Hlep Info on WLS in Mexico

[quints 1]

I was sleeved by Dr. Aceves 4 weeks ago. I am similar to many others on the board. Initially, not interested in Mexico but after reading hours of information it kept leading me back to Dr. Aceves as the right choice for a cash paying person. Money is always an issue to everyone and everyone is different. Dr. Aceves does your surgery in the most sterile private "full service" hospital. His reputation is at the top of the list of great surgeons who do this particular surgery. He and his assistant surgeon Dr. Campos (who also had the surgery) check on you 3 times a day until you leave, and you leave with xrays and a detailed breakdown of the procedure he did including the brand of staples he uses in your stomach! They simply know what they are doing and what your needs are pre and post op. You recover in a hospital for 3 nights and not in a "recovery house". You CAN find cheaper, but you really do get what you pay for. I was willng to pay $8750 to ensure I was not in a "surgical center" or a "recovery house" or an "outpatient" patient. Hope this helps.... I have no regrets - AND let me say that had I had the same surgery and hospital support in the USA, the cost would have exceeded 25k. I am SURE of that.

If you go to any of the local hospital seminars on bariatric surgery, they would give you the cost for the different types of precedures for people who are self pay. Example: Abbington hospital in Pa charges $10,000. for the vsg. If you have insurance they would of course charge the ins carrier more, just like anything else, It balances out. The dotors here in the States are just now getting the insurance companies to cover the sleeve. It has been being done in Mexico for years now which tells me they have more experience and the malpractice insurance is no where near what the States is, so they can perform it cheaper. I plan on going back after my weight loss for some nip tuck to the same place I had my sleeve. I was very satisfied.

[Saved By The Sleeve 22]

@ QUINTS "ARE YOU SPEAKING OF NINA (COORDINATOR). I USED HER ALSO AND SHE WAS GREAT! DR. Almanza AND DR BETANCOURT WERE BOTH GREAT. THE WHOLE STAFF WAS GREAT AND MY POST OP AND WEIGHT LOSS HAS BEEN GREAT! WHAT CAN I SAY "THEY'RE GRRRREEAT" LOL

I too had my surgery with Dr. Almanza and had a very good experience. I would be happy to answer any questions and I can also recommend a wonderful coordinator who will also answer your concerns and will be there every step of the way with you, she owns her own beautiful 5 bedroom home in Tijuana that she uses for your recovery, as well as having the surgery herself not to long ago.

[ybnormal 21]

I am having my surgery done with Dr. Aceves. I just started googling about doctors in Mexico to see what I could find out. I read, read and read so more and I also called the doctors offices to find out as much as I could.

See you there the next day!

Renee`

[ybnormal 21]

yes i also paid for what i got lol...!!!!! i always get a kick outta people that say you get what u pay for lmao. check my ticker out for my results.....and u will see i got exactly what i paid for. wheres ur ticker???? u should put one up so we can see what u paid for ?? only you can choose your surgeon. have a great day yeeeehawwww the sleeve rocks

She's newly sleeved, hence the name. She is also giving her experience and good info, research and read read read. Ask for honesty even if it has to be in pm's.

Renee`

[sarsar 824]

See you there the next day!

Renee`

You will have to come look for me because I will be in surgery the day you get there! Can't wait to meet you!

[ybnormal 21]

I'm coming in the day before that and have to get my labs done the day you get surgery LOL

We're coming in actually 2 days before my surgery, so I'll be in town!

Renee`

[quints 1]

@ QUINTS "ARE YOU SPEAKING OF NINA (COORDINATOR). I USED HER ALSO AND SHE WAS GREAT! DR. Almanza AND DR BETANCOURT WERE BOTH GREAT. THE WHOLE STAFF WAS GREAT AND MY POST OP AND WEIGHT LOSS HAS BEEN GREAT! WHAT CAN I SAY "THEY'RE GRRRREEAT" LOL

Yes I am. She was so caring and so helpful. I felt good staying at her house.

[brandynd 6]

Hey there!

You're asking about advice for surgery in Mexico, and everyone on here who's gone will try to push you on their surgeon (myself included) because, let's face it, we all think our surgeon was the best. So what I'm going to do instead is give you advice from a completely objective point of view, without dropping the names of surgeons if I can help it.

