To go..or not to go to Mexico?

[sassyfrass23 525]

So- I'm just about fed up with insurance and all of their semantics. They make this entirely too difficult. Therefore, I'm strongly considering Mexico.

Especially since I would still come out $6k cheaper even if my insurance does decide to cover their 80% here in the US.

I'm looking for experiences. Good or bad. And processes. Do you have to travel to Mexico prior to surgery to be evaluated? Or is everything done online/over the phone and they complete any tests, etc when you actually arrive for the surgery?

I'm not a risk taker. Surgery alone is causing some nerves to rattle. And the thought of traveling out the states for a surgery is really causing some anxiety. But- I want to be happy and comfortable for once in my life. I'm hoping you can share your experience and put my mind at ease, should I choose to go this route.

Thanks!!

[jredding 35]

I went to Mexico and had rny surgery done by dr. Ponce de leon. I had a really good expirience. I did my research and with 20 years of expirience and no negative reviews that I could find, I knew he was the right doc for me. My sis and I both decided on him. We flew to San Diego the day before and were picked up by Roberto and driven to the recovery house. The next morning we were taken to the hospital and our tests (blood tests, ekg, ect.) were done. Then we were good to go for surgery. The nurses, doctors and other staff were all very friendly and made the 2 night hospital stay very pleasant. After being discharged from the hospital, we were taken back to the recovery house for our 2 nights with Juan and German taking us out for walks and exploring. It was a very good expirience. I'm just over a month out and have had no complications or problems whatsoever.

[sassyfrass23 525]

Thanks for the information!! How has your recovery been? And how has your progress been so far? I'm happy to hear that the surgery and traveling went well for you!!!

I went to Mexico and had rny surgery done by dr. Ponce de leon. I had a really good expirience. I did my research and with 20 years of expirience and no negative reviews that I could find, I knew he was the right doc for me. My sis and I both decided on him. We flew to San Diego the day before and were picked up by Roberto and driven to the recovery house. The next morning we were taken to the hospital and our tests (blood tests, ekg, ect.) were done. Then we were good to go for surgery. The nurses, doctors and other staff were all very friendly and made the 2 night hospital stay very pleasant. After being discharged from the hospital, we were taken back to the recovery house for our 2 nights with Juan and German taking us out for walks and exploring. It was a very good expirience. I'm just over a month out and have had no complications or problems whatsoever.

[jredding 35]

Recovery has been really good! Minimal pain. Getting enough fluids can be tricky, but I'm doing my best. Being able to eat again is weird. Haha. I'm on the soft food stage now. It's been good. I weighed in yesterday morning and I'm down 41 lbs!!

[sassyfrass23 525]

Oh, wow! Thanks for all of your information!! These responses have put me at ease already. How long ago did you contact them and inquire about the surgery? I guess I'm asking to see how long it actually took you from start to finish (being surgery date). And did you choose the date in december or was that first available? Do you know what they send you home with as far as medications? Pain meds or antibiotics? I believe I saw the post with all of those pictures right before I created this. The hospital did look a little dated, but my biggest concern is cleanliness and infection rates. And 3 surgeries a day is great. I don't want one who spits them out every few minutes and operates long days. One big concern is the 7 hour flight home. I don't know if I'm more concerned about how well I'll do being confined to a small place for such a long period or how I'll feel for 7 hours straight with all the gas pains I've been reading about and the importance of getting up and walking often. Also- my husband just started a new job and I can't ask him to take off so soon, so my mom will probably be accompanying me. She has a bad back, so I'm a little concerned about her sleeping on a cot. Maybe you could get a picture of that? Lol. I would LOVE for you to stay in touch and keep me posted on your surgery and recovery. How much time are you taking off from work for recovery? I'm wishing you the best as you approach this new journey!!!!!

[sassyfrass23 525]

42 lbs is fantastic! Many kudos to you!! Yeah- I'm already worried about the Fluid intake. Lol. I'll do what I have to and can follow directions...but I haven't always been the biggest "drinker." I typically only drink at meals. So, this will be a huge adjustment for me.

Recovery has been really good! Minimal pain. Getting enough fluids can be tricky, but I'm doing my best. Being able to eat again is weird. Haha. I'm on the soft food stage now. It's been good. I weighed in yesterday morning and I'm down 41 lbs!!

[JamieLogical 8,708]

I have had surgery in Mexico twice. Once for plastics and once for WLS. Both of my experiences were extremely positive. I received excellent care. My recommendation is to do your research. Decide which criteria are most important to you and then narrow the possible surgeons down based on that criteria. Then talk to past patients of those surgeons and only then make the choice that you are most confident and comfortable with.

[kelcified 66]

Michigan has the highest success rate and the highest ease of insurance coverage for bariatric procedures in the United States. That may be something to consider as well.

[Gingerish 113]

I went to Mexico and had a fantastic experience! Would definitely recommend it.

[mp24 3]

My insurance specifically excludes bariatric surgery, so I looked into Mexico and self-pay in the States. Mexico was about 1/2 the price, and their aftercare is more comprehensive than what I'm seeing stateside -- 2 nights in hospital there vs. an outpatient surgery here (less than 24 hours in the hospital after surgery) and 2 more days of access to the doc, etc. in Mexico. Here, the cost covers only the initial surgery and 1 follow up with the doc to remove the drain tube 10 days after surgery. Meds outside of the hospital are not covered, etc.

I agree about all the dancing through the insurance hoops, but without going through insurance, you're on your own in both cases if there are any complications.

All that being said -- I'm still uncomfortable with the idea of being gone from home for at least 5 or 6 days and flying so soon after a surgery because of complications from blood clots.

Just reading this over makes me wonder what I'm thinking, but . . . I've opted to stay stateside.

