My story is not meant to scare or discourage anyone from the VSG. I just want to share my experience with everyone.

I am a breast cancer survivor of 2 years now and have been through, bi-lateral mastectomy, reconstruction, and chemo. After my cancer I started taking my HR medications and started to gain weight and became depressed. I had other issues due to the breast cancer but won't go into them.

I gained at least 60lbs after starting the medication, which I have to take for 5yrs. I weighed 180 when diagnosed and got up to 240.

With alot of fatigue, nausea, and weakness from my meds, I knew I had to do something about my weight before I got worse. A friend of mine had the VSG done and I thought what a perfect solution. I did my research for almost a year and knew I would be a self pay patient. My ins. didn't cover bariatric, plus I didn't have the health issues to appeal.

Now that I am not currently working, I needed something I could afford but felt comfortable with. So I searched Mexico and the surgeons there. Like I said I researched for almost a year. I picked out my surgeon and set my date. One of my close friends was more than excited to go with me, so I planned it all out and off we went.

I arrived in Mexico and was greeted by my coordinator, who is an absolute lovely person. We were settled into our room and I was immediately sent for testing. As I waited with my friend for my turn at surgery, I was not at all nervous. My time came and when I woke up my friend was there and I was feeling fine. Sore, tired, and groggy, but fine.

For the next few days I was extrememly sore and my sides hurt really bad. I was running a temp., had a high heart rate, and I knew something wasn't right. I told the nurses I needed my doctor. The doctor came in late that night and agreed something wasn't right, so he wanted to take me back into the operating room and put the scope back in to see what the problem was. My friend who was extrememly worried about me asked the doctor if I could just be driven over the border to San Diago to have a hospital look at me where my insurance would cover me, but he assured her I would be taken care of and couldn't wait. When I woke up in my room again, my friend was there telling me my surgeon found a ruptured ulcer just below the suture line and had to clean and repair it but I was going to be ok. My surgeon also wanted to keep me for a couple of more days. He assured me I wouldn't have to pay anymore than maybe a $600 fee from another surgeon.

First of all I thought.......NO..... there could not have been an ulcer or they would have seen it to begin with, but ok even if they didnt, I had a scope done a month before I left the states for the nausea I have due to my meds. (my oncologist didn't think it was due to meds but gallbaldder). I had no signs of ulcers. No signs of anything. But my surgeon didn't know I had this test already done. Besides the tests, I just felt wrongness about it. I just felt that ulcer was not the issue.

Wanting to get better and go home, I didn't say much. My best friend had begged my surgeon to let me go home as scheduled with her, but he felt I needed more time in the hospital. She knew I didn't have the extra money, but the doc insisted I wouldn't have to pay more than the $600.

So my friend had to leave me there since she had to return to work. I was fine with being alone but when my surgeon said I looked well enough to leave, the hospital addmisnistration was trying to get me to pay 2300.00 before I could leave. I tried explaining I didn't have but 700.00 in my bank account and I had to already pay extra fees to change my flight around. The man in the office became very rude and demanding.

When it was finally time to leave, I was taken to do the leak test with the rest of the patients who were there at the hospital with me. My test came out good, and I was rushed to the airport.

I made it home safe but very weak and sick. I slept for one whole day. I continued to run low grade temps the rest of the week and didn't feel quite right. Still very sore on my sides. Sharp pains. So I went to my primary doctor where she took xrays and had a ct scan done.

Behold......... double pneumonia. She said for me to check into ER. Which I did. The next day a surgeon came around to my room and told me my CT scan showed a leak and it needed to be repaired asap. WHAT !!!!!!!!!!!!! NO !!!!!!!!!!!! Oh and while we are in there why don't we take out that gallbladder. Gotta lot of stones in there.

Needless to say I was freaking out. This surgeon was more than ammused that I went to Mexico for this surgery and now I was all messed up looking at him for help.

I was not at all going to let this man go diggin inside of me for a leak, much less take out my gallbladder when I had enough to worry about. So I looked up a Bariatric surgeon in my area and gave the Bariatric Clinic a call. Out of 4 surgeons, only one called me back. But.... he listened. He offered to take me in and see what he could do. So I transferred hospitals.

