Okiebon

When did you have your MGB done? Did you have any problems? What have your results been like?

I've narrowed my search down to Hospital Angeles and either Dr. Rodriguez or Dr. Corvala, as well. I spoke to a doctor on Dr. Corvala's team last week and she patiently and thoroughly answered my questions. Now I'm waiting to hear back from Dr. Rodriguez with his response to a few procedure specific questions.

My employer's health insurance coverage has a restriction against any type of bariatric surgery. So even though my PCP recommends it for health reasons, I'm going to be a self-pay patient. I'm probably going to have to go to Mexico for the procedure if I want to have it done in the next few years, since it'll take me that long to save up for surgery here in the US. I'm interested in hearing from those who have had their surgery in Mexico, or those that considered it. Are you happy with your decision and why? If you had surgery in Mexico, who was your surgeon and how did you choose him? Which hospital were you in? How long was your stay in Mexico (hospital and/or hotel)? What was it like traveling back home? What have your results been like? I would also appreciate anything more you can tell me about your experiences in Mexico, every little detail you can remember. I'm interested in hearing from everyone, even those with bad results or negative opinions. Please share and help me in my decisions. Please let me know if I posted this in the wrong place. Thank you

I've spent the past few days here reading tons of posts from over the last few years - so much great information available here! I wish I'd done more reading before posting. It was very eye opening in a lot of ways. It's made me change my opinion on the importance of the Coordinator role. For many patients (and their support companions), the coordinator is the go-to contact in case of problems during the hotel stay, relieves the burden of having to arrange transportation or make other decisions one may not feel like making after surgery, and provides support in numerous other ways. I'll be traveling alone and having a supportive coordinator in place after surgery would be very reassuring to me. Finding one that is supportive and responsive to my needs NOW will make me feel more confident that they'll be supportive and responsive to my needs after surgery. I knew that there were many good surgeons to choose from in Mexico but I thought that I'd be able to do my research and pick the 'perfect' one. Ha! I realize now that we all have different personal criteria for what makes up the best surgeon, valid criteria that's given me more a lot more to think about and add to my list. Criteria that I'd never even thought of before. So, while the things that were important to me in my choice of a surgeon are still important to me, I've added many other things to my list to be factored in to the final decision as well. It's been a comfort to find this forum full of people willing to share their choices, experiences and results. Many thanks to all of you!

I've found several studies on MGB. Here are links to a few. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24913595 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23011462 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22411569 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24805912 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21165621 And this site offers a good discussion of the procedure as well as summaries of the results of several studies. http://www.bariatric-surgery-source.com/mini-gastric-bypass-surgery.html

I'm planning to have WLS and am leaning towards a Mini Gastric Bypass. For those who have compared the RNY and the Mini Gastric Bypass, which one did you choose? Why? Are you glad you made the decision you did, or do you ever wish you'd chosen to have the other procedure? Why? If you've had a Mini Gastric Bypass, I'd love to hear about your experience and your results. Thanks so much!

I'm planning to have a Mini Gastric Bypass and would love to hear experiences others have had with the procedure. Mine will be done in Tijuana, and I'm also interested in learning about what that was like if your surgery was in Mexico, too. Thanks so much!

I sent you a message this morning.

Do these doctors suture along the entire staple line, or mainly just in the junctures?

Well if I can't resolve my schedule at work, we may just be there at the same time! Any chance you could move yours up?

Agreed.

I'm so excited! I don't know how I'll be able to wait until March.

I just realized I didn't even address the education and continuing pursuit of training that I feel is so important for surgeons. Honestly, there so many important factors to consider - many of them very personalized.

