help me narrow down mexico surgeon choice

[Phoenixrising 0]

Many of the MD's travel to other cities to do the surgery. Juarez/El Paso TX seems to be a "new market" in terms of WLS and the MD's from other areas of MX are traveling to areas that have been "underserved" so to speak. El Paso/Juarez is more convenient for folks from NM and Far West TX rather than having to travel to San Diego or Eagles Pass/Monterrey area.

[cosmos110 0]

No you can't get a guarantee from any Surgeon in the world. I agree. What you can get is the knowledge that we all have that if you are not treated right by the hospital or Doctor, you have the reassurance of our legal system. Only available in the USA. Dig it !!

Thats it, I quit. I'm toasted. I'm going to the North Pole for a vacation to cool off for a couple years. I'm gonna dig a hole and pull the dirt in after me. You won't have Cos to kick around no more.

Now you'll be sorry.

[MacMadame 81]

Hi, hopefully someone can reassure me here. I happened to find a site called medicaltourismco with my google search. They are located here in Plano TX so I felt comfortable.

Be careful. Anyone can open a PO box somewhere and have their mail forwarded elsewhere.

There tons of these places on the web. They do scheduling for certain doctors and promise to make it easier for you than dealing with the doctors' office directly but many of them have slimy reputations. IMO it's always better to find a doctor directly and deal with them directly.

Strangely enough they sent me info on this same doctor, but out of El Paso TX, not out of Calif??

Dr. Lopez is a Mexican doctor who practices in Mexico. Do a search of LapbandTalk if you want to find info him .. there is a lot and there are a lot of complaints.

I have recently exhausted my insurance options and am looking at Mexico. Currently I'm looking at Dr. Aceves and Dr. Rumblaut. Another popular surgeon is Dr. Ortiz but for various reasons, he didn't make my list.

I'm using the article "How to Research a Mexican Doctor" in the LBT magazine area to help me with my research (which is still on-going) and also doing a lot of google searches, looking at Doctor recommendations at ObesityHelp.com and searching LBT for different doctors by name. I really recommend the article by WasABubbleButt and also looking for what real people say about doctors on the Internet.

[LoisinStA 1]

If you can find someone that you know or who knows someone you know, that has had the surgery in Mexico, ask them about their experience. I found Dr. Zapata through my sister who had a friend who used him. After many discussions with her, we felt comfortable that we would have a favorable experience like she did and decided to go to him. It was more than favorable and since my surgery, I have come to find other patients of his here in NE "Florida who also had good experiences with him. Doing research is well and good but nothing is better than a personal recommendation.

[cosmos110 0]

Between 1980 & 1984 I was the Captain of a Tug and Barge Unit in Mexico. My barge carried supplies from Tampico to the Oil Field in Cuidad Del Carmen. My crew was English Officers and Honduran Deck crew. This was a clear violation of Mexican Law. Working internally in Mexico we should have had All Mexican crew.

Why am I telling you this ?

A big part of my job was to buy off the Mexican officials each time we cleared into and out of Port. A carton of cigarettes per official was usually sufficent.

From my position I saw a lot of kick-backs, payoffs and favors for hire. I not proud of what I done. But it was the system and part of my job as well. If a boat Captain tried that here in the USA, you would go to a Federal prison for even attempting to bribe a Customs or Goverment official.

Research. I'm sorry. I know the landscape. I can guarantee you that if I was a Doctor in Mexico I could buy any reputation I deemed necessary. I don't like saying this but it's simply the truth. I notice a lot of people preaching Research - Research - Research, You got to do your Research.

No Doctor is any better than his next band.

The lone voice crying away. Know what your getting into in Mexico. A lot of people have been very lucky with a band in Mexico. If you go there I wish you the best, I hope you get good service.

[MacMadame 81]

A big part of my job was to buy off the Mexican officials each time we cleared into and out of Port. A carton of cigarettes per official was usually sufficent.

From my position I saw a lot of kick-backs, payoffs and favors for hire. I not proud of what I done. But it was the system and part of my job as well. If a boat Captain tried that here in the USA, you would go to a Federal prison for even attempting to bribe a Customs or Goverment official.

Yet knowing this, you choose to go to Mexico for your surgery.

[cosmos110 0]

Yet knowing this, you choose to go to Mexico for your surgery.

How could I tell people that it is a mistake to go to Mexico If I hadn't made the mistake ?

You'd gripe if they hung you with a new rope.

[MacMadame 81]

You'd gripe if they hung you with a new rope.

No, you're one of those people who when something bad happens, has to blame it on someone and over-generalizes.

You knew what the culture was like before you decided to go there. You were perfectly fine with it beforehand. But then something bad happened.

