCal. How long was your recovery time?

[NYCGIRL000]

Mexico has some of the top Bariatric drs in the world and state of the art hospitals. It isn't like back in 50's when they did it in a back room. It's very modernized now and the hospital I went to was cleaner, more beautiful, and more high tech then the hospitals in NYC. I'm thrilled I did it there and would do it there again in a heartbeat. Never got the care that i received there, here in the states. I did a year of research before I went. There are a ton of horrible drs and hospitals here in America too, you have to research the individual dr and location, not judge a country as a whole, that doesn't make any sense. Just like there are good and bad ppl in every country there are good and bad hospitals and drs as well. I know as I am in the medical profession. Anyway, Not everyone wants to fly to get surgery, for me it was a mini vacation and I loved every second of it!

[ghost_ryder]

I signed up for a bariatric seminar close to home in Maryland (4 times before I went) I wanted to find out why it would work for me.

I was solely unconvinced at the beginning but I started going through the process. It was going to take a while so I had time to decide if I wanted to do it. This is when I learned the most. I had to take 6 months of nutrition classes and see many different other doctors to get approved. I learned about myself and why I could never succeed on a "traditional" diet. Once I learned enough, I committed to the procedure. Then almost eight months to the day from my seminar I had surgery. Cost for me was minimal, the reason is I met my out of pocket minimum the weekend before the seminar because an emergency room visit when I thought I was having a heart attack. The surgery itself cost me zero, I paid forty dollars a month for nutrition classes and meetings. In total, $240 dollars was the cost I paid to learn how to be the new me. I learned label reading for success, the importance of protein and macro-nutrients, eating out, vitamins and supplements, post-op needs, the pre-op diet and how to exercise to be more successful.

Its not necessarily the surgery that is important, it is the program that teaches you how to be successful. Post-op follow-up and program is just as important as the pre-op and surgery.