Need your guidance!
Hi Lisa~
I was self-pay, but chose to go to Mexico for budget reasons. I had Dr. Ungson, who is a well-respected surgeon, has done many, many DS surgeries. He works in a private hospital, you get a private room & all of the horror stories I had heard about Mexican hospitals - none of that was evident by my treatment. Perhaps it was b/c it's a private hospital & I wasn't in the emergency room, but in any case, I feel that I had excellent care. Both my drs visited me EVERY day I was in the hospital & I can tell you there's a lot of one-on-one care with prompt responses for anything you need - at least that was my experience using this surgeon & his team, in his hospital. Total costs for surgery, medicine, hotel room (arranged by coordinator), & plane ticket was about $12k. Please feel free to ask any questions/ concerns you may have. I know a lot of people are hesitant to go out of the country for good reasons, but there are several people on this board who have gone to Ungson, all with pretty good results. It was a positive experience - at least as much as it could be! BTW, the price is $2k more if you want it done laparoscopically, I chose open.
I was self-pay, but chose to go to Mexico for budget reasons. I had Dr. Ungson, who is a well-respected surgeon, has done many, many DS surgeries. He works in a private hospital, you get a private room & all of the horror stories I had heard about Mexican hospitals - none of that was evident by my treatment. Perhaps it was b/c it's a private hospital & I wasn't in the emergency room, but in any case, I feel that I had excellent care. Both my drs visited me EVERY day I was in the hospital & I can tell you there's a lot of one-on-one care with prompt responses for anything you need - at least that was my experience using this surgeon & his team, in his hospital. Total costs for surgery, medicine, hotel room (arranged by coordinator), & plane ticket was about $12k. Please feel free to ask any questions/ concerns you may have. I know a lot of people are hesitant to go out of the country for good reasons, but there are several people on this board who have gone to Ungson, all with pretty good results. It was a positive experience - at least as much as it could be! BTW, the price is $2k more if you want it done laparoscopically, I chose open.
HW / SW / CW / GW 299 / 287 / 160 / 140 Feb '09 / Mar '09 / Dec '13 /Aug '10
Appendicitis/Bowel Obstruction Surgery 8/21/10
Beat Hodgkin's Lymphoma! 7/15/2011 - 1/26/2012 
Ran Half-Marathon 10/14/2012
First Pregnancy, Due 8/12/14 I LOVE MY DS!!!
Lisey--
Thanks! Great to know you had such a positive experience. The cost you quoted is about $10,000 less than I've been told for in the U.S.! How did you do with the language difference (if there was one--I shouldn't assume, should I)? How did you access the surgeon initially? Why did you choose open vs. laproscopic? Thanks again! Lisa
Thanks! Great to know you had such a positive experience. The cost you quoted is about $10,000 less than I've been told for in the U.S.! How did you do with the language difference (if there was one--I shouldn't assume, should I)? How did you access the surgeon initially? Why did you choose open vs. laproscopic? Thanks again! Lisa
Have I mentioned the DS support group that meets here in Orlando? The next meeting will be the first Saturday in December. There are a couple of folks who come regularly who went to Brazil for surgery and practically all of us went out of state. Just let me know if you would like more information.
The surgeon list on OH is abysmal. It lists surgeons that we know for a fact do not do the DS. The information is self reported and I think some of these guys listed it because in medical school they read a paragraph in a book about it. Many will tell you straight out when you call their office they do not do the DS and then there are others who will say they do it, and then when you get to the consult will come up with all sorts of reasons the DS is not a good choice for you and try to convince you to have one of the surgeries they actually perform.
Whereabouts in Florida are you?
Red
The surgeon list on OH is abysmal. It lists surgeons that we know for a fact do not do the DS. The information is self reported and I think some of these guys listed it because in medical school they read a paragraph in a book about it. Many will tell you straight out when you call their office they do not do the DS and then there are others who will say they do it, and then when you get to the consult will come up with all sorts of reasons the DS is not a good choice for you and try to convince you to have one of the surgeries they actually perform.
Whereabouts in Florida are you?
Red
Sorry for the delay~
I chose open b/c there's no guarantee that just bc they start it lap, they won't have to revert to open - depends on what everything looks like when they get in there. The lap instruments are disposable, so you pay for them anyway (all $2k), even if you end up with a big scar & more pain. Depending on your health & weight, some drs reccommend open b/c lap is technically more challenging. I believe there's at least 1 US surgeon who does the DS who will only do it open b/c it's safer - less chance of nicking something.
Language difference wasn't a problem. Dr. Ungson speaks pretty good english, not perfect, but I didn't have trouble talking with him. His assistant, Dr. Romero was actually born & raised in the US, of Mexican descent, & currently lives/works in Mexico. He speaks english just like anyone else in the US. Dr. Ungson's program coordinator, Luz Sandoval is bi-lingual & spent numerous yrs also living in the US. The hospital purposely assigns english-speaking nurses if at all possible (about 90% of the time I got an english-speaking nurse). If you really do need something & you weren't assigned an english-speaking nurse, they will find one for you, though it may take 10-20 min before they arrive. The front desk staff at the hotel also speaks fluent english. Honestly, language was completely not a barrier. Luz provides all transportation personally & she really is a sweetheart, very nice person. Here's her contact info:
[email protected]
011 52 662 217-5666
The 011 is what you dial for any international call. 52 is Mexico's country #, the rest is the standard phone #.
Feel free to ask any other questions :)
I chose open b/c there's no guarantee that just bc they start it lap, they won't have to revert to open - depends on what everything looks like when they get in there. The lap instruments are disposable, so you pay for them anyway (all $2k), even if you end up with a big scar & more pain. Depending on your health & weight, some drs reccommend open b/c lap is technically more challenging. I believe there's at least 1 US surgeon who does the DS who will only do it open b/c it's safer - less chance of nicking something.
Language difference wasn't a problem. Dr. Ungson speaks pretty good english, not perfect, but I didn't have trouble talking with him. His assistant, Dr. Romero was actually born & raised in the US, of Mexican descent, & currently lives/works in Mexico. He speaks english just like anyone else in the US. Dr. Ungson's program coordinator, Luz Sandoval is bi-lingual & spent numerous yrs also living in the US. The hospital purposely assigns english-speaking nurses if at all possible (about 90% of the time I got an english-speaking nurse). If you really do need something & you weren't assigned an english-speaking nurse, they will find one for you, though it may take 10-20 min before they arrive. The front desk staff at the hotel also speaks fluent english. Honestly, language was completely not a barrier. Luz provides all transportation personally & she really is a sweetheart, very nice person. Here's her contact info:
[email protected]
011 52 662 217-5666
The 011 is what you dial for any international call. 52 is Mexico's country #, the rest is the standard phone #.
Feel free to ask any other questions :)
HW / SW / CW / GW 299 / 287 / 160 / 140 Feb '09 / Mar '09 / Dec '13 /Aug '10
Appendicitis/Bowel Obstruction Surgery 8/21/10
Beat Hodgkin's Lymphoma! 7/15/2011 - 1/26/2012
Ran Half-Marathon 10/14/2012
First Pregnancy, Due 8/12/14 I LOVE MY DS!!!
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