Clementine Sky

I actually had to get my passport card to ENTER Mexico when I went for my sleeve. I already had an enhanced New York State drivers license that allows for land entry into the US (used it previously to reenter the US from Mexico and have used it LOTS of times to reenter the US from Canada). However, since the last time I'd been to Mexico, they changed their laws to require a US Passport or Passport Card for entry INTO Mexico.
I was informed of that change in Mexican law by my patient coordinator for my sleeve surgery. She said the Mexican border agents absolutely would not accept my enhanced driver's license. So I scrambled to get a Passport Card at the last minute (thus my trip to the Buffalo Passport office). Then after all of that, when I actually crossed the Mexican border, they didn't ask me for *any* ID at all!

The OP pricked me with worry and self-doubt but motivated me to once again lay out and examine all the reasons for why I've decided to have the VSG next week. My BMI is "only" 31; I'm in my early 30s; and though I'd been researching the surgery for months I only decided to go to Mexico to have it 18 days before my scheduled surgery date. So she hit close to home for me on several points.
My reproductive gynecologist was actually the one who first suggested the VSG to me back in April because she had other patients in my age range and size with PCOS who'd benefitted from it both in terms of problems abating and fertility being increased. She'd referred me a few local surgeons who will do the surgery on patients with BMIs under 35, but since I'm in Los Angeles the prices were staggeringly high. The least expensive surgeon I consulted with was $29,000. My insurance will not cover a cent of it. That's why I ultimately decided to go to Tijuana after obsessively reading through this forum and others for weeks, verifying credentials for the surgeons I short-listed, and reading books I downloaded from Amazon about the surgery. I already lined up a support group. I acted quickly simply because of my work schedule. It's either do it now or wait an entire year. I'm writing this to explain why I think it is possible to make a comprehensive, informed decision relatively quickly, though it's more stressful.
I wanted to share this research in case anyone else here is also struggling with PCOS and considering VSG:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3334389/
Here is an excerpt of the conclusion:
"Bariatric surgery is a powerful tool that should not be overlooked simply because a woman is young or presents with PCOS and MS rather than diabetes mellitus, myocardial infarction and severe chronic hypertension. Although surgery has both short and long term risks, the potential benefits may be greater in these PCOS women than in older women who are already more advanced with respect to vascular disease. Every woman with PCOS and MS deserves to at least be offered education and counseling regarding the role of bariatric surgery in reducing their illness. More importantly, young women undergoing bariatric surgery should be specifically included in research to improve knowledge of long term outcomes. Bariatric surgery should be considered along with other medical and lifestyle alterations as first line therapy in PCOS women with obesity and MS."
Go to:

The OP pricked me with worry and self-doubt but motivated me to once again lay out and examine all the reasons for why I've decided to have the VSG next week. My BMI is "only" 31; I'm in my early 30s; and though I'd been researching the surgery for months I only decided to go to Mexico to have it 18 days before my scheduled surgery date. So she hit close to home for me on several points.
My reproductive gynecologist was actually the one who first suggested the VSG to me back in April because she had other patients in my age range and size with PCOS who'd benefitted from it both in terms of problems abating and fertility being increased. She'd referred me a few local surgeons who will do the surgery on patients with BMIs under 35, but since I'm in Los Angeles the prices were staggeringly high. The least expensive surgeon I consulted with was $29,000. My insurance will not cover a cent of it. That's why I ultimately decided to go to Tijuana after obsessively reading through this forum and others for weeks, verifying credentials for the surgeons I short-listed, and reading books I downloaded from Amazon about the surgery. I already lined up a support group. I acted quickly simply because of my work schedule. It's either do it now or wait an entire year. I'm writing this to explain why I think it is possible to make a comprehensive, informed decision relatively quickly, though it's more stressful.
I wanted to share this research in case anyone else here is also struggling with PCOS and considering VSG:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3334389/
Here is an excerpt of the conclusion:
"Bariatric surgery is a powerful tool that should not be overlooked simply because a woman is young or presents with PCOS and MS rather than diabetes mellitus, myocardial infarction and severe chronic hypertension. Although surgery has both short and long term risks, the potential benefits may be greater in these PCOS women than in older women who are already more advanced with respect to vascular disease. Every woman with PCOS and MS deserves to at least be offered education and counseling regarding the role of bariatric surgery in reducing their illness. More importantly, young women undergoing bariatric surgery should be specifically included in research to improve knowledge of long term outcomes. Bariatric surgery should be considered along with other medical and lifestyle alterations as first line therapy in PCOS women with obesity and MS."
Go to:

