I'm new here , and I have noticed a lot of people are saying they are getting or have gotten surgery in mexico, why there and not here in the U.S?

For people who don't have insurance and those whose insurance won't pay for the surgery, it is much less expensive to have surgery done in Mexico>

For people who don't have insurance and those whose insurance won't pay for the surgery, it is much less expensive to have surgery done in Mexico>

Isn't it at all scary? I mean I have been to T.j for partying way back when, and it was still scary to me back then. I would be afraid if things weren't clean enough or if something went wrong ?

There was just no way I could afford to have the surgery here. In Alabama the least expensive I found was 30,000. I paid 6990.00 in Mexico. My insurance does not cover weight loss. I ended up going to Juarez. I know it sound ridiculous the murder capital of the world. I think there are really good doctors in TJ but I chose Juarez because it was a full service hospital. If I needed a heart doctor or whatever they were there. I wasn't concerned until they took me down for the surgery and I was in a waiting area and it was so hot. I thought OMG I am in a foreign country getting surgery. Then they put me to sleep and I woke up in a very nice hospital room. It was like a little condo. It had a seperate area for my friend 2 bathrooms. It was great. The trip to Juarez concerned me but it went fine. They picked us up at the airport and took us straight to the hospital it was like an interstate. They didn't take us through the heart of town. We never left the hospital even though there was a mall across the street because we were in Juarez after all. I have nothing but positive things to say about the hospital and staff. Well maybe one. The pain meds sucked. I only had pain the first night but what they gave me did not help at all. by day 2 I was bored and ready to go home but they kept me for 3 days just to make sure.

I'm new here , and I have noticed a lot of people are saying they are getting or have gotten surgery in mexico, why there and not here in the U.S?

Wow well that doesn't sound bad at all lol. I guess i would be

nervous to do it in a foreign country, I mean I'm nervous getting mine done in 6 days and its a naval hospital lol . But thanks for telling me your story and showing me its not as bad as I assumed it could be

It's not that unusual for those who don't have insurance coverage for WLS (or cosmetics/reconstruction, either.) There are many good doctors around the world, and most countries don't have the legal cost drag on their systems; the trick is finding them, and this is where sites like this one or obesityhelp are useful as part of that research. Many people go to Costa Rica or Brazil for cosmetic/reconstruction surgery where there are a number of renowned surgeons in that field.

When my wife was going thru her DS journey 6-7 years ago, Spain was the major non-US alternative for that, and Dr. Baltasar was (and still is) one of the top DS surgeons worldwide. Mexico wasn't really an option then - they were not as big in doing WLS procedures for US patients then, and I'm not sure if I would go to any of the docs there for a DS, though the simpler VSG seems to be fine. Ultimately we went to San Francisco and self paid with Dr. Rabkin for her DS - for us, the cost savings from going to Spain once all the travel and lodging costs were figured in wasn't worth the added risk and hassle of going overseas for a procedure such as hers. Mexico has lower travel costs and the stay requirements aren't usually as long as they were for the DS in Spain, so the case for a VSG is much more compelling now.

Still, it pays to shop around as there is some comfort in staying domestic - from what I have seen, my doc's program (one of the best in the business, though we didn't self-pay this time as our insurance covered my VSG with him) in SF is only about 2/3 the cost of the Alabama program quoted here, but that's still a lot out of pocket, and you still have travel expenses, but it does show the variation in pricing.

As a surgical assistant in the US, I can tell you there is no assurance that surgery here isn't prone to the same complications and infections as surgery in other countries.

Unfortunately, it costs a lot to insure your practice in US, it costs a lot to use (or own) an OR, it costs a lot to do everything- this means that surgery will cost the patient more.

It's extremely important to find a quality, qualified surgeon and team no matter where you have surgery. If you are going to a place you don't live, where you may not have the ability to pursue legally if you do have problems, it is even more essential to research. I found a reputable VSG dr. an hour away from my home in la who will see me to assure I'm healing ok, but I am actually not too nervous about my decision to see Dr. Kelly, as he has more experience with VSG than most surgeons in the US.

Read my blog at www.kemo46.blogspot.com. It will explain my Journey to Mexico from the beginning. As you can tell from my ticker below, my surgery is a great success and I feel better than I have in over 20 years. The cost is always a factor but all the red tape and ridiculous hoops you must go through in the states can delay your surgery over a year. My only regret is I did not have this surgery years ago.

I'm Canadian.. I went to Mexico because even if I could afford it, I don't even qualify for the sleeve here.. or in the US for that matter. I can't believe how much life can change for a mere $5600.00! I am going to go back to Mexico if my boobs disappear..lol

I'm Canadian.. I went to Mexico because even if I could afford it, I don't even qualify for the sleeve here.. or in the US for that matter. I can't believe how much life can change for a mere $5600.00! I am going to go back to Mexico if my boobs disappear..lol

haha me too!! :Banane20:

haha me too!! :Banane20:

I'm going to pray that we need our new ta-tas at the same time.. I can meet you there!! lol

I'm going to pray that we need our new ta-tas at the same time.. I can meet you there!! lol

That would be awesome!! I need to start saving up $ now, cuz mine have already started shrinking lol

Thanks everyone for sharing your stories. Its a real eye opener