rducharme

I am back. Had VGS with Dr Aceves on May 28. I made my real estate post-op drive to Prescott AZ and returned to WPB, FL on June 6. I suspect that I am healing faster than most, or at least faster than I might have expected. I can eat small amounts of cambells chicken rice soup (the RED can) and greek yogurt without any problems. I burp, fart, and have taken a few "dumps" which might be a bit faster than other patients? I was the first surgery of my day, and I was up and walking around before the second patient was back to his room, and that fast track recovery has sort of continued for ME. I still feel a bit weak, but don't have that ravenous hunger that I used to have. And that is what I really expected of this type of surgery.

I am leaving TONIGHT. So the panic is setting in. Packing bags, and then re-packing. I am only taking 1 carry-on (and I had to pay $25 on Spirit to do that), so I need to pack essentials and buy any forgotten socks or toothpaste etc in Mexicali. Most important of course is passports, wallet with my driver's license and ONE credit card. Also a certain amount of CA$H. Plus camera, phone (with chargers) etc. You know how crazy it is. You think you have EVERYTHING under control, but it is still a mind numbing process. For any other of Dr ACEVES patients who are scheduled at the end of May ? I look forward to meeting you, and walking the halls with. I hear there is a casino across the street from the hospital ?? Maybe we can shuffle across and play the slots ?

Not this girl http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/-fatkini--sells-out--why-the-plus-size-swimsuit-is-summer-s-hottest-190800093.html

try http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/-fatkini--sells-out--why-the-plus-size-swimsuit-is-summer-s-hottest-190800093.html

Don't lose it where it counts ! More cushion for pushin !! 'Fatkini' Sells Out! Why the Plus-Size Swimsuit is Summer's Hottest Look Who says you have to be a size 2 to wear a bikini? This summer's wildly popular swimsuit is made specifically for fuller figures. One in particular is such a hot commodity, it's selling out even before the official start of swimsuit season. The highly anticipated launch of the collaboration between plus-size blogger Gabi Gregg and retailer Swimsuits For All went off with a bang last week but sputtered as the company failed to keep up with the unexpected demand for Gregg's galaxy-print bikini, a style dubbed the "fatkini."

There is lots of good advice on this board. The doctors here ( discussed on this board) are the cream that has risen to the top. I am having my sleeve surgery in a few days (May 27) by Dr ACEVES. He is probably the most expensive ($8,750) but I had reasons to select him other than cost. You will probably want one of the TJ doctors, and they cost $5-6K and are very qualified. Some even offer financing. The most important thing to do is pick a date within 90 days and just go get it done. Take a dump, or get off the toilet.

Time is getting really close. I will have "sleeve" surgery by Dr ACEVES on May 28. I will be checking in for pre-op on May 27. Is anyone else scheduled for this time window ? I need some "buddies" to aimlessly wander the hospitals halls with. Hopefully our wives will be able to find something to do ? I hear there is a shopping mall close by. There should be good deals on silver jewelry and bottles of Kaluha. I know I will wake up sore, but I hope I am a rapid healer. The tentative check-out is May 30 and I need to drive NE towards Prescott AZ (approx. 6-7 hrs). I think "cross border medicine" is going to be a major part of "affordable" health care ? and moving (from Florida) to Northern AZ will put me within a 1/2 day of Mexican Dental Centers and Pharmacies. Also I might be back for "plastic" work (excess skin) ? The point is that YOU need to take some sort of action as part of a thoughtful plan to manage YOUR future health. Those who are counting on Medi-Care might find their options limited.

That's what taxis are for. I will do my walking inside where HOPEFULLY it is air con ? Do wish they were having the bullfights !! You might get a better steak LOL

I am supposing that the mall would have a hair & nail salon ? I might even try to get a manicure and pedicure ? Maybe they have those little fishes that eat your dead skin. I told her to get a "new do" while we are in Mexico. The Chinese actually have a long history in that area of Mexico. I forget the exact reason, but I think it was left over from the railroad construction days ? So I am not surprised that there is a Chinese restaurant. My wife is actually very small, so I told her to shop for "latina sizes" at the shops. Silver jewelry is usually a good buy in MX. We will be able to buy some ear-rings and arm bands for Christmas gifts. I originally had a plan to get a "tat" saying VSG and the date around my belly button ? But I think I will wait until I have lost my goal weight (100lbs) and my skin has regained some tone.