What helped me the most in researching the VSG in Mexico was calling the surgical groups that I was considering directly. Sure, the opinions of others can make you feel more comfortable about surgery abroad, but once you talk to the right coordinator about the right surgeon you'll just know....it's hard to explain. I will say though, don't choose anyone until you're 100% comfortable with making the decision, and accepting any of the risks and complications that can come along with the surgery. It's a huge decision, and you don't want to pick the person who will operate on you just based upon price or what you've heard from other individuals.

I will give you a list of questions that I asked myself and the coordinators before making my choice, in the hopes that it'll help you out.

How many surgeries has the physician performed?

What is his complication rate?

If something goes wrong during surgery, will I have to pay additional money to correct it?

How many nights will I need to be in the hospital, and what happens once I'm discharged?

What does the surgeon charge, and what all does this fee include?

Is the hospital (or surgical suite) located in a safe area of town?

Am I allowed to bring a companion?

How long has the surgeon been performing the VSG?

Do I feel comfortable putting my life in to the hands of this person, whom I've never met? (for me, this was the deciding question on which surgeon I chose.)

Would I be comfortable with someone I love telling me that this was the surgeon they've chosen (alot of times I don't consider the fact that my decisions effect others, so this one was helpful as well)

For me, the decision boiled down to what I found to be the most important factors when getting the surgery, which were how many times has the surgeon performed the procedure, how many leaks he had, and the fact that he had a zero fatality rate. I know that your list of priorities may vary greatly from mine, but I hope this will at least give you some questions to think about.

Try not to sweat it too much, and please (even though we all are well meaning and have your best interest at heart) take our words worth a grain of salt. The decision that you make will be the right one for you. There's no wrong answer, just the surgeon that's going to be the best fit for what you're looking for! If you have questions or want someone to talk to, feel free to shoot me a PM, I'd be more than happy to provide you with stats on all three surgeons.

[christina420 3]

Thanks so much everyone. I feel SO MUCH better now. I'm going for it! Christina

SF , ca

[christina420 3]

Hey there!

You're asking about advice for surgery in Mexico, and everyone on here who's gone will try to push you on their surgeon (myself included) because, let's face it, we all think our surgeon was the best. So what I'm going to do instead is give you advice from a completely objective point of view, without dropping the names of surgeons if I can help it.

What helped me the most in researching the VSG in Mexico was calling the surgical groups that I was considering directly. Sure, the opinions of others can make you feel more comfortable about surgery abroad, but once you talk to the right coordinator about the right surgeon you'll just know....it's hard to explain. I will say though, don't choose anyone until you're 100% comfortable with making the decision, and accepting any of the risks and complications that can come along with the surgery. It's a huge decision, and you don't want to pick the person who will operate on you just based upon price or what you've heard from other individuals.

I will give you a list of questions that I asked myself and the coordinators before making my choice, in the hopes that it'll help you out.

How many surgeries has the physician performed?

What is his complication rate?

If something goes wrong during surgery, will I have to pay additional money to correct it?

How many nights will I need to be in the hospital, and what happens once I'm discharged?

What does the surgeon charge, and what all does this fee include?

Is the hospital (or surgical suite) located in a safe area of town?

Am I allowed to bring a companion?

How long has the surgeon been performing the VSG?

Do I feel comfortable putting my life in to the hands of this person, whom I've never met? (for me, this was the deciding question on which surgeon I chose.)

Would I be comfortable with someone I love telling me that this was the surgeon they've chosen (alot of times I don't consider the fact that my decisions effect others, so this one was helpful as well)

For me, the decision boiled down to what I found to be the most important factors when getting the surgery, which were how many times has the surgeon performed the procedure, how many leaks he had, and the fact that he had a zero fatality rate. I know that your list of priorities may vary greatly from mine, but I hope this will at least give you some questions to think about.

Try not to sweat it too much, and please (even though we all are well meaning and have your best interest at heart) take our words worth a grain of salt. The decision that you make will be the right one for you. There's no wrong answer, just the surgeon that's going to be the best fit for what you're looking for! If you have questions or want someone to talk to, feel free to shoot me a PM, I'd be more than happy to provide you with stats on all three surgeons.

[christina420 3]

Brandynd. Thank you so much! Out of everything I read so far your advise has helped me the most. I'm going to ask all those great questions. Can I ask you about how bad the pain was and was it an awful and painful plane ride home? I am so sensitive to pain meds that I think I probably won't remember much for a dew days after surgery. Do they give you antibiotics and pain meds as a precaution as well? Thanks so much it was so helpful to me to hear what you had to say.