He looked at my scans and my videos from my surgeries in mexico and concluded that my Mexico surgeon tried to repair a leak or some sort of tear. He didn't want to say anything bad about my surgeon in Mexico, but I knew he didn't believe there was an ulcer either. All he said was "don't worry, we will get this fixed and you will be fine".

He opted on no surgery and putting a tube in my belly to drain any bacteria, plus started me on IV with nothing by mouth. I spent a week in the hospital on heavy antibiotics and fluids then I was sent home on TPN where I am today.

Hoping the leak will heal on it's own and I will be back to normal soon.

I loved my surgeon in Mexico and his coordinator. They are precious people and I do not blame anyone. This is just a chance I took. I do understand the doctor wanting to keep his record clean, but I also believe no one is perfect.

My surgeon in Mexico and the coordiantor kept in close touch with me and tried to give the surgeon here as much info as possible.

I just feel I was one of the few percent who end up with a leak. Lucky me.

Anyhow, I wanted to share this with everyone and let you know, we have to follow our gutt, or at least what is left of it. If you don't feel right, get it checked out and don't worry about it being nothing. Glad I listened to myself and hollered when I needed to.

Regrets.....Hmmmmm So far it's been a rough ride, but I am hoping I will be saying it was all worth it.

Thanks Tiff for giving me the courage to share this story.

I believe you are courageous for being willing to share your story. You did everything right. Relieved that you had an advocate along with you for out of country procedure. All surgeries carry a risk of complication. I am glad you are getting better and recovering.

Mostly I respect you for not coming on here and bashing your surgeon - even though it seems he bears the blame. Wishing you an uncomplicated recovery from here on out.

Oh - and you sound like a fighter. Hugs to you.

Keep your head up! I hope you are on the mend. I'd be rather pissed at my surgeon if he did that however I'm sure you are just feeling lucky to be alive. Keep us updated.

Jen, I pray each day gets a bit easier. I commend you on sharing your story, and know that I'm pulling for a full, and quick recovery ! ! ! Hang in there chickee.

Thanks for the support and keep the prayers coming. Feels good to finally share.

I go for my tests tomorrow, so I will let everyone know how it goes. Hopefully I will get off of this TPN soon.

Jen Jen,

A touching story that has serenity to it... I too applaud you for not bashing your surgeon. You sound like you have been through on hell of a tough time over recent years and for you to come here and share must have been a huge desicion for you... thank you.

If I have read the tone of your post accurately, I would say that you are one strong and independant lady who will not be beaten. Let us hope this is the end of one chapter and the beginning of a new one that will bring you your health and fitness back; and all the pleasure that that brings.

Speedy recovery, good luck... let us know how you get on! x

Waiting to hear back from you today Jen, thoughts are with you!

Wow - what a nightmare. I am so happy to hear you have found a doctor and are getting treated. You poor thing. I sincerely hope the rest of your recovery is uneventful. Please keep us all updated on your progress.

Take care,

Lara

Thanks for posting your sorry! I feel horrible that you had to go through all of that! I think it is a good thing that you posted this because there are people reading these boards who are deciding on this surgery (like me ) and we need to read the good the bad and the ugly. With all the success that this surgery has it is hard to remember sometimes that this is a serious surgery and is not always going to be flowers and sunshine.

I hope everything starts to look up for you

I loved my surgeon in Mexico and his coordinator. They are precious people and I do not blame anyone.

I am glad you are doing better. One thing that strikes me is that you speak so highly of a surgeon that all but lied to you. You said he told you that there was an ulcer, yet no one can find this ulcer? I think we all need to forgive and forget but in order to do that we must face the facts right in front of us.

Also, you are lucky to find an US surgeon to take your case. There are a few people on the forum that were not able to get a Dr so easily after they had complications with their VSG done in MX. Again, I am happy you are doing well. Your story is scary but it needs to be told. Hugs.

