To the folks who had their surgery in the US and comment on the Mexico forum...

[O-Town Body Rock 148]

...when you read about someone who chose to have their surgery performed in Mexcio and unfortunately had complications, please try not to leave condescending comments about how you would never chose to go to a foreign country to have surgery or how you value your life too much to put the cost of surgery before your health, etc, etc. We are all trying to get to the same place with our health and have a common goal but just because we chose a different path than you does not lessen how we feel about ourselves, our families and so on. Alot of us who opted to go to Mexico did not have the option to use health insurance or were rejected by some of the same companies you used for your surgery.

Not trying to cause drama at all and I'm trying to make sure I do not come across as trying to start something but I just had to put it out there.

*Sleevers Unite*

[gamergirl 4,610]

Thank you for saying this. Not only did my husband and I go to Mexico for surgery, I was also raised in what so some you would refer to as a "third world country" where ironically, the standard of care and expertise meet or best American standards.

I feel for anyone who has had complications no matter where they were operated on. But that doesn't give you license to -a) generalize against a whole country! And put down other cultures.

[LipstickLady 25,682]

...when you read about someone who chose to have their surgery performed in Mexcio and unfortunately had complications, please try not to leave condescending comments about how you would never chose to go to a foreign country to have surgery or how you value your life too much to put the cost of surgery before your health, etc, etc. We are all trying to get to the same place with our health and have a common goal but just because we chose a different path than you does not lessen how we feel about ourselves, our families and so on. Alot of us who opted to go to Mexico did not have the option to use health insurance or were rejected by some of the same companies you used for your surgery.

Not trying to cause drama at all and I'm trying to make sure I do not come across as trying to start something but I just had to put it out there.

*Sleevers Unite*

I was fortunate enough to have insurance that paid for my surgery and allowed me to pick my surgeon here in the United States and I wish this coverage was across the board for ANYONE who is suffering from obesity and weight related health issues.

I agree with you 100%. We are all ultimately fighting the same battle and it's NO ONE's place to question another's decision regarding this surgery.

[par1959 470]

It's unrealistsic to ask those that have concerns not to air them. Where wouold you want to have surgery in a place that has clean Water and working sewers or one that doesnt like Mexico or other 2rd and 3rd world countries.

[slvrsax 301]

SO with you on this! I went to Mexico out of financial necessity. I simply couldn't put my family into the kind of debt a US surgery would have burdened us with. I am almost 5 months out from surgery and knock on wood, so far so good! I actually received better care in Mexico than I do in the US. I do have acid (had it before surgery too but didn't know - it was discovered during surgery when they found thick scar tissue from the years of acid) and am seeing a GI doc next month at the recommendation of Dr. So (in Ariel Ortiz office). I will address it on the front side rather than let it go on and find trouble later.

[Starz_in_ze_sky 2]

I think a lot of people assume that any care outside of the USA is going to automatically be subpar. What people don't realize is that in most of the 'developing' world has different levels of health care You can find very poor quality hospitals, but also private hospitals staffed with the best of the best. (Mexico isn't really considered 'developing' but between developing and developed - see note below).

Rather than country the surgery is performed in, I would look at is where the physician was trained. I know many who do medical school in their countries, come to the USA or Europe for residency, fellowship, and experience, then return home to open exclusive private clinics. I would have no problem having a surgery done in Mexico, but I would want to know where the doctor did his residency etc. Even if the doctor didn't train in the US/Europe, a top university in Mexico would be just fine.

*note: Newly industrialized countries or NICs, nations with economies more advanced and developed than those in the developing world, but not yet with the full signs of a developed country.[4][5][6][7] NIC is a category between developed and developing countries, and it includes South Africa, Mexico, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brazil, India, the Philippines, Thailand, and Turkey.

[Starz_in_ze_sky 2]

Hmm, I meant to say "that in most of the 'developing' world has there are different levels of health care..." << guess no go back and edit key - sorry - new here!

[O-Town Body Rock 148]

It's unrealistsic to ask those that have concerns not to air them.

@@par1959 My exact statement was "please try not to leave condescending comments"

Where in my post did I "ask those that have concerns not to air them."????

[LipstickLady 25,682]

It's unrealistsic to ask those that have concerns not to air them. Where wouold you want to have surgery in a place that has clean Water and working sewers or one that doesnt like Mexico or other 2rd and 3rd world countries.

There is a difference between airing concerns (concerns that have probably already been mulled over 1000s of times), and predicting death and despair. It's offensive.

[Patricia Tate Johnson 43]

Thank you for your post-I really appreciate it! Full disclosure, I am scheduled for surgery in Puerta Vallerta in August of this year and have (and continue) to research the facility and doctor. I am comfortable with my choice and am looking forward to my visit. I read a recent post about a particular individual's Mexico experience and I absolutely agonized about whether to respond or not. I decided against responding, because I didn't want to seem as if I was "attacking" the person or belittling her experience if I asked questions or expressed my viewpoint. What happended to this indivdual happened to her and while of course, I have questions and would like additional facts, I think it is important to try to understand her situation without making assumptions or passing judgement. In an open forum such as this it is dangerous to post generalizations/ambigious details about specific situations so I try to read and respond at "face value".

The decision to undergo WLS is not one that I believe is reached easily by any of us; for many us, deciding to seek care outside of the United States adds another layer to the decision making processing. In order to be well informed, I believe that I need to hear both successful and nonsuccessful experiences, but with that in mind I also need to remember that each of us is a unique individual with our own set of circustances and one person's journey may not be my journey.

[Kindle 8,667]

It's unrealistsic to ask those that have concerns not to air them. Where wouold you want to have surgery in a place that has clean Water and working sewers or one that doesnt like Mexico or other 2rd and 3rd world countries.

These are the kind of uninformed, ignorant comments we don't appreciate. No working sewers? Seriously? Do you really think we all had our surgeries in a back alley with dirty instruments? The facility I went to is a Center of Excellence, which exceeds standards of most of the hospitals in the US. Your comment is not one of concern, it was a prejudice statement from someone who has no experience with the situation.