The closer I get to setting a date for surgery a big question is still not answered for me. Realisticly I need to make some plans in the event that problems arise post op.

I do not have insurance. I do go to a local clinic hear in my town and my Dr. is quite old school. When I brought up the issue to him concerning having WLS he told me that was not realistic and passed over it. He was not willing to entertain the idea. As far as other options for basic medical care for me or my family it is very limited to this clinic. I have never had any issues, they have always provided us with great care.

When I hear of peole saying they have medical issues or possible leaks I worry.

What can I do proactively before surgery to prepare, in the event that something unfortunate happens? Also, I noticed that some call thier WLS doctor for maybe a different prescribtion, if one does not agree with them. Is MX Drs. in a position to handle prescribtion needed via sending a prescribtion to my local pharmacy? I guess that is a good question for my coordinator.

How have any of you dealt with these issues?

Any imput would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

If you do not have insurance then an ER will treat you in an emergency situration--if it is something small, like an infected incision, your clinic will probably do fine. You might want to look for a surgeon who is a member of the BLIS network, which would cover you if you had sleeve complications.

Your Mexican surgeon cannot write prescriptions to be filled in the U.S. since they aren't licensed here.

It is a difficult decision to make to self-pay for surgery if you don't have insurance for this very reason, the risks of complications. That is why I chose the Sleeve over other procedures, less invasive, not a lot of aftercare, etc. But in the event of a complication, I would have had to go to the ER and paid out of pocket there too, which I am sure would be expensive, but they can't refuse to treat you, regardless of where you have surgery. I spoke to my PCP briefly about going to MX before, and she was kinda surprised but not negative. But now she's thrilled with my results. She knows how I struggled pre-op to try to lose and knew about my Type 2 Diabetes. I am grateful that I didn't have any complications, but I knew going in, that even though the risk is very low, it could happen. I was nervous, and did think about it alot, but ultimately felt I had no choice where my health was concerned. You would want to have blood work post-op every few months or so. Some people have them at 3/6/12 months.

I cannot imagine how stressful this decision must be for you. I was very fortunate in some respects, I had a terrible complication but as I am Canadian, I am covered. My post sleeve infection would have cost me anywhere from $100,000 - $150,000 to treat if I wasn't covered. Having said that, I am the minority. Of the dozen of people that had surgery the same time as me, I was the only one with a leak which then led to me going septic and spending three days in an ICU and then two more weeks in hospital. Even with the hell I have been through, I do believe this is an amazing tool. I have lost 44 pounds since the end of August and had a low BMI to start. I think my results are a little "quicker" than most as the IV drug I was on made me horribly sick and queasy...eating and drinking were not possible for almost three weeks.

I wish you the very best of luck in making this decision. I haven't posted much on this as I really liked my surgeon and the care I got and I don't want him to experience any backlash. It could happen anywhere, we all just need to be prepared and informed that "crap does in fact happen" . I firmly believe that no Doctor wakes up and says "I am going to puncture a patients stomach today!!" but we are all human and therefore not infallible.

If you would like me to answer any more questions, please do not hesitate to PM me.

Best of luck!!