Mexico & Self-Pay Weight Loss Surgery

Hi all, My boss will surely flip when I state I will be out. How long where you guys out of work. Did you receive a doctor's note. Did you have to file for short term disability?

Im getting my new stomach in two days. I'm excited to catch the plane. I'm so ready to get this surgery over and get started loosing weight. I can't wait to get back to life without having to judge if I can fit into a chair with arms or to sit in a booth.

I originally was going to have the RNY gastric bypass but decided to go with the sleeve. I am wondering if it really works? I keep thinking just because the stomach is smaller why does that matter if I want to stuff myself full? Is it a mental issue? Do I just need to think I am full and not eat anymore because right now that is hard. I eat all the time when I am not hungry. I can eat 4 candy bars at one sitting and still eat more. Pleaes give me your input. Thanks

I've lost 23 pounds since surgery and although I cannot see it or feel it, my scale is not lying to me. I am sooo tired of Soup and this weekend I graduated myself to fish and other mushy watery foods with no problems. People at work are wondering how I bounced back so quickly and why do I look so good and fresh. Ummm how am I supposed to look, like the Grim Reaper? I am so proud that I pulled this off and made this change for the better. I know I am just at the beginning and I have a looong way to go, but in two weeks I've managed to get back to the weight I was when I went to get the lapband. That was my mini goal and I made it! Yay! I named my new tummy Banny (…

Hello sleevers, I have decided to go with Dr. Garcia through Ready4Achange. Wondering if anyone else is going to be going down in the month of March as well. Trying to do this solo but wouldnt mind a buddy in the same shoes! I would also love to hear from others who have been sleeved by Dr. Garcia Thanks!

I am getting sleeved on March 27th with Dr. Garcia in Tijuana. I am nervous about going to Mexico. After hearing about people going missing and getting killed I am even more scared. Am I just being paranoid? I have a couple more question. 1. If I bring someone with me, where would they stay when I am in the hosptial? Are they allowed to stay in the same hotel room with me? 2. Any immunizations needed? 3. Did you feel safe walking the streets and sight seeing? 4. Do I need anything other than a passport to cross the border? 5. Is it ok to take prescription medication across the border? I'm sure I will have more questions! Thanks in advance for you answers!

On dec 11, 2011 I had my lapband removed and the gastric sleeve performed by Dr F Garcia at Hospital Mi in Tijuana. I had researched Dr Garcia, had spoken to his coordinator, Linda and had also spoken to a patient that had previously had surgery with Dr Garcia. After doing a lot of research I decided that Dr Garcia and Mexico was the best option for me. Dr Garcia and his entire surgical team were very knowledgable and I felt at complete ease once I arrived at the hospital. The nursing staff were also great. Hospital Mi is a small newer facility that has about 10 rooms and an intensive care unit that comes complete with everything that one would need to have in an intens…

"The more obstacles I overcome the more skills I develop." This is leap year; we will have one extra day in 2012. How about taking that “ONE” extra day and changing your entire life. It will take you just one day after doing your homework on Weight Loss Surgery to make an appointment to have the surgery. So many of us have tired all the conventional ways to lose weight; such as diet and maybe some exercise. I can’t count the number of diets I have been on in my life. I wasn’t one who enjoyed exercise because it was hard work. Now I love it. How many of you have been where I have been? I got to the point where my health wasn’t going to get better, but worse probab…

Hello all, I have just been officially denied by my insurance company (my employer has an exclusion due to small size) Im now looking at the Mexico self pay option. Im crossed some doctors off of my list and Dr. Garcia is currently at the top. Mexico is a long way and most of my friends and fam dont have a passport anyway. When you get it done here in the US they tell you to have a support team, someone to pick you up, etc. I definitely wouldnt want nay-sayers bad energy and prefer to tell as little people as possible. Im wondering if anyone has gone it solo???

