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If you went to mexico for your gastric sleeve surgery, who was your doctor and how much did it cost?



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If you had surgery in Mexico I would like to know what doctor did you use and how much did it cost?

Also if your surgery put sutures over the staples to make sure it doesn't leak?

Would you rate your overall exsperiance 0 being very bad to 10 being very good. I ask because today is the day that I make my choice and pay my deposit. Thank you all :) This site is great! I'm learning so much and I thank you for that :)

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Good Morning,

I went to TJ Mexico and my Dr. Was Dr. Almanza on July 31st. Was 4300.00 plus the round trip ticket to San Diego. I'm very happy with the results and Dr. Almanza and his staff were amazing . I highly recommend them . Good Luck and best wishes. :-)

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@@Rocky1 I know. I was going to go with Dr Almanza until I did alot of research and found so much bad reviews. So many severe complications from alot of people. NO! NOT THE DR FOR ME! people still chose to go to him even with all those very bad reviews. I love my life and I refuse to put it in his hands!

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And yes they still email-call and text me from different numbers trying to get me to pay the $250 dollar non refundable deposit fee too.

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I'm in the final decision-making process like you, Rocky1. I've been leaning toward Dr. alejandro lopez lately, and spoke with two of his coordinators yesterday. I was assured that he uses Ethicon staples, sutures over them, and provides follow up care, regardless of the tourism company.

In addition to Hospital MI Doctor, he now uses Hospital Vida, a brand new free-standing surgery center with a well-equipped ICU. While it isn't JCI accredited, it is ACMBS approved. One of the coordinators, who is a registered nurse, had her surgery in Tijuana with Dr. Valenzuela. She said she requested that in the event of any severe complications during surgery (like a PE), that they ambulance her to Scripps in San Diego as soon as she was stable enough to transport. She recommended that I provide the same instructions in an unlikely event such as that.

I really like Mexicali Bariatrics, Hospital Almater, coordinator Nina Eguia, and Dr. Wilhelmy, but he doesn't do the single incision technique. I hope I don't live to regret my obsessive desire to avoid scars, but I do feel confident that Dr. Lopez will do a good job. I'm also going to follow your lead and start working to find a local Bariatric surgeon who will provide me with follow up care, as that makes the most sense logistically.

I hope you come to a peaceful and happy decision, and have a very successful outcome. I'll be following your progress and wishing you all the best!

Edited by OCSlim

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Thank you, Rocky1. Coming from you, that is very reassuring, as I know how seriously and meticulously you have researched everything!

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I had surgery with Dr. Wilhelmy in Mexicali and paid around 8500 dlls. I wanted a real hospital, certified, experienced surgeon and basically I had already been there with my mom a year before when she got her sleeve and saw the level of care she got. I had never had medical care remotely similar to what I had at Almater Hospital. I knew tI could save money elsewhere but I wanted the best and feel I got more than I actually paid for.

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I had the "regular incisions" and not the "single incision" but they don't even do stitches on your skin. They literally "glue" you.:-). It's great! I'm 2 months out and you'd really have to look hard to see any evidence of a scar. If you can't or don't get single incision, don't worry. You won't be maimed.:-)

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I had the "regular incisions" and not the "single incision" but they don't even do stitches on your skin. They literally "glue" you.:-). It's great! I'm 2 months out and you'd really have to look hard to see any evidence of a scar. If you can't or don't get single incision, don't worry. You won't be maimed.:-)

That is very encouraging to hear, Suzamundo! Who did your surgery?

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I had my surgery in Tijuana Mexico on October the first. My surgeon was Sergio Ver boonen. At the obesity goodbye center his staff was amazing and I got a copy of my surgery on dvd . He does over sew the staples.

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I had surgery with Dr. Wilhelmy in Mexicali, Mexico. I live close to Mexicali and can tell you he is the very best here. The hospital, the staff , the experience of so many years just makes a high difference. He does not do the single incision does the regular sleeve but the incisions are so tiny, nothing to be worried about.

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@@SarahSmile did Dr Almanza sew over the staples to help prevent leakage? Alot of people from Louisiana has went to him to get their surgery done.

I do not know about sewing over the staples, but was checked for leakage before I left and was given the x-rays to take home.

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

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        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

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        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

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