The OP pricked me with worry and self-doubt but motivated me to once again lay out and examine all the reasons for why I've decided to have the VSG next week. My BMI is "only" 31; I'm in my early 30s; and though I'd been researching the surgery for months I only decided to go to Mexico to have it 18 days before my scheduled surgery date. So she hit close to home for me on several points.
My reproductive gynecologist was actually the one who first suggested the VSG to me back in April because she had other patients in my age range and size with PCOS who'd benefitted from it both in terms of problems abating and fertility being increased. She'd referred me a few local surgeons who will do the surgery on patients with BMIs under 35, but since I'm in Los Angeles the prices were staggeringly high. The least expensive surgeon I consulted with was $29,000. My insurance will not cover a cent of it. That's why I ultimately decided to go to Tijuana after obsessively reading through this forum and others for weeks, verifying credentials for the surgeons I short-listed, and reading books I downloaded from Amazon about the surgery. I already lined up a support group. I acted quickly simply because of my work schedule. It's either do it now or wait an entire year. I'm writing this to explain why I think it is possible to make a comprehensive, informed decision relatively quickly, though it's more stressful.
I wanted to share this research in case anyone else here is also struggling with PCOS and considering VSG:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3334389/
Here is an excerpt of the conclusion:
"Bariatric surgery is a powerful tool that should not be overlooked simply because a woman is young or presents with PCOS and MS rather than diabetes mellitus, myocardial infarction and severe chronic hypertension. Although surgery has both short and long term risks, the potential benefits may be greater in these PCOS women than in older women who are already more advanced with respect to vascular disease. Every woman with PCOS and MS deserves to at least be offered education and counseling regarding the role of bariatric surgery in reducing their illness. More importantly, young women undergoing bariatric surgery should be specifically included in research to improve knowledge of long term outcomes. Bariatric surgery should be considered along with other medical and lifestyle alterations as first line therapy in PCOS women with obesity and MS."
Go to:

Mexico requires passports for all American Citizens traveling into their country
http://mexico.usembassy.gov/eng/eacs_sheet.html
Travelling back from Mexico to the states is different too depending on how you travel
Entry to the US by land or sea: Regardless of your final destination in Mexico, all U.S. citizens age 16 or over must present either a U.S. passport book or card to re-enter the U.S. by land or sea. Minors under the age of 16 may enter the U.S. via the land border with a certified birth certificate, consular report of birth abroad, citizenship certificate, or naturalization certificate.
Entry to the US by air: All citizens, regardless of age, entering the U.S. by air must present a U.S. passport book. A passport card is not acceptable for entry to the US by air


I hope the passports come soon.

Do you live anywhere near any of the passport offices? I was fortunate enough to live near Buffalo and go get a Passport card made somewhat last-minute. But there aren't that many offices in the US so the nearest one could be hundreds of miles away from your parents, which doesn't help at all.
PS: It's awesome they are coming with you and I truly hope it all works out! It certainly sucks to be dealing with this extra stress on top of the anxiety you are likely feeling about your surgery. Hang in there!

