Tried to warn this person

[princess_n_thep 2]

BTW most of the TB cases in the U.S. are in the illegal population, who are obviously not tested before entering this country.

Omg! Well, I think this takes me out of this whole conversation. You are being an idiot now and I am just not going to give you any more satisfaction of my well educated time.

[j_war06 0]

Honestly!...............I wouldnt have had my surgery done outside the US for legal reasons and health reasons. First off, I couldnt fly to Mexico every so many months to get a fill from the SAME doctor that performed the procedure, I would like to keep it all uniform just incase something does happen I could possibly have a suit against them if something bad happened to me (not that Im looking for something bad.......just saying). It is hard to deal with international affairs, especially when talking about health. Besides that I speak Spanish and have spoken to some ppl from GOOD parts of Mexico who would not have had the procedure done there, but would have it done in the States.

[GeezerSue 7]

When you stay in the BETTER hotels, there are two Water fountains...one for washing and one for drinking.

I wish my mother's stateside hospital in Orange County, CA, had been as clean as my rooms were in Monterrey, MX.

Sue

:::another Rumbaut patient, with no hygiene-related complications:::

[NewSho 20]

Well said, Clever.

My point is it was an e-mail sent and it is VERY unsolicited.

Just because we sign up for this site doesn't mean we agree to have unsolicited e-mails sent to with pre-surgical scare tactics.

Let's have some compassion for the recipient, shall we?

Sho

[Guest Cheflady]

Hello Everyone,

I'm a new member to your loop here. Haven't even started yet. I have some questions, please. How long does it take from the 1st appointment you make with the doctor to the surgery? Are we talking months here? Is it a shorter lag time with the doctors in Mexico? Has anyone heard of the

digital pacemaker that they have been using instead? I understand that the pacemaker hasn't yet been

approved by the FDA....

[Alexandra 55]

First, with regard to e-mails: the communication was not sent through LBT, so our features are not relevant to the discussion. I don't know what the options are over at OH, but it seems to me if you leave yourself open to receiving e-mail it's OK to send it. As far as I'm concerned the truly tactless thing that was done, by both parties, was to take the discussion public. I just don't see the point in bringing to everyone's attention a private communication that might have been poorly received. Let's just move on, please.

Anca, you can send anyone a PM here.

Second:

I dont know if it is leagle to cut and past from consumer reports.

It is most emphatically NOT legal to cut and past from Consumer Reports. Please don't do it. What you CAN do is summarize the conclusions, which would be greatly appreciated if you can take the time. I'm going to go to the library to get the current issue tomorrow. I'm really curious as to what CR has to say!

[casinocat74 0]

Honestly!...............I wouldnt have had my surgery done outside the US for legal reasons and health reasons. First off, I couldnt fly to Mexico every so many months to get a fill from the SAME doctor that performed the procedure, I would like to keep it all uniform just incase something does happen I could possibly have a suit against them if something bad happened to me (not that Im looking for something bad.......just saying). It is hard to deal with international affairs, especially when talking about health. Besides that I speak Spanish and have spoken to some ppl from GOOD parts of Mexico who would not have had the procedure done there, but would have it done in the States.

I'M WITH YOU!!!:clap2:

[fun4matt 0]

I would love to summerize, but I am not a good typest so, How about pros and cons for both. Band Pros, Reversible with the removal of the band. Cons, Foreign material left in patient.

Risks, Within 30 days : infection at syringe site. Long term; band slippage causing pouch to enlarge growth of stomach tissue around band, leaks, from syringe port to band. We all on lbt new that.

Bypass: pros. Restricts not only size of stomach but also absorption by small intestine.

cons. Permanent and cant be adjusted without more surgery. Malabsorption.

Risks. within 30 days gastric leak. bowel obstruction, embolism, wound infection. Long term' Vitamin and mineral deficiencies, osteporsis, constriction of outlet from pouch, hernia , and bowel obstruction.

Same stuff we have all talked about.

The artical talks about a person that has had bypass and one that has had lapband and tells about their stroy. the artical talks about how the surgary works, the perfect patient, if the weight stays off or not, Safety conserns, how to choose what is best for you. You have to follow the rules. and it says to find an experienced surgeon. the artical also talks a bit about Lipo.< /p>

[GeezerSue 7]

It is hard to deal with international affairs, especially when talking about health. Besides that I speak Spanish and have spoken to some ppl from GOOD parts of Mexico who would not have had the procedure done there, but would have it done in the States.

