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!

Im getting sleeved by dr Aceves in Mexicali August 7 and would choose him over any other. Mexican doctors have more experience since this surgery took longer to get approved in America. Also I have yet to hear 1 negative thing about him his staff or his hospital in the countless amount of hours I've done research

The funny thing is see here is, all this equipment that is supposed to be state of the art, is in pretty much every hole in the wall surgical facility in Mexico.

I will not argue, Dr Aceves is without doubt one of the 2 top choices in Mexico, the other being Dr Alvarez @ Endobariatric.

I was personally sleeved by Dr Ponce de leon. From the day I left the int hospital, I haven't had a single medication (excluding stool softeners), haven't had a single complication, or even a moment of regret.

I'm happy to say, the you get what you pay for mindset just doesn't hold true here. If paying 40% more makes you feel like you had a better experience, then I am happy for you. But to suggest that someone that has scrimped & saved to get the money to self pay for a good qualified surgeon (ponce, Kelly, Garcia) should go into debt so they can go to your doctor, is reprehensible.

I personal could have gone to any doctor I wanted to and just written a check for it (yes including the 60K surgery in NJ), and I seriously considered both Almanza & Alvarez, however the more actual research I did the more I found that Kelly's & Ponce's credentials & patient satisfaction rates were equally impressive. The only thing they didn't have was the extra $3250 in their fee.

The deciding factor between Kelly & Ponce, for me was Trish, since Kelly had just recently stopped using coordinators, and Trish was now with Dr Ponce exclusively.

I don't advocate debt, I believe it is a cancer on our society. There is a line somewhere that says "the borrower is slave to the lender". I simply don't see why anyone would sign up to be someone else's slave.

If you have the money, and it makes you feel better to write an 8750dollar check than one for 5500, then I'm happy for you. But don't for a minute believe that just because you spent more money that you got better results.

Dr Mario Almanza 4500 n they pick u up from saN Diego airport . Great experience . 85 pounds down in 2 months , no leak , no complications for any of the 9 people who did it with me .

DR.MEBARAK PhD

I am going with Dr. Ponce. My surgery is on Monday the 23rd. I live in San Diego and have been able to go to MX look at the hospitals talk to the nurses meet the Drs I was deciding on. There are several qualified surgeons at varying prices. Go to the surgeon you feel comfortable with. Another thing that made me feel comfortable was Trish at WLS. She lives in MX, unlike most of the coordinators and will be there for you if you need her. I am going by myself and appreciate that fact very much.

Good luck with your journey

I have chosen to go to Mexico for my sleeve' date=' with Dr. Alvarez. I have to self pay and he has amazing testimonials and feedback.[/quote']

I contacted Susan today. I am self pay as my insurance does not cover it. I have heard how great Dr. Alvarez is. Kinda bummed that the next surgery date they could give me is at the end of October. I sent in my medical history forms back today. Just awaiting a response. As far as the deposit goes how many weeks prior to your surgery date did u have to send it. According to my bmi I am going to have to do 3 weeks of the pre open diet. So I guess it kind of works out. I am a little bit scared because I plan on going it alone. My family is behind me in terms of the surgery, but they would kill me if I told them I was planning on going to Mexico to do my surgery. So I kind of have to lie to them and say I'm going on a vacation. I am so conflicted about having to lie, but I can't afford to have it done where I live and I do not want to get into an epic fight with my family when its stressful enough doing something so life changing. I would like to hear peoples thoughts in my situation as I could really use some constructive input. Thanks

Yanik...I too kept the fact that I was going to Mexico from all but 3 family members and told them just a few days before leaving. I could not afford the US cost and initially got denied by insurance 8/31/11, after my appeal, they approved it in November and I was so pleased to tell them..."nevermind, I was sleeved 10/14". I received better healthcare and attention from nurses than I've ever received in the US (and I work in the healthcare industry). I think a lot of the pre & post care treatment in the US is BS and mostly done for insurance companies not for our own health. I did not require any post op care or medications upon returning to the US. I returned to work after 1 week and only told 2 co-workers that I had the surgery. I too went alone and don't regret it for one second. I felt very safe. My surgeon was Dr. Kelly and my sisters' both went to Dr. Ponce in June of this year after seeing my success. My choice was the best decision I've ever made in my life, my only regret is that I didn't have this many many years ago! Good luck to you!

Yanik...I too kept the fact that I was going to Mexico from all but 3 family members and told them just a few days before leaving. I could not afford the US cost and initially got denied by insurance 8/31/11, after my appeal, they approved it in November and I was so pleased to tell them..."nevermind, I was sleeved 10/14". I received better healthcare and attention from nurses than I've ever received in the US (and I work in the healthcare industry). I think a lot of the pre & post care treatment in the US is BS and mostly done for insurance companies not for our own health. I did not require any post op care or medications upon returning to the US. I returned to work after 1 week and only told 2 co-workers that I had the surgery. I too went alone and don't regret it for one second. I felt very safe. My surgeon was Dr. Kelly and my sisters' both went to Dr. Ponce in June of this year after seeing my success. My choice was the best decision I've ever made in my life, my only regret is that I didn't have this many many years ago! Good luck to you!

