I noticed in the poll on whether or not people would do the band again many said not to do it in Mexico. Was this becuse of personal experience? I am about positive I am going to do it in Mexico. Thanks.

Yes- There were many whom have gone here on LBT & many who have had problems following. But there have also been some who have gone & have had no problems. PLEASE Do alot more research & talk directly to those who have gone prior to making any concrete plans. Good Luck!

My personal opinion: I would try anything to stay state side.

I loved my dr in Mexico. Obviously it wouldn't be my first choice but I couldn't afford it here in the states. I researched for months, prayed about it, researched some more, did a lot of praying

I'm happy with my choice. It is hard not to have your dr. local for follow ups. And we moved cross county so now I don't even really have a dr. So that its hard.

Just make sure that you do a ton of research about the dr. and make sure you feel good abut your choice.

Good luck and let me know if you have any questions!

I too was banded in Mexico. It is a hudge decision, but when you are self pay you have to keep and open mind regarding all of your options. I have had no problems what so ever, but in all fairness, I did not have any immediate health problems either, other than being 75lbs overweight. I think that you have to look deep within yourself and decide what is best in your own particular circumstance.

I was banded in Tijuana on 11/29. I was impressed with the entire procedure. I was the only patient in the clinic, and the level of care was great. The Molding clinic was very clean-and three weeks out I have had absolutely NO complaints.

I was banded in Mexico and suggest getting it locally if it's a matter of a few thousand bucks. Many places in the US won't even treat patients banded in Mexico. Make sure to have local aftercare lined up BEFORE chosing a Mexican surgeon in case you have complications. Getting the band surgery is the easy part, but then there's an entire lifetime of Band maintenance to take care of, which can include a variety of complications. Are you able to run back and forth to Mexico every time you need something?

Hi

I had surgery December 5th in Mexico and am on mushies and am going just fine!

My incisions are good - a thin pink line mostly - they were glued (!)

(I looked it up on the internet and that is a plastic surgery technique, so no wonder). I loved that I could shower on the day after surgery.

My patient advocate is Barbara and she responds to emails and calls with good information. I asked about my left shoulder pain and she came back with some thoughts in an hour or so. I also have my surgeons cell numbers, just in case.

For routine care, I thought I would go to FillCentersUSA. They have a center about 14 miles from my home. I talked to one of the nurses and they are trained by Inamed, and I will have a cell phone number for 24/7 response. I can pay by the visit, or go for an annual fee, and they want to see me monthly; they say people do much better that way.

This is all working for me :Bunny .... down 10 lbs ...... :Bunny

but it is your situation that counts .... happy researching !!!

Judy

5'2" 203/193/135

Banded 12/5/2005 Acuna, Mexico

I just got back from being banded in Mexico (Monterrey) by Dr. Sanchez. I would do it again. Clean, modern hospital. Then you stay in his special 'hacienda' for 1 or 2 more nights, meet other patients there who have just had it done. Met with a nutritionist. "Food" provided. Free internet and free calls back to the US!

I found a fill doc here before I went, talked to my primary care doc, read this and other boards like a fiend and just researched not only the procedure but also the doctor. One thing to consider: he has been doing this FAR longer than any American doctor and could probably do it with his eyes closed (but hopefully doesn't).

IF I had had an extra $8,000 OR insurance that paid OR if I had medical problems that might complicate things I might have done it different. Granted, I'm just 5 days out so have not had to 'test' the follow up care I will receive here nor have I had to contact them. I will say that if I had gone home the day of surgery or even one day after, I would have had to call because I had some minor issues. Since I was still there in the hacienda, the doctor/nutritionist that lives there was able to answer them on the spot. I think like anything else, one person's experience will vary greatly from anothers. I feel like I bought a Lexus at Chevy prices.

Good luck.

