Hi everyone!

I am going to be a self-pay patient, and am seriously considering surgery in Mexico, since it is so much cheaper. Has anyone had any success? Complications? Advice on places that are great or places to avoid? I am so nervous, because I had a friend tell me I was crazy to even consider doing it in Mexico. Am I nuts? Those who have had their surgeries, what did it cost? What did the price include? Most importantly, if you have any complications after you get hiome, then what?

I had it done in Mexico as I was too low of a BMI to get it done in the states. I paid about $4900 when it was all said and done. I had it done by Dr. Kelly in his clinic. To have it done by him in the hospital it would have been at least a couple thousand more. Looking back, I should have paid the extra and done it in a safer environment. I had no major complications (other than finding out I didn't react well to general anesthesia and threw up for a day and a half every single hour.), but I had the feeling that if some emergency came up, I could very well die there. I speak some Spanish, which was a lifesaver, since none of the nurses spoke a lick of English (I was in Mexico, after all, but I guess I expected at least a little bit of English since most are English speakers who get the surgery done!). So, yeah, not the sanest decision to have it done in a little clinic, but I came out ok, and it changed my life in such a drastic way that I would still do it all over for the amazing results!

The cost included everything, the pick up at the San Diego airport to the clinic. The bloodwork, x-rays, etc, and the hotel stay for 3 nights (I stayed in the actual clinic 2 nights and the hotel for 3. They want you close in case of complications). I was desperate so I took a desperate measure. It took a while for my husband to be on board, but I did a lot of research and found who I thought was the best surgeon. I ended up hating the surgeon as a person, but he did great work!

I'm having it done and 12/29 by Dr Rodriguez with MBC. So excited

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I'm having it done and 12/29 by Dr Rodriguez with MBC. So excited

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I did. Best experience EVER! I researched every bariatric surgeon in Mexico. By far.... the best surgeon with lowest complication and morbidity rate is Dr. Illan with BariatricPal Team MX. They ALL speak English, the specialized hospital is BRAND NEW and ONLY FOR BARIATRIC PATIENTS. There is 24 hour security and you have your own personal valet to take you anywhere at anytime.



5' 5"
HW: 259
CW: 235
GOAL: Healthy and hard 140-ish?

This is a long post, but it details my gastric sleeve experience in Mexico, and I feel like it's important to share it. I'm sure there are great results from this clinic and others in Mexico, but here are some of the pitfalls:

I had a sleeve gastrectomy in April in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, with Dr. Juan Francisco Hidalgo (Weight Loss Team), and I have had extreme complications since then. I had to undergo a revision surgery to a full gastric bypass because the multiple strictures in my stomach were so bad that surgeons at the Mayo Clinic (arguably one of the best groups of bariatric surgeons in the world), after five procedures, couldn't fix them. They say it was most likely Dr. Hidalgo's technique that created the stricture - he uses a much smaller bougie (tube to shape the stomach) than is typically used in the United States, and it is more likely to create complications. I know loads of people have a good outcome from Mexico surgeries, but I share my experience because I owe it to anyone contemplating this.

I did a lot of research before going there and thought I had chosen well. The website of Dr. Hidalgo is very sophisticated, and there are no language issues when asking questions in advance because of the English-speaking administrator, Gerald. The website gives reams of information in perfect English -- all very comforting. Plus, as I was considering the surgery, they offered me access to the support group on Facebook for patients of Dr. Hidalgo -- something that seemed so authentic and convincing since I could read posts from all kinds of real people. However, after they recently found out about my complications, Gerald, the administrator, removed me from the group even though I was not all over it bashing Hidalgo but had just posted a couple of times about my situation. I suddenly felt so duped -- I believed all the great testimonials and was too gullible to understand that only people with positive outcomes were allowed to be in that community.

