Hi,

After researching this kind of surgery for the last 5 months I've decided to go with it. I'm not telling anyone other than my doctor at this point. I guess I've heard too many stories about poeple gaining their weight back. Anyway. I'm getting ready to have lap band surgery in Monterrey, Mexico. Has anyone else gone to Mexico for their surgery? I'm a little concerned about going out of country for this since I'll be alone. Anyone have any suggestions about where to stay? Is it nice? Is there a lot of pain after surgery? How long does it take to not be in pain? What kind of pain medication is necessary? I'm scared to do this but feel I have no other choice. I've tried every diet there is and joined gyms then didn't go because I'm too embarrassed about how I look. Any feedback about Mexico would be appreciated. In fact is anyone out there planning to do a Mexico surgery in August?

Thanks

Originally posted by pipsi3

Hi,

HI, welcome!

After researching this kind of surgery for the last 5 months I've decided to go with it. I'm not telling anyone other than my doctor at this point. I guess I've heard too many stories about poeple gaining their weight back.

With the band?

Anyway. I'm getting ready to have lap band surgery in Monterrey, Mexico. Has anyone else gone to Mexico for their surgery?

I have.

I'm a little concerned about going out of country for this since I'll be alone. Anyone have any suggestions about where to stay? Is it nice?

Rumbaut has all of his patients stay in one hotel...I think Sanchez does the same. Rumbaut uses the Hampton Inn, lower end of the Hilton chain. It's next door to an Applebee's and a McDonald's and a good sized shopping center.

Is there a lot of pain after surgery?

Minimal. I was in a chair having root canal 48 hours after surgery and the bad tooth hurt way more that the surgery.

How long does it take to not be in pain? What kind of pain medication is necessary?

I know that Rumbaut sends you away with pain meds...but you know, I only used a couple of them.

I'm scared to do this but feel I have no other choice. I've tried every diet there is and joined gyms then didn't go because I'm too embarrassed about how I look. Any feedback about Mexico would be appreciated. In fact is anyone out there planning to do a Mexico surgery in August?

Thanks

Again, I'm personally familiar with Rumbaut's procedures. He works in a state-of-the-art-teaching hospital. I'll get you the links to another member's photos.

Good luck...

This might help:

http://www.lorislapband.com/photos/photo2.html

I had my surgery in Mexico. The surgery went great, but I had problems afterwards.

I haven't heard anything bad about Rumbault, though I'll never know the correct spelling of his name. Then again, I stay here at this safe board, so keep asking around about him.

I went to Mexico alone. You gotta understand that each Mexican doctor can do approximately 5-6 operations in one day, plus all their fill patients and their aftercare patients, so hundreds of band patients are passing through Mexico, so Mexico is used to it. All the taxi drivers know the hospitals. All the hotels know the doctors. Plus, your doctor's staff should make sure you're safe. Your doctor might have someone pick you up at the airport, so ask them that.

When you go, bring very little. Just a tote bag with toiletries, maybe a magazine. Don't bring a lot of clothes cause you'll live in the hospital gown.

Some people had pain, but I just had big discomfort. Like someone blew you up with gas, inserted a watermelon and left it there. So it didn't actually hurt, but it was uncomfy. My doctor gave me some pain meds, but I only took them for a couple days to be on the safe side.

I had problems with infection after my surgery, and I still have an infected wound, but I'd go back to Mexico and do it again in a heartbeat if it means I'll continue losing weight.

Hello Pipsi and congrats on your decision.

I just had lapband surgery in Monterrey last Monday. My surgeon was Dr. Arturo Rodriguez and I can't say enough good things about him and his staff.

Although I was fortunate to have my Husband and Son travel with me, the staff made it very easy for me to have the procedure done in Mexico. They planned everything from transportation to hotel rooms ect....

There is some minor pain after the surgery, but it's really mild considering what your system just went through. Getting up and down or in and out of bed might be a little uncomfortable for a couple of days, but it's amazing how much better I feel with every day that goes by.

I had my surgery at Hospital Santa Engracia, and even though the nurses don't speak much english, they always seemed to know what I needed and they did know enough to instruct me to walk, ect...

Dr. Rodriguez also pays for the airfare for another person to travel with you. I would highly recommend that you bring a friend or a family member with you if you can, if for nothing else, then for support.

Good luck to you, and feel free to email me if you have any questions, hopefully I can help answer some of them for you.

I went to Dr. Rumbaut too. I was scared to go out of the country, but I can tell you that I got better care there than I've ever gotten from an American doctor. Take your time and research the surgeons carefully. I did, and I thought it better to go with the most experienced surgeon I could find. Good Luck to you.