__________________

~*~La Vita Esta Bella~*~

(Life is Beautiful)

Loves Always,

Jodie

Banded: August 26,2005 (Dr. Spiegel, American Institute for Gastric Banding)

I just think that before we assert that we speak other languages--or know how things are in other cultures or countries--we get a second opinion on our proficiency in such matters.

While "~*~La Vita Esta Bella~*~" may mean something to YOU, it is not Spanish. Or Italian. Or even Portuguese. I hope you get correct information on the other issues, too. "GOOD parts of Mexico?" Are you serious?

Sue

[NewSho 20]

I hate to take us further off-topic but:

>>> "While "~*~La Vita Esta Bella~*~" may mean something to YOU ..." <<<

You know I wondered about this, also... not to lump on anyone ... but this signature really wrecks my brain. You see, 'La Vita' would be Italian - then 'Esta' is Spanish, and then 'Bella' - could be either Italian or Spanish.

Whew! Confusing, isn't it?

Not being overly picky here but I speak Spanish (and yes, Sue, I have passed written/oral/reading proficiency tests if that's important to define language fluency) and my Italian is fairly passable (no proficiency tests to prove it - but it's just good enough for me to navigate, to shop, order food and flirt in Italy - without assistance or a translator, LOL).

So In Spanish, "Life Is Beautiful" would be "La Vida Es Hermosa" (sounds funny, but there are no direct translations) - and note, Hermosa is also used to mean "pretty" in Spanish, as can "Bonita." Bella means beautiful also in Spanish, but I heard it in Castilian Spanish in Spain - I don't really recall having seen it used much in Mexico.

But in Italian - "Life is Beautiful" would be (again, paraphrasing) "La vita è bella" - which is the original name of the film "Life Is Beautiful" for which that exaggeratedly excited Italian film director won the Oscar in 1997. (Remember how he stood on chairs, and kissed everyone at the Academy Award ceremony?)

In other words, the verb form "esta" doesn't exist in Italian (to my knowledge) but is actually Spanish. But in this case, the correct usage even in Spanish would be "es" meaning "is" and not "esta" after all. It's easy to confuse 'es' and 'esta' when learning Spanish, and most Spanish-speaking natives are polite enough not to correct this common mistake.

--------------------------------------

But we digress:

Back on topic - the concept of going to Mexico for medical care is not a new one. With more of us becoming knowledgeable about LapBands, we realise that that they have been performed in places like Mexico long prior to U.S. approval. And for those who self-pay, I see how incredibly attractive cash prices that are often less than half of US prices are.

But, with that said: as someone who lives in Texas (where flights to Mexico are frequent, easy, and a bit cheaper than they are - from other parts of the U.S.) and as someone who speaks Spanish quite comfortably - I would still have concerns about seeking medical treatment abroad. Not just in Mexico but anywhere that is a considerable distance from my home. I think the Canadian medical system (with their excellent nationalised health service) is quite strong and their sanitation and medical facilities are NOT in question, but I still will feel apprehension about seeking surgery there just because of its' distance from where I live. The most important issue is access - no matter where you are, in a worst-case scenario you would like some access to the surgeon that treated you, I would think. Now we know in our fast-moving, migratory society, this is not always possible.

I am far closer to Mexico than I am to say, Seattle, Washington. But I would still feel some apprehension about flying to Seattle for my surgery if I knew that some local doctors here were not comfortable treating me or had limited experience with "Seattle"-style surgeries or devices.

And in the case of the band, the LapBand is a medical device. Additionally we know that the LapBand the bands utilised in Mexico are different from most US bands. (Now this might be a positive or negative depending on how you feel about Inomed's US bands - but it is a fact that most US doctors have limited or no experience with some foreign bands. This may change with the current FDA trial of the Swedish band - as approval always expands access with medical devices & procedures.) So it is an issue.