Christina.

San Francisco, ca

Christinaburdios@comcast.net

[hilitesfromabove 0]

Hello...I had my surgery with Almanza March 9th....I don't know how to do the ticker..but I've lost 61 so far....BEST decision ever. I was in great hands and will definatly be going back for my tummy tuck! Good Luck!

Has anyone had their VSG with Dr. Jose Rodriguez, Dr. Aramburo or Dr. Almanza? How do I pick a safe place to have my WLS in Mexico. ??

[brandynd 6]

Brandynd. Thank you so much! Out of everything I read so far your advise has helped me the most. I'm going to ask all those great questions. Can I ask you about how bad the pain was and was it an awful and painful plane ride home? I am so sensitive to pain meds that I think I probably won't remember much for a dew days after surgery. Do they give you antibiotics and pain meds as a precaution as well? Thanks so much it was so helpful to me to hear what you had to say.

Christina.

San Francisco, ca

Christinaburdios@comcast.net

I'm glad I could be of some help! My surgical team was great, and they did give me an antibiotic (I believe it was macrozit) and a mild pain pill to help as well. I will be honest with you, I have almost no tolerance for pain meds and the pain pill still didn't do much for me, but I did have some Xanax with me (I'm a nervous flyer) and that relaxed me so the pain was REALLY mild. If you can, I would suggest going to your doctor and telling them you're having some anxiety and see if they'll prescribe you with Xanax or something similar....it's a life saver!

The flights home weren't too bad at all...we flew from SAN to SLC and that flight was only about an hour...do yourself a favor though and ask for the wheelchair assist if you're flying into a large airport. You're not going to be in much of a shape to walk from gate to gate and you'll probably tire out pretty easily. Also, if you let the airline know you just had surgery at least 24 hours before your flight, they'll either upgrade you to first class (which they did for us from SAN to SLC), or give you bulkhead seats (which we got from SLC back to OMA). It'll make your flight a great deal more comfortable.

Just be ready for some swelling. I fit comfortably into a seat on the way for surgery, but on the way home I had to use a seatbelt extender I was so swollen! It wasn't painful or anything, but it did bruise my ego a bit to know that I was so swollen! Yuck!

If you end up choosing a surgeon in TJ and you're feeling up to it, you should ABSOLUTELY go to the outdoor shopping center! The power of the USD there is strong, and I'm still kicking myself for not picking up a new Coach purse while I was down there! Such great deals, and they have a Centro de Mexicana that sells 100% juice for what amounted to like $.17 american. You'll want to have lots of juice and bottled Water on hand!

Also, let me know when you pick your surgeon! After my discharge from the hospital I was sent to a really nice hotel (they did check on me everyday while I was in Mexico), and there was all sorts of stuff within short walking distance (as well as a little taco palapa with the BEST beef broth ever...it's all I could keep down the first 24 hours after discharge) so I could keep myself occupied. I didn't want to sit in a hotel room all day and dwell on some slight abdominal pain...but that's just me!

What else can I tell you about....Oh yeah....if you spend a few days in San Diego, go to Sea World for me and take pictures? The only regret I have from surgery is not going to Sea World. I wanted to see Shamoo!

But in all seriousness, all of the surgeons commonly used here are great, and no matter what you choose I'm sure it'll be the right choice.

[Tiffy 0]

I also had my surgery with Dr almanza at the Jerusalem clinic and had a great experience....and I was terrified to go to Mexico. I would be happy to give u any info on them, the clinic or the recovery house. I could also put u in touch with my coordinator, she was wonderful and gives u tons of info without pressuring you. My sister also had the surgery there about a year and half ago and looks amazing. I've already lost 62 lbs in ten weeks. Let me know if u need anything!

[kemo46 82]

I also had my surgery with Dr Almanza at the Jerusalem clinic and had a great experience....and I was terrified to go to Mexico. I would be happy to give u any info on them, the clinic or the recovery house. I could also put u in touch with my coordinator, she was wonderful and gives u tons of info without pressuring you. My sister also had the surgery there about a year and half ago and looks amazing. I've already lost 62 lbs in ten weeks. Let me know if u need anything!

Tiffy, who was your coordinator?