Jump to content
×
Are you looking for the BariatricPal Store? Go now!

Tell me your story I can't pick a MX surgeon!!



Recommended Posts

I am reading way too much and making myself CRAZY! First I had my surgery all scheduled with Dr Ortiz, then I set up surgery with Dr. Rumbaut because it shaved off 3 hours flying time and I believed he was right up there with Ortiz, but I couldn't get the express passport in time. Now I have read and read and read all these damn postings till my eyeballs are popping out and am thinking - maybe I should go cheaper and get the hospital experience somewhere else in Tijuana- maybe Dr. Ortiz is too arrogant and they do treat you like cattle with dollar signs and no follow up at all and that damn lady witht the 10 page posting makes you think Dr. Ortiz' Mother is the wicked witch, so now I am juggling: Dr. Valencia, Dr Rodriguez, Dr. this. Dr. that..!! All I need is your basic experiences - nice facility, nice hotel, fair treatment, some genuine care, authentic concern, good price? PLEASE GIVE ME YOUR EXPERIENCES - I WILL PICK FROM THESE AND THAT WILL BE IT ONCE AND FOR ALL!!!!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Hi noahsmom!

Without a passport you'll need to cross the border by car. I chose Dr Valencia who does surgery in Tijuana and Ensenada. You can fly in to San Diego for either place and they will pick you up at the airport so you don’t need a passport.

The number one reason I chose Dr. Valencia was for his credentials. I couldn't find any other surgeon in Mexico that came close to his credentials. My family doctor wasn't happy when I told him I was considering Mexico, but when I mentioned Dr. Valencia and UCLA, he gave his blessing. Dr. Valencia is very caring, provides great care before AND after surgery! He only does surgery in full hospitals not a clinic. He does the surgery with only 4 incisions. He teaches and proctors all over the world and is well respected not only in Mexico, but also at UCLA where he teaches. I would recommend him to anyone! You should call and ask to speak to him. I spoke to him before I scheduled and he answered all my questions. You couldn't be in better hands. That’s my 2 cents!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

why not call dr. daniel huacuz. he did my surgery. no problems. great care and excellent after care. he is in Tijuana and has his own private clinic/hospital. it is so nice. brand new and beautiful. he has a great staff and the best anesthesiologist. great nurses. everyone is super friendly and nice. check out his prices too. he is competetive. there are so many doctors to choose from so im sure it is hard to decide. good luck with whom ever you go to. i like to recommend my doctor since he is so kind and caring. let us know how it goes and dont forget to plan for your fills after your surgery.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I also went to Dr Huacuz in Tijuana with Group Trips To Mexico in August. I had a great experience. No problems what so ever. I would highly recomend them. Everyone was wonderful and I was able to communicate with everyone fine. Good luck with your decision. You won't go wrong with Group Trips To Mexico or Dr Huacuz.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I felt the same way after reading about all of the doctor options. I chose to go with Dr. Gonzales in Tijuana. I live in San Diego, so I preferred a surgeon in the TJ area, but was looking at some of the other Mexican surgeons. I went down to have the surgery myself. The experience was better than I was expecting. I had it done at the medical center, not the hospital -- it was so much nicer than I thought it would be. The staff was nice, helpful, and so on. The doctors checked on me constantly, even coming back at 10:30-11pm to make sure that I was good to go to bed. They have called every day and have given me a ton of support. If you want more of my experience, please feel free to PM me. I would definitely recommend Dr. Gonzales (and I am a very picky person). :eek:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The docs with the best credentials, affiliations, and set up IMHO are Rumbaut and Aceves.

My wife and I both used Dr. Rumbaut. Good experience, good facility, logistics were all taken care of, and English speaking. I have nothing but good to report and would recommend Dr. Rumbaut, though I am only speaking from my own experience and I'm sure there are other good and qualified docs available. I guess it falls back to you and your choice. I hope you find one you're comfortable with.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I felt the same way after reading about all of the doctor options. I chose to go with Dr. Gonzales in Tijuana. I live in San Diego, so I preferred a surgeon in the TJ area, but was looking at some of the other Mexican surgeons. I went down to have the surgery myself. The experience was better than I was expecting. I had it done at the medical center, not the hospital -- it was so much nicer than I thought it would be. The staff was nice, helpful, and so on. The doctors checked on me constantly, even coming back at 10:30-11pm to make sure that I was good to go to bed. They have called every day and have given me a ton of support. If you want more of my experience, please feel free to PM me. I would definitely recommend Dr. Gonzales (and I am a very picky person). :eek:

My experience was as yours, impressive!

The level of care before surgery and their awesome follow-up after!!!! I have, like you, been called so many times since my surgery, to ask about my recovery and diet and food tolerance by doctor V and doctor G or by Laura just to say Hi! The facilities are great (I had a great view) modern and very clean. Great caring, professional team that I have recommended several times now.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Doesn't Dr. Gonzalez have a 3-4% erosion stat? Global erosion stats are 1.3%. That seems very high to me.

Where do you find stats like this on doctors? I need to do some research, but not sure where to start....

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Where do you find stats like this on doctors? I need to do some research, but not sure where to start....

That particular stat comes from Dr. G's office. It is their claim.

Have to give them credit for honesty but the stat still concerns me.

You have to *really* seriously dig for most information. In my case I have a friend who is a trauma surgeon in Mexico and he did a lot of the digging for me when I was going to have surgery. He knows how to look up board actions, credit, he knows how to verify stats for slips, erosion, infections, etc. So I had advantages most don't when I was doing research.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

You really do invest quite a bit of time trying to find dirt on Mexican surgeons don't you Bubblebutt? I did extensive research on Dr. Gonzalez before surgery with him and I think your stats, both global and Gonzalez's are wrong. I suppose your surgeon's stats are the best.........right?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

You really do invest quite a bit of time trying to find dirt on Mexican surgeons don't you Bubblebutt? I did extensive research on Dr. Gonzalez before surgery with him and I think your stats, both global and Gonzalez's are wrong. I suppose your surgeon's stats are the best.........right?

I did a LOT of digging for dirt on a LOT of surgeons both in Mexico and the US before I chose one for my own surgery. Are you suggesting it is better to not research a doc and hope for the best? Seriously?

If you dispute the stats then I would urge you to verify them. Call Dr. G's office and ask for yourself. Find out what their erosion stats are. It's their claim, not mine. It's not my fault you went to a surgeon without verifying their own claims of their own stats so I'm not sure why you are taking this out on me.

Global stats... again, not my claim. It is Inamed's claim. If you don't like their stats you'll have to take it up with them because I simply can't change them.

Yes, I picked the doc with the best stats and the one that was best for me, something we should all do. Are you suggesting I should have done otherwise?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Speaking of "digging" I've been doing a little digging on your posts. As of this moment you have a total of 28 posts. Are you aware that 25 of 28 of your posts are selling Dr. Gonzalez?

Sounds a lot like a patient coordinator who makes money off of sending people to that doc along with the ID you choose. It just happens to be verrry similar to the name of Dr. G's clinic.

But hey, what do I know? I'm just a silly patient.

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

  • Trending Products

  • Trending Topics

  • Recent Status Updates

    • KeeWee

      It's been 10 long years! Here is my VSG weight loss surgiversary update..
      https://www.ae1bmerchme.com/post/10-year-surgiversary-update-for-2024 
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • 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

      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

      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

      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.
  • 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

    ×