I will arriving in Mexicali on May 26 (sunday) early afternoon. We are driving over from Mesa AZ (approx. 4.5 hrs) and "walk across" the border. Then we will grab a cab to Hotel Lucerna. Not sure how much energy we will have that evening ? But I am open to suggestions ?? I will be traveling with my wife (a OR nurse from The Philippines) so no "donkey shows" or "bars" LOL Monday (May 27) is pre-op (1pm) but even before that we have a tour of www.tridipanel.com.mx That evening I hear it is tradition to go out for a last meal with my fellow sleevers ( Dr Aceves has 3 cases scheduled ) So things will be busy busy. The actual surgery (sleeve) on May 28 by Dr ACEVES will be "relaxing". Just lay back and breath the gas. But during post-op my wife will need to "get out of the hospital and relax". Maybe with the other wives ? Any suggestions on where and what to do ? Just because I have to sip water and suck on juice pops means she has to ? Any recommends on resturants and shopping ? I already checked with Nina and the "bullfights" are "out of season" So I am open for suggestions by previous visitors to Mexicali ? Hopefully by check-out day (May 30) I will be able to do a few tourist things ?

Remember, the first human heart transplant was done in South Africa. Geography has nothing to do with the natural skills of a surgeon, although the quality of their medical school education probably does. I am having "sleeve" surgery done by Dr Aceves who instructs other surgeons on how to do the procedure for Johnson & Johnson (manufactures some of the specialty instruments). However I might have some worries IF my surgeon was educated in say Somalia ? or Angola. Most of the Mexican surgeons are the cream that has risen to the top.

even better

They have to put in a "foley" (urine cath) so forget your modesty. My wife is a OR nurse and she has seen more "twats and *****" than a porn star.

This really isn't news to us "self-payers". We didn't go to Mexico just because of the BS we faced with insurance companies. We also went to Mexico because we got better care and service for OUR money. IMHO the future will be more of the same .

The giant sucking sound of Mexican Medical Tourism By Dana Blankenhorn | April 30, 2010, 7:25 AM PDT 15 Comments more + While most headlines about Mexico involve immigration or drugs, there is another giant sucking sound coming from our south. That’s the sound of medical tourism dollars. (Shown is the Atlantic Health International Hospital in Mazatlan, from the Mexico Buyers Guide blog.) Last week the Institute of the Americas hosted a conference in La Jolla, near San Diego, about the topic. The Deloitte Center for Medical Solutions predicted a surge in Mexican medical tourism with the end of the recession. Many Americans already get their drugs in Mexico — there are 345 pharmacies near the Tijuana border alone — but now we’re talking about real procedures. Baby boomers especially are being targeted. The La Jolla Light covered the event, noting that an angioplasty costing up to $80,000 in San Diego could cost one-tenth as much across the border. The reason is the same one fruit pickers use in taking Mexican workers — cost. A nurse who makes $75,000 here may make $12,000 there, and malpractice rates are low, too. Of the nearly 1 million Americans who went to Mexico for medical care last year, about half were not Mexican immigrants. UPDATE: The figure from the La Jolla Light article is 952,000 traveling to Mexico for care. The article also notes there are 1 million American retirees now living in Mexico, getting regular care from Mexican doctors. A lot of privately-owned hospitals are now being built in Mexico to meet American demand, with state of the art facilities. Medical Tourism Corp. adds that in addition to cost savings, some procedures that are new or not-yet approved in the U.S. are commonplace there. The Joint Commission International accredits medical tourism facilities, and Health-Tourism.com lists eight major facilities there that are accredited. The site also offers a price comparison, noting that many common procedures cost 50-75% less there, and the savings on heart operations there are really spectacular. I wrote here in 2008 about how Mexican medical tourism was growing more organized, and last year about how companies that self-insure risk are encouraging patients to travel, sharing the savings with them. Maybe that giant sucking sound Ross Perot heard years ago was just coming from a dentist’s chair.