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Need advice on where to have gastric sleeve



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Although at first I did not want to go to TJ, I chose it in the end for the number of reasonably priced doctors using full service hospitals and ease of travel (many direct flights to San Diego and short drive across the border). Then I went about deciding which doctor/coordinator team to go with. It was not easy!

I decided to use Dr. Fernando Garcia through Ready4AChange; had a great experience and paid $4700. I booked my flights (for my husband and myself) early through Southwest. While in TJ my only out-of-pocket expenses were meals for my husband, tips, and minor incidentals. It was less than 6K total.

I will admit I was nervous and my family mostly thought I was nuts but I would do it again in a heartbeat. I am down 30 lbs in eight weeks and feel great! We were treated very well and if not for the surgery we would have thought we were on a Mexican vacation.

Good luck with your journey and don't hesitate to ask questions.

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Hi everyone' date=' I live near Atlanta ,Ga. I have decided to have a gastric sleeve in Mexico.I am a school teacher and have United Healthcare Ins, but they won' t cover any weight loss procedures on our school system's policy so I will have to self pay. Since I live close to Atlanta I need to find the best place to go in Mexico with a good price...yes money is a factor...I know my health is important but being a teacher I have to consider price...any information would be greatly appreciated.[/quote']

Hello! I had my surgery done through Baja Med with Dr. Serrano! In TJ! There just amazing and so educated, and there support after surgery is just the best! They make you feel at home! They have different payment plans as well so it's easier on the pocket book! If you need any information I have it all! Feel free to msg me! Good luck! It will be the best choice of your life!

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I was just sleeved with Dr. Garcia at florence on May 20. I am so happy with my choice!!

I'm really glad things went so well for you. :) I'm tentatively booked with Dr. Garcia for the first week in July...but I'm finding it tough to commit! What convinced you ultimately to choose Dr. Garcia?

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Thank you for all the great information. I was hoping to spend no more than $6000 for my surgery. This is what I have saved already. Hopefully I can find a facility that is on the up and up and will fit into my price range.

I'm from Northern FL. My best friend drove from Atlanta and went with me to Tijuana. I saw Dr. Illian and couldn't be happier! I had an amazing experience. My best friend, who was much more skeptical that I was (after all, I'd done the months and months of research!) was so impressed at the care I received. Including airfare for both her and I, I spent around $4.500 total.

You can get more information through his website. He has an on-staff, dedicated coordinator, so you won't find information about him through another company.

www.bajabariatrics.com

~Kat

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Please please pleeeease ont chose a cheap dr in the states. That's a big NO!

MX drs are way more experienced and all are great. You will be pleased with any of the drs mentioned above.

My dr was Dr Ponce and I also recommend Dr Rodriguez (previous surgeries) Dr Ponce is $5,500 unless you're a revision. I don't know Dr Rods sleeve price.

Good luck!

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I chose Dr. Aceves in Mexicali. My experience was excellent.

He is on the higher end of price' date=' 8750, but worth it.

He has so much experience and Almater Hospital is 100% full service, and the WLS patients have their own wing.[/quote']

Hey I just got mine done on may 15 with Dr. Aceves :) He was great! How has your journey been?

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I was very happy with the surgical team of Cabrerra and Valenzuela. I booked with Christy at Mexico Bariatric center and had surgery at MiDoctor Hospital. I'm thrilled with my sleeve so far and my surgery experience was great. After researching pretty much ALL the doctors listed in this thread, I would have been very comfortable going with any of them. Choosing my doctor was a difficult decision because there were SO many competent and capable doctors to choose from... That's a pretty good position to be in!

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I'm also a teacher. I had my sleeve done over spring break in Tijuana with Dr. Garcia. I went through Ready4Achange and Alma was my coordinator. I had a high bmi (over 50), so my cost was $5200 plus the cost of my passport, plane tickets, etc. With everything, I probably spent $6000. I highly recommend Dr. Garcia.

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I was just sleeved with Dr. Garcia at florence on May 20. I am so happy with my choice!! The hospital is small but clean. My surgery went wonderful! I had NO complications at all! not even any pain. I did have some gas! but other than that I did wonderful! Now the docs did tell me I was best case senerio! I had A LOT of people praying for me and I believe that was a huge factor in how well I did! We flew into San Diego cal on sunday' date=' I had surgery on monday was released from hospital on wednesday spent 2 days in the marriott! (which is a beautiful resort!) and I was home by last night! Tijuna is a little intimadating, but I come from a very small town. My total cost which does include passports for my husband and I, flights, food for him, and surgery was around 5600. hope this helps and message me anytime with more questions! I know how overwhelmed I was with the whole process so if I can help let me know! :)[/quote']

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    • Aunty Mamo

      Iʻm roughly 6 weeks post-op this morning and have begun to feel like a normal human, with a normal human body again. I started introducing solid foods and pill forms of medications/supplements a couple of weeks ago and it's really amazing to eat meals with my family again, despite the fact that my portions are so much smaller than theirs. 
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    • BeanitoDiego

      Oh yeah, something I wanted to rant about, a billing dispute that cropped up 3 months ago.
      Surgery was in August of 2023. A bill shows up for over $7,000 in January. WTF? I asks myself. I know that I jumped through all of the insurance hoops and verified this and triple checked that, as did the surgeon's office. All was set, and I paid all of the known costs before surgery.
      A looong story short, is that an assistant surgeon that was in the process of accepting money from my insurance company touched me while I was under anesthesia. That is what the bill was for. But hey, guess what? Some federal legislation was enacted last year to help patients out when they cannot consent to being touched by someone out of their insurance network. These types of bills fall under something called, "surprise billing," and you don't have to put up with it.
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      I had to make a lot of phone calls to both the surgeon's office and the insurance company and explain my rights and what the maximum out of pocket costs were that I could be liable for. Also had to remind them that it isn't my place to be taking care of all of this and that I was going to escalate things if they could not play nice with one another.
      Quick ending is that I don't have to pay that $7,000+. Advocate, advocate, advocate for yourself no matter how long it takes and learn more about this law if you are ever hit with a surprise bill.
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    • BeanitoDiego

      Still purging all of the larger clothing. This morning, a shirt that I ADORED wearing ended up on top. Hard to let it go, but it was also hard to let go of those habits that also no longer serve my highest good. Onward and upward!
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