My experience wasn't too bad with Dr. Lopez. I met him in the hallway when I was paying, he shook my hand when Jasmine introduced us, and then I never heard from him again. I was pulled from our group that morning before anyone else (around 7:30a) and told I would be having my surgery second (someone was having some other kind of surgery). They took me back to the pre-op area, gowned me up, put in my IV, etc. While I was waiting there all of the nurses came running in in a panic and started grabbing supplies. After all the commotion died down, a doctor came in and told me that they had done a leak test on someone from the day earlier and discovered one so they had to do an emergency repair. From what I understand, everything turned out alright.
I had another doctor who spoke perfect English and the anesthesiologist who spoke great English as well visit me. They gave me a little something to relax until they were ready.
The actual surgery went great, no leaks. Nurses were great - but bring your phone and use Google Translator so you can tell them what you need. That worked great for us.
The only issue we had with aftercare seemed to be that I was getting too much pain meds. I had no pain so I finally told them to stop so I could wake up a little bit. After that I had no trouble. Moved over to the hotel with no trouble.
All in all, not a bad experience.
Doing great now.
Thanks

I had a really good experience overall. I really liked the Dr Lopez, his wife (also a surgeon who assists him in the op room), and the rest of his staff. Here is some info about my experience:
We arrived at the San Diego airport and was picked up by a driver named Samuel. He was very friendly and loaded our bags for us and drove us to the Marriott about 15-20 mins away in Tijuana.
When we arrived at the hotel everyone greeted us, knew English, and they had our reservation booked already. The hotel was VERY nice! I was given a welcome packet and inside there was a letter from the clinic which stated I would get 3 free cups of broth, 2 free popsicles, and 2 free bottles of Water per day. Then we went to our room and took a long nap.
Someone named Jasmine who worked with the Dr stopped by and explained that we would be picked up the next morning at 7am with a group of other patients (who were also getting surgery done by Dr Lopez) by Samuel and brought to INT Hospital.
The next morning he was there 7am sharp and I got to meet and talk to the other patients on the way. We arrived at the hospital and it was very nice and clean. We were all put in our own rooms after just a couple minutes of arrival. I changed into a gown and did pre op testing, had an IV placed, and was told i would have surgery at 3 or 4 pm. The nurses at the hospital did not speak very good English, so it is helpful if you know a little bit of Spanish so you can communicate some of your basic needs easier. Still though, they were all very helpful and sweet. Dr Lopez came in and talked to me, asked if I had any questions, etc. Then they came early, at 12 pm they came to get me for surgery. I was put to sleep very quickly. I woke up from recovery after 4 hours. I have never had surgery, I woke up in a panic because I was extremely short of breath. After that I was brought to my room, given really good pain meds and a breathing treatment, and went back to sleep.
The next day I was taken for a leak test and X-ray. I got to see my sleeve but it was sort of hard to tell how big it was. I had no leaks.
I ended up getting a fever and I seemed to be in more pain than anyone else I came in with. They all left the hospital fairly soon but I stayed 3 nights. I also have asthma and was having a really hard time breathing. Dr Lopez checked on me every morning and sometimes in the evening to see how I was doing.
Btw, I never once felt unsafe being in Tijuana.< /p>
I suppose since I'm still recovering (only 10 days out) something could still go wrong with the sleeve but it's probably unlikely. I'm grateful I have no leaks and the sleeve seems to be doing its job. I am still having some breathing issues, and one of my incisions is taking forever to heal. It's the biggest one and right in the middle. They told me since there is more fat right there it is taking longer.

Thinking of you today and hoping the surgery goes well and speedy recovery!!
~Gentle Hugs~
Kate

@@Clementine Sky, Yes the main reason is to avoid scars and quicken recovery process. There is a video by my surgeon, Julio Teixeira on the surgery here:
Single Port Bariatric Surgery - An Analysis of Feasibility and Benefit: Julio Teixeira, M.D. Best of luck in your research!

My dr. said exactly what SimplySharon said but my clear liquid started. Yesterday and surgery is Aug 4th.