Why Mexico ???

[Passive Viewer 0]

mbeckett1 :

It's not the sharing of good experiences that is slightly annoying, it's the skewing of facts. No doctor is perfect and no doctor is THE ONLY way to go. BubbleButt has a history of bashing American doctors on another forum too, by stating "so-called" facts that are in essence untrue.

In the beginning of this thread the question was posed as to "Why Mexico", and basically the real answer to that is the cost factor. Nobody would travel across the country to a foreign land for a medical procedure that they could have in their own backyard for the same cost. And to answer "because doctors in America are ALL uncaring, money-grubbing, incompetents" is not only wrong, but slightly annoying. I guarantee that every Mexican doctor that performs any type of elective surgery (of which lapbanding is considered) does it for the money not because he is on some mission from God.

[mbeckett1 0]

Passive Viewer:

I am going to stay away from this thread. I think you are putting words in people's mouths at this point. More experience is also a fact that no one can deny. FDA didn't approve the band till 2001. If my Doc has been doing it since 1994 you really can't argue with that fact. Wonderful thing is everyone has a choice & I am glad I came to this board to hear about positive experiences & being able to give each other feedback & support through the tough times.

Best of luck to you!

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

This Is For BubbleButt

You push Dr. Aceves on his board too. Your stats on U.S. doctors are completely erroneous. The doctors in the states do not shove you out the door the day after surgery (my doctor's standard is to watch you for 2 to 3 days following surgery - IN THE HOSPITAL), the lapband surgeons in the states ALSO offer free fills for life and you don't have to pay the so-called "operating room / flouro" costs (free truly means free it doesn't mean $80.00 to $110.00 plus the cost of airfare and a possible hotel room stay for East coasters), and unlike Dr. Aceves, U.S. doctors do not perform 8 to 10 bariatric surgeries a day. Just because you CAN do assembly line surgery, doesn't mean you should! I have also not found a single person that Dr. Aceves has turned down for surgery. Not because he is an almighty god of lapbands who can make anyone a success, but because if you pay him, he will perform! Truthfully do you think absolutely EVERYBODY should undergo a major surgery regardless of their age or medical background? Dr. Aceves (according to his own people) has done lapband surgery on everything from a 12 year old child to a 60-something year old, 400lb+ woman so riddled with risks that several out-of-country doctors wouldn't take the chance on her (not even if she paid). This is why U.S. doctors have a different standard to follow.

Lots of people have had success with Dr. Aceves surgery, but lots of people have had problems, it just doesn't get reported.

Mylap-band...

Why in the hell are you following me around from thread to thread coming up with IDs faster than you change your underwear? Someone asked a question and I answered it. I stand behind my answer. I did not push one doc over another in my response, read it again!

You are making up numbers as well as just about everything in your post.

Look, if you can't drum up enough business for your doctor here, that just isn't my fault. If you keep up this behavior I'm going to start reporting your posts. You know, all of them under all your various IDs.

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

Dr. Aceves (according to his own people) has done lapband surgery on everything from a 12 year old child to a 60-something year old, 400lb+ woman so riddled with risks that several out-of-country doctors wouldn't take the chance on her (not even if she paid). This is why U.S. doctors have a different standard to follow.

Lots of people have had success with Dr. Aceves surgery, but lots of people have had problems, it just doesn't get reported.

You know what? I just can't let this one go by. If you aren't a patient coordinator I don't know who is. If you have to lie about another doctor just to make your own look good, what does that say about your doctor?

It just hit me who you are referring to regarding the 400# woman. You read bits and pieces of the story last night on Dr. A's message board and now you are running with stories that are half truths.

