My Experience in Mexico, with Dr. Ungson and DS revision

Well, I should begin by first saying that I had a VSG in 2009 in Denver with Dr. Metz.  That surgery failed.  I then this past year started considering DS.  First, let me say my BCBS insurance doesn't pay for it, won't even consider it.  So BOTH surgeries were cash pay.  When researching DS, I found that there aren't all too many highly skilled surgeons that even do it in the first place.  Then, throw in, what are their complication rates, death rates, cost, location, open vs. laproscopic, etc.  and your choices dwindle even further.  SO, it boiled down to this.  I knew I had to travel for it, I knew I had to pay cash for it, and I was NOT going to be thrilled if it wasn't laproscopic and I was NOT going to compromise on the skill of the surgeon. 

 

Okay!  That being said, I came down to 2 surgeons, Dr. Rabkin in San Francisco and Dr. Ungson in Mexico.  The deciding factor was that Rabkin was an open surgery and Ungson revised my sleeve laproscopic.  Deal!  Both highly respected and regarded surgeons, both with great reviews and low complication rates.  The cost?  I paid $14,500 for Ungson, Rabkin's cost would have been $27,000.  SO! Let me first say how I ended up in this boat in the first place.  Like I said, the VSG with Dr. Metz in Denver failed miserably.  I found out why in Mexico.  After my DS revision, Dr. Ungson came in to check on me and tell me what happened.  Turns out, Metz didn't even sleeve the top half of my stomach, didn't even touch it!  So, I had a half sleeve.  Why?  Well, Dr. Ungson basically said it came down to skill, or lack thereof..  Okay, so I was ticked!  I paid $16,000 for a half sleeve.  That failed.  That failed and cost me a revision.  Okay, enough about that!  I cannot dwell on the past.  Here's my experience day by day. 

August 20.  Arrived in San Diego, shuttled to Mexicali by Ernesto.  Nice guy, hard to understand.  Dependable driver.  Got to the Almater hospital for pre op tests.  So, I was confused!  All this time, I was talking with Nina, then I was talking to Karla and Yolanda.  Took me a bit to figure that out, but all are pleasant.  The laboratory blood test freaked me out!  The guy who drew my blood did not wear gloves to do so.  I hate blood anyways and why would you not wear gloves?  But, they do that here in the states too, so I guess I cannot judge.  Then, we met in the room with another lady and her husband who were there from Oklahoma.  Okay, don't expect HIPAA type of privacy, that does not exist there.  We talked openly about our procedures, health issues, whatever in front of other patients.  We met the surgeon, the anesthesiologist, the nutritionist, did some more tests, took an xray, EKG, no psych test.  Then, driven to the hotel.  The hotel was The Lucerna.  Got there, and noticed about 6 Mexican Army guys fully armed at the front door, why?  who knows.  But, it did scare me.  I got to eat a light dinner which was nice, but I was confused again!  Why did I fast on liquids for 5 days if I didn't need to?  No matter I guess, the Lucerna has some pretty good food on site.  The room?  Don't expect much, it was run down.  It is maybe a motel 6 type of hotel room, which was disappointing because the hotel itself has better rooms, and they are ALL smoking rooms from what we got.  The grounds though of the hotel are nice!  2 pools, and waterfalls, it was pretty.  We also went to their on site spa and had massages.  I took the antibiotic and sleeping aid Yolanda gave me and went to bed, surgery at 8 a.m.

 

Day 2, surgery day.  I went into the Almater hospital, greeted right away.  Wheeled into surgery prep, said hi to the anesthesiologist.  The started to put my arms out and pose my body the way they wanted it, and that is all I remember!  Surgery took 3.5 hours.  I remember the recovery room vaguely, in fact not much of that day at all.  They do give you Morphine for pain in your IV and that worked fantastically.  I can honestly say, it was an easy surgery.  I had little to no pain from day one.  Mostly headaches.  And backaches.  But, almost no surgery pain.  Okay, so the drain they put on your side is nothing but disgusting.  It catches all the fluids and blood, and junk from your abdomen and it stay there for days.  Gross.  But, necessary.  That night however, was a horrible night sleeping.  I had a room right behind the nurses desk and they were very giggly, loud and chatter boxes.  Here's the deal on the nurses.  Very little English, in fact, some had none.  And, they are everywhere!  Nurses all over the place.  Which was nice, and unlike here, you could get immediate attention if you needed it.  But, it seemed that they have a TON of down time and very little to do, unlike here where our nurses work their hineys off non stop and you can only get one if you are dying.  So, I switched rooms the next day away from the nurses desk.  That worked.  Another nice thing about the nurses, they let me sleep!  They didn't come in every hour to take vitals and bug me.  They took vitals maybe 2 or 3 times a day.  Okay, another not so pleasant thing.  Remember that nasty drain thing?  Well, when the nurses drain it, they use a little plastic pan to catch it, fine.  BUT, then, they put that little plastic pan in the bathroom and reuse it.  Probably not a health threat, but was really gross to see.  Also!  Don't expect the same biohazard standards there as there are here.  Blood goes down the drain, soiled clothes, bandages, other things that we wouldn't put in the regular trash, goes in the trash.  Not saying it is bad, but it is definintely different.  Needles did go into a sharps container.   

