Jump to content
×
Are you looking for the BariatricPal Store? Go now!
$99 Yearly Supply Alert! 🌈 "1 per Day!" Bariatric Multivitamins

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

BackToBeautiful

Recommended Posts

Frick    21

Frick
Posted

Mgbear idk what happened to my post but I am 1 week out w/ sleeve from Vazquez. .. if you wanna talk or have questions I'd love to help. ... fb me at Erica Campbell-Price

Share this post

Link to post
Share on other sites

BackToBeautiful    95

BackToBeautiful
Posted

Frick how was it with Dr Vazquez? I may go with him instead being that he is a few hundred dollars cheaper. I will have to pay for my flight round trip around $600 dollars and my passport for 165 plus purchase a few things for the trip like compression stockings.. Etc :) he looks young. I know they operate together though.

Share this post

Link to post
Share on other sites

Thundergrrl    7

Thundergrrl
Posted

I went to Dr. Alvarez at Endobariatric - www.endobariatric.com. He is in Piedras Negras, one mile over the Texas Border.

I could not recommend him more highly and I believe his price for virgin sleeves is $8,000 including everything after you land in San Antonio, TX.

MY price was $9,000 because I was revising from a lap band to sleeve.

Yes, there are less expensive surgeons in Mexico, I've heard as low as $5,000 including everything but your airfare. And I know people who rave about those surgeons too. But from my experience here, I would not have done it any other way even for half the price.

Share this post

Link to post
Share on other sites

Thundergrrl    7

Thundergrrl
Posted

Frick how was it with Dr Vazquez? I may go with him instead being that he is a few hundred dollars cheaper. I will have to pay for my flight round trip around $600 dollars and my passport for 165 plus purchase a few things for the trip like compression stockings.. Etc :) he looks young. I know they operate together though.

Not sure if you are aware but there is a thing called a Passport Card which works for Mexico and Canada only. It's a lot less expensive than a real passport if you are not planning to go outside of north america any time soon. You get it through the same process as a normal passport.

Share this post

Link to post
Share on other sites

BackToBeautiful    95

BackToBeautiful
Posted

So I don't have to purchase both to travel. I never had a passport before. This would be my first time getting one. Thank you Thundergrrl :) I'll look into it. If I can avoid spending more, I definitely will :)

Share this post

Link to post
Share on other sites

Thundergrrl    7

Thundergrrl
Posted

So I don't have to purchase both to travel. I never had a passport before. This would be my first time getting one. Thank you Thundergrrl :) I'll look into it. If I can avoid spending more, I definitely will :)

Nope, no need for both. Here is the link:

http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/passports/information/card.html

Passport card is $55 and here are the details: The U.S. Passport Card can be used to enter the United States from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda at land border crossings or sea ports-of-entry and is more convenient and less expensive than a passport book. The passport card cannot be used for international travel by air.

This means you need to be flying to a US destination and then driven across the border (like I was). You cannot fly straight to Mexico with only the passport card.

Share this post

Link to post
Share on other sites

BackToBeautiful    95

BackToBeautiful
Posted

Wow! Thank you @Thindergrrl. That's exactly how I'm going to travel to get my Gastric sleeve surgery done. Thank you so much :) I almost waisted more money then I needed to. That's why I like this sight. Everyone is so helpful :)

Share this post

Link to post
Share on other sites

BackToBeautiful    95

BackToBeautiful
Posted

@ OK :) I don't have a Face Book Account. I don't deal with face book. Around my area-- way too messy for me! I did check out there website and emailed them for more information at.. golight Bariatrics.com

Share this post

Link to post
Share on other sites

Quasimoto51    6

Quasimoto51
Posted

I went to Dr Almanza, and had the operation for the sleeve on 13 Aug 2015. I too read the reviews and saw negative as well as positive, and then I also went online and read reviews from other doctors performing the operation in Tijuana. The simple truth is, any operation is a risk, however I had a good experience while I was there. The hotel was clean and the staff bent over backwards to make you feel comfortable. Dr Almanza's staff were quick to help in anyway they could. If you follow the directions provided by the doctor and his staff, your chances of having complications are negated. I have no idea how someone like in one of the reviews could have been taken from the hospital and dropped at the Tijuana border, but I can see how someone who didn't follow the directions could leave on his own as your not a prisoner. YEs I read the review on the person who was in a coma, who reacted to the medication which rendered her asleep. Its sad, but it happens. Im not trying to endorse Dr Almanza, but he and his team were very professional.

Share this post

Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
Go To Topic Listing Mexico & Self-Pay Weight Loss Surgery

  • Trending Products

  • Trending Topics

  • Recent Status Updates

    • Aunty Mamo

      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. 
      I live on the island of Oʻahu and spend a lot of time in the water- for exercise, for play,  and for spiritual & mental health. The day I had my month out appointment with my surgeon, I packed all my gear in my truck, anticipating his permission to get back in the ocean. The minute I walked out of that hospital I drove straight to the shore and got in that water. Hallelujah! My appointment was at 10 am. I didn't get home until after 5 pm. 
      I'm down 31 pounds since the day of surgery and 47 since my pre-op diet began, with that typical week long stall occurring at three weeks. I'm really starting to see some changes lately- some of my clothing is too big, some fits again. The most drastic changes I notice however are in my face. I've also noticed my endurance and flexibility increasing. I was really starting to be held up physically, and I'm so grateful that I'm seeing that turn around in such short order. 
      My general disposition lately is hopeful and motivated. The only thing that bugs me on a daily basis still is the way those supplements make my house smell. So stink! But I just bought a smell proof bag online that other people use to put their pot in. My house doesn't stink anymore. 
       
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • BeanitoDiego

      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.
      https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises
      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.
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • BeanitoDiego

      BeanitoDiego

      Some days I feel like an infiltrator... I'm participating in society as a "thin" person. They have no idea that I haven't always been one of them! 🤣
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • ChunkCat

      ChunkCat

      Thank you everyone for your well wishes! I totally forgot I wrote an update here... I'm one week post op today. I gained 15 lbs in water weight overnight because they had to give me tons of fluids to bring my BP up after surgery! I stayed one night in the hospital. Everything has been fine except I seem to have picked up a bug while I was there and I've been running a low grade fever, coughing, and a sore throat. So I've been hydrating well and sleeping a ton. So far the Covid tests are negative.
      I haven't been able to advance my diet past purees. Everything I eat other than tofu makes me choke and feels like trying to swallow rocks. They warned me it would get worse before it gets better, so lets hope this is all normal. I have my follow up on Monday so we'll see. Living on shakes and soup again is not fun. I had enough of them the first time!! LOL 
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • BeanitoDiego

      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!
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.

  • Recent Topics

  • Hot Products

  • Sign Up For
    Our Newsletter

    Follow us for the latest news
    and special product offers!
  • Together, we have lost...
      lbs

    PatchAid Vitamin Patches

    Bariatric Forums

    For Patients

    Health Professionals

    Search Surgeons

    Bariatric Surgeons: Want to research a weight loss surgery surgeon? Enter their last name below to start!

    ×