I am so glad you are getting things taken care of close to home now, so important and it all could have turned out so much worse - thankful for a competent doctor here who did not turn his back when someone needed him after another surgeon performed the initial surgery.

I am concerned that you don't mention who the Dr is - I know there are some on here who tout their Mexico Surgeons as never having a leak or complication - no one is perfect and unfortunately we have to rely on word of mouth about foreign surgeons and hospitals to know their good and bad.

I am actually an International Claims Examiner for BCBS and it seems very common for hospitals to demand payment before allowing you to leave (and many times a deposit before they treat you at all, even emergency) - which is usually doable for a few hundred dollars but I have seen claims upwards of $200,000 - how very scary that would be! Not just Mexico but Europe, Canada, Asia, everywhere.

You are so right about the good, bad and ugly. I also read everything anyone had to say on these boards and wanted to hear it all. I just didn't hear alot of bad or ugly. A few but not many. And as we all do, I thought I would come out of this no problems. I just had a good feeling and was ready to do it.

Everyone in the hospital around me did just great. lol.

I was never more scared in my life, than I was the day they wanted to take me back into surgery. At that moment I can honestly say I regretted doing this at all.

Now, if I had my surgery and was sent home like everyone else, I would have been fine and loved the experience, but that didn't happen.

I just want everyone to be more prepared than I was. After care is so important. A back up plan. My primary care doc couldn't help me much for the problems I had.

And it is already looking up. I have had a set back, but am ready to get back on track to my original weightloss goals.

Thanks for posting your sorry! I feel horrible that you had to go through all of that! I think it is a good thing that you posted this because there are people reading these boards who are deciding on this surgery (like me ) and we need to read the good the bad and the ugly. With all the success that this surgery has it is hard to remember sometimes that this is a serious surgery and is not always going to be flowers and sunshine.

I hope everything starts to look up for you

Yes, I was extremely mad at my MX surgeon for the lie after 4 other doctors couldn't find what would have been an ulcer, not to mention having the scope done ahead of Mexico surgery. But, I cannot prove anything. What makes me mad is the fact the hospital charged me for this leak. The surgeon told me over and over he wasn't going to charge me anything. Just the 600.00 the other surgeon would charge.

Finding a US surgeon was what worried me, but I was lucky. Yes most of the doctors found it very ammusing and were mad at my choice of MX. They didn't hide it and they all wanted me to repeat my story even if they had heard it from another doctor.

I heard more than 3 times, "now why did you go to Mexico for this?"

Like you said. I was lucky to find a surgeon in the US to take my case. I am grateful and have told him so many times.

Thanks for the hugs.

I am glad you are doing better. One thing that strikes me is that you speak so highly of a surgeon that all but lied to you. You said he told you that there was an ulcer, yet no one can find this ulcer? I think we all need to forgive and forget but in order to do that we must face the facts right in front of us.

Also, you are lucky to find an US surgeon to take your case. There are a few people on the forum that were not able to get a Dr so easily after they had complications with their VSG done in MX. Again, I am happy you are doing well. Your story is scary but it needs to be told. Hugs.

As I was a self pay on this surgery, I am not sure what my insurance will cover out of all of this complication expense. I am worried, but am happy to be alive and getting better.

I do understand the word of mouth on the doctors also, so if anyone wants a personal message with me, please feel free.

I am so glad you are getting things taken care of close to home now, so important and it all could have turned out so much worse - thankful for a competent doctor here who did not turn his back when someone needed him after another surgeon performed the initial surgery.

I am concerned that you don't mention who the Dr is - I know there are some on here who tout their Mexico Surgeons as never having a leak or complication - no one is perfect and unfortunately we have to rely on word of mouth about foreign surgeons and hospitals to know their good and bad.

I am actually an International Claims Examiner for BCBS and it seems very common for hospitals to demand payment before allowing you to leave (and many times a deposit before they treat you at all, even emergency) - which is usually doable for a few hundred dollars but I have seen claims upwards of $200,000 - how very scary that would be! Not just Mexico but Europe, Canada, Asia, everywhere.