So since I can't share it with people allowed to join that private group, I feel it is my responsibility to share my experience here:

My experience in the Puerto Vallarta hospital was very hairy - I woke up after surgery in some kind of lounge with no one around me and in extreme pain - sobbing and begging for help, and after that at one point my blood pressure was so dangerously low that they wouldn't let me lay down anymore - forcing me into a sitting position, and I think it was possibly because the nurses gave me pain medicine twice at one point. Dr. Hidalgo was summoned to the room, and actually suggested perhaps my condition was because I hadn't taken my Wellbutrin for a couple of days. Um, what? I sincerely thought for a little while that I might die.

Promises that the medical staff would check in on me at my hotel regularly after discharge from the hospital didn't materialize, and a bellboy had to track down Dr. Hidalgo to remove my staples because I was due to fly home.

And then when I required intervention a couple of weeks later because I couldn't eat or drink anything due to the stricture, I was told by Dr. Hidalgo that I just needed a shot of cortisone (Seriously? Where?), and when they sent my "surgery report" to share with the U.S. doctor, it was actually just a generic report with my name at the top - not my report. It didn't even include my actual surgical information because it talked about the port they had installed, which I never had. When I asked for full records, including the swallow study/leak test done with X-Ray at the hospital before discharge, I was told that Dr. Hidalgo didn't have any of the records, and that it could be three or four months before he got it from the hospital.

My diagnosis was that I had a severe stricture in my gastric sleeve in several places, and the five additional surgeries were to try to stretch and stent the stomach open, but nothing worked and I had to have a complete revision to a roux en Y gastric bypass because my stomach was unsavable. The Mayo surgeon's professional opinion based on my situation and the generic "surgery report" Hidalgo's team sent is that this stricture was caused by Dr. Hidalgo because he uses a bougie that is far too narrow. This is the tool used to size your new sleeve stomach, and Hidalgo uses size 18, while the medical standard in the U.S. is more like 28.

Though I asked several times, Dr. Hidalgo would never provide my actual medical records or X-Rays from after the surgery, but the Mayo doctors believe the X-Ray immediately following the surgery shows the stricture, which left just a 1/4 inch opening and was slowly killing me. I didn't eat a solid piece of food for 140 days, I was anemic and malnourished and needing fluid IVs just to stay hydrated because I couldn't even force enough water down the narrow stricture. Half of my hair has fallen out, I was confused and exhausted for months due to malnutrition, and I could hardly function. I lost 75 pounds in four months, but I only had 100 pounds total to lose so that was a dangerous pace for someone my size . Yes, I lost weight, but this was not a safe way to do it and I was desperately sick the whole time. Besides, my procedures to fix my $4,200 gastric sleeve from Mexico cost more than $125,000 - thank GOD I have good health insurance because just the co-pays alone have caused me significant hardship.

I'm sorry to share such a terrible story. I understand how hopeful it feels to finally have the opportunity to lose weight because I was desperate to do so. But I made bad choices, it seems, based on a fake Facebook "support group," and English-speaking staff, and a charming doctor. My advice is to choose slowly and well and to comb forums looking for posts from people who may not have had the best experiences with the clinic you choose. I have a network now of a couple of other people with an experience similar to mine from surgeries with Hidalgo's Weight Loss Team, and none of us ever saw anything negative ahead of our visits. People with complications need to share them for the benefit of people in the future.

I would also recommend that you ask a surgeon for the technical aspects of their procedure and then compare them to the vast volumes of research available from doctors who practice in the U.S. The bougie size is a big deal, and so are the exact kind of staples used. And above all else, DO NOT leave Mexico without a copy of every medical record generated about your care, from the films of the leak test to hospital logs. Even in Spanish, they can be invaluable later to a team of doctors trying to help you if you have complications.

I have learned these things the hard way, and it's been a rough road. If I could do it over, I would still have the gastric sleeve, maybe, but I would have been much more cautious in the process. I wish you all the best.

Cindirelly, thank you for your story! I applaude you for telling the truth! Ive received some ugly messages because I told the truth. Glad you are repaired and best wishes for your future.

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1 hour ago, Cindirelly said:

People with complications need to share them for the benefit of people in the future.

