Yes, it does happen. People changing their mind, even as they are IN the hospital about to have the surgery. Looking around the hospital, talking to the surgeon, and knowing 'it doesn't feel quite right'. I had emailed several members here and begged them to talk to me on the phone, to give me some reassurance that I was doing the right thing, to have some sort of hand holding. No-one followed through, no one was interested in talking to me in person. The ONLY person who agreed to talk to me (a prolific poster on a different forum) warned me not to trust reviews, and to be very careful....She talked about paid reviews, coordinators posing as past patients, hidden complication rates. I spoke to Dr Aceves as I was sitting in one of his patient's rooms, and he told me of complications some of his patients had suffered and I realized none of those stories had made it to the boards or to any of the forums I participate in. It made me realize that maybe there was some truth to the story that many reviews here are paid reviews....that the reality is not nearly as rosy as the fabulous success stories this forum is littered with.

And so I came home today...sleeveless. A fruitless trip to Mexicali that did not pan out as expected or as planned. I did get to meet Dr Aceves, Dr Campos, and his team. I got a tour of the hospital, and got to stay in Hotel Lucerna. I met some of Dr Aceves' patients who all seemed to be recovering as planned. I salute them and their bravery. I salute Dr Aceves for his brutal honesty and integrity. I could see the pride he has for his hospital in his eyes, hear it in his voice.

As for me? I am broke, disappointed, and confused.

Trust is important. I have absolutely no clue how this Medical Tourism business can be regulated better, how trust can be built, how complication rates can be better and more reliably conveyed.

It certainly is not for the faint at heart.

This sounds like a nightmare and as I am scheduled to have surgery in Mexico soon, not a story I really wanted to hear from a fellow forum member. Really scary and makes you wonder what is real and not. I am already nervous as is. I feel for you and hope you can find your way to have the sleeve if this is still your dream. Good luck.

It really is nerve wracking. I think it's important to trust your instincts. At the end of everything else, YOU are the one who has to live and work with your sleeve. I think that in order to not regret it, you have to know going into it that you are doing what's right for you.

Having said that, there's nothing wrong with getting there and deciding it's not the right time, right doctor, right situation for you.

I think that there's an element of being nervous that is *normal. I was nervous at the point I was being wheeled back into surgery, but no more than I had been for any previous surgery I've had. Being a single parent myself, it's terrifying to think of the potential worst possible outcome from *any* surgery and leaving my baby motherless.

I am glad, every day, that I made the right choice for me and had my sleeve surgery. Does that mean it's the right choice for everyone? Nope. But please know that every element of this journey is yours and yours alone. From the research to the actual procedure to the living with it...you can take in what other people say, you can draw support from others, but you have to be able to filter it, too, so that in the end you are doing what works for you.

~Kat

Yes, it does happen. People changing their mind, even as they are IN the hospital about to have the surgery. Looking around the hospital, talking to the surgeon, and knowing 'it doesn't feel quite right'. I had emailed several members here and begged them to talk to me on the phone, to give me some reassurance that I was doing the right thing, to have some sort of hand holding. No-one followed through, no one was interested in talking to me in person. The ONLY person who agreed to talk to me (a prolific poster on a different forum) warned me not to trust reviews, and to be very careful....She talked about paid reviews, coordinators posing as past patients, hidden complication rates. I spoke to Dr Aceves as I was sitting in one of his patient's rooms, and he told me of complications some of his patients had suffered and I realized none of those stories had made it to the boards or to any of the forums I participate in. It made me realize that maybe there was some truth to the story that many reviews here are paid reviews....that the reality is not nearly as rosy as the fabulous success stories this forum is littered with.

And so I came home today...sleeveless. A fruitless trip to Mexicali that did not pan out as expected or as planned. I did get to meet Dr Aceves, Dr Campos, and his team. I got a tour of the hospital, and got to stay in Hotel Lucerna. I met some of Dr Aceves' patients who all seemed to be recovering as planned. I salute them and their bravery. I salute Dr Aceves for his brutal honesty and integrity. I could see the pride he has for his hospital in his eyes, hear it in his voice.

As for me? I am broke, disappointed, and confused.

Trust is important. I have absolutely no clue how this Medical Tourism business can be regulated better, how trust can be built, how complication rates can be better and more reliably conveyed.

It certainly is not for the faint at heart.

I'm glad you shared your experience! I am a big believer in trusting your instincts. Maybe it wasn't the right time or place or doctor or whatever, but it's important to honor that intuition you have.

As for regulation of the industry, that seems near impossible as each country has their own guidelines and standards. Finding apples to apples comparisons will be something that is always an issue, I believe, for those of us who choose medical tourism.

I hope that if you are still hoping to continue with a sleeve that you are able to do so in a way that works for you. Best of luck!

~Kat

Not everyone who has WLS has a happy ending. Most people, whether in Mx or the USA, go into surgery and come out the on the other side (aka postop) with zero complications. Period. This is the rule, to which there are few exceptions. The exceptions are real and relevant. We should be aware of them. We should use them to make an informed decision.

And then we take our leap of faith, no matter which side of the Border, or we choose not to leap. I believe we have to make the choice for ourselves, by ourselves. Then it is up to use to decide if we made the right call.

Yes, I agree 100%. I didn't include the US when I wrote this statement because it's in the Mexico forum and the OP was specifically talking about Mexico.