After reading a few of the posts about Hospital Mi, I would like to hear any good/bad experiences at Florence Hospital. I plan to be sleeved there in March by Dr Kelly. Thanks DD

Hi there, I am looking for a surgery buddy and people who are also going through this to go through it with me. I currently have my surgery scheduled with Dr. Almanza on April 28 (Eeeee!!!! So excited!!!). I am wanting some positive people to do this with that will understand what I'm going through and be there to text, email or call when we need it. I am a very positive person, 39, BMI is 39. I live in Dallas, I'm a CPA, no husband or children (yet... I hope!!). Please let me know if you are interested in going through this adventure with me! Take care, Cynthia

I arrived in Tijuana this afternoon. i was met at the airport by Samuel (Dr Garcia's driver) and taken to the Ticuan Hotel. I will be going to the hospital for the surgery tomorrow at 7AM. Thus far, I have been pleasantly surprised by the hotel and the Professionalism of the driver. I live in Puerto Rico and I speak fluent Spanish but I havent had to speak Spanish at all since I've been here. Actually, from what I have seen so far, people speak better English in Tijuana than in Puerto Rico. I'll post here after the surgery when I am feeling up to it to let you all know how it went. This forum has been very useful to me and I am eager to contribute by giving an inf…

Hi everyone, I recently decided to switch doctors and talked to Linda about getting a refund for my $500 deposit. Does anyone know how long it takes to get this back? I sent it via online wire through that one website. Thanks!

Do you know what the prices are for these doctors now? I have a friend interested.

I was sleeved on Monday and the first night I was miserable but soon after I had a breakthrough and I feel fine. The gas and pain is not bad at all. I have pics I will post soon. I even have a pic of my old stomach and a video of my new stomach. I am over the moon. Dr Garcia said that I had a lot of scar tissue from my other surgeries but I did fine. I have enough paperwork to keep me reading for a while. Everyone was nice and even though there was a language barrier they spoke enough English to communicate properly. I only have two complaints: the water in the hospital was cold which was fixed immediately and the beds in the hotel are hard. I just asked for extra pillow…

I'll be having my sleeve done with Dr. Almanza on March 2nd, and going all by myself. Am I nuts? Do most of you take someone along, or opt to go alone? This is my chosen path, as I feel it's my own personal journey. My family and friends however, think I've lost my mind for even considering the surgery, much less going alone. Any thoughts?

Hi Everyone, What are you going to do to change your life in 2012? I am sure that the thing most people have said is “I want to lose weight.” So if you are sitting out there reading and absorbing anything and everything you can to educate yourself about weight loss surgery. Congratulations to you. That is your 1st step!!! That makes you like so many of us that did the same thing before we had weight loss surgery. For me, I just didn't wake up one morning and say to my family and friends “Oh by the way, next week I am going to Mexico and have weight loss surgery.” I started thinking about it at least a year before I had weight loss surgery. I had a friend who had W…

Anybody know how quickly you can get it to be sleeved? I find out soon whether or not my insurance will cover it, and if it does not, then I am considering having it done in MX but am curious about how quickly I could get myself scheduled for surgery. Thx

So with all the things that I have to think about, I can't believe this is bugging me, but it is....anyone who has had surgery in Mexico, can you please tell me what you did about tipping the driver who took you to/from the airport and the hotel? I want to make sure I tip appropriately, but also am trying to keep to a budget on the trip. Any advice would be appreciated!

I'm on to full liquids today (YAY!!). My question, what constitutes a full liquid? If I blend up a soup and it's totally liquid--not thick, not chunky, is that a liquid? What have other Dr. Aceves patients eaten during the full liquid stage? I'm hoping to find some non-sweet options--everything is SWEET!