Thank you for your candor, I couldn't agree more. I am scheduled for 12/27 at a different facility. I did a lot of research but it is always concerning to hear about complications, especially when they are so extreme. It's terrible that you had to go through this ordeal and the way you were treated because you didn't have the perfect success story. I hope you are feeling better now after your revision to RNY. Good luck in your continued recovery. I know I will be keeping this in mind during these last few weeks before I leave, and things to look out for while there.

I am from Mexico and had RNY on october 17th 2017. I did a lot of research to choose a good doctor and found Dr. Roberto Rumbaut, he is one of top WLS doctors in Mexico... I would never consider any doctor that is not in one of the main cities in the country like, MExico City, Guadalarja or Monterrey where I had the surgery... The best hospitals in the county and obviously the best doctors are there. Even Tijuana that I know is quite popular in this forum will never be an option for me.....

Also complications do happen, I had a stricture that had nothing to do with the doctors technic or method, it was simply a scarring issue that was fixed in 20 minutes.....

I hope you get much better !

BR

On 12/4/2017 at 6:51 PM, boliramirez said:

I am from Mexico and had RNY on october 17th 2017. I did a lot of research to choose a good doctor and found Dr. Roberto Rumbaut, he is one of top WLS doctors in Mexico... I would never consider any doctor that is not in one of the main cities in the country like, MExico City, Guadalarja or Monterrey where I had the surgery... The best hospitals in the county and obviously the best doctors are there. Even Tijuana that I know is quite popular in this forum will never be an option for me.....

Also complications do happen, I had a stricture that had nothing to do with the doctors technic or method, it was simply a scarring issue that was fixed in 20 minutes.....

I hope you get much better !

BR

How did they fix your stricture? I'm going through an issue right now with a stricture. I couldn't even finish the upper GI because the barium wouldn't pass through. The GI dr referred me to a surgeon and now I'm waiting for their call.. I'm just not sure what to expect.. any advice?

I had my surgery in Tijuana, Mexico with Dr.Cervantez at Hospital Guadalajara. My stay was very pleasant the nurses and surgeon were very nice and attentive. I am now back home with no issues and no regrets. The hospital was clean and accommodating, I really couldn't ask more for a hospital outside of the states.

Nurses didn't speak English to well but thats not on them. Total cost was about 4400 with flight and all. I was very nervous my first day in the hospital but afterwards with all the attention from the staff I felt comfortable and would recommend it.

Went through the company renew bariatrics!

I had to have a gastric bypass.

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First they may try to fix it with an EGD, I had 5 and then rhe gastric bypass.

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First they may try to fix it with an EGD, I had 5 and then rhe gastric bypass.

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I don't know why, but they didn't try during my endoscopy..

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5 hours ago, Sara Bronson said:

How did they fix your stricture? I'm going through an issue right now with a stricture. I couldn't even finish the upper GI because the barium wouldn't pass through. The GI dr referred me to a surgeon and now I'm waiting for their call.. I'm just not sure what to expect.. any advice?

Sorry to hear that. My doctor did not even tried the barium as I was not able to even pass water , so they did a GI and with little ballon ,they stretched the stricture. It was done under anesthesia and lasted less than 15 minutes , I felt nothing after it was done and was able able to swallow pretty mug normal right after the procedure . They recommended two more weeks of puréed food and I just started eating normal , since Monday , no more issues Thank God.... Do it worry , it is a simple procedure and you will be fine in no time ...

Sorry to hear that. My doctor did not even tried the barium as I was not able to even pass Water , so they did a GI and with little ballon ,they stretched the stricture. It was done under anesthesia and lasted less than 15 minutes , I felt nothing after it was done and was able able to swallow pretty mug normal right after the procedure . They recommended two more weeks of puréed food and I just started eating normal , since Monday , no more issues Thank God.... Do it worry , it is a simple procedure and you will be fine in no time ...

I had an endoscopy last week. But they didn't do it then

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I'm curious, If anyone has had an issue - such as a stricture - after having your procedure in MX, if you live in the US, how was it handled by the hospital/facility where you received treatment at home? Did your health insurance cover the complication...did you have complication insurance that covered it...or did you have to pay out of pocket?

Also, did doctors at home give you a hard time/treat you differently because you had your procedure outside the U.S.?

Thx!