I've decided to have my gastric sleeve surgery in Mexico and I'm really excited. I've been saving up for surgery for almost two years now and I think this will be life-changing for me.

I've been reading through hundreds of posts the last few weeks and have done outside research as well. I'm price sensitive but I won't save a few dollars and have my sleeve surgery done in a strip mall clinic (like Alamanza and Jerusalem Hospital) or use a surgeon that doesn't have a lot of experience (like Garcia and Lopez.) My life is definitely very valuable to me and I'm not willing to risk it!

I've created my master gastric sleeve surgeon list and I'm thinking about using one of the following:

• Dr. Jalil Illan Fraijo
• Dr. Alberto Aceves
• Dr. Guillermo Alvarez
• Dr. Ariel Ortiz
• dr. Ponce de Leon
• Dr. Liza Maria Pompa Gonzalez

They all have amazing reputations according to everything I've read and researched. They also operate out of real hospitals and not out of a garage!

Are there any other top Mexican surgeons I should be adding to my list for possible consideration?

I researched for so long and finally decided to go with Baja med group.

Vlogging everything on YouTube too at shesstrangelynormal

I researched for so long and finally decided to go with Baja med group. I an going thru www.mexicosurgerysolutions.com

Vlogging everything on YouTube too at www.YouTube.com/shesstrangelynormal

Thank you for your response. I was inquiring about the top Mexican surgeons. I don't care about coordinators or surgical booking services. Which surgeon are you using and why are you convinced they're the best ?

OK, this is always a controversial topic, so I am going to say this as gingerly as possible. You definitely should make the decision that is best for you, but it would be helpful if you did not make disparaging remarks about the doctors whom you do not prefer. I and several other people have used one or the other of the doctors whom you subtly critique. Beyond that, most of us are happy with our experience. I find your comments a bit obnoxious.

That said, good luck with making your decision.

I'm in the same situation as you are...

I will have to agree with Shangefan....this is a very sensitive subject for a lot of us that have chosen different surgeons than your "top Mexican surgeons" list for various personal reasons. To point out those doctors by name and why they are inferior to your list is not really necessary to get feedback from those of us that have chosen Mexico. You are certainly NOT the only one that has done tons of research and saved up for this monumental decision.

It is a bit insulting to read a post that suggest our life is not as valuable to us as yours is to you, since we may have chosen different surgeons that those on your list. Also, your response to StrangelyNormal seemed a bit harsh when she was simply sharing her experience. She included her Vlog which may very well talk about in detail the surgeon she chose and why....

And oh yes, Ive heard of some surgeons operating in a "clinic" setting, small hospitals and large also....but a GARAGE...thats a new one on me.

Good luck in your search, I hope others can contribute more helpful insight than I.

OK, this is always a controversial topic, so I am going to say this as gingerly as possible. You definitely should make the decision that is best for you, but it would be helpful if you did not make disparaging remarks about the doctors whom you do not prefer. I and several other people have used one or the other of the doctors whom you subtly critique. Beyond that, most of us are happy with our experience. I find your comments a bit obnoxious.

That said, good luck with making your decision.

My apologies! I didn't mean to offend anyone. Where did I make any disparaging remarks about any surgeons ? All I said was your surgeon operates out of a strip mall. It's the truth, isn't it ? I also read that there was an armed robbery in your surgeons recovery house. That in itself was a deal breaker for me. I want to be in a hospital, not a recovery house.

I understand that there are individuals that can't afford the best surgeon money can buy in Mexico. That's why they're going to Mexico in the first place! I'm in the same boat but I've waited and saved up and I'm not willing to take any risks. I want the best!

Wow! OK, that didn't help. I'm sorry you don't see the problems with your comments. That says a lot.

Good luck with your search. I've been sleeved, am happy with the doctor I chose and am losing weight.

Have you ever heard of the word PUTZ ?

OK' date=' this is always a controversial topic, so I am going to say this as gingerly as possible. You definitely should make the decision that is best for you, but it would be helpful if you did not make disparaging remarks about the doctors whom you do not prefer. I and several other people have used one or the other of the doctors whom you subtly critique. Beyond that, most of us are happy with our experience. I find your comments a bit obnoxious.

That said, good luck with making your decision.[/quote']

Ditto Shangefan. I do believe my toes were stepped on by this person.

WoW!!!!