I was going to get my passport when I just decided I didn't feel good about going to Mexico.

I'm not wealthy -- I've been saving and have my contingency plan in place to make up the difference.

All I'm saying is this a decision you'll live with the rest of your life, so make sure it's the right one for you. Trust your gut.

You've already made a huge decision to have the surgery. Good luck to you!!!

[sassyfrass23 525]

Thank you for your response. It's been nice reading everyone else's positive experiences, but the fact that there are still people who have unfortunate events occur during or right after surgery makes me uneasy. Like you said- if there are complications, it would be nice to have insurance assist with those costs. As long as it's available, I believe I'm going to fight to get it until I receive an official "no."

And if I am denied- I'll look at options within the states myself. Being gone for that many days with a 7 hour flight plus 2 hour drive home from the airport doesn't sit well with me. And I know many doctors are hesitant or are completely reluctant to touching patients who have had surgery outside of the US. I commend all the folks who have gone this route though. But my anxiety just will not allow me to make this decision with all of the uncertainty. I wish I would. The price tag is so so so much better.

My insurance specifically excludes bariatric surgery, so I looked into Mexico and self-pay in the States. Mexico was about 1/2 the price, and their aftercare is more comprehensive than what I'm seeing stateside -- 2 nights in hospital there vs. an outpatient surgery here (less than 24 hours in the hospital after surgery) and 2 more days of access to the doc, etc. in Mexico. Here, the cost covers only the initial surgery and 1 follow up with the doc to remove the drain tube 10 days after surgery. Meds outside of the hospital are not covered, etc.

I agree about all the dancing through the insurance hoops, but without going through insurance, you're on your own in both cases if there are any complications.

All that being said -- I'm still uncomfortable with the idea of being gone from home for at least 5 or 6 days and flying so soon after a surgery because of complications from blood clots.

Just reading this over makes me wonder what I'm thinking, but . . . I've opted to stay stateside.

I was going to get my passport when I just decided I didn't feel good about going to Mexico.

I'm not wealthy -- I've been saving and have my contingency plan in place to make up the difference.

All I'm saying is this a decision you'll live with the rest of your life, so make sure it's the right one for you. Trust your gut.

You've already made a huge decision to have the surgery. Good luck to you!!!

[mp24 3]

It's hard dealing with the insurance companies because it's just business to them -- but it's very personal to us. Keep pursuing them at their game and get your doc on your side to push them, too. After all, the doc and his/her staff are much better able to deal with insurance as it isn't really personal to them, either.

Thank you for your response. It's been nice reading everyone else's positive experiences, but the fact that there are still people who have unfortunate events occur during or right after surgery makes me uneasy. Like you said- if there are complications, it would be nice to have insurance assist with those costs. As long as it's available, I believe I'm going to fight to get it until I receive an official "no."

And if I am denied- I'll look at options within the states myself. Being gone for that many days with a 7 hour flight plus 2 hour drive home from the airport doesn't sit well with me. And I know many doctors are hesitant or are completely reluctant to touching patients who have had surgery outside of the US. I commend all the folks who have gone this route though. But my anxiety just will not allow me to make this decision with all of the uncertainty. I wish I would. The price tag is so so so much better.

My insurance specifically excludes bariatric surgery, so I looked into Mexico and self-pay in the States. Mexico was about 1/2 the price, and their aftercare is more comprehensive than what I'm seeing stateside -- 2 nights in hospital there vs. an outpatient surgery here (less than 24 hours in the hospital after surgery) and 2 more days of access to the doc, etc. in Mexico. Here, the cost covers only the initial surgery and 1 follow up with the doc to remove the drain tube 10 days after surgery. Meds outside of the hospital are not covered, etc.

I agree about all the dancing through the insurance hoops, but without going through insurance, you're on your own in both cases if there are any complications.

All that being said -- I'm still uncomfortable with the idea of being gone from home for at least 5 or 6 days and flying so soon after a surgery because of complications from blood clots.

Just reading this over makes me wonder what I'm thinking, but . . . I've opted to stay stateside.

I was going to get my passport when I just decided I didn't feel good about going to Mexico.

I'm not wealthy -- I've been saving and have my contingency plan in place to make up the difference.

All I'm saying is this a decision you'll live with the rest of your life, so make sure it's the right one for you. Trust your gut.

You've already made a huge decision to have the surgery. Good luck to you!!!

[vsgmish_LV 7]

My husband and 4 other extended family members went through a lighter me. They've all had great results. I'm going down on 11/27 for mine.

[sleevedinseptember 69]

Just wanted to add my experience here. I had my surgery in Mexico with Dr. Ramos Kelly and it was a great experience. I was nervous about going outside the country but my insurance does not cover bariatric surgery at all. I have managed to find a dr and bariatric center here at home that is doing my follow up care - so while it might be difficult, it can actually happen. The team that I am seeing is affiliated with a teaching hospital/medical school. I had to provide them my op-report from Dr. Kelly and then I was accepted.

So far I have had no issues whatsoever and my meetings with the nurse practitioner have been great. I will also say that I have seen a number of people who had their surgery here in the States and still had horrible experiences. Regardless of where you have your surgery, it's important to feel comfortable and confident in your surgeon and the team caring for you.

I was provided blood thinners in Mexico and I made sure I walked as much as possible in the two weeks after surgery. I was also in good health before surgery and so I think that helped a lot. Good luck with your decision - I would just say that it is possible to find surgeons, nurses etc and facilities in Mexico that are just as good as here in the US.

[Proud2BMe 1,016]

I had mine in Tijuana. Would do it again in a heart beat. Very positive, no real pain and no complications. Lost 128 lbs in 6 months.