Anybody had WLS in Mexico????

 I am very curious about these offers from Surgeons in Mexico for WLS. Please respond if you have ANY info about going to Mexico for WLS. I would really appreciate it! 

I'm sure you will get some answers here but there is also a Mexico forum where you might find even more people with experience in Mexico.

http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/mexico/

Please be very careful about which surgeon you choose in Mexico. There are a few with fantastic reputations but there are also some (including one notorious one in Tijuana I believe) that have been known to kill people. Do your homework. There have been several informative posts on the MB and the DS board (well...as long as they haven't been sanitized by the PTB) about this "surgeon" and the office staff. I wish I could remember his name but I'm sorry I can't.

Which of the surgeries are you planning to have, and is there a particular surgeon that you are considering?

Judy

wls in Mexico can be done successfully, but you have to be very careful about which surgeon you choose. And don't go through one of those companies that can "arrange" everything for you - it will cost way more. You can make all the arrangements yourself with the help of the surgeon's staff.

Study all the different surgery options first, then decide which surgeon based on what operation you want (they don't all do everything) and the reputation of that surgeon. There are excellent and terrible and everything in between. If you are interested in the DS (duodenal switch), the only surgeon in Mexico that anyone on the DS forum would recommend is Dr. Ungson, who is svery well regarded.
     And if you are considering lap band, which I hope you aren't because the results are in general so poor, keep in mind that it doesn't work without fills and unfills and you need to find someone back home who will do these for you...and many doctors here won't do them if they didn't do your surgery, or will charge a very high fee each time.

Larra

 Please, if you do go anywhere outside of the country where your insurance won't cover complications, get travel insurance and take someone with you.

While in Mexico I ended up with a complication (it wasn't the doctor's fault, I have bad luck). If I had not had my roommate come with me I would have died since I would have been all alone in my hotel room. He was able to call the doctors and they came right away. The surgeon did not charge me for going back in but the hospital did for using the rooms and equipment etc. It came to about $10,000 USD. My travel insurance paid for it. Also make sure you get a policy that pays upfront on your behalf instead of having to submit a claim after paying it. 

Good luck!

Yes, I did. It was the best hospital experience I've had my entire life. Research, research, research. Their are some very dangerous places, stay away, stay away from bad reps. No amount of money saved is worth your life.

My blog is open. On the third page, there is a day by day account of what I did in Mexico to help give people an idea.

Let me know if you need anything.

 I am scheduled to have surgery in Mexico next month.  I second the research research   research advice. I have a failed sleeve that I also had in Mexico with another surgeon (  basically chose the wrong surgeon to save money)    so do be very careful and  research thouroughly (sp?). 
There are some  very good surgeons  in Mexico and some very bad ones as well. 

Cath

is dr. aceves the surgeon you are going to next month or the one you had with the failed sleeve?

I've had three surgeries in Mexico (RNY and 2 rounds of plastics) it's not for everyone but it was the best gift I ever gave myself. If going out of the country is an option be aware there are good & bad Dr.'s in every country (research is key) and if your insurance won't cover the surgery chances are if you have complications they won't cover those either.

~Michelle "Shelly"