Hi Everyone, I just wanted you to know that I had Dr. Aceves do my "sleeve" surgery Oct 21, 2008. I lost 105 pounds and have kept it off. If you are considering Dr. Aceves I am here to answer any of your questions that you might have. I am one of the few people who still post 3 1/2 years later. I know I had thousands of questions when I started my search. I believe in this surgery so much and I do have a 3 1/2 years of success behind me and know that he is the very best doctor you could ever have do this surgery. I know it takes a lot of courage to get to the point of wanting to have the weight loss surgery vs the being overweight, and unhealthy for the rest o…

Hi Everyone, So many of you are newbies and have just had WLS or you are sitting out there thinking about having it. I used to be one of you. I had my sleeve surgery done on Oct 21, 2008. After 6 months of research and asking a lot of question from tons of people on different boards and checking on the Internet, I made the choice to have Dr. Aceves do my surgery. So if you ask me who would I have do surgery, I will honestly admit he is the “top of the line doctor.” Yes, I am very prejudice about him. This experience is the only thing I have to judge by. I had excellent care in a top of the line 5 star hospital by and extremely skilled group of doctors and nu…

Hey Everyone, So..I have booked my flight to San Diego. I have completed the necessary paperwork and set a date with Dr. Kelly. I am excited and the countdown begins....anyone else heading to Mexico at the same time as me? It would be great to have a "sleeve buddy" to do this with. I will be traveling alone from Michigan on April 22 and return on the 26. Just let me know.....

Hi there, I have my surgery scheduled with Dr. Almanza on 4/28. I have been staying up all night and researching researching and researching. I have contacted over 30 doctors, attended seminars, made phone calls and have asked tons of questions. Still I'm scared. I'm scared about a few things. First, I'm scared to have surgery in Mexico. I keep going back and forth on this because of the after support locally if I get it done here, but the cost here is ridiculous! I was also worried about the posts on here about Dr. Almanza, but after careful research and lots of phone calls, I think he'll be fine for me. It's just scary going to Mexico to get surgery done! Next I'…

So, after a lot of research, I decided to take the plunge and book for the 23rd. I'm a low bmi (31-32) with no serious comorbities but LOTS of family occurences and risks and some borderline issues of my own. I'm extremely active and exercise often, which is why being overweight (well, obese now) has been such a big problem to me my whole life. I'm 26, and I have already gone through a lot of those "milestones" (prom, senior trip, college formals, graduation, etc) where I hoped and worked to try to be normal weight and failed. On top of that, I've been dealing with a lot of stress with family issues (the most recent being my father's death last week), and I feel like I …

So I'm writing from Florence hospital where I was sleeved by Dr. Kelly yesterday. I won't lie yesterday was a bit rough, I had lots of gas pain and nausea and vomiting. Everybody kept telling me that it would be better tmw and they were right!!! I feel so much better today, gas pains are minimal and after I showered I felt like a new women. Florence hoapital is older but very clean and the staff has been great!! Trish has been awesome and has made sure my guest was well taken care of and always had something to eat. This was the first time that I have ever had surgery and to have it out of the country was a bit scary but well worth it!!

So I bought my plane ticket for my trip to Tijuana on March 14th for my surgery March 15th with Dr. Kelly....I am beginning to feel like this is really going to happen! I am very excited, but also nervous and worried about what will happen here at work while I am gone since I am the only one in the company who knows exactly what I do and how to do it. I have gotten myself off Diet Coke successfully, and now need to get off coffee, but I am planning on starting that around 2/15 so I am done with the withdrawal by the time I go for my surgery. Just had to share my excitement!

I've received a few emails asking for his info... It took me a while to track down his real contact info on these boards so I thought I would just pass the info on and post it together in one post. Here is Dr Kelly's contact info. Tel: 619-793-4869 or 619-395-5347 Email: jrkelly45@hotmaildotcom Website: wlsclinicdotcom Be advised that the "ramoskelly" website is not run by Dr Kelly himself, it is run by patient coordinators who work with multiple doctors. I spoke to him today and he is currently trying to get the website shut down or changed because it is misleading to his patients.

