So, I am still trying to get insurance to cover me..but I realize there is a chance that they will not. I have been researching doctors in Mexico for a while now and am interested in your opinion. Originally I had made up my mind to go to Dr Alvarez in the event that insurance does not work out, but now I am realizing there are many doctors that charge less than might be just as competent.

I want your opinion of them all, or even any rumors you heard...because I know there is always some basis for rumors. TY =)

I went to dr Almanza and I can not say enough great things about him and his staff. He has done thousands of surgeries. He is only charging $4,250 to $4,500. I LOVED him.

Almanza too. Perfectly adequate, you will not get the bells and whistles but will get the same procedure at a lower cost. The facility is safe, clean and, well adequate. It has worked wonders for me.

does he do the procedure in a hospital or clinic?

If you look in the "Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy Surgeons and Hospitals" forum, you will find loads of info about surgeons in Mexico.

Hi,

I understand that when you are a self pay you look at prices. But here is what I have to say about this. It is NOT a time to "price" shop. You want the very best doctor who has a lot of experience and you will receive the best care you can. This is your life and health that we are talking about. You DO NOT WANT your surgery done in a clinic--and then they send you to a Hotel to recover. That is NOT safe at all. I took 6 months to research out the doctors in Mexico. After 6 months my choice was Dr. Aceves in Mexicali, Mexico. He is the top of the line when it comes to WLS. I highly recommend him and his team of skills nurses and doctors. You will NEVER receive the kind of care you will get from him and his staff with any of of the other doctors. He truly cares about you and your health and your success after the surgery. He is kind and caring and takes the time to answer ALL your questions. You are in the very best hospital I have ever been in and it is SO much cleaner than any US hospital. I saw 2 doctors 3 times a day everyday I was in the hospital. They have less of an infection rate than any US hospital. So please do a little research and see how many times Dr. Aceves name comes up as being the best there is out there. Yes, he charges a little more, but you are in a hospital NOT a Clinic--you are paying for the best care you can have, and it is worth it.

If you have any question feel free to contact me. Good luck in your search. If you want the best care and the safest place this would be where I would go.

Suzanne

So, I am still trying to get insurance to cover me..but I realize there is a chance that they will not. I have been researching doctors in Mexico for a while now and am interested in your opinion. Originally I had made up my mind to go to Dr Alvarez in the event that insurance does not work out, but now I am realizing there are many doctors that charge less than might be just as competent.

I want your opinion of them all, or even any rumors you heard...because I know there is always some basis for rumors. TY =)

I would not even consider anyone other than Dr. Aceves since having

85% of your stomach removed is a serious surgery. He is the best.

I was sleeved 14 days ago with Dr Almanza & he was excellent & so was his staff!! They took really good care of me and was very helpful! I love them!!

I too had Dr Almanza. I was very pleased with the facility, staff and my surgery!

Sleeved 15 days ago by Dr Almanza Reyes. Yes, I had my surgery done in a clinic--and Yes, they sent me to a Town Home (not a Hotel) to recover. The "Recovery House" was staffed with 3-4 people at all times, around the clock. They made "rounds" and checked on us. I felt totally safe. I could NOT afford the surgery otherwise, and I am VERY VERY happy with my choice and with the doctors.

There are a LOT of "surgery clinics" in the U.S. (at least in Texas) that have what they call "Hospitality Houses" for recovery. It is NOT a new or foreign concept.

Love the way you worded everything YellowRose!! I couldn't have said it better!! :-))

I had my surgery Wednesday with Dr. Aceves, infact he just walked in the room to check on me and I told him I was bragging about him on here. I initially had chosen Dr. Ramos Kelly for the cost, I have heard many wonderful things about him. The thing that made me change my mind was the after care. I did not want to get discharged to an after care house. My thoughts were what if I went into cardiac failure, threw a blood clot, start hemmoraging, I wanted to be in a fully staffed hospital where those emergencies could be immediately addressed if needed. Fortunately nothing like that has happened and I am sure it doesn't happen often in those people who are going to them, but for me I am a worry wort and it was worth 3000.00 more to know I was in a full service hospital. I am very very pleased with the care here. They clean non-stop, both Dr. Campos and Dr. Aceves check on you numerous times a day. I have had to have lots of injections for nausea and they were quick to respond. Also the step-down pain medication they gave after IV gave me a bad headache. hey immediately contacted Dr. Aceves and he changed it. Believe me I understand the cost issue, but am glad I made the choice I did. PS I am 50 with extreme hypertension, if I was 20 years younger without hypertension issues I might have taken a chance with a different doctor. Cathi