Now you are blaming the culture for what happened to you. Yet what happened to you happens to about 1% of people who get bands (give or take a few fractions of a percent) and could have happened here. Plus, you went to a doctor who has a lot of unhappy customers posting on the internet about their experiences.

So, in fact, no bribery to "buy" a reputation was involved in your case since your doc hasn't got a great reputation. No infection that can only happen in Mexico was responsible for your problems either. You didn't have a complication in a surgery center and not get to the hospital on time (something else to watch out for in Mexico), either. You didn't even have a problem that you could successfully sue a doctor in the US for.

Conclusion: Mexico had nothing to do with. Instead of trying to warn people of the "dangers of Mexico" why not warn them of the real dangers your case illustrates:

Such as the dangers of self-pay:

When you self-pay, if you have complications, you are really stuck. You've paid for your surgery and now you have to pay for your complication to be fixed. In the end, you pay a LOT of money and you get butkiss for it.

[flowers 0]

Be careful. Anyone can open a PO box somewhere and have their mail forwarded elsewhere.

There tons of these places on the web. They do scheduling for certain doctors and promise to make it easier for you than dealing with the doctors' office directly but many of them have slimy reputations. IMO it's always better to find a doctor directly and deal with them directly.

Dr. Lopez is a Mexican doctor who practices in Mexico. Do a search of LapbandTalk if you want to find info him .. there is a lot and there are a lot of complaints.

Well, it seems that IS NOT my doctor. I dont know if I should pull back or what. I have already applied and now doctors in Mexico wouldnt talk directly to me, I tried calling one. They also approved me for surgery.

Here are my concerns and problems. I have Dr. Natera. Thats all it says, last name, not his complete name. The original quote had multiple sites and the name above the name of the hospital was not the right doctor, that doctor does practice at another hospital as I noticed on this site. These folks messed up the quote.

The fact is, this patient facilitator who is handling my set up forgot to put the doctor's name in the quote at all!!! (accidental?) She says she is age 67 and had her surgery 10 months ago and lost 65 lbs, not a very fast weight loss. She did not go to Mexico. When I asked what I asked here on this forum, she told me to refer to the quote as if it were my mistake, but they forgot to mention the doctor's name, not me.

I asked if this doctor had a place to call home from, since I will be going by myself and my mom is going to worry. She sent me a link to rent a international phone from them (I own 7 tracfones, but they dont like you using them overseas, why would I rent a phone for a day or two and go thru all that hassle). Of course renting the phones from them.

I dont know if its that she is unprofessional or what exactly is going on. I said I saw one person post here who got a 1.5 cc fill when she got her surgery, is that possible? She wrote back this is unusual (duuh, I knew that), and that each doctor will have his own procedures (duuh again). I asked her to find out what his procedures were or give me a contact so I could find out.

I googled the name Dr. Natera and nothing comes up. He may have 17 years of surgery experience, but Im doubting it is with Americans. I think he is new to americans is my guess.

The reason I wanted to go to this location is I live in Texas and this is just over the boarder from El Paso where Iv been before, so I feel more comfortable with the idea. But I need information which Im not getting.

Edited June 21, 2008 by flowers

[kimaly 57]

I'm flying into EL Paso and being driven to Juarez. I'm seeing Dr. Jose Rodrigues. I've had no problem talking to who ever I need to. I've gone through Beliteweight. Jessica is walking me through it. she gives me answers to whatever my concerns are. I'm not promoting my DR. or anything I'm just saying there is other DR. in Mexico near EL Paso. Maybe you could check some of them out and find someone your more comfortable with. I also had no problem getting info on him off the net and the people on this forum are a wealth of information. good luck! :redface:

[cosmos110 0]

Dear Flowers

I've noticed your efforts. Your not the only one who can't find reliable information researching Mexican doctors. I came very close to death in Mexico so I try to warn people.

Let me just say that you'll find a lot of people on this and other WLS internet sites who are on the peyroll (Cyotoes, if you will). There are ofcourse a lot of well meaning folks out here in cyberspace who can and will give you good advice. I'd advise you to save your money and find a Surgeon here in the USA. I'd give anything to back up the clock and do it if I could.

As your post above demonstrates, it's somestimes impossible to research Mexico, the "land of disappearing facts".

[cosmos110 0]

No, you're one of those people who when something bad happens, has to blame it on someone and over-generalizes.

You knew what the culture was like before you decided to go there. You were perfectly fine with it beforehand. But then something bad happened.

Now you are blaming the culture for what happened to you. Yet what happened to you happens to about 1% of people who get bands (give or take a few fractions of a percent) and could have happened here. Plus, you went to a doctor who has a lot of unhappy customers posting on the internet about their experiences.

