Travelmego

A sturdy duffle bag stuffed into your carry on bag in case you decide to buy souvenirs and such that won't fit into your carry on and need to check a bag. That way you don't have to buy a bag while in Mexico. Audio books! Possibly liquid pain medication. I have heard they don't really do narcotic pain meds down there. I plan to take some with me just in case - and only take it with Dr.s permission of course. One lady, who did not go to the surgeon I chose, said she was miserable without pain medication and mad they didn't give it to her. That said, most people seem to do just fine with whatever they give down there. I've forgotten what it is called. The reasoning for not giving them is sound - for safety, they want to know if you feel pain beyond normal. I can understand that but the lady was so miserable I have decided to take some with me.

@@woo woo Where have you seen these specials of 4 - 5k in the USA. I would like a link if you have one. What is included in their packages? Do you stay over in the hospital or is it same day discharge?

Sooo, you would rather go with the worst surgeon in the USA than the best surgeon in Mexico? Not me.

And likewise, I hope you reconsider your blanket condemnation of getting surgery outside of the USA. That is what I would like to hear. Cheers!

1. I thought the surgery would not be covered by my insurance. Turns our the bypass is but not the sleeve. I want the sleeve. I figured it would be way too expensive to self pay. Then i saw the post about affordable surgery in Mexico, I had no idea that was even an option. Once I figured out it was and that I could afford that route, I wasted little time in researching, finding a surgeon and scheduling. I am still pre-op. 2. Things that concerned me most were quality of life post surgery. I want this surgery so I can get off medicine (diabetes etc.). I didn't want to be stuck taking meds for mal absorption -hence choosing the sleeve. I also didn't want to condemn myself to eating little meals and end up not being able to keep the weight off even with a reduced stomach.It just seemed stupid to me to end up fat again with a restricted stomach. If I were going to be fat again anyway - darn it I want to eat a full sized meal! I guess that was my last little mental hurdle - not being able to eat a full sized meal.. Realistically, I shouldn't be doing that anyway because of sugar issues. I guess in my dreams I could lose the weight on my own, beat diabetes, and then eat all the junk I want and still be skinny without diabetes. Absurd. I have reminded myself that I can actually occasionally eat my 'favorite meals' someday but spread it out over 3 or 4 meals instead of one. I learned to do it to control sugar issues and it was fine.

Ratings websites are often created by the people with the highest ratings on them. Be leery. Look for personal feedback from many sources.

@@Jersrose43 I have limited amount of money in the time frame I have available to me to get this surgery. After this summer, I am committed to projects and will not have the time needed to recover available to me. If I could raise another 5 or 10 or 20 k before my time frame ran out, then I would consider surgery in the USA. I would also consider Mexico. Why would I want to pay double, triple or 5 times as much when I can get high quality surgery for less? I don't think a surgeon being in the USA automatically qualifies him or her as better than all surgeons in Mexico. Again, I will not accept blanket condemnation of all Mexican surgeons, nor will I accept blanket praises. I will add that I do not accept blanket praises of all American surgeons either.

I'm usually pretty good at the net but I can't figure out how to update or delete information in the left side bar? I want to update surgeon, change location, etc.

The idea of just automatically crossing surgery off the list because its not in the USA I don't buy into. I am a fairly seasoned traveler who has lived a lot in Africa. I know perfectly well that there are good medical centers to be found outside of the USA/Europe. By the way, Mexico is not considered '3rd world' rather it is considered a 'developing country'. Heck, half of the doctors in the USA were trained in foreign medical schools (including in the 3rd world) and then came here for their residencies. That said, one definitely needs to do research above and beyond before deciding on any surgeon. When one is considering a place like Mexico, one should take into factors like corruption, sanitation, etc. One should be skeptical of internet forums because we know damn well there are coordinators posting as patients. That doesn't mean that one can't get a good surgeon with due diligence though. I reject blanket condemnations of Mexican surgeons as much as I reject blanket praises of them.

Terrible news. My condolences to his family, friends and patients.

OK thanks for the information. I am going to go ahead and schedule mine.

Wow your doctor is very strict. I don't think I could do 4 weeks. Hats off to you, for sure. I am cringing over 1 week.

Rodriguez is supposed to be good. Pompa is supposed to be good.

Titanium staples don't cost that much in Mexico. That said, I considered Pompa but she was a bit too expensive for me. She is supposed to be fabulous and her center is a Center of Excellence. Congrats on your surgery!

Yea, I just wanted clarification on that one point because in the post earlier it had seemed she didn't know there would be a charge. So, now that that is clarified, I would call him and ask about the lap band removal issue - just for your own peace of mind. It could be he simply misspoke after having seen so many patients in a day. Not cool but it can happen.

I'm interested in knowing what it is like to get an endoscopy?

Annsue, So you did know that there was a charge for the hernia? So you don't have a complaint about that? Just asking for clarification.

No ruder than them asking you to do something for free. I am sure the ones taking the pictures are getting paid, right? Just ask it cheerfully ...."Oh, that sounds like fun! Do I get a discount?" Even better, "Do I get it in exchange for the cost of my surgery?"

I wondered about this too!

@@ncgirl77 I asked some people and they said that Dr. Illan doesn't do the single incision. Hope that helps.

Kayleena, Out of curiosity - how do you know he doesn't charge extra? Did the office tell you that? And how do we reconcile that with the report earlier in this thread that he did charge someone $500 extra?

No problem chubtastic. Hopefully your insurance will cover it. Um, just wake up a few times during the test and choke a little lol. Ok, just kidding on that.

Just tell them you are getting hernia surgery. It's close enough and will also explain the special diet you have to be on post surgery.

Sosola - I think you will like Dr. Illan. The coordinator is superb like everyone keeps raving about. I was on the Team Illan FB group saying how I wanted more information about the post surgery diet and he actually saw the FB post and called me while we were all still discussing it in the thread. He then sent out the information I had wanted and it was exactly what I was looking for. Impressive customer service. Thanks Sherry and Rocky!

How many surgeries does Dr. Lopez do a day? I would be SO mad if the doctor fixed something without asking me in advance if that is ok and letting me know there would be an extra charge if it did get fixed. That puts a patient in a real bind. If you don't have the extra 500, then what will they do? Put you out on the street?