CandyPants81

I've heard some folks say that it's a good idea to have a little pillow between your tummy and the belt on the flight home, so maybe I'll get an extender to accommodate me and the pillow comfortably. I guess I won't know until I sit down whether or not I'll need one. I tend to squish out when I'm seated, so it might just have to be one of those things I find out when I try it. Great thing is that if it turns out I do need an extender it will be the first and last time I ever have to ask for one. C.

I've seen prices starting at $3700 up to $8900. It depends on the surgeon. My surgeon's regular price is $4500 with a $500 deposit required to hold a surgery date. C.

So far the only people I have told are my mother (she's not happy, but she's not being negative about it either...just keeps sending me new diets to try), my husband, and my best friend. My sister, who I am very close with, is very anti-WLS so I'm not telling her until I come back. I also work for a small nonprofit, and I know I'm going to have to tell my coworkers SOMETHING, as there is no way for me to slip off for an hour, let alone two weeks, unnoticed. I mentioned to them many months ago that I was considering WLS, and the response was not positive. Throw Mexico in the mix and I anticipate someone may faint. I still haven't decided what I'm going to tell them yet. c.

@@woo woo You might have a point there. Don't want any hiccups and certainly don't want to get stuck away from home right after surgery. I will research traveling without a passport today and tomorrow. I know if I'm going to get one I need to apply by the first of next week for sure. C.

Thanks so much for all the tips! I spoke with my patient coordinator who told me that we can travel without a passport as long as we have certified birth certificates and state issued ID. I'm going to go ahead and purchase my plane tickets as I'm afraid that if I continue to wait, the prices will only continue to rise. C.

Wow. Great tips. And I laughed aloud at the exorcist style vomiting. Thanks so much. I tend to over pack so thanks for that tip in particular. Great information! C.

I'm leaning very heavily toward Dr. Quinones at this point. Spoke with Bill (his coordinator) and was very impressed with his sincerity and level of knowledge. I also saw some videos of Dr. Quinones and I liked what I saw.

Thank you guys! So from what I gather so far I can chill out about having to purchase an extra seat for extra me. Also I should check some of the travel sites for tickets and unless I'm flying southwest I should be able to choose seats at booking. Sounds like the very first step, though, is going to be securing the passports. I will start that process tomorrow. Thanks so much. Keep it coming if you have more info to share! C.

@@Stacy'sSleevedLife Hi! I have seen that many people have gone to Jerusalem Hospital and had a good experience, but there are some reviews out there that bother me, and the setup of Jerusalem "Hospital" is not appealing to me at all. I'm glad for those who had a good experience there, but it's not for me. I wouldn't be comfortable there and I'm not interested in having my surgery there. On the Medical Tourism Co website, they list that Dr. Curiel would be performing surgery out of San Juan Clinic (Clinica San Juan), but I can't find much info on that facility besides a few pictures. The pictures look really nice, but I'd love to see/read reviews of someone who's actually been there. If I can't find any reviews about this place, I won't be going there either. Still, if you have some information that might help me settle on a surgeon or facility (or decide against one or the other) I'm happy to receive that. I'm still in the research phase. Thanks, C.

Hi all. I'm a new(ish) member but I've been stalking the forum for ages. I've found SOOOOO much useful information here and have heard great things about many doctors. I recently reached out to a company called Medical Tourism Co, and they sent me information regarding two doctors: Dr. Jose Curiel, and Dr. Mario Camelo and I can't seem to find a whole lot of reviews on either. Also the San Juan clinic in Tijuana seems to be lacking in information as well. Has anyone had any experience with either of these doctors or with the San Juan clinic? What about Medical Tourism Co? Any information would be appreciated. I'm still in the planning/saving stages, but I'm just about ready to put down a deposit with one company/surgeon or another so that I can set a date for surgery. Thanks guys, C.

That would be great! I'm looking forward to reading about your experience. Good luck to you.

@@zmdh39 I'd love you to send me the links if you don't mind. I'm researching and coming close to putting down a deposit. Just want to gather as much information as possible! C.

Thank you for your response. You're right...there are a few names that continue to pop up over and over again, and not much on Curiel or Camelo. I will continue to look as I have another week or two before I am ready to schedule, but it does seem that the more I research, the farther away I am from having a clear choice.