 

Day 3.  Just hanging out at the Almater hospital.  Healing, walking around, still on Morphine and IV fluids.  Okay, about the hospital.  It was nice!  It is a small little hospital and not very busy.  I got the impression that it definitely is not a main or general hospital at all.  Just a little hospital for specialties from what I could see.  And, since it is small, there wasn't really anywhere to go.  We walked the little hallway a few laps, sat outside a little, but overall, it was boring.  And, yes, I know, it is a hospital, not a resort.  But, it was boring.  So, bring things to do.  The rooms themselves are okay.  The hospital beds are your typical uncomfortable beds that adjust up and down, your hunny gets to sleep on a couch, there is a TV, a private bath and shower, but no windows in the rooms.  One thing I can say though, it was a clean hospital.  Janitors are everywhere!  Always mopping, cleaning, wiping down the surfaces, etc.  So, if you are worried that it is going to be dirty and you will get an infection, don't.  It was clean. 

Day 4, Saturday.  Okay, I feel great!  no pain, no discomfort from surgery.  I'm getting antsy.  Passed the day playing on my kindle, watched some TV, slept some, walked some, nothing major happened here.  Okay, about the doctors!  So, they all had good English skills, communicated fine.  Dr. Ungson Is clearly a very skilled surgeon, that was clear not only from talking with him, but from the fact that I came through with zero complications and zero pain, unlike my first VSG surgery back in 2009 when I had so much pain I thought I would die.  So, there was also Dr. Beltram.  Who assisted in the surgery.  And, there is Dr. Campos who talked about the care of the DS and did the barium test and removed the drain.  All are pleasant people.  The only thing I could suggest is that when they come in to do their "rounds" it is obvious that they are in a hurry and have one foot out the door and one foot in.  So, it is brief, so have your questions ready.  They gave me apple juice filled with blue die to check for leaks, no leaks, great!  But, I was confused why apple juice considering it has a lot of sugar in it.....  Same with the Gatorade, it had sugar too.  Got to drink soup this day, nice change form the apple juice, tea and Gatorade. 

 

Day 5. Sunday.  Okay, I am ready to go home.  I feel perfectly fine and now I am really bored.  So, I passed the final barium leak test, removed the drain, removed the IV and back to the hotel!  Yay!  Much more comfortable in that bed.  We went to the on site restaurant and they were kind and strained my chicken soup so I could sit at a nice table with my husband, drink my soup and chat.  It was nice.  Okay, about the food for your hunny.  The hospital has a cafeteria, it is about $10-$15 per meal and he says that the food was freshly cooked and good each time.  At the hotel, a meal is $12-$25.  Also, next door to the hotel is a casino if you feel up to it.  We didn't go.  There is also a little supermarket across the street and they had great prices on things like Jello, Gatorade, waters, snacks for your hunny, etc.  Sat that night at the pool, chatting and playing on my kindle. 

 

Day 6.  Monday.  Okay, I am REALLY ready to go home, I felt perfectly fine.  But, just in case, they keep you close by.  I understand and appreciated that.  So, for lunch, we went to the Italian restaurant on site and they strained a minestrone soup for me, we walked the grounds, took a nap, sat by the pool, just waited for the next day which of course is going home day!

 

Day 7.  Yesterday.  Looooong travel day.  Okay, getting back into the States was a mess.  It took over an hour to cross the border due to traffic and congestion.  Lots of street vendors.  Just make sure you take something to drink because it is a long day.  Flew back to Denver, drove home, and that was that!

 

Overall, my experience was easy breezy.  I had my sleeve revised, had a duodenal switch, all with zero issues.  As I am sitting here typing this, the only issue I am having is trying to swallow these vitamins!  No bathroom issues really, not yet anyways, no pain, I am a little tired.  If you are thinking about surgery in Mexico, all I can say is go with Mexicali Bariatric Center and Dr. Ungson and team.  Don't compromise on the cheaper ones.  I got a quote for $6,000 from some guy that I had no clue who he was in Mexico.  I was tempted for about 2 seconds based on the price.  I paid twice as much, and had a fantastic outcome, well worth the money so far.  Anyways, If you read all of this, you are a hero!  Good luck!

 

 

Congratulations on a successful surgery!! Sounds like you had a great experience.

Sounds like a perfect experience!!  Thanks for sharing.

Elaine

Of the two docs you had narrowed your search to, you couldn't have gone wrong either way.  I know that Dr. Ungson has many, MANY fans on the DS board, as does Rabkin.