Hi, I am brand new to this forum. I have definitely decided for the sleeve and my insurance is an absolute no-go, so I'm self- pay. I am debating between NYU and Mexicali/Dr. Aceves . I could use any advice pros and cons. It is all pretty overwhelming. Also , can someone verify that you CAN cross the border with the enhanced ID.

Thanks!

Welcome, as july of 2011 all us citizen will need a passport... to cross. I hope this helps

If money was not a factor in the decision at all & I could choose any doctor in any country, I would choose Dr. Aceves. He is the only doctor that I have not been able to find any dirt on, granted most of the "dirt" I was able to find on most other surgeons was stuff that really didn't matter to the surgery. But his record is impeccable & believe it or not the care you receive in Mexico is more personal & attentive that what you receive here. Plus the 3 or so days post op that you are in close proximity to the surgeon is comforting also.

And BTW, I was not an Aceves patient. I ended up going to dr. Ponce de leon because I felt that the 3250 difference between them couldn't be justified.

Dr. Aceves works out of a hospital, Whereas Dr. Ponce does most of his surguries at the INT Hospital, which is more of a big surgury center than a hospital (there is a real hospital about 2 blocks away though).

Thanks. I appreciate the info. It's definitely a lot to think about. Wish I could just snapmy fingers and have it decided and done

I was originally under the impression that I wouldn't be covered by insurance, so I looked into MX and settled in Aceves. He was the absolute right choice for me...though I firmly believe everyone has to go with their gut and different drs are right for different people. Weeks before surgery I met with another local surgeon in the NJ area and found out I could be covered by insurance. I agonized over it. $2000 in copay or $8750 on my own. I put the money issue aside (which I know not everyone can do!) and the dr in the US had such little experience compared to Aceves that I went anyway...and I haven't regretted it for a second. My advice? Ask everyone the same questions. Compare. And go with your gut!

The questions I asked are in my blog at gastricsleeve4me.blogspot.com (tab up top)

Good luck!

I couldn't justify going to Mexico because we just couldn't work it out for my family to come & I wouldn't want to be away from them. I also decided to go with a local doctor because I didn't want to just see my PCP for aftercare, especially if there were problems. I also financed my surgery & some financing companies do not cover Mexico (but some do). I never asked mine because I knew I was going to do it locally. I ended up paying $15,100 after some fees. Because of the way we financed it and the fees of the financing companies & interest rates, we will end up paying about $25,000 when all is said and done in 4 years - unless we end up being able to pay it off sooner. However, for me it was worth it for my peace of mind of knowing my doctor is right here. I know some of the doctors in Mexico are great from things I've read about them. It just wasn't for me though.

I have chosen to go to Mexico for my sleeve, with Dr. Alvarez. I have to self pay and he has amazing testimonials and feedback.

You're going to love Dr. A!!!!!!! I got sleeved Dec 21st. 60 lbs down!

Self pay in the US for VSG in Sept 2010. Only you can choose - what base criteria are you using? I live in SoCal, so Mexico would have been an easy decision. I choose a US surgeon so I could have immediate contact with in person. I have seen my surgeon for follow ups. My incisions were less than with Dr. A. How VSG surgery was done was different than Dr A. Additionally my one year appointment with my surgeon was almost a full hour - one on one with him. Dr Q was truly interested in my ongoing success. I was not just another person done and out the door. At that year out, my doc chewed me out for eating too much sugar. Procedure (outpatient, no morphine ((I had pain meds but never needed since no pain)), no catheder, no staples, etc), technique (less incisions, no drain, sleeve internal sutures), follow up, less scars and aftercare was critical factors in my decision. Plus my PPO pays for all of my follow up visits and blood work.

All doctors have dirt. Not implying that Dr A does sub par work or that a lot of VST people aren't happy with him, but Dr. A is not a god. But on the flip side...VSG results of many of my friends on here are the same as with a US surgeon. In the back of my mind I kept thinking...what if something had gone wrong, what then?

Hi' date=' I am brand new to this forum. I have definitely decided for the sleeve and my insurance is an absolute no-go, so I'm self- pay. I am debating between NYU and Mexicali/Dr. Aceves . I could use any advice pros and cons. It is all pretty overwhelming. Also , can someone verify that you CAN cross the border with the enhanced ID.

Thanks![/quote']

Yes you can. My daughter used hers and one person with us only had birth certificate and driver license.