Thank you for your kind words. I actually plan on not telling anyone in my family at all. I have one of there information on my medical forms in case of a serious emergency, but I cannot bare a huge fight with them. You see. my mother is one of those people who goes to what she thinks is the "best" doctors. So I think even if I made a choice for a us doctor that was not on her list it would still be a fight and going to mexico to do this would just be too much for her to bare. In fact I may never tell them about it and let them think I lost the weight on my own. Maybe it will be better that way.

A bit of good news however. My medical forms were received and are under review. Hopefully soon I will get a confirmation date of my surgery soon. I am not looking forward to the 3 week pre op diet, but I know its something that I must do in order to shrink my liver size.

I agree with you that insurance companies make you jump through so many hoops only to deny you in the end. God forbid they actually help someone lol. Luckly I found out early on that my insurance would not cover me so I have to go self pay.

I contacted Susan today. I am self pay as my insurance does not cover it. I have heard how great Dr. Alvarez is. Kinda bummed that the next surgery date they could give me is at the end of October. I sent in my medical history forms back today. Just awaiting a response. As far as the deposit goes how many weeks prior to your surgery date did u have to send it. According to my bmi I am going to have to do 3 weeks of the pre open diet. So I guess it kind of works out. I am a little bit scared because I plan on going it alone. My family is behind me in terms of the surgery' date=' but they would kill me if I told them I was planning on going to Mexico to do my surgery. So I kind of have to lie to them and say I'm going on a vacation. I am so conflicted about having to lie, but I can't afford to have it done where I live and I do not want to get into an epic fight with my family when its stressful enough doing something so life changing. I would like to hear peoples thoughts in my situation as I could really use some constructive input. Thanks[/quote']

I am telling you that you will not be sorry for choosing Dr Alvarez. He is so very kind and a truly wonderful surgeon. You can always send me a private message if you have questions about him or the surgery. I am 5 weeks out, have healed perfectly and there is no other surgeon I would have ever chosen to do this with. I had contacted other Dr's in Mexico and been approved but once I found Dr. A and researched him, I knew he was the one. He may be more money, but I feel my experience was worth it

Greetings from south of the border. First of all, you do not need a passport to cross by land. An enhanced license (which contains the RFID chip that DHS loves) is more than sufficient. Find all the details at http://realtijuana.b...visit-baja.html

Next, most medical procedures cost about a third of what they do in the U.S. even though the work is every bit as good or better. Sometimes your Mexican doctor can figure out how to get your U.S. insurance to cover the work. Sometimes not but it's worth asking about. Most also have access to a variety of financing programs.

It's important to confirm the credentials of your doctor. (Here in Tijuana, we recently had a U.S. family doctor practicing as a plastic surgeon, for which he was arrested and charged with a felony. He told his patients he was a great plastic surgeon!) Just as in the U.S., plastic surgeons must be board-certified. We have a state agency, the Comisión de Arbitraje Médico del Estado de Baja California, that used to check certifications by e-mail ... used to ... they have a new guy at the top who doesn't answer e-mail anymore. Another option would be to see if your doctor is certified with the International Board of Medicine and Surgery , but, since that is a voluntary certification authority, not every surgeon is represented. The fact that your Dr Aceves is so well-respected here is another good indicator.

Recovery services are becoming more and more popular for patients who come a long way. Both spas and regular hotels offer this now and it's a great excuse to give yourself a mini-vacation. (Of course, you'd have a better vacation here in Tijuana than you would in Mexicali. We're San Francisco and they're Sacramento.)

I am telling you that you will not be sorry for choosing Dr Alvarez. He is so very kind and a truly wonderful surgeon. You can always send me a private message if you have questions about him or the surgery. I am 5 weeks out, have healed perfectly and there is no other surgeon I would have ever chosen to do this with. I had contacted other Dr's in Mexico and been approved but once I found Dr. A and researched him, I knew he was the one. He may be more money, but I feel my experience was worth it

I also researched and found that he has a great reputation. When you got out of surgery was there a lot of pain and gas? I know the walking helps from what i hear. I am flying down from the east coast. I guess one concern i have is post op. I know after the 2 days in the hospital i get 1 more night in a hotel and then fly home. I am wondering if the flight home will take a toll. I know that when i fly my feet swell a bit. I just hope it is not that painful in the stomach area on the flight home.

I also researched and found that he has a great reputation. When you got out of surgery was there a lot of pain and gas? I know the walking helps from what i hear. I am flying down from the east coast. I guess one concern i have is post op. I know after the 2 days in the hospital i get 1 more night in a hotel and then fly home. I am wondering if the flight home will take a toll. I know that when i fly my feet swell a bit. I just hope it is not that painful in the stomach area on the flight home.

I flew all the way from VA and knowing that I was having such a major surgery

I stayed two more nights in San Diego and flew home business class. It was worth the extra money to be comfortable.

Well i just confirmation for October 30th. just over two weeks after my Bday. I am waiting on the pre op diet info and the particulars on how to book my flights, deposit, and whatnot....

Now the countdown begins. I just hope that things go smoothly and I can come back home without anyone noticing anything other than my rapid weight loss.

You have made a decision that will change your life. Some days are difficult but you can do this. Dr.A will take excellent care of you!