Hi all, I have been lurking on this site for a while now and am getting closer to deciding which doc to use in Mexico. My problem is I have no companion so will be travelling from Calgary alone. I'm really nervous about being in a different country where I don't speak the language and going through all of this stuff by myself. Has anyone else travelled to Mexico alone and was it all okay? Any reassurance or cautions would be welcome.

Kim

I went to Monterrey, Mexico alone. It was really no big deal. I met lots of nice people there. The only issue was the language barrier, no one spoke english except for the doctor and his program director.

You will be fine!!

Hi, I went to Dr.Joya in Puerto Vallarta in June by myself. It was kind of surreal being there. I thought, am I nuts for doing this as I lay in the hospital bed while nurses who don't speak english are putting in my IV. A lady, Natalie, who works for the doctor picked me up at the airport and also the next day drove us to the resort, she totally saved me. She made me so comfortable and I trusted her. Also on the way to the OR, one of the orderlies/male nurses, was singing in spanish, sounds odd, but it was relaxing and reassuring.

It would have been nice to have someone there with me to talk to about what i was going through, but it was fine on my own, but i am fairly independant I stayed one extra day to recoup before the flight, which i was glad i did. Bring a good book and do some well deserved lounging, i enjoyed my patio, or sitting by the pool or beach.

All the best on your journey,

Tansey

You do everything on the phone. My preop work consisted of blood work 30 min. before surgery and that was it. With Dr. Sanchez you can call this week and be having surgery next week. Very, very easy to do. I had to fax them some paperwork before I went down but that was it. Good luck on your upcoming surgery. You'll do great.

Andree, I paid $6500 plus about $650 airfare (I didn't have quite enough frequent flyer points). That included hotel and snacks. I was picked up at San Diego airport and returned there. (Don't forget to tip your driver if you do this). Once back I paid an initial $400 fee for my first consultation and fill with a local Dr. and $75 for fills thereafter. Definitely the most economical for me and I'm very happy with how everything went.

I had to fill out quite a detailed online consultation form and after that had about an hour phone consultation with the doctor and another half hour or so call after that.

All the best with your decision.

hi there so $6500 canadian or american??? wow i cant believe the price do they have a website or a phone number any help would be nice.

do they give you instruction for your doctor so they can do the fill???

andree

$6500 US for the procedure and the airfare was Canadian dollars. I found an experienced fill doctor in my area who was willing to do fills for band patients other than his own. That can be a challenge sometimes, finding homecare.

Devana,

Who was your doctor?

Thanks

Andree, I paid $6500 plus about $650 airfare (I didn't have quite enough frequent flyer points). That included hotel and snacks. I was picked up at San Diego airport and returned there. (Don't forget to tip your driver if you do this). Once back I paid an initial $400 fee for my first consultation and fill with a local Dr. and $75 for fills thereafter. Definitely the most economical for me and I'm very happy with how everything went.

I had to fill out quite a detailed online consultation form and after that had about an hour phone consultation with the doctor and another half hour or so call after that.

All the best with your decision.

hello there i send the clinic a email and they just call me back but it was from a office in the usa somewhere but the lady told me $10600. with 3 nights hotel and pick up and everything but airfare can you help on the price how did you get it that cheap please help.

andree,

if you're seriously considering going to Mexico, you NEED to make sure you'll still have access to fills and aftercare when you get home. Would you fly back to Mexico each time?

Who was your doctor Devana?

devana sorry i made a mistake i call a doctor in Monterrey, Mexico they told me $10600 i think i got confuse somewhere.

Devana,

To answer your original question, I went to Mexico alone from Boise. I was met at the San Diego airport by an English-speaking driver, taken across the border to the clinic for the pre-op tests and then on to the gorgeous hotel, where he checked me in. All of the staff at the hotel and clinic (including the nurses) spoke excellent English, so there was no communication difficulty. The day before my surgery, I walked down to a shopping mall and blew the afternoon in the shops. There wasn't a one that didn't have at least one person who could communicate with me. I strolled back to the hotel, had dinner and watched US tv until I went to sleep in the lovely room. The next morning, I was picked up at the hotel (by the mother of the doctor--she is delightful and is fully capable of filling in any information gaps that you might still have or making sure someone else does whatever it takes to make you comfortable). The surgery was a piece of cake--the procedures were thorough, the staff warm and attentive, and all was totally modern and spotless. After spending the night in the clinic, I was taken back to the hotel the next morning and given phone numbers to call if I needed anything (I didn't, except for indulging in room service for the tasty broth and drinks). The following morning the driver picked me up and took me back across the border and to the airport. I was completely comfortable and secure the entire time and really didn't need anyone with me. Frankly, if someone had been with me, they would have probably been bored to tears and I would have felt obligated to socialize when I really needed to just kick back and relax. It was really more like being at a resort than a medical procedure. The only negative was the flight delay getting out of San Francisco on the way back home...so much for the US airlines!

Penny

banded 4/5/06

Dr. Ortiz, TJ, Mexico

180+/133/110

I am a RN and am frightened of the idea of having a invasive procedure perfomed in a hospital outside of the USA. Who would you recommend for the lap band procedure in mexico???

Seistaqh and Tagger, I was banded by Dr Huacuz in Tijuana.

I didn't set up aftercare beforehand, but I knew of a couple places in Washington state that did care for Mexican banded patients and that would have been a day trip for me. As it happened I arranged it a lot closer with a doctor in Vancouver. I agree that it's important to set up aftercare beforehand, but for me just confirming availability with a couple of phone calls was enough. It was acceptable to me to have my care a day trip away. It beats going all the way back to Mexico.

Free Advice: If you go to Mexico....BEFORE you go, be sure and get info on fill doctors in your area, find one (or more) that will do fills for a Mexico band, get a committment from him, ask others about him. I have seen far too many people on the boards fly off to Mexico and come back home and can't find a doctor that will touch them. You might also see if you can locate a nutritionist with bariatric experience in your area that you can work with afterward (and be sure and research this yourself). Judging from the board posts, it seems the Mexican clinics don't give a lot of instruction on nutrition and successful eating with a band even tho they do a good job with the surgeries. The aftercare is a major key to being successful after you get banded....that includes fills and the way you eat.

I admire your courage (and everybody else's) flying off to another world to have surgery. Best wishes!!