I forgot to say that this was last month. June 10, 2012

I have surgery on Aug. 2 and I was told that I would need a passport to get back into the USA after surgery. I think new rules apply after July 1.

I am new to this forum. For those of you that went to Mexico for your surgeries, what did you do for followup? Did anyone have problems where you wished your surgeon was close by?

I am new to the forum and have a question. For those of you that went to Mexico, what did you do for followup? Did you have any problems where you wished your surgeon was closer? Thanks!

Hi Everyone,

I have posted this before, but this is why I went to Dr. Aceves.

I have been thinking about some of the things that many of us have talked about on this board. We have talked about price shopping and I have said “this is not the time to price shop” This is about your health and what is best for you. I had a lovely lady write and tell me that $5,000 was about all she could scrap together to have the surgery and she was going to take her “chances” and go to one of the doctors who charges less. She was single, had children, and was sick and tired of her back hurting and just didn’t want to spend another day being fat.

Believe me I heard everything she said and honestly knew right where she was. I had a time in my life where I was a single parent and was trying to make it on my own, I do know how hard money was to come by. I have been there working 3 jobs at one time and had very little time for me and had to do what I could only afford.

This is what I can say about my choice to go to Dr. Aceves. When I made my choice, I was 63 years old; I didn’t have any serious medical problems –only high blood pressure. I wanted to become healthy so that I could enjoy the rest of my life. My back hurt most of the time, and I had an awful pain in my leg. I had already experienced one bad experience in the USA hospital and that was when I went in for one procedure and came home and a 3 days later had to return to the hospital because I had a serve infection that I got at the hospital—they told me that when you go to the hospital you run the risk of an infection--the was the US hospital that was telling me this. Well, I was one who got the infection from the hospital. So when I was doing my research I learned that many people do get infections while having surgery in a US hospital. Infections were one of the things I was looking at when I was making my choice. Almater Hospital utilizes state-of-the-art equipment and facilities.

They have less of an infection rate than any US hospital. Well, that caught my attention. I can tell you while I was there they were cleaning everything in this hospital including the sidewalk out in front of the hospital 24-7. They cleaned my bathroom 3 times a day. My rooms 3 times a day, the halls and anything people were touching in the hospital.

Almater Hospital has state of the art equipment and technology -Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Complete X ray Unit capable of performing CAT Scans, Ultrasound, Fluoroscopy, and other X-ray tests. Almater Hospital strives to keep updated with equipment of latest generation available. They have Hemodynamic surgical room -where they perform open heart surgery and catheterizations surgical suites (with recovery room). So many of the doctors who charge less just do not have all these things. They are using a clinic to do the surgery, they are not fully staffed and I am worried about where they send you to recover. This is how they can afford to charge less for their surgery.

I also wanted a HIGHLY qualified doctor who had an enormous amount of knowledge when it came to “sleeve surgery.” I checked on the number of surgeries that Dr. Aceves had done, and he was rated as a highly qualified doctor who had only one patient who had developed a leak. I also understand that the “one” patient who did develop the leak was because she did NOT follow the directions given to her about what she should be eating the first month.

There are many qualified doctors who do “sleeve surgery.” And I can’t speak about any experience other than what I had. I wanted more than just a qualified doctor. I wanted a HIGHLY qualified doctor who had a team of highly qualified doctors and nurses on his staff who would be taking care of me. That is just what I found in Dr. Aceves and Almater Hospital. I also know that I had the highest quality of staples and surgical materials used in my surgery along with have a staff of nurses 24-7 there during my recovery.

I know that many doctors are charging less for “sleeve surgery” and if you only have a certain amount of money to work with that is why you are looking at these other doctors. Give this some thought; you can get loans for the balance of the money.

You know we never stop and think twice about making a car payment when we need a new car. Well, how about making a new “body payment?” You are worth it. This is ALL about you and no one else. I have sat here on these boards for 4 years watching and listening to all of this. I can only say what was best for me. I know that there are other doctors who do this surgery and they are OK. I wanted more than just OK.

I want you to be very successful at your WLS and your journey to a new and better life along with great health. I wish you all the success in the world. If you have any questions for me, please feel free to ask away.

Suzanne

Sleeved 10/21/2008

Lost 105 pounds

All I can say is, "Ditto", Suzanne... Exactly the thoughts and processes from me, also. I'm scheduled for surgery with Dr. Aceves on Thursday...

There are many excellent doctors performing the surgery in Mexico and you can't necessarily determine their value based on price. Do your research and go with the person with whom you feel most comfortable.