Elle25

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WLS is scary enough without having to add the unknown factor of having it done in Mexico. It can really alter a decision to get the procedure done. Because of this, I'm only going to be 100% truthful with you about my decision to cross the border for Dr. Alvarez. Traveling to Mexico for surgery was the one thing that scared me enough to cancel my operation. What eventually helped me is thinking about the situation like this:   

I want the best surgery available with the doctors that are the most recommended and reliable -- which just so happens to be Dr. Alvarez. If he operated in New Zealand, Egypt, or China I'd be flying there instead for the procedure -- it has nothing to do with where he's located, remember that, because you're looking for the best doctor and he just so happens to be in Mexico (3 miles from the US border.)  

My mom was really nervous about the Mexico thing too which is why she insisted on coming with. The entire process was handled so flawlessly that I (nor my mother) have any doubts about the decision I made. Not only did the surgery go well but there was round the clock people checking in on me. The logistics of the entire experience were so well planned, neither my mother nor I ever had to worry about how we were getting from the airport to the hospital, from the hospital to the hotel or how to cross the border. The entire situation was excellently thought out and planned and it was nice not to have to worry about everything else when I was focusing on recovering.     Thank you, Doc.  For helping me redirect my goals.

With a month left to mentally prep for surgery, I'm facing a few altering opinions that left me shaken, hurt, confused, and (quite frankly) pissed.

Encounter:  a Massachusetts Planned Parenthood nurse practitioner

I'm between careers at the moment and recently relocated to the East Coast, which means my new health insurance hasn't kicked in yet. My parents (2 of 5 people who know about my surgery plans) insist I see a doctor before my surgery on June 15. It's an understandable request and to put them at ease, so I sought out a doctor/ medical professional who had immediate openings and who wasn't about to murder my bank account (let's face it, I'm a recent college grad who just moved across the country to follow my career dreams and hasn't began making the big bucks yet.) Which landed me at Planned Parenthood -- it was actually a pretty good plan since I had some other lady-bit questions to address.

BOY, WAS I WRONG! The Nurse Practitioner came in to see me and I began to explain how I didn't have insurance, I need a medical opinion about a VSG procedure, I need to ask a few questions about how my body is menstruating, I may need a pap but I'm not sure so I'd like an opinion about that as well, and I may need to be put on birth control but I'm not sure if I should if I'm about to get WLS. The nurse wouldn't even sit down to make me feel comfortable (I was noticeably nervous,) she hovered over me and began lecturing me about going to Mexico for a procedure that most insurances cover. Then I got lectured because I "expected" her to be able to answer questions that only a doctor (after giving me a physical) could answer. She ended her rant by saying "You need to go to a doctor, not Planned Parenthood, but any doctor would just shake his finger at you and tell you not to go to Mexico. If you get sick there's no where around here you can go to seek help -- especially with no insurance. You'll die." She even had the audacity to question if my parents' knew what I was "plotting."

What a slap in the face. I was shocked.  Here I am, nervously altering my life to make it a healthier more obtainable lifestyle and I'm being told my actions are foolish and unadvisable. What's the difference where I get the surgery done (besides the cost)??? It's not like I'm asking a random stranger to cut me open, dig around a bit, then cut into a few organs and remove them while I lay in a dirt pit on the side of the road! I just didn't expect a medical professional to lecture and judge me so harshly.


Did anyone else get a negative reaction from outsiders before their procedure? Did it alter your choice in having surgery? How do I handle negative opinions of my WLS decision?