Hello, 

I am strongly considering going to Dr. Marchesini in Brazil for my DS.  I have been thinking either him or Dr. Stewart.  Brazil would cost half as much and I haven't heard anything bad about Dr. Marchesini.  Have you?  I would probably feel more comfortable in Texas as it would be familiar.  I keep going back and forth.  

I am also unsure of everything that I would need to do to be prepared for Brazil.  Do you need a Visa?  What other things should I consider?

Also I have been reading a few posts around here and a couple people mentioned needing a feeding tube after surgery.  How common is that?

 Hi,
You would be in great hands with Dr. M, he is a great surgeon but also a wonderful person. I don't know how much he charges now but I'm sure you would save quit a bit.
Dr. Stewart is also a great surgeon so if you would rather go with someone that is in the US then he would be a great choice.
Going to Brazil did give me a bit of culture shock, in case you don't know it but they speak Portuguese in Brazil. When I went we had my laptop with me so anytime we could not make ourselves understood in the Hospital my daughter would translate it on the PC. It worked out just fine that way.
The care I had in Brazil was much better then any I had ever had in the US, and I've had 9 other surgeries I've had to have done in my life so far. 
You do need a Visa to get into Brazil, but that's easy to get. It's a long flight so try to be as comfortable as possible in you clothes.
We flew from Tampa FL to Sao Paulo then to Curitiba Brazil where Dr.M is. If we had flown through Rio we would have had to change airports in Rio and we did not want to do that in a strange country. So that is something to watch out for when you are making plans.
We did quit a bit of grocery shopping near the hotel and it helped to have someone with us that could help with knowing what to buy. The girls name is Ana and she is a taxi driver, she takes a lot of Dr. M's patients where ever they want to go, she speaks English and is a sweet person also. We had her take us sightseeing in her Taxi, it was very inexpensive then and we had a lot of fun with her. When we went out to eat we always invited her to come with us.

Well, anyway, either surgeon would be a good choice, so it all comes down to what you prefer.
Good Luck

 Hi, 
Thanks for the response :).  Did you have to wait very long for your appointment?  You were able to bring and use your own lap top?  Did you bring and use a cell phone?  Do you think i would be okay if I went alone?  What did you get for groceries for yourself to have after the operation?  I am worried about these little details and not being able to communicate.

ThankYou 

 Hi,
first of when we went shopping we did it the lazy way, we called Ana the taxi driver. lol Taxi fare is so cheap it was worth it to us. She went into the store with us and helped us understand what was what.
We bought yogurt, those tiny bananas, tea, cheese, lunch meats, those kinds of things. 
I know Dr. M likes for his patients to have someone there with them, but if you have to travel alone I have a feeling he will take extra care with you. He called at the Hotel almost every day when I did not have a appointment with him to see him at his office. He is really sweet.
The hotel had a hookup to the Internet, we did have to pay for it but I don't remember how much it was. I know it wasn't very much. Also that way we could "talk" to family at home by pre-arranged time. I didn't use the PC in the hospital but my daughter did. It wasn't really that important to me because I was there only from surgery day Wednesday until Friday afternoon. My recovery was very uneventful, I had less pain with the DS open surgery then I had with the lap-band laproscopical surgery. By Sunday we where doing some sightseeing in town.
In order to use a cell phone we would have needed to buy a Sim-card in Brazil, we could have done that but decided not to bother with it. It just was to much of a hassle. So much easier to talk on the PC.
I contacted Dr. M in March and within a couple of weeks of e-mails back and forth I set a date in June. I could have gotten a date sooner but things at home kept me from it. Most of my lab-work was done here, same with psych-eval, x-ray and EDG I had done there because it was a fraction of the cost.
Dr. M speaks perfect English, he is a wizz at languages. His private nurse Duval also speaks English, the taxi driver Ana speaks English and the people at the desk at the hotel also spoke English, so really no real problem.

Anything else you need to know just let me know.

 Did you bring a lot of cash.  Was it simple to exchange your US money in to buy grocieries and pay for things?

 There are cash machines, but credit/debit card are excepted most places even the grocery stores. Dr. M did ask for cash when I went in 2009. You really should e-mail him and he will send you all the info you need. It doesn't mean you have to have surgery there with him. 
Get the info and then decide.

here is his e-mail:    jbmarchesini@gmail.com

Also I'm not on this board very much at all anymore. There have been to many problems.
So, if you want to join many of us, people that had Dr. M and/or people that have lots of experience with also Dr. Stewart, the proboard link is below in my signiture line below.
Take care