Who was your cordinator and dr? Would you use them again? Why or why not? Thanksin advance

The difference in where you have your surgery I have been doing a little information gathering in the past few months. I learned that there are Doctors who charge a lot less for their surgery because they do them in a Clinic--NOT a hospital. Then I was shocked when she said they are doing it as DAY SURGERY and the doctor wants her to go stay in a hotel close to the hospital once they release her from Day Surgery—just in case something goes wrong she can return to the hospital quickly. Or they send them to a recovery house that is NOT staffed by a medical staff, and the conditions of these recovery houses are not what I would call clean. The doctors have only asked th…

Hello! After much research I have decided to get sleeved by Dr. Aceves in Mexicali. I have Cigna but they will not cover the procedure because I had 6 months of a supervised weight loss attempt that was unfortunately spread over 8 months due to bizarre scheduling. Had I known I was going to go for WLS later, I would have scheduled the appointments more carefully!! I am leaving for a 30 day cruise around South America in two weeks with my parents and my 2 year old daughter. It will be HARD to not gain weight with the constant buffets on the cruise ship. Then when we get back to the states, I will start my pre-op diet and have surgery on March 30. I live near San Di…

I have my date with Dr. Kelly. February 15. This is a valentines date I will never forget. I'm excited and nervous at the same time. I booked strait with Kelly. Spoke to him directly. Very nice guy. I'm a pastor and a few friends and family blessed me by paying for my surgery and travel. I'm also a missionary and my last trip to India almost did me in emotionally and physically. Kids followed me down the street laughing at how big I was. I was really convicted about my weight and realized I couldn't keep serving in the mission field weighing 400 pounds. I was always very active but Soon after getting back from India both my knees started giving me major trouble. That's wh…

What a rollercoaster ride this last month has been!!!! After all my posts searching for others with the Molina band (and finally having it removed successfully), being scheduled with Dr. Kelly for my sleeve on 2/21/12 and having to cancel due to ALM being VERY UNPROFESSIONAL (and Dr. Kelly not having the ability to take my FSA credit card either ), I have decided to have my surgery with Dr. Jose Rodruguez in Juarez, MX at Star Medica Hospital. I was able to talk to him and a couple of his patients on the phone and through email that also had a band with tummy scar tissue and feel confident that he is the right doc for me. Guess my $20MM question is... Is anyone el…

Hi all... I just wanted to give you all a little info about cell reception at florence hospital. Yes, they have Wifi and it works pretty well. In my room the reception was mostly roaming with spotty Verizon popping up for a few seconds here and there. I did call the hospital front desk and they connected me a few times But i did find great cell reception in the front patio along the wall were there is a row a chairs. In that area I got 3 whopping bars of Verizon on my cell phone. Yahoo! Hope this helps.

Looking for surgery buddies with Dr Kelly on January 25, 2012? I didn't use any of the coordinators to book as I booked directly through Dr Kelly himself. I've spoken to him several times and feel real confident. I had a previously was banded October 2010 with Dr Ortiz, but decided to go with Dr Kelly as I wanted to be in a real hospital instead of the OCC Clinic. I am excited to get this !#&%* band out of me and get on with my life!

That?s right!! Next Wednesday is the big day for me! I?m soooo excited I can hardly stand it! This past 5 weeks has absolutely flown by. I?m still thinking of things I?m going to need? it?s like a never ending story. I'm so glad I decided to start sooner rather than later. I would?ve felt truly overwhelmed this coming weekend. Thank you all so very much for all your support!! This is the best support website on the WWW? no lie. I?m fortunate! So I?ll post my pre-op stuff here and post-op to avoid making new threads for every little thing (unless it's major!). I also won?t dig too much into my past ? only that I was banded on 2/11/08 and its going to be removed …

Hi Everyone, If you’re tired of starting over when it comes to weight loss, stop giving up on yourself. Today is the day that you can change this. If you have been unsuccessful at one diet after another maybe what you are trying to do is just never going to work for you. Believe me I have been there and done this for many years. For so many of us we have an addiction to food. Food is what comforts us in the good and bad times in our lives. Does this sound like what you have been doing for countless years? Make today the day that you promise to change your life. If you have had WLS and you still struggle with food choices, that is something that so many of us have to d…

Did anyone have cell phone service while they were either at the Hotel in the surgical clinic with Dr. Almanza?

