I guess I picked one of the higher cost surgeons (Dr Aceves $8,750). And while I am not saying that saving 2 or 3 $thousands$ is not worth considering ? In my case everything sort of "washed" when I factored in some other considerations. My original plan was a surgeon in Cancun because I could fly non-stop from south FL (approx. 2.5 hrs) But the air fare to Cancun was MORE than the air fare to San Diego. Or in my case Meza AZ using SPIRIT (booked business class seats in their econo section) . Also my wife and I wanted to combine this trip with some real estate searching near Prescott AZ. I have concluded that given the declining future of Medi-Care and the over all increasing cost of medical care PERIOD ?? The smart decision is to locate yourself within a 1/2 day drive of one of the boarder medical tourism centers. I even considered seriously MOVING to MX (maybe PV). But the housing I would consider (buy/rent) was not so different than here. But mostly I concluded I could NOT survive on a steady diet of Telenovellas. I need my TRUE BLOOD !! And also The Borgias and Game of Thrones. Plus there are other considerations such as our 100 lb lab (Charlie) that needed to be considered. So looking at a map, and eliminating the extreme heat of Phenoix and the coastal congestion of San Diego ? It seemed that Prescott or Flagstaff were the most logical places. So to make this long story short... I could have picked a cheaper surgeon than Dr Aceves ? But I was able to "package" this surgery with a post-op real estate scouting trip. My biggest worry is how well I will be feeling post-op ? so I will be able to drive and look at some homes and land near Prescott ? all before driving back to Meza and sitting my fat ass into a business size seat and flying back to the heat & humidity of West Palm Beach. Oh by the way, my VGS is scheduled with Dr Aceves on May 28th. Any others ?

I am May 6th and self pay as well, I in conjunction with my cardiologist decided upon DR. Cabrera.... ever so grateful that my stateside doctor was "on board" and willing to help with the decision.... I have a hiatal l hernia so that was an extra 1000.00 but so thankful that PCP to care and found it before hand..... if everything I keep reading is so, then it seems you should be able to do the things you wish.... I too am traveling from Florida.... outside of JAX.

I guess I picked one of the higher cost surgeons (Dr Aceves 8' date='750). And while I am not saying that saving 2 or 3 thousands is not worth considering ? In my case everything sort of "washed" when I factored in some other considerations. My original plan was a surgeon in Cancun because I could fly non-stop from south FL (approx. 2.5 hrs) But the air fare to Cancun was MORE than the air fare to San Diego. Or in my case Meza AZ using SPIRIT (booked business class seats in their econo section) . Also my wife and I wanted to combine this trip with some real estate searching near Prescott AZ. I have concluded that given the declining future of Medi-Care and the over all increasing cost of medical care PERIOD ?? The smart decision is to locate yourself within a 1/2 day drive of one of the boarder medical tourism centers. I even considered seriously MOVING to MX (maybe PV). But the housing I would consider (buy/rent) was not so different than here. But mostly I concluded I could NOT survive on a steady diet of Telenovellas. I need my TRUE BLOOD !! And also The Borgias and Game of Thrones. Plus there are other considerations such as our 100 lb lab (Charlie) that needed to be considered. So looking at a map, and eliminating the extreme heat of Phenoix and the coastal congestion of San Diego ? It seemed that Prescott or Flagstaff were the most logical places. So to make this long story short... I could have picked a cheaper surgeon than Dr Aceves ? But I was able to "package" this surgery with a post-op real estate scouting trip. My biggest worry is how well I will be feeling post-op ? so I will be able to drive and look at some homes and land near Prescott ? all before driving back to Meza and sitting my fat ass into a business size seat and flying back to the heat & humidity of West Palm Beach. Oh by the way, my VGS is scheduled with Dr Aceves on May 28th. Any others ?[/quote']

I went to Dr. Aceves. My surgical experience was great.

My mom and I ended up getting stranded in Denver due to my heart acting up (pre-surgery issue) and the blizzard that followed.

I was okay trying to sleep on a stretcher in a Denver hospital and walking around, very slowly mind you, at the airport all day long. I sipped my Water and my powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury broth. Sat down and rested whenever I needed to. I was exhausted. But okay. It wasn't my preference, and it did take its toll on me.

Naturally, I cannot advise you one way or the other. I can only relay my experience and how I felt. Our recoveries all differ/vary. Some go on shopping excursions postop. For some, it's a struggle to walk around the hospital.

I'd email Nina, or better yet, ask Dr. Campos during your preop testing and meeting the team. They open the floor to any and all questions.

rducharme ~ funny you want to move away from FL & we want to move to FL! LOL! Also, I would think you'd be okay with the extreme (dry) heat of Phoenix, as it would probably feel the same as the heat you have in West Palm Beach, only less sticky! With all that said, I'm sure surprised that someone wants to move closer to where their WLS team is? Whatever you end up doing, good luck to you!

