I had surgery with Dr. Verboonen at Bariatric Mexico earlier this month and thought I would share some thoughts and tips about having surgery in Mexico. I haven't had any complications (knock on wood), and am doing well. While I don't regret it, if I had to do it over again I would choose a different surgeon.

1. Ask about their pain management plan. I was off pain meds by my flight home two days after surgery BUT there was terrible pain management the first 36 hours or so. I woke up in serious pain. I told them I was in pain in the recovery room, and was told it was normal. After that they started ignoring me, and the staff was eating chips in the recovery room. After I started crying, they gave me an injection of something. The first night after surgery I was in so much pain I considered asking them to take me to a hospital. In retrospect, they seemed to rely solely on ketorolac (an NSAID). The language barrier really prevented a discussion of what pain meds I was being given. For me, it was not enough. I don't mean to scare you off from Mexico, but in retrospect I should have been more persistent on learning about their pain management plan.

2. Waiting and never meeting the surgeon. I was picked up at 8:30 and finished all my pre-op labs by 11:30 or so. I then waited 4 or 5 hours to have surgery, which is not really what you want when you are nervous. I was told I would have a full consultation with the surgeon, but I never met him before or after. I also never met with the anestesologist. The other doctors and staff made me feel secure and comfortable, but in retrospect it was nowhere near as advertised.

3. Immediate Aftercare. After the first night, they changed to a different recovery room. I had to walk outside of the building in a hospital gown to get to the new place, only to discover that my bed was in what I can only describe as the lobby. It was right next to the door to the street, and you had to walk through the lobby area to get to the actual rooms for the other patients. When I complained, they did say I could stay at the hotel for the night instead. But since I was traveling alone and they would have to take out the IV (raising my concerns about dehydration), I elected to stay there.

3. "Nutrition" information. I was given a one page sheet of dos and don't. It was rushed and took about five minutes as I was leaving to go to the airport.

The surgery went well, which is the most important thing. But I wouldn't say it was comfortable experience.

Wow! I’m sorry to hear that you had such a horrible experience! All that doesn’t sound good at all! I also went to Mexico but my experience was the complete opposite. I can’t stop raving about how well I and my companion were treated and how clean and organized everything was. Way better than any hospital care I’ve ever received in Canada & Europe. I guess it depends on the company & clinic. I hope your post-op support is there for you at least [emoji1417]

Yeah, I don't think my experience was indicative of people's experience in Mexico generally at all. I'm feeling pretty great now (6 days post-op), but it was a hellish 48 hours.

Wow, I am sorry to hear that. Well although the experience was not a pleasant one, at least you are in good health!!