I have a group of friends who go to Mexico for all their cosmetic surgery procedures. These procedures, which are usually not covered under their health insurance policies,are much cheaper in Mexico and this group finds the facilities and care to be excellent. They are very pleased. But they are all airline employees,from airport-based airline staffers to stewards to flight attendants (flight attendants are infamous for getting their cosmetic procedures abroad and they shop around for the best work). In the case of this little group, they can quickly hop a plane to Mexico with little advance time, at little or no cost to them, and access their doctors if anything should go wrong. For them, it is an easy decision for them to get non-insurance procedures abroad. They have better access, so it mitigates a lot of the concern. The rest of us may not be as lucky in this respect.

As an example, I have a friend out-of-state who was considering paying for her LapBand out of pocket as she was tired of fighting her insurance company for approval. She wanted to go to Mexico for the cheaper Lap Band costs. But as a mother with 2 small children who lives on the East Coast (whose husband often travels a lot on business himself), she would be hard-pressed to quickly access a flight to Mexico if need be, and the costs could be prohibitive. More importantly the closest US-based doctor that could/would treat her for fills/aftercare was nearly 8 hours away by car. (In addition, she speaks no Spanish and was not comfortable with the Texas border-town charters that could take her across to Mexico for aftercare.) I told her quite frankly that if it was me, I'd use that part of that cash-pay money to hire a lawyer to write a letter to her insurance company to get them to get moving on her approval. I could not, in good conscious recommend she get her surgery done so far away if she had a possible alternative.

She did take my advice and although it looked grim, she did finally got approved and will be getting her LapBand with a doctor less than 2 hours from her home.

So in my opinion, I have no trouble with others who are comfortable enough to seek treatment abroad, particularly in Mexico. But for me, it's not a case of the level of advancement of the Mexican medical facilities, but the access (or lack thereof) that makes me apprehensive about having procedures done there. As I learn more and have the opportunity to explore the option my opinion may change but it's not based on prejudice, close-mindedness or zenophobia about foreign facilities - it's based on distance, accessibility and practicality.

Just my .02!

[DeLarla 22]

"I put my faith in Inamed's recommendation, but now I see who else they have recommended."

Yeah, I put my faith in Inamed too, who claimed Dr. Lopez was their number one guy. Dr. Lopez and Dr. Ortiz used to be partners. It's not just the fact that these two guys have eroded patients, it's that about 10 of us are all from the same time frame. Try to explain why Michelle, Franceca, Penni, Me, Karen, Donali and others, who are ALL Ortiz and Lopez patient and all banded in the same time frame, ended up eroded. As far as I'm concerned, Ortiz and Lopez are doing something other doctors aren't doing, which is why so many of their patients are eroding at about 18 months out.

Meanwhile, Lopez and Ortiz both boomed so fast that they've banded hundreds in the past couple years. How many of those banded patients are walking around eroded right now? The only way to detect erosion is to get an endoscopy, and neither Lopez or Ortiz require regular endoscopies unless a patient is experiencing a problem or if they don't like what they see during a an x-ray fluoroscopy. Some of us had great x-ray results but were smart enough to get endoscopies even though Lopez and Ortiz don't require it. Sure enough we were eroded.

When other people post negative things about a surgeon, that's a good thing. It gives potential bandsters the chance to check that surgeon out. Maybe they'll like the guy anyway, but maybe they'll chose someone else and have a healthy band. It's all about choices. You don't have to like what you read.

[DeLarla 22]

I've stayed out of this thread way too long and can't hold back any more because there are both good and bad points on both sides.

First, "I know nothing about the hospitals there, but unless the Water is filtered, isn't a little scary that your surgeons are scrubbing in with Water that is supposedly full of parasites?"

Having been banded in Mexico & infected for over a year before eventually eroding - G R O S S. Had I read this statement prior to going to Tijuana, I'd never have gone. Great point.

Then: "LOL The hospitals obviously use water that is not full of parasites. It might be another country with different plumbing systems, but they aren't in the dark ages. The medical community there understand the concept of being sterile."

Well this is hugely innacurate! I had three surgeries there, and there's not much sterile going on. Nurses don't wear gloves to change IVs, IV needles are seen laying around, they wash instead of disposing certain disposable items (like the used leg stockings I wore.) They spelled my name wrong every single time and consider a handshake as good as a driver's license for identification purposes. I remember faces from my band surgery, and looking back I should have seen SURGICAL MASKS like I do in the US. During my 2nd surgery the doors were propped open with people walking in and out getting supplies.