I'm not a medical professional, so I may have a different research scope than yours, but we both appear to be looking for the same thing - a knowledgable, experienced surgeon who will provide safe quality care and lasting results. I believe both of these doctors can do that. I'm not too concerned about their coordinators, reps, or whatever they're called. I can find my own way there and my own way home if I have to. I just need to find the surgeon I feel will be best for me. I would prefer a longer hospital stay, as opposed to being released and sent to a hotel to fend for myself after one day. It's just personal preference, but I want to be where the doctors and the operating rooms are if a problem develops. Both of these doctors offer this. I want my surgery done in a full service hospital with trauma doctors, blood bank and testing/scanning equipment available in a blink. Both of these doctors offer this. I want a surgeon who works out of the hospital he operates in, a hospital he knows his way around and one where the nurses and staff know him and how he works. These doctors do this. I want a doctor who has a surgical 'team' that's worked together and knows what is expected of them. I don't want one who flits from hospital A to B to C to D and has a strange crew at each one. These two doctors can provide this. I want a doctor with proven experience in multiple types of bariatric procedures, so that he can adapt my surgery quickly if problems develop. Again, both of these doctors offer this. I want a lot, and I could go on for pages, but this gives you a general idea of the areas I've had in mind when researching doctors. Thank you, you've helped me confirm for myself that I've made two good selections.

Oh yes, I've watched every video I can find on Dr. R and BLW! The one where Dr. R, Dr. Elmo and Dr. Hector (I think) are doing a sleeve is great. It's long but I've watched it twice. Dr. R's movements are so smooth and confident. And seeing them all work together, arms moving here there and everywhere, it really did remind me of a dance. Tell me, is Dr. Elmo as nice as he seems?

I'm so glad to hear this! Did you go by yourself? Any problems traveling back home? What time were you released on Thursday?

We must've been posting at the same time. I agree with you completely on this. Maybe the story I just posted will be of some help. I do want to add that I have also contacted Dr. Corvala's office and received a similar reception. Both doctors have been accessable and open to questions. Their coordinators have been so kind and helpful. It's going to be a difficult decision, I think.

I'm new to the site but I have read some of your posts about choosing doctors and found them very informative and thought provoking. It seems we're looking for similar qualities in our surgeons and in our after-care. To address your question, let me tell you what I did when I first started looking seriously at Dr. Rodriguez. I first contacted BeLiteWeight and asked some preliminary questions. Then I received a phone call from one of their reps, a very nice lady. We started discussing the specific procedure I plan to have and I asked a few questions about it. Again, this lady was very nice and very helpful in other ways, but it was obvious she wasn't that familiar with the procedure. So I kept researching Dr. Rodriguez and came across an email address for his practice and contacted him directly - on a Saturday afternoon. Dr. Rodriguez himself replied to me in less than an hour. This of course led to me having more questions and he promptly and kindly answered them all. At one point I asked a non-medical question and his team's psychiatrist began talking with me. He did instruct me to continue any travel arrangements and scheduling with BeLiteWeight but both doctors were very helpful and informative - again on a Saturday afternoon with someone who was only a prospective patient. So, for me, the answer would be to contact the doctor directly. YMMV Hope this little story helps.

Back to work so soon? That sounds great! How long was your hospital stay? Did you arrive the day before your surgery or the day of?

I'm planning to have the Mini Gastric Bypass in March in either Tijuana or Juarez. I'm now researching, looking for the best surgeon to perform my procedure. I like what I've seen and read about Dr. Jose Rodriguez (BeLiteWeight is his US coordinator). He works out of a full service hospital (Hospital Angeles in Tijuana and Star Medica in Juarez). Patients spend their entire stay in the hospital, not in a hotel. He's a US Certified Bariatric Surgeon and has studied in the US and Europe. He has a long list of other credentials on the BLW website, and they seem to be excellent. I'd love to hear any input on either Dr. Rodriguez or BeLiteWeight (good or bad). Has anyone dealt with BeLiteWeight or had Dr. Rodriguez do their surgery? What was your experience like? Another strong candidate is Dr. Juan Corvala with Hospital Angeles in Tijuana. I'm still in the researching surgeons phase so I'm open to suggestions. Can you recommend any other bariatric surgeons in Tijuana or Juarez?