Surgery in Mexico

[_Becca 0]

Dr. Arturo Rodriguez put in my band and I thought he was wonderful. My band cost 8,000 and I just had it put in this past summer. I am sorry Cosmos that you had a bad experience. I know several people that have had their lapbands put in from him, all with success. I was 100% satisfied with my experience and would go to Dr. Rodriguez again without question.

[Mikalisa 0]

Hi,

I felt the same way too. I did a lot of research and I came across Worldmedassist.com and spoke with Janet, who is a nurse. She's really patient and answered all my questions - it was a lot! I also liked the surgeon, Dr. Lopez Corvala because he's done so many lap bands. I'm getting banded next month and it's really quite simple because she's helping me and I don't feel so lost. I hope this helps.:thumbup:

[srossell 1]

thank you..this did help

i have called the office for Dr. Ariel Ortiz. The woman I spoke to was very nice. So - I am getting excited. Right now - I am in the process of getting financed. So if all goes well - I will be going there! :biggrin:

I just hope everything works out. I am still looking around - but I have heard great things about Dr. Ortiz.

Hi,

I felt the same way too. I did a lot of research and I came across Worldmedassist.com and spoke with Janet, who is a nurse. She's really patient and answered all my questions - it was a lot! I also liked the surgeon, Dr. Lopez Corvala because he's done so many lap bands. I'm getting banded next month and it's really quite simple because she's helping me and I don't feel so lost. I hope this helps.

[SUNNYNYC 11]

Hi, I have also researched alot about dr.ortiz and heard good things. I am setup for the surgery on april 30.

[snowbird 2]

Some of the worst complications and weirdest advice that I've heard here has come from US surgeons who don't have the experience of some of their Mexican counterparts. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: my insurance covered my surgery, and I went to Dr Ortiz due to his experience and quality of care. I would do it again. I WISH I were getting paid to say this, but it ain't so. There are people on this forum who have met me in person, and I have met others who have said the same thing on this thread: it's the quality of the surgeon, regardless of where he is, that matters.

[heberz 0]

I have had nothing but grief with having a lap band....after only 3 months I had to have it removed. Don't know if it was because of where I had it put in or if it was other circumstances. But I had a hect of a tine finding a doctor here in the US who would even see me or take care of me!! Not worth the saving!!!!

[snowbird 2]

Why did you have it removed? What complications did you have? Did you get any guidance from your surgeon on post op life? There are some Mexican quacks, but there are also Mexican experts.

My Mexican doctor will do aftercare for me, and I would trust him with it more than any US doctor.

[SHARONCRIST1955 0]

Yes I agree with you snowbird. You are close to Mexico. I am not I cant afford to travel to Mexico. I live in Idaho.

[isabelle290 0]

heberz,

Anyone who makes the choice to go to Mexico knows they would have to return to their doctor for complications. Who was your doctor? What was your complication? There are lots of wonderful doctors in Mexico who care about their patients. If you are going to post something like that, please give us enough info so we know you are making a ligit claim.

[SHARONCRIST1955 0]

Hi As I said before I am sorry to offend anyone about there choice in Dr.'s whether it is in Mexico, or Boise Idaho. I am just glad I had this surgery. My Dr. name is Dr. Robert Cahn. I am just making a comment. It wasnt meant to offend anyone. It is my own personell preference. Like it was your own personell preference. I commend you for your preference and I totally respect your opinion. Please respect my opinion.

[Linzlou 0]

I just returned from Mexico. Dr. Jose Rodriguez did my band on April 8th. In a perfect world I would have loved to have surgery in the states and close to home, but I found ALL of the local doctors money hungry, uncaring and not helpful! My insurance gave me the run around for over 2 years and On the day I was sending a letter of desperation to a local doctor (ironically my email did not send) I ran across the dr. Rodriguez and within 1 month I was banded! I paid $8500 for surgery in Juarez and found all the doctors, nurses, and everyone wonderful. I am very happy with my choice. When I arrived at the hospital I was in surgery within 2 hours.

The only negative is the reaction of people (including doctors) when they find out "you were crazy enough to go to Mexico." And the unfortunate not being able to find a fill doctor,in fact it is much less expensive to jst go back t Mexico for a fill. Good luck!

[FurEllie 0]

Well I'm certainly not getting paid a penny for posting my excellent experiences with Dr. Oritz - wish I was

He was recommended by my personal doctor who is also a family friend. As he pointed out to me, someone who has done 5000 Lapbands over the years is going to have a bit more experience than someone who's done a few hundred over the last couple of years.

Do what you feel safe with, but I can 100% tell you that after several medical procedures in the last year, I would rate Dr. Ortiz's center as a 10 and the "prestigious" US hospital I was at a 4. Plus you can drink the Water in TJ

[B-Rog 1]

I was banded by Dr. Armando Joya in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. My experience was wonderful. There is not a thing that disappointed me. The care I was given far surpasses both knee surgeries I had in the States.

Do your research. Talk to some people. Call the surgeon (mine gave me his cell #). And make an educated decision.

[heberz 0]

I will not indicate which doctor I saw in Mexico, but I was banded 1 week before Christmas 2007. For 7 weeks my port incision drained. I referred to my surgery coordinator about this. She kept saying it needed to heal from the inside out. So I waited. I live in WI which is too far to travel to Mexico for after surgery care. I tried 10 locations that do lapbands locally. All denied seeing me, either I had the wrong band (which the facility told me was FDA approved but is not!!) or they wouldn't see me because they did not do the surgery or because I went to MExico. Regardless, I finally found a bariatric doctor who would see me he was 1 1/2 hours from my home. I scheduled a fill about 8 weeks afters surgery. I had to wait that long for the port incision to heal. The doctor took one look at the port site and said I had