So, in fact, no bribery to "buy" a reputation was involved in your case since your doc hasn't got a great reputation. No infection that can only happen in Mexico was responsible for your problems either. You didn't have a complication in a surgery center and not get to the hospital on time (something else to watch out for in Mexico), either. You didn't even have a problem that you could successfully sue a doctor in the US for.

Conclusion: Mexico had nothing to do with. Instead of trying to warn people of the "dangers of Mexico" why not warn them of the real dangers your case illustrates:

Such as the dangers of self-pay:

When you self-pay, if you have complications, you are really stuck. You've paid for your surgery and now you have to pay for your complication to be fixed. In the end, you pay a LOT of money and you get butkiss for it.

Dear Mac Mad

You'd feel differently if you were the one who nearly died and in the end got stiffed for all your money and no LapBand to show for it. Easy for you to talk.

I've never heard of anybody who came close to death and then debanded and the threw out in the street here in the USA (Or Mexico either for that matter). It sure as hell happened to me. Doctors here in the USA would be terrified of the consequences for such behavior, but not in Mexico.

I furthermore can't find my case (The Research you preach) on the internet. Show me how to do that, "Oh well of never ending intelligence".

Edited June 21, 2008 by cosmos110
Spelling

[MacMadame 81]

You'd feel differently if you were the one who nearly died and in the end got stiffed for all your money and no LapBand to show for it.

But you see, I wouldn't. If that happened to me, I'd be all over the internet saying DON'T GO TO DR. [insert the name of doctor]. I wouldn't say DON'T GO TO [insert country/state I was butchered in]. That's not how I roll.

[quoe]I've never heard of anybody who came close to death and then debanded and the threw out in the street here in the USA

You need to talk to HeadHunter on this site then. Though I'm not sure he's had his debanding surgery yet as his case is complicated and they don't want to kill him taking his band out. All of that happened in Southern CA, btw. Not Mexico.

I furthermore can't find my case (The Research you preach) on the internet. Show me how to do that, "Oh well of never ending intelligence".

Your case is IN THIS THREAD. And several other threads here and on WLSFacts.com. You post it everywhere.

I have come to realize that there are many people out there who don't know how to do research. Then, there are the people who trust something a real live person tells them over anything they read. So knowing two people who had a good experience with a doctor is much better to them than reading on the internet that their doctor is a butcher. They will ignore reading about how their doctor messed up many surgeries if they have two friends who love that doctor, in fact. They do this even though a doctor with 10x the complication rate of a good surgeon is still going to have hundreds of happy patients.

I have explained a little bit how I researched doctors in this thread. I can do it some more but I think it might make a better standalone thread or magazine article.

It's true that WASa has sources that people not in the medical profession don't have. But you don't have to be in the medical profession to find out that there are a handful of doctors in Mexico who are really bad news and a handful that are not such great news. It may not be perfect research, but if you stick to doctors that have done lots of patients, but hadn't had reports of bad problems (caused by the surgeons), you will be much happier than if you go to someone based on price or your next-door neighbor loved them, or you can't find any info about about them so they must be good.

[jkpenny376 2]

I would run!!!!!!!! I had my surgery in Mexico w/ Dr. Jose Rodriguez in Juarez and was very happy. If she can't get it together now what makes you think your coord/fac. will be able to get it together when you have your surgery. If you have already paid your deposit it is worth losing that money to be safe. I have never heard of that Dr. on these boards. It sounds fishy and if your gut tells you this then drop it like a hot potatoe and find another Dr. There are more qualified Dr.'s to use. Don't become one of those mexican mishaps because you used some quack less then on the up and up dr's. YOU WILL REGRET NOT FOLLOWING YOUR GUT INSTINCT.

[MacMadame 81]

Here are my concerns and problems. I have Dr. Natera. Thats all it says, last name, not his complete name. The original quote had multiple sites and the name above the name of the hospital was not the right doctor, that doctor does practice at another hospital as I noticed on this site. These folks messed up the quote.

The fact is, this patient facilitator who is handling my set up forgot to put the doctor's name in the quote at all!!! (accidental?)

Flowers - you need to RUN RUN RUN.

They didn't leave the name off the quote accidentally. They want to be able to use whatever doctor is available at the time you show up. It's called Bait and Switch and the less reputable agencies do this.

If you can't get reliable info out of your booking agency, if they continually mess up, if you feel like they are giving you the run around and aren't on the up-and-up, then RUN. There are other booking agencies. Or you can deal with the doctors office directly (once you fire your booking agency that is; they won't talk to you until then because they don't want to have a bad relationship with the agency).

Then start a new thread asking for the names of some good surgeons who have a reasonable self-pay price near El Paso. You will get a bunch of names and you can go from there trying to get info on them. Don't just look in MX as there are a lot of surgeons in TX. But don't cut MX completely out either.

That is my advice to you.... for what it's worth.