Just beginning...

[MrsAmy]

My name is Amy and I have just decided to get sleeve surgery. So now my researching begins. I will be travelling to Mexico as my insurance does not cover bariatric surgeries. I will be searching forums for reviews. At first glance I am so far most comfortable with Pompeii Surgical, but like I said, I'm just at the beginning of my research. If anyone sees this, what are the really important questions you asked potential surgeons?

[WANAGL]

Welcome!

My surgeon had a wire bound notebook that answered all my questions and laid out everything I everything from pre surgery to what I eat today. There’s lots of information out there. I bought some books before I started looking for a surgeon.

Best of luck as you embark on this amazing journey!

[Sandra3]

Hi Amy,

I asked always the same few questions to all surgeons I had contact with:

- how many bariatric surgeries they had under their belt (and the % sleeve/bypass/others)
- if the hospital used has an ICU and with how many beds
- how the post-ops are organized
- and after the last issues in Mexico, I would ask specifically if the hospital had a super-bug outbreak, what was the kind and how the hospital managed it

Good luck!

[tonewbeginnings]

Although I don't know anything about surgery in Mexico you should listen to a podcast called weightloss surgery podcast by Reeger Cortell. Specifically episode 94 titled Leslie goes to Mexico and episode 97 titled Catching up with Leslie. She goes into detail about her whole experience, you might find helpful. Good Luck to you.

[Tamera2]

Hi Amy, I went to Mexico January 2017. I went through Weightloss Agents located in the states. I strongly encourage you to avoid them and Dr Almanza. They were dishonest about many things. Sleeve surgery not recommended if you have a history of acid reflux, Gastroparisis, Hiatal Hernia’s. The Nissan Fundoplication Wrap can’t stay in place with the Sleeve. The Sleeve causes a lot of pressure in the stomach. There are people who still developed acid reflux and end up with Barrettes esophagus who never really had any problems with reflux. Make sure you find a surgeon that does more WLS then just the sleeve. That way they hopefully will review your history and tell you which surgery is best for you. I developed terrible complications 14 mos postop, including developing AFib in April 2018 and a Stroke September 2018 and severe acid reflux March 2018; had mild reflux and heartburn from day 1 all because he cut my Nissan wrap down the middle and left it and didn’t tell me. In November i had a revision and that ended up being a nightmare. I had multiple complications and almost died. Thank God I survived and my insurance covered it all. They could have denied coverage since I went to Mexico and my plan doesn’t cover WLS. They agreed to cover because I wasn’t having the revision for Weightloss. I’m still dealing with the complications from the sleeve and revision. I’m on GTube feeds for nutrition, I deal with nausea everyday,I still have days of dry heaving/vomiting. I lost everything I achieved the first 12mos,I was in the best shape of my life, I learned how to rock & mountain climb,did long distance backpacking- first year i hiked 1600 miles. Took up cycling , I snowshoeing & skiing.Check with the CDC they have issued warnings not to travel to Mexico due to a Superbug. you can read more about it on their website. If you insist on going down there check out Dr Alvarez from the ask Dr Alvarez show, seen on this forum and youtube. I listen to him a lot after my surgery for the first couple months. I liked what I learned and you can reach him from the states if you need help and he doesn’t operate on a lot of people in one day. Dr Almanza operated on 8-12. Which explains so of his errors, nicked livers & spleens and much more. Good luck with your weight loss and journey

[EllisM80]

I was glad to see Tamera commented on this. Please research the doctor that you choose to use, the hospital they perform at, etc. I was blessed to not have to go out of my comfort zone but when I started researching weight loss surgery, Dr. Almanza was the first article that came up. Horror story after horror story. Good luck to you!

[Mmeghan]

A side from the super bug, I had a friend very recently contract Hep B at a different hospital. The hospital I used. Which I thought was wonderful. So whatever you do get vaccinated.

[Christie13]

Welcome Amy. Good luck in your quest to find a surgeon. I don't know what you should ask as I did my surgery stateside but I would check with your local doctors to make sure that you can find local post op care. I have seen some people say that they had problems with that.

[MrsAmy]

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply. I’m at the overwhelmed stage right now. There’s one surgeon I can just cross out, whew!

[EllisM80]

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply. I’m at the overwhelmed stage right now. There’s one surgeon I can just cross out, whew!

Don't give up. Just research, research, research... make sure there are no law suits against them. Check the hospitals they use, their success rates. That's no matter where you go. Don't get discouraged. You wil out everything you need to know.

[Tamera2]

Thank you very much Michelle for your supportive feedback and well wishes. Wish you continued success in your journey.

[Tamera2]

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply. I’m at the overwhelmed stage right now. There’s one surgeon I can just cross out, whew!

Hang in there! One step at a time. I strongly huge you to contact CDC or read about their warning. Avoid the hospitals they name. Make sure you can get follow up care in the states if you have a complication. Make sure your a good candidate for the Sleeve. Check the internet and make sure nothing comes negative comes up. Good Luck