The women you refer to that you "claim" no US surgeon would operate on, what a load! The facts of that one are that her insurance would only cover bypass, not banding. She didn't want gastric bypass, her doctors did not want her to get bypass, she wanted banding. The US docs were more than happy to do a very invasive procedure on a person with a long history of blood clots and diabetes because that is what insurance would have paid for even though in her case the least invasive procedure would have been safest especially for this particular woman. These are the standards you feel are superior to the way things are done in Mexico? If your insurance covers it then that is the best procedure regardless of the patient's medical history? Bah!

She talked to two Mexican surgeons and they flat out told her that due to her massive weight she needed banding but they were not able to do the surgery because she was a tricky case, a difficult case. They referred her to two physicians in Mexico that *can* handle the surgery. There are two docs that the other Mexican surgeons contact when they have someone with co-morbidities that they don't feel they are capable of handling. Those two docs are Aceves and Rumbaut. They *can* do the tricky cases, the complicated cases. I have news for you, we do the same darn thing in the US. This is not an unusual scenario. There are docs here that also take the tricky and complicated cases that others don't feel comfortable doing because they *can* do the tricky stuff. That is standard in medicine regardless if it is Mexico or the US.

So it most certainly was not a matter of no US docs were willing to do her surgery, her insurance wouldn't PAY and that is why she went to Mexico. Another fact you didn't mention was that she was also kept longer than others, she had pre ops that were not standard (Lovenox for a week before and a week after surgery), she also had an internal medicine doctor that was seeing her twice daily while in the hospital and another thing you failed to mention. Her US cardiologist was in full support of the surgery, her primary care doc was in full support of the surgery. Her endocrinologist (all from the US) were in full support of the surgery. They all worked with Dr. Aceves and the other Mexican doctors to perform this surgery and the person you refer to did quite well. She is happy, losing weight, had her first fill, no complications. These are ALL issues she has been very open about on the boards and discussed in detail.

Sometimes the heavier someone is the more co-morbidities they have. They aren't going to get better without surgery. Without surgery they WILL die of heart problems, stroke, diabetes, blood clots, etc. The only bloody chance they have at survival is losing weight. What would you expect doctors to do? My goodness, look at the bigger picture. We do the very same thing in the US. Should doctors from any country just let her die when it's a given that without surgery she WILL die vs. having surgery where there MIGHT be risk? What in the world are you thinking?

As for banding a 12 year old child that is a bold face lie. He has banded a teenager. So has Canada, your point? The girl was about 200 lbs overweight, she had the complete and total support of her family, her therapist, her primary care physician, and her endocrinologist. All US medical providers, btw. Who are you to say that all of them are wrong and YOU are right when YOU don't even know the people involved?

Instead of signing up for Dr. A's boards and running around with half truths and bold faced lies you should start actually reading the whole story so you have SOME clue of what you are talking about.

People 60 and over are banded all the time and yes, that includes here in the US. Amazingly, the medical community doesn't give up on someone because they are 60. They too can have a very safe surgery. Who in the world would automatically rule out someone 60 or more because they are 60? For goodness sakes, we do open heart procedures, brain mapping, and other very extensive procedures on people 60 and older. What in the world makes you think they too don't deserve quality of life? Every country that does banding bands people 60 and over. Who are you to suggest they don't deserve a chance at a healthier life as well as the rest of us?

Look, if the only way you can make your doctor look good is to down others with half truths and dishonesty, what does that say about your doctor? A reputation should stand on it's own, that and their stats.

Stats, that does seem to be the real issue here, doesn't it? Some docs have great stats and some don't. You just don't like people who look at stats within the entire picture when deciding on a physician. Well, you'll have to suffer through that one because today people are informed, they do their research, they pick who is best for them and I doubt that is going to change.

[Lynn_Marie 0]

Hmmmm.... Passive Viewer isn't so passive after all. LOL! I agree that most of us promote our own doctors if we had good experiences and that we need to keep things here on a positive note. Also, on a more personal level, I would like to say that I have found Bubblebutt's posts to be overall quite informative.

Passive, I believe that if you would poll the people here who have had their surgery done in the states and had no complications, and asked them how long they were in the hospital, most of them would say they were only in overnight.