I understand that there are individuals that can't afford the best surgeon money can buy in Mexico. That's why they're going to Mexico in the first place! I'm in the same boat but I've waited and saved up and I'm not willing to take any risks. I want the best!

Hoping2BSleeved, I thought I would share my perspective with you as well, regarding the "tone" of your post(s) so that you may understand why some of us may be reacting negatively.

The interpretation of who the "best" surgeon is, whether it be in Mexico, the United States, or anywhere else in the world, is HIGHLY subjective. Just a few of the influencing factors in people's decisions include:

- highest level of experience, regardless of cost.

- complication factors related to the environment (hospital vs. clinic) where that surgeon practices

- level of experience in their support staff (such as anesthetist, nurses, etc.)

- type and duration of post-op care and support

- exact surgical technique (drains vs. no drains, placement and number of incisions, experience with complex cases involving previous abdominal adhesions, etc.)

- some patients are revising from the lapband to the sleeve - not all surgeons have this experience and it can be tricky

and finally, for some, cost is an ABSOLUTE factor. This surgery can save their lives, but if they can't afford the most expensive surgeon, does that mean they shouldn't have it done at all? I don't believe that...and many people here have very successfully had wonderful surgical outcomes with less expensive surgeons.

Myself, I travelled from Canada. We have national healthcare, and if I was willing to wait long enough (5-7 years) and get the substantial medical backing that I would have needed to justify the surgery, I could have had it done for free here. I chose to not wait any longer (I'm already 42 and still healthy, but with a long history of obesity-related disease in my family). I chose a Mexican surgeon based on my own personal influencing factors. I too had a list of several choices and after exhaustive research here on VST and many other resources, as well as speaking directly with surgeons and their former patients, made my choice.

I am very happy with my experience and my outcome thus far. So are many many others on VST who made their own choices based on their own individual factors. At no time did anyone try to talk me into, or out of my choice. They simply provided information in an unbiased and factual way.

For example. For myself, based on my personality, I knew that I would prefer a hospital and hotel environment for my post-op time, as I tend to be a care-giver and would find myself trying to help others if I was in a recovery house. This was time for me to focus on myself, and I knew that it would best be achieved if I was more alone and introspective. Others find they do much better in a group environment and have the ability to share the experience with people going through the exact same thing as they are. That is why so many of us are here on VST! Those individuals would benefit the most from the recovery house experience.

Please try to remember that we are all here to offer assistance to one another, through all phases of the VST journey (planning, pre-op and post-op). Our individual choices and experiences are unique to ourselves and while we share much common ground in how we got here and how we're improving our lives with this surgery, NONE of us are better than the other. Not in our choice of surgeon, in the amount of money we spend or spent, in how fast we're losing, how long we've stayed at goal, etc.

We're all just walking this path together and we all value our lives, our families and our health.

Valuing your community here on VST in that same way will get you a long way towards more support and friendship here. Perhaps re-read your post(s) before you hit the "post" button, and try to read your comment through other people's eyes. It may help you "soften" your tone a bit and get you the help and feedback that you are hoping for, rather than the flood of "reaction" that you appear to be getting instead.

Thank you for your response. I was inquiring about the top Mexican surgeons. I don't care about coordinators or surgical booking services. Which surgeon are you using and why are you convinced they're the best ?

Wow, curt and to the point. If u took the time to actually look at my vlog it would have answered Ur questions. My Dr has done thousands of sleeves. He uses the covidien tri-staples. He has a 0% death rate. He can work out of any hospital, not just one (I chose the MAR surgery center for my operation). Most of these Drs are excellent, u just have to do Ur research and go with who u feel the most comfortable with.

Wow! That's like being on a car forum and asking which is better, Chevy or Ford?

I suspect, many people on this forum like and respect their Doctor, so your going to get alot of personal opinions. I went to Cancun, used DR.Verboonen, had my surgery at a medical center, not a hospital. Now, that may scare you, but I had a good experiance, very little pain and no complications. So I'm happy!

Again, my apologies for offending anyone. I didn't realize this was such a sore topic.

I'd appreciate if we could get back on topic and deal with my original question, which was Are there any other top top mexican surgeons I should be adding to my list for possible consideration ?

Ask me any questions....by far. My pick is dr. Kelly. Its been two weeks, and it was a amazing opportunity to have this surgeon and team for my band to sleeve revision. I could not be happier with omar, cece and dr kelly. Im down 20lbs in 14days, just icing on the cake