Surgery in Mexico: Lots of excellent choices

[ValerieInMexico 162]

I live in an expat retirement community in Mexico, for half of the year. There are 110 houses in our gated community. The town is about an hours drive from Guadalajara.

With the age of the residents in our community (there are over 5 thousand Americans and Canadians), you can imagine that there are a lot of urgent health care issues. The first hospital I went to was a shock to me. It looked like a five star hotel. The café in the lobby was a French bistro. I went for gastro tests, sent there by a bariatric center when I was having some problems with my RNY (done in the US). All was well with me, they just lectured me about the importance of taking my Vitamins and eating as advised for a RNY patient. I also had minor surgery and a stay overnight at another hospital. It was a rehab hospital, specializing in sports medicine. It was spotless and my room and bathroom were like a holiday inn room, but smaller. I have visited friends who have been rushed by ambulance for cardiac and other issues. The hospitals were all private and top notch.

Now, Guadalajara is a big city with a lot of different hospitals. They have a excellent Medical school. Many of the surgeons, like mine, had a rotation or a residency in the US. There are also the public hospitals run by the equivalent of Social Security/Medicare. Not at all the same, but many of the same surgeons and specialists. Often, the Dr.s have a private practice, but also work in the public hospitals. I have friends who had kidney transplants and knee replacements there. They had to bring their own family member to help them. It is no frills. Not for me. However the results were successful.

The BariatricPal hospital in Tijuana has a wonderful reputation. That is where I would have chosen if I did not have my casa near Guadalajara and friends there for support.

So, if you are considering surgery in Mexico, do your research and you can have a very safe and pleasant experience.

If you are retired, consider Lake Chapala for a month in the off season. Its beautiful and you could stay around after your surgery and enjoy the culture and the beauty..... and the shopping! (Not the restaurants).