I wanted to be in bed afterwards for a few days, but that's just my personal experience.

rducharme ~ funny you want to move away from FL & we want to move to FL! LOL! Also, I would think you'd be okay with the extreme (dry) heat of Phoenix, as it would probably feel the same as the heat you have in West Palm Beach, only less sticky! With all that said, I'm sure surprised that someone wants to move closer to where their WLS team is? Whatever you end up doing, good luck to you!

There ain't no such thing as 115 "DRY" heat. If you can't sit on your car seats without 2nd degree burns it is HOT. Also, I am not just interested in moving to be close to my WLS, I am pretty convinced Medi-Care is going to be VERY different VERY soon. I would rather have a option to "self-pay" on most non-emergency cases, and do insure me for the catastrophic (cancer, transplants, etc) Also, remember Medi-Care pays NOTHING for any dental procedures. Normally San Diego would be perfect, but between the HIGH taxes, HIGH housing costs, plus the dismal financial shape the entire state of Calif is in ? Toss in the earthquake probability and rising sea level ? Well then you are "California Dreaming". I am NOT convinced that even staying in the USA is very smart ? However Medi-Care has been promised to remain "relatively" un-changed for ME (not my younger wife)plus fortunately I will NOT be depending on Soc Sec to survive. So living within a 4 hr drive of the boarder protects me as best I can. However IF I spoke Spanish there is no question I would be looking at PV or Cabo. The SS United States is sinking 1mm/day, Not so fast that most people notice ? but you at least need to hang out close to the lifeboat stations.

There ain't no such thing as 115 "DRY" heat. If you can't sit on your car seats without 2nd degree burns it is HOT. Also' date=' I am not just interested in moving to be close to my WLS, I am pretty convinced Medi-Care is going to be VERY different VERY soon. I would rather have a option to "self-pay" on most non-emergency cases, and do insure me for the catastrophic (cancer, transplants, etc) Also, remember Medi-Care pays NOTHING for any dental procedures. Normally San Diego would be perfect, but between the HIGH taxes, HIGH housing costs, plus the dismal financial shape the entire state of Calif is in ? Toss in the earthquake probability and rising sea level ? Well then you are "California Dreaming". I am NOT convinced that even staying in the USA is very smart ? However Medi-Care has been promised to remain "relatively" un-changed for ME (not my younger wife)plus fortunately I will NOT be depending on Soc Sec to survive. So living within a 4 hr drive of the boarder protects me as best I can. However IF I spoke Spanish there is no question I would be looking at PV or Cabo. The SS United States is sinking 1mm/day, Not so fast that most people notice ? but you at least need to hang out close to the lifeboat stations.[/quote']

My word... What a mouthful

Oh uh...I live in California better get my boat ready!

My word... What a mouthful <img src='http://www.bariatricpal.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

Oh uh...I live in California better get my boat ready!

Make it a yacht. Might as well rock it!

There ain't no such thing as 115 "DRY" heat. If you can't sit on your car seats without 2nd degree burns it is HOT. Also, I am not just interested in moving to be close to my WLS, I am pretty convinced Medi-Care is going to be VERY different VERY soon. I would rather have a option to "self-pay" on most non-emergency cases, and do insure me for the catastrophic (cancer, transplants, etc) Also, remember Medi-Care pays NOTHING for any dental procedures. Normally San Diego would be perfect, but between the HIGH taxes, HIGH housing costs, plus the dismal financial shape the entire state of Calif is in ? Toss in the earthquake probability and rising sea level ? Well then you are "California Dreaming". I am NOT convinced that even staying in the USA is very smart ? However Medi-Care has been promised to remain "relatively" un-changed for ME (not my younger wife)plus fortunately I will NOT be depending on Soc Sec to survive. So living within a 4 hr drive of the boarder protects me as best I can. However IF I spoke Spanish there is no question I would be looking at PV or Cabo. The SS United States is sinking 1mm/day, Not so fast that most people notice ? but you at least need to hang out close to the lifeboat stations.

As I said, good luck to you!

As for those that live in CA ~ you best all start building your ark!

As for those that live in CA ~ you best all start building your ark!

Hmmm.. maybe now we can afford that beachfront property we were looking at!

As I said, good luck to you!

As for those that live in CA ~ you best all start building your ark!

I forgot to include that Flagstaff is @ 7,000 ft and Prescott is @ 5,000 ft which accounts for the milder temps compared to Phenoix. I used to live in Vail, CO and the high mountain desert. The stars are so close you can touch them. NO way I could handle 115 degrees, but when you head up into the mountains it gets much better. But the true reason I am looking at northern AZ is that I can drive to the border in a 1/2 day for any minor medical/dental problems. I can even drive there to get a dent fixed in my car. Many of those things that you can't believe HOW much they cost in The USA. Really I am just trying to plan for the future. Options, options, options.

I hear you rducharme! I used to live in Flagstaff and loved the climate! Also, I was so impressed with the medical care and costs in MX, I decided I will head down there for any major dental work in the future.

But as far as real estate hunting after surgery, it's really hard to say. It varies a lot from person to person and does not seem predictable before-hand. I would stay flexible if I were you; if you are just not up to it, go home and rest. It seems many people are fine after the short hospital stay and (for TJ patients) a couple nights in a hotel.