[Passive Viewer 0]

Look Bubblebutt - I am NOT any other person. I am a newly AMERICAN banded person who came here to get some insight from various types of other people. I have seen you before on other forums, but you are such a Blowhard that I just ignore your constant rambling. You think there aren't more people in this world that you annoy besides "My Lapband"??? I got news for you, I'm sure that is a forum within itself.

STOP TELLING PEOPLE I AM SOMEONE ELSE !!!

Check out my stats, my picture, and my information before you make blanket accusations. By the way, prove you are real with a picture. You won't do it will you?

Carin

[Passive Viewer 0]

As for banding a 12 year old child that is a bold face lie. He has banded a teenager. So has Canada, your point? The girl was about 200 lbs overweight, she had the complete and total support of her family, her therapist, her primary care physician, and her endocrinologist. All US medical providers, btw. Who are you to say that all of them are wrong and YOU are right when YOU don't even know the people involved?

THIS is a bold face lie. I DO KNOW THE GIRL INVOLVED !!! The girl WAS 12 years old, she was No where near 200 pounds OVER her desired weight (she weighed 235 lbs) and as far as all that crap about the support of her therapist and garbage, she had no therapist, no endocrinologist, her single mother (never knew her father) even told us that her primary care physician said she was crazy to even consider it before her daughter was at least 14. When she took her daughter to the ER a few months after banding suffering from pancreatis, the doctors ther told her she was insane to have her child banded at all, much less in Mexico, and again - her PC agreed with them.

Again, you are wrong!

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

You have already proven yourself to be dishonest. You really have nothing of value to say when you can't dig up a bit of honesty.

Please stop PMing me, following me around, and being so insulting. I've had enough.

[Passive Viewer 0]

I don't know where you assume that I have already proven myself to be a liar, not one thing I have stated on here has been a lie. I just can't stand blowhards who think it is THEIR way or it's wrong!

TO EVERYONE ELSE :

Mexico, U.S., Canada, Australia - wherever you are banded, look for the best doctor you can afford, one that YOU are comfortable with, and let the final decision be in your own heart. Don't let anonymous strangers on a board convince you that one doctor is better than another, if you read something that sounds farfetched or outrageous, check it out yourself if it concerns you. If not, just ignore it and move on.

Carin

[recov1 0]

To Passave Veiwer.

Why would you attack "Wassa" she offers very informitive pointers and information about a subject which is shrouded in "unknowns" for many of us who come on this WEB site for exactly that information. Information that we all can judge for ourselves and sift through the fact that someone is very pleased with thier particular Doctor or Surgeon. I only wish I would have met Dr. Aceves before I did my "band" I ultimately had to have my band removed. I have had alot of weird and devistating complications from the band removal surgry. unfourtounatley I had my band done by a different Doctor. In all this out of the Goodness of his heart Dr.Aceves saw me to see if there was something he could do to help me. Most Doctors don't even bother with peolpe like me they just want the easy money and do people who never had complications. Dr. Aceves did not try to sell me something or convince me of anything or anything un professional. He just patientley listened to me and then examined me. He did not make anyunrealistic promises and he really seemed to care. I think you should realize that some doctors are legitt and that is what Wassa is all about. By the way if there were unhappy clients of Dr. Aceves they would have surely surfaced considering he has been a Doctor in mexico since the late nineteen sixtees. Some times people get to a point where they can't fight the weight loss battle alone and between the greedy insurance companies and the whole mind set of people against us BIG people you need to know who the "good people" are and I think Dr.Aceves is a caring proffessional we are all fortunate to find out about.

I'm sure you mean well and all, but I have Met this Dr. personally and I don't know why you would knock him unless you are trying to push your doctor or keep people from reaserching and so forth. It seems to me that you must work for a Doctor here in the U.S or else why would you diss on this Doctor?