I had my surgery Wednesday with Dr. Aceves, infact he just walked in the room to check on me and I told him I was bragging about him on here. I initially had chosen Dr. Ramos Kelly for the cost, I have heard many wonderful things about him. The thing that made me change my mind was the after care. I did not want to get discharged to an after care house. My thoughts were what if I went into cardiac failure, threw a blood clot, start hemmoraging, I wanted to be in a fully staffed hospital where those emergencies could be immediately addressed if needed. Fortunately nothing like that has happened and I am sure it doesn't happen often in those people who are going to them, but for me I am a worry wort and it was worth 3000.00 more to know I was in a full service hospital. I am very very pleased with the care here. They clean non-stop, both Dr. Campos and Dr. Aceves check on you numerous times a day. I have had to have lots of injections for nausea and they were quick to respond. Also the step-down pain medication they gave after IV gave me a bad headache. hey immediately contacted Dr. Aceves and he changed it. Believe me I understand the cost issue, but am glad I made the choice I did. PS I am 50 with extreme hypertension, if I was 20 years younger without hypertension issues I might have taken a chance with a different doctor. Cathi

Hi Cathi,

I will say it over and over again. When it comes to your health you DO NOT PRICE SHOP. If it is a car or clothes YES. I am older than you and I was in pretty good health other than being fat, and I knew I wanted the very best I could find and that was Dr. Aceves.

Hugs,

Suzanne

So, I am still trying to get insurance to cover me..but I realize there is a chance that they will not. I have been researching doctors in Mexico for a while now and am interested in your opinion. Originally I had made up my mind to go to Dr Alvarez in the event that insurance does not work out, but now I am realizing there are many doctors that charge less than might be just as competent.

I want your opinion of them all, or even any rumors you heard...because I know there is always some basis for rumors. TY =)

I was sleeved on June 27th by Dr. Ariel Ortiz of the Obesity Control Center. I LOVE him and his entire staff. I too did a lot of research after I was turned down by my insurance company. I did also look at Dr. Aceves because he has such a huge following but ultimately my instinct told me to stay with Dr. Ortiz and I am very pleased that I did. I had a text book recovery and was back at work a week later. Aside from many many reasons I chose to go to him, a big one is the fact that his center is an International Center of Excellence. He has many videos posted under weightlosssurgeryOCC on You Tube or you can access his website. http://obesitycontrolcenter.com/ My cost for the sleeve for $8000 including hotel accommodations at the Marriott and my meals. Dr. Ortiz lives in San Diego, and carries Dual Citizenship. He commutes across the border daily for work. He is very committed to his patients. I saw that even the staff loves him. He was gone the week before I was there for a conference and when he came in all the staff that were free were coming up to him and hugging him and welcoming him back with big smiles. Just witnessing that as I am awaiting my surgery, made me feel great.

I initially had chosen Dr. Ramos Kelly for the cost, I have heard many wonderful things about him. The thing that made me change my mind was the after care. I did not want to get discharged to an after care house. My thoughts were what I went cardiac failure, threw a blood clot, start hemmoraging, I wanted to be in a fully staffed hospital where those emergencies could be immediately addressed if needed. Fortunately nothing like that has happened and I am sure it doesn't happen often in those people who are going to them, but for me I am a worry wort and it was worth 3000.00 more to know I was in a full service hospital. Cathi

Dr Kelly keeps his patients in the hospital for 3 days. Then you are released, and included in his price you are then allowed to stay in a hotel, just as a courteous gesture to allow you to rest another couple days before traveling/flying home. Everyone that I know used the hotel, after their full stay in the hospital.

I have added my entire detailed experience in Tijuana MX in the "about me" section of my profile on this website. At the time I did my research, and when I booked my flight, complication rates among the most experienced MX surgeons were fairly equal, but I chose Dr Kelly for his trauma training and # of sleeves performed, with a low complication rate. The savings of $3000 was just icing on the cake! I hope to have a tummy tuck later and that will definitely cover a lot of the cost. I had an absolutely great experience, no pain, a little gas immediately after surgery which was quickly controlled by meds, no nausea or throwing up.

Congrats to you for a successfull surgery, I am happy you are doing well!! but I just wanted to correct the info on the aftercare house thing. I hope you have a speedy recovery!

I used Dr. Almanza for my surgery in May of 2011. I am very satisfied with the whole experience. It is a clinic, not a hospital. It was very clean and we were well taken care of. You go to a staffed recovery house, not a hotel for recovery. I felt the care was excellent there as well. There are a lot of great surgeons in Mexico as well as here in the states. I do think price is part of the equation but not he deciding factor. You just have to do your research and choose a surgeon you feel comfortable with. I will tell you this, you are NOT receiving sub-par care just because you pay less with Dr. Almanza, as you can tell by the posts, he has many very happy and successful patients on the forums. The main factor for me was the communication with the Doctor and the coordinator, they were there to answer many questions before the surgery and even now. Who is your coordinator?