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Why Choose Mexico?

CreatingTaylor

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CreatingTaylor    35

CreatingTaylor
Posted

Hi all, I am new here and have a question! I've been lurking around a bit but can't seem to find an answer so I decided to suck it up and post my very first topic!

I am looking into getting Gastric Sleeve surgery. I am leaning towards scheduling something in Mexico because my BMI is normally 32 or 33 and I have no major health issues that would qualify me for surgery in the US. I haven't tried yet to see if I would qualify for some reason so that might not be out of the question.

For those of you who have gone to Mexico for your surgery, was that decision made because you did not qualify for surgery through your insurance in the US and you needed to self-pay? Or for other reasons?

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Dawny28    43

Dawny28
Posted

I think most go to Mexico because of insurance not covering them in the US.....After doing their research and picking a doctor they are comfortable and very pleased with the whole process. I hope to be having my sleeve surgery with Dr. Carlos Altamirano around September 18th

read as many of these blogs you can thats what i have done

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CreatingTaylor    35

CreatingTaylor
Posted

@@Dawny28 I am hoping to have my sleeve surgery with him as well. I just finished my Skype call with him and feeling good about the decision. I'm hoping it all pans out. Good luck with your surgeru! I'd love to hear how your experience is with him!

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JamieLogical    8,684

JamieLogical
Posted

I went to Mexico for a couple of reasons.

  1. I didn't qualify for WLS through my insurance. They had a requirement that you had to have a 5-year documented history of a BMI over 40 or over 35 with comorbidities. Well, I had lost 90 pounds "on my own" back in 2010/2011 and it took me a while to gain it all back, so my BMI had been well below 40 for a big chunk of the past 5 years and had just peaked back over 40 when I started looking into WLS.
  2. I couldn't afford to pay out-of-pocket for surgery in the US.
  3. I'd been to Mexico for surgery before (cosmetic surgery after my earlier 90-pound weight loss) and it was an incredibly positive experience, so I had no concerns about returning to Mexico for surgery.

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CreatingTaylor    35

CreatingTaylor
Posted

Thank you all for your input! I have decided to schedule surgery with Dr. Altamirano in January of next year!

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CreatingTaylor    35

CreatingTaylor
Posted

Wow congrats on your success!! You definitely made the right decision.

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back2me1987    17

back2me1987
Posted

I think most go to Mexico because of insurance not covering them in the US.....After doing their research and picking a doctor they are comfortable and very pleased with the whole process. I hope to be having my sleeve surgery with Dr. Carlos Altamirano around September 18th

read as many of these blogs you can thats what i have done

Did you have surgery this weekend? How did it go?

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

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    • 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
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    • 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
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    • 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
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