When I first joined this forum, and realized how difficult it would be to get the surgery covered by my insurer, I was gung ho to head south. But I just finished paying off a pretty big debt and am just not willing to go into massive debt again - at least not right now. I decided to exhaust my insurance options first - even though it takes 10x more time and effort to go through all of the approvals and requirements.

I have read great things about the surgeons in Mexico - especially Kuri, Sanchez, and ortiz. I've read some not-so-great things as well. (Same goes for surgeons here in the states.) But for me, it comes down to my gut feeling. I am not a risk-taker by nature. It's important to me to know exactly what I'm getting into and to have planned for all likely possibilities. I want to know that I can rely on the same doctor/office for preparation, surgery, follow up, monitoring, complications, etc. I want to know that I have some recourse if the guy uses plastic twistie ties instead of the inamed band or if he uses grape kool-aid for my fills. In all likelihood, the surgery will be fine and I will be fine. But knowing that I'm covered gives me some peace of mind, and that's something I really need in order to get through this process. That's something I wouldn't have if I went to Mexico. Things would have to get really bad for me, Healthwise, before I'd be willing to take the chance.

But that's just me. Overly cautious by nature.

I had my surgery in Mexico and I don't have anything negative to say, I would go back in a second!! I went to Dr. Rumbaut, the care I received was astounding! I have never seen a hospital so clean, and people so respectful. And Dr. Rumbaut and his associates all visited me in the hotel several times. I know everyone has different experiences, but mine was wonderful.

I was banded in Mexico by Dr. Kuri. I had a great experience with the doctor and his staff. I am very lucky to live right here in San Diego so I am able to get to his office in a matter of 1/2 hour. It would have been a more difficult decision if I had lived farther away.

I was also banded in Monterrey and was very impressed with the facility and the staff. I was concerned about follow up but I get free follow ups and stay in the hospital hotel for free. The only thing that I have to pay for is my flight. I probably would have done it in the US if insurance would pay but it did not and as of today, I have had no problems. I am going back next week for my first till. They use an xray to do the fills and it is all free.

I am getting banded 1/27 by Dr. Aceves. I have talked to his patients and both newly banded and those out for about 1 1/2 . They all were very impressed by his professionalism and his office staff. I look forward to seeing for myself. If I had the insurance then I would probably get it done locally to save on the travel but I do live in CA so it's not that big of a deal. I can hop on a flight, get the fill and hop back home the same day for about $200. The fills are free and they also provide transportation to and from the airport, so I feel it's worth it. That's just my two cents.

I think you'll find that *most* people that were banded in Mexico have no regrets and will profess that their surgeon is the best

I had a very easy time making my decision to go to Mexico to have the band. Since the surgery would have cost me at least 17k in the states, and since getting the lapband became a "must" for me, then the decision to have surgery in Mexico was a no brainer. Of course all sorts of things run through your mind when you plan on having surgery in another country so I would advise just to research your decision and doctors and most of all continue to talk to other people that were banded in Mexico. I found that the more I talked to others about the surgery the more at ease I was.

There are lots of misconceptions about Mexico and I was pleasantly surprised about the care that I received, where I stayed and the hospital. All of them were above my expectations. I also had surgery at Santa Engracia in Monterrey, very nice hospital and terrific care.

You might want to reconsider Mexico for awhile. There's a cluster of 3 doctors having repeated erosions. I'm the newest after my endoscopy yesterday. Most of us are eroding right about 18 months out, so I'm sure I'm not the last one. So far I'm not seeing this same pattern from anywhere but Tijuana. It's just MY opinion though, but you did ask for it. Good luck.

I went to Monterrey after talking to several people that used the surgeon I was looking into. It was very reassuring to actually talk to someone who had been to Monterrey and been banded by the doctor I was considering. I also made sure that my surgeon, Dr. Sanchez, prearranged aftercare for me with a doctor less than an hour from my front door! Like someone else posted above, I had wonderful care and the Santa Engracia hospital is American owned and super clean and state of the art. I have no complaints so far. Just do your reasearch and do what feels comfortable for you.