Hey, that's a nice looking facility. I have a friend shopping for a Mexican surgeon, so I'll pass on this info. Thanks.

Let me add (so that the Tijuana patients can kick me) that the Monterrey doctors practice in hospitals that function like hospitals here function. They are large, usually teaching facilities, with many, many doctors of many, many specialties on site. If I'm not mistaken, Santa Engracia has a post-op floor that is pretty much a hotel, and your family stays there with you. In Tijuana, the facilities are very different. One of the hospitals is a bare-bones little birthing center in very, very modest circumstances. (They haven't lost a LapBand patient yet, and many nurses swear by it, but it IS different.) And some of the doctors practice at "alternative healing center" places for cancer patients and other very small facilites. A couple are very nice, but they are not the fully-staffed, bustling hospitals one would expect in a city of that size in the US.

Also, the facility at Ciudad Acuña (another Dr. Rodriguez, I believe) is a one-man operation. It is over three hours, by road, to a big-city facility in San Antonio, if the need for a big city facility should arise.

~~~~~~~~~

[LISA--the dude's name is Roberto Rumbaut Diaz. (The Diaz is his mom's maiden name, and they leave that off in addressing him.)]

Thanks, I like what I hear about Dr. Rumbaut in Monterey. I was in two different facilities. I had my surgery at the Oasis of Hope, which I learned was a hospital for terminal cancer patients. Very peaceful. But Sue's right - it's not a fully staffed place with all sorts of doctors bustling around. I had a horrible chest infection, but nobody could help me till my doctor called the following day.

The place where I had my port removed didn't look like a medical facility from the street. I don't recall there being a door to the surgery room. Just a big open area, which would be a big no-no for sterility reasons in the states. But they could have removed my port at a taco stand at that point.

Lisa,

That WAS the taco stand. And I asked you stop by with my order of carnitas and you did not.

Miffed,

Sue

Sorry, Sue, but they gave me a hit of Mexican Extacy at the taco stand before taking out my port. I thought I saw carnitas tap dancing with a burro in a sombrero. At least I know why I had a carnitas trip... thanks for planting the suggestion.

I'm planning on getting banded (sounds like bird conservation!) in Monterrey in early September and am grateful for all the info here, not to mention the laughs. I received a note from Doralisa at Dr. Rumbaut's office today; among other things, she said that their office would help line up an aftercare doc for me close to home. Does anyone -- Neicy? GeezerSue? -- have experience with one of these referred US physicians?

Pipsi, I'll probably be getting laughing gas while you're rolling home. If I could manage to get banded in August I sure would.

Thanks to all,

Zoe

Zoe, They referred me to follow-up doctors who where about 90 miles away. They did the fills under flouroscope and charged about $300. a pop. I was willing to travel there, but I was fortunate to find Dr. Lavin who is an excellent surgeon and willing to do follow-up for me and just 20 miles away. I think he was a bit ruffled about patients traveling to Mexico for surgeries, and told me that he has begun to offer a package deal for self payers that is the cheapest in the states at 12,900. He banded my daughter last Nov.and she has done very well. Anyway, I believe that there is a network of doctors who do after care for Mexican bandsters, you probably won't have any trouble in the Chicago area. I would line this up first though.

I think the band will get more and more popular and less expensive. Supply and demand, etc. Reminds me of when I had my eyes surgically corrected for $5,000, and now I hear deals for $299 per eye.

If the general population continues to gain weight at the rate it's going, it definitely will be in huge demand. They will probably start assembly line band placements, line us up like cattle! I'm glad I got in on the ground floor, why wait for the rush!

Zoe,

I've been banded almost two years. There were far fewer band doctors, and the few who were in the area were not willing to do adjustments on someone else's patients. Maybe some would have done emergency work, but not routine stuff.

I live in So. Calif and have gone to Tijuana. I tried twice to go to local doctors. One knew VERY little about the band and wanted an endoscopy just to protect himself before any adjustment. The other wanted an endoscopy before he'd see me. Seemed like unnecessary expenses, so I went to Tijuana.

If you can find an EXPERIENCED doctor in the Chicago area for $12,900, I'd seriously consider seeing that doctor. (Don't tell Rumbaut I said that, because I adore the guy and he IS a teriffic surgeon.) But, right out the door, to Rumbaut's fee, you have to add in airfare and hotel and taxi back to the airport and meals--if any--for your family. Then, the fills will cost arount $300 for the surgeon, BUT, in many cases, there are extra charges for the flouroscopy and the radiologist...bringing the fills to about a grand a pop. And an "outside" doctor is more likely to want an endoscopy. I dunno, experience is my #1 consideration, but easy access is #2.

Sue