Hi Has anyone had surgery in Mexico? How did it go? I am going the 27th to Dr. Zapata to be banded. Are fills real expensive if you go to a different doctor? Anyone know?:hungry:

:welcomeB: Take some time and read, read, read around here. I think at one time someone did a poll here and greater than 50% of the people here have been banded in MX.

There are LOADS of threads about it. You might want to try the search function on the blue tool bar and put in Zapata. There are quite a few threads about Dr. Zapata as well. You'll likely find those in Mexico or in Doctors and Hospitals.

Thanks for the info.I will do that.

i have been looking at drs in mexico also..and am trying to pick one to go to..if anyone has any ideas or references and prices would love the info..thanks

I had a great experience in Mexico. I did have to pay a local doctor $2000 to take me as a Mexican Patient...and I have only had one fill. Weight is coming off slowly but surely!!!!

i am a bit confused, you went to this dr kuri , i believe on the response and he charged you 2000 dollars and it was 275 for the consult and 175 for the fill ...is that right..so total 2450 for the procedure..did you pay more for other things like the anesthetia and dr ect...

No, what I believe TRANAM was saying was that surgery was in Mexico, but LOCALLY (at home) it cost $2000 for a local doctor to take TRANAM on as a patient. That is VERY common. The MOST important thing to do (besides looking all around the boards here for a good Mexican surgeon) BEFORE surgery is to set up your aftercare. MANY MANY surgeons will not take on patients that they did not band. That is why you should call around to local bariatric surgeons and find out if they will take on a patient banded by someone else, and how much that will cost you. Many times if they do take on someone elses patient they charge a fee (like the $2000) to do so. The consult fee of $275 is probably for the first meeting, to look at the records, and for the first exam at the fill dr's, and the fills themselves are $174 each time. This is not just because you went to Mexico, many US surgeons will do this even if you were banded in another state.

It seems the average I've seen for Mexico surgeons is anywhere from $7400-$9000 dollars. Some more, some less. I think the best ones (Rumbaut, Ortiz, Aceves and Kuri) are all around $8000.

yes i was kind of figuring that out from some messages i went and read under that profile..thank you though..just new to this and a bit overwhelmed and well had a mental lapse..hee hee...anyway thank you for your input and help with the message..i live in vegas so if i get it outside of sandiego it is not too far for me to go for a fill so i should be ok there..i was looking at a few drs near there and what they offered with the surgery..:car:

Sandy, I was just banded in Mexico last week by Dr. Ortiz in Tijuana. It was a great experience. I was super impressed with the doctor and his clinic. Very up to date, clean and they all spoke excellent english. The cost was $8500. I decided which doctor to use and had the surgery just two weeks later.

GREAT EXPERIENCE ! ! ! ! I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

Kari

thank you so much for that info...just guess i need to get the butt in gear and do it while i still have some time off... thanks for the replies now i need to make my decision...seems that mexico is a place to go for it..

I am also thinking about Mexico Dr's as well. However someone has told me about Dr Kirshenbaum in Denver, he charges a little more than most Dr's in Mexico but he is in the US which may or may not be a plus. His fees are $9950. I'm from Colorado and currently in California, so it would work out for me. but I just wanted to give you another option to look at.

www.lapbandrockies.com

thank you so much for your help, yes that is a great price for america, although it would be a bit closer for me to go to mexico..good luck to you also and to everyone else..i do appreciate all the help everyone has sent me. and will like i said make my decision in next few days..thanks