I am hoping someone can help me with this or has an experience to share.... I am posting this in the Insurance forum also... I have set aside $7500 in FSA funds (Flex Dollars) for my surgery in MX with Dr. Rodriguez. So, I called my insurance company (United HealthCare) to discuss what i will need to submit a claim if my card doesnt work in MX. Right off the bat, the lady tells me that they WILL NOT accept anything International. When I asked her why not, she had no answer. I asked here if that was a UHC rule or the IRS. She said that UHC goes strictly by the IRS guidelines. So, I asked her to find for me where it said that FSA could NOT be used for international…

I'm nervous about Mexico. Someone told me that on these boards are people working with doctors and are not Truely VSG clients. I've read just about every post on this board and I feel comfortable about it ,,than I talk to someone ad get nervous again. I have about 5,000 to spend total and I've read a couple horror stories about surgeries that were this cheap. I want to go with dr. Aceves but he is a little out of my price range.

I will be sleeved on Feb. 4th. in Mx. I am so excited. Anyone joining me?

I showed her this form and she said the Mexican doctors are paying you all to say good things about them. I have a question. Can you make living at this? Lol. I hope someday I'll get her support.

so ive got the date scheduled and the plain ticket bought, why am i a lil down tonight, we have so much to be greatful for. i dont know, i think i am a lil scaired. i have family members asking why dont you start your diet plan now, dont just wait till two weeks before, part of me is like butt out. the other part of me is thinking maybe there right. i feel pretty pittiful. my surgery is set for feb the thirteenth

I am having my surgery in Tijuana with Dr. Garcia on March 15th, and have to fly in to San Diego from Seattle, which is about a three hour flight. I am not at all worried about the flight there, but am of course worried about flying six days after I have major surgery. I am wondering what others who had to fly to have surgery did, if there were any issues or if you have any advice for me. My sister who had her sleeve done in December told me it would be fine as long as I had an aisle seat, and I am not sure why an aisle seat would be better....anyway, any advice/stories about how you did would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I am planning to have my surgery in Mexico sometime in February or possibly March. I will probably be using Dr. Kelly. I just recently signed up for a healthcare reimbursement account that will go into effect in January. I can start withdrawing from it immediately, but I want to know if anyone else has done this, does this complicate the process?

So I've started my preop diet today and I'm having surgery in just 2 short weeks. I would love to hear from some of Dr. Kelly's patients about there experience. Thanks

I am currently in the planning stages of getting my sleeve. I am hoping to get it done by Dr. Kelly early spring. Has anyone here also combined the trip with other procedures? I am thinking about getting some brown sun spots lasered off my face and getting my teeth whitened while in Mexico (so much cheaper then the states!). Thoughts?

my husband says what if this doesnt even work. its sad hes not happy for me nor postitive. i am going with dr, fernando garcia on feb the 12th, i am so excited any of you post op people please give me some positive comments. i have three lil kids that need mommy

Ok so I'm getting sugery in Mexico my dr aceves and my husband is coming with me. What did you do with the person that came with you i was told he could stay in the hospital room with me or stay in the hotel. I'm not sure how comfortable he will be in the hospital room. Any advice??!

Hi all, I'm brand spankin' new here, and considering Jerusalem Hospital. I know there are many posts floating around about this, that, and the other, but I really want to get to some people who have had, or are going to have the surgery there. I have been approved for March 1st, but am trying to get work things in order before I submit my deposit. By the way, I'm a 33yo Woman from Texas, 5'9", and 275 :-( I have no ACL in my left knee, and my feet hurt because of my weight....along with many other things. I dream about having this surgery, and how it could improve my quality of my life. I'm active by nature, and love hiking, dancing, biking, swimming, etc. Enough a…