Im having a hard time with this one. Can anyone give me any neg. if there is any? I only read great things about both of these doctors.:help:

I think the best advice would be to go to both of their free seminars...... that is if they are local to you.

dr. de la garza is wonderful! after care is great and free!!!!

From what I learned in my research (and disclaimer, that is MY research, others may disagree) Dr. Rumbaut was the best in Mx - if not in the top 5 in North America. However, his price was one of the highest for Mx. But he has amazing feedback and a virtually flawless record.

There was some bad feedback I ran across on De La Garza. I'm sorry - this is terrible - but I don't remember exactly from where or what it was. I just know that I started with a list of 6 Mexican surgeons and boiled it down to Sanchez, Rumbaut and Ortiz. For me, I went with Ortiz b/c it was a direct flight & fairly priced. But research and make the best decision for you. Many people are very happy with de la Garza.

I had my band done by Dr. de la Garza on 9/1, and am returning for my first fill 10/6. I have nothing at all bad to say about him. I did think his 'patient coordinator' was a bit young and inexperienced, but other than that, the staff and the doctors all treated me very well.

Thank you everyone for your imput. I think Im going to go with Dr. Rumbaut. Im sure Dr. de la Graza is good too but I decided after much research and just a general gut feeling for me Runbauts gonna be it. I plan on having it done in a couple of weeks, just waiting on my paperwork to come for the financing. In case anyones curious about what finance company got me approved for the WHOLE amount it was Citerra financial.

:clap2:

Hi,

I've been to Monterey on a several trips. I've had surgery twice with Dr. Rumbaut. He uses a hospital which is chosen by the US Secret Service for a US president to be taken to in case of a medical emergency in Monterey. Bush has frequented Monterey several times for conferences. In fact the president had just left Monterey on my last visit and the Secret Service was taking down phone lines that had been installed in the ER if needed. They have an air filter system in the OR which is the best in Mexico and probably half of the hospitals in the US. They do heart and kidney transplants , trauma etc. I tell you this because I personally want to have the best care and facility available if needed. Instead of metal instruments and cheaper materials which may not be properly disinfected by the hospitals or clinic--San Jose hospital uses mostly disposables. This costs more money. They use IV drug anesthesia for bands instead of Gas anesthesia because they want the patient awake and moving after the procedure and also poses less complications such as nausea and other side effects. This costs more money. This is not a small clinic but a well established hospital with excellent care. This costs more money. And then you have Dr. Rumbaut who is banded himself, has banded more patients and longer than any other Surgeon in North America and has probably mentored more Mexican and US surgeons then any other. I can go on but you catch the drift. You pay for what you get. . I understand if you are closer to Tijuana or Mexacali because they have some good surgeons and costs and flight time can be a deciding influence. But if you are in need of a top notch facility /Surgeon either because of your morbidity factors, location in the US or wanting the most experienced I would choose Dr. Rumbaut.

Joanne in Seattle

From what I learned in my research (and disclaimer, that is MY research, others may disagree) Dr. Rumbaut was the best in Mx - if not in the top 5 in North America. However, his price was one of the highest for Mx. But he has amazing feedback and a virtually flawless record.

There was some bad feedback I ran across on De La Garza. I'm sorry - this is terrible - but I don't remember exactly from where or what it was. I just know that I started with a list of 6 Mexican surgeons and boiled it down to Sanchez, Rumbaut and Ortiz. For me, I went with Ortiz b/c it was a direct flight & fairly priced. But research and make the best decision for you. Many people are very happy with de la Garza.

Agreed. Seajoan, you summed it up perfectly.

I had my surgery with Dr. De la Garza, through Lite 'n Free. I had a blast, and I thought the patient coordinator was awesome!! She even took me and dropped me off at the Centro so I wouldn't have to take a cab. The hotel staff was great, and we had a great time. I would not have changed anything. The doctor team was great, and Dr. De la Garza really knows what he is doing. He is very kind and will sit down to answer any of your questions and he will make you feel so much better. I would definately recommend him, if anyone has any questions or would like to email me personally my email is MollieBeth_Smith@yahoo.com.

Hi Roxy123,

I'm in the same boat, trying to decide on Rambaut or De La Garza. I live close so I guess I'll make an appointment and speak to both. Rambaut is 10,600 and De La Garza is 8700, but cost is not the most important thing, it's their track record.

I am researching surgeons now. I am thinking of Dr. Ortiz. I see he did your surgery. Can you give me any feedback? Thank you.

I had mine done with Dr. de la Garza on 8/22/06. I think he is very experienced in the lap band procedure and everything went very well. I highly recommend him, his hospital and his staff.

i suggest De La Garza///Dr R is excellent, but the U.S. staff is so-so.

I started this thread before I had the lapband and now that I had the procedure I wanted to report back for any of you still looking for your doctor.

I ended up going with Dr. de la Garza. After looking and reserching and not sure between Rumbaut or Garza the thing that tipped me over was the fact that they have very nice, clean, modern hotel rooms right in the hospital. My main concern was to go have it done and get home. I went alone so this was comforting for me to know I would be in one place and if I had any problems everyone was right there. Everybody was great, really took care of me . The doctor came to visit me twice to see how I was and if I had any questions or concerns, the patient coordinator was there anytime I needed anything and they made me feel very comfortable. Even the guy who picked me up to and from the airport was great, very pleasant. I have had zero problems and Im at day 9 and feel great. I went back to work with ease today and have lost 10 pounds so far! If you have any questions about de la Garza dont hesitate to ask!

Thank you everyone for your imput. I think Im going to go with Dr. Rumbaut. Im sure Dr. de la Graza is good too but I decided after much research and just a general gut feeling for me Runbauts gonna be it. I plan on having it done in a couple of weeks, just waiting on my paperwork to come for the financing. In case anyones curious about what finance company got me approved for the WHOLE amount it was Citerra financial.

:clap2:

Hi Roxy. You mentioned that you had the whole amount approved through Citerra. Would you mind sharing if you included travel expenses, the total amount financed, the terms of the loan and payment? I am at the point of chosing financing and want a low monthly payment and interest. Thanks!

I ended up self paying. Not because of the terms of Citerra or anything but I ended up getting the money in a bonus check and decided just to use the cash from that. Sorry not much help.

Cost of surgery 8000

Airline ticks 1200 (I ended up going 1st cl because i had a really good bonus chk.:clap2: ) Plus I went alone and just really wanted to be comfortable on my way home. Im a 6ft woman with tremendously long legs and always gets the guy in front who puts the seat all the way back!

However coach from Orlando was half that amount. Other than that I tipped the taxi 5.00 each way and spent nothing else. I wasnt really feeling for a shopping spree. Ive read about these bandsters who go shopping while they were there but that was the last thing I wanted to do.

Another way to pay is your 401k if you have. You can pay the part you borrow at a very small amount back over 5 years and any interest you pay is yours anyway. Also 1 Doc in TJ has a program called docpay which they just debit your acount over the next few months and I dont beleive there is any interest. Cant remember his name but Ive seen people on here that have used him. Go to docpay in a search and the docs name will come up.

Sorry I couldnt help more. Good luck to you!