When I speak of Mexico, I'm referring to facilites used by the 3 most popular Tijuana surgeons. I have heard nothing but glowing reports from Dr. Rumbault in Monterey Mexico, which includes his facility.

I had nothing but negative, unsterile, infected luck going to Tijuana... or am I wrong? All that hell has me down 78 pounds. And as far as pros and cons of band vs. bypass, once I eroded my band removal surgery was, well, reversible without having to sew my giblets back together. I made the right choice, and anyone saying they'd never go to another country for surgery never hit rock bottom. Once you decide life isn't worth living and start planning suicide, any country will do. Mexico screwed me, but I also got my life back in the end, thanks to my amazing US surgeon and his sterile facility and staff.

[DeLarla 22]

My new penpal banded out of Florida has horror stories of an infected port that landed her hospitilized for EIGHT days. When she was finally discharged she was sent home with weeks of in-home IVs 3 times a day. Her US surgeon worse than my Mexican surgeon.

[j_war06 0]

MY QUOTE IS NOT IN SPANISH! ITS A SLANG TERM THAT I THOUGHT WAS A BEAUTIFUL PHRASE! I SPEAK SPANSIH FLUENTLY, I THINK I WOULD KNOW IT WASNT SPANISH IT HAS BEEN MY MOTTO FOR THE PAST LIKE 8 YEARS, SINCE I SAW IT IN A MAGAZINE. THANK YOU ALL FOR ANALYZING MY LIFE MOTTO AND ASSUMING (btw you know what they say about assuming, if you dont just email me) THAT I PUT THAT SAYING ON THERE AS SPANISH! I HAVE STUDIED SEVERAL LANGUAGES FOR VARIOUS PROJECTS! I LIVE CLOSER TO MEXICO THAN MOST PEOPLE AND WE CONSIDER IT A NEIGHBOR AND NOT EVEN REALLY ANOTHER COUNTRY! I swear! People can turn stuff around SOOOOOOO quick! I wrote that post hoping no one would think it badly, its a personal OPINION! That means I can think it, say it, write it, whatever as much as I wish as long as it does not cause harm to anyone else! I study law in college and know a little something about diving into international lawsuits and affairs and it is extremely hard to fight a case like that anywhere. Besides that, why spend the money to fly to Mexico, plan somewhere to stay, pay for food, and the surgery and any other expenses, is it that cheap? Seriously, cheap does not always equal better. I know MANY surgeons there a VERY WELL qualified! I understand that! Just like here in the US, we have good ones and bad ones. MOST of them are qualified very well and have many good recommendations, Im just saying that its not always good business to dive into international affairs when your dealing with health and well being. AND IN SPANISH ITS..........................La Vida de me es bella (bonita, hermosa...) OR Vida es bella (bonita, hermosa........) I cant believe you turned this ENTIRE thread around to discuss MY grammar in Spansih

[SuperDaddy! 1]

Whoa! TIME OUT! I'm throwing my flag on the field for Unsportsmenlike Conduct. I think I missed something here. My wife is Latin American (Brazilian), and to say the whole of Mexico is dirty is like saying that all of America is perverted because we have some trashy TV shows. Blatent Generalizations are the start of discrimination. I would like to ask how many of the those who have erosions also followed the diet to a "T". I was told that you can erode your band by overeating often, drinking too much carbonation, vomiting from illness, etc. All of those things can happen in America as easily as Mexico. My Doctor in Minnesota is fantastic and well respected, but he said the average rate of erosion in America is almost 3 percent over the life of the band. Zero erosions in any practice that is established for a long time is not the norm.

I understand that we are free to post what's on our mind, and for the most part that's a great thing. I sometimes struggle when passion for a topic turns into misinformation or generalization. If you have a personal experience with a Mexican doctor that was poor, that's your experience. Share it with everyone with a pulse if you want. But to then say that your experience is common, or expected just because of the counrty you had it done in...that is inaccurate and not particularly responsible to say.

So...speak your mind, but speak the truth, and know your facts.

hey- I'm not aiming this at anyone in particular...I just know that I get more from this board when I can see real experiences, good or bad, and decide for myself how to assess that information.

Jon