I was thinking of having the Lap Band done and then found out about the Sleeve procedure through a friend. My insurance will not pay for the surgery, so I will have to come up with the payment myself, but it is so expensive here in the States, so my question is, has anyone had this done in Mexico? can anyone recommend a doctor or certain hospital? what is the average cost of the surgery in Mexico?

Thanks!

Just look to the right. click on any of the ads. and Yes alot of us have done surgery in Mexico. Dr. Almanza in Tiajuana Mex, and, Dr. Aceves in Mexicali Mex, are the two Dr.'s mentioned here the most. Both are good according to the posts. You have to do the research and decide for yourself. Take your time, keep posting your questions. We will help you. Welcome to the VSG board.

I am so glad you posted Staffy *wink*wink!! The girls here will let you know about everything. This is where I came to make my Sleeve decision :-)

The majority of us have had our sleeve

done by Dr. Aceves because he does 3

leak tests, and practices in a great hospital, not a clinic.

he is wonderful, on top of all that!

I had my sleeve done by Dr. Aceves. Great experience, kind staff and professional Drs. Very clean hospital.

I was thinking of having the Lap Band done and then found out about the Sleeve procedure through a friend. My insurance will not pay for the surgery, so I will have to come up with the payment myself, but it is so expensive here in the States, so my question is, has anyone had this done in Mexico? can anyone recommend a doctor or certain hospital? what is the average cost of the surgery in Mexico?

Thanks!

Oh honey, you've come to the right site! Nearly everyone here went to Mexico and they have had some wonderful experiences! Good luck to you and you journey! I would go in a heart beat (for the vacation) but hubbie won't let me go get the sleeve done in Mexico. . . sigh. . . and I wanted the vacation, never been to Mexico. . . oh well

It's really not much of a vacation

when you go there. I had more of a tour of the area right around the hospital than most people. The lady I rode with in the van from San Diego spoke Spanish and she wanted to go to the mall. I had fun the day before surgery!

Hello Staffy!

I am having my sleeve surgery on Dec 3rd, by Dr. Mario Alamanza at the Emmanuel Medical enter in Tijuana Mexico. My surgery is $5,000.00.

My boyfriend had his lapband surgery done by him in May, and he has nothign but good things to say about him. He has gone down twice for a fill since his surgery.

From what he has told me and through his photos, if he could do it again he would only change the surgery itself. He wishes that he had gotten the sleeve instead of the lapband.

This was his experience:

He flew into San Diego the day of the surgery, at 6am to get there by 9am. He then was greeted by the staff of the Emanuel Center at the airport, and rode over the border into Tijuana. The city of Tijuana is about 15 minutes from the border. The drive took app. 30 to 40 minutes to get to the hospital from San Diego. The driver and staff were very nice, in fact he has made friends with them!

They first take you to a clinic (a separate building from the main hospital, but is part of Emanuel Medical Center) to get your blood drawn and your pre-op tests. The did an EKG, blood pressure, weight, height measurements, and more.

after this they took him to Emanuel to meet Dr. Almanza and to speak to him. John also got to speak with the Anesthesiologist before the surgery. He was very informed on everything and how the procedure worked. The nurses prepped him for surgery with the IV and the gown. There are probably more details but this is from his story and what I remember.

John actually woke up confused after his surgery (He went alone, I could not go with him), and yelled! Poor Baby! The nurse was there and was able to calm him down and explain where he was and make sure that he was attended to. He went back to sleep after awhile since he was really tired. They did wake him up and get him to a hospital room that was more comfortable to sleep in. I would like to mention here that this is where treatment in Mexico is different then the states. They did not automatically get him into a room, but they did after he woke up. Also, he had to walk to the room with a couple of nurses following him to make sure he was ok to walk. John did mention, that this was kind of weird, but he never did at anytime feel like he was not safe or attended to.

After he woke up, they asked John if he would be ready to go to the recovery house. He was ready, and took a short drive to there. A recovery house is an actual house that is gated and well maintained like a hotel. There are four separate rooms with TV and a social room. It is equipped with a full kitchen and nurses on hand. From the pictures I saw, they are beautiful and look comfortable! What is also nice is Dr. Almanza came to see John and the other patients later that evening and the same day. Dr.Balencourt also came to visit and was a very nice man with great humor!

John got great service, and also a lot of help and advice through Shirley. She is the hospital coordinator for Emanuel Medical Center. She is just AWESOME! She is available all the time is just such a delight to talk to. She called me to let m know that John was o.k. after his surgery and to answer all my questions.

John recovered very well, and had some gas pains. He stayed down there for three days to get some post-op tests and to see Mexico. He went to the beach one day and had a blast!

They drove him over the border, he flew home, and I picked him up at the airport with many kisses and hugs! I was so worried about him getting surgery in Mexico, but after hearing his story and talking to Shirley, I see that I had nothing to fret about. This surgery is going to add years to my Boyfriends life and mine. I would recommend surgery in Mexico for anyone who wants good service at a lower cost.

I hope this helps you!

If you would like more information of Emanuel medical Center:

Emmanuel medical-Dr Mario Almanza

Going to Mexico today to introduce my family to the hospital and some of the Doctors who will be doing my surgery. This should put their mind at ease re: the Doctors and hospital.

I have been several times. I am not afraid to have surgery in Mexico at all. Have found everything to be better than what I could get in Phoenix. The hospital is so clean you could literally eat off the floor. When I have observed the nurses, techs, housekeeping, receptionists, etc they have been very professional. Have observed the nurses washing their hands more than some nurses in the U.S. hospitals. Some of my co-workers (all of us work in surgery here in the U.S.) have went with me and without fail, they are all impressed and "would have surgery there in a heartbeat and not be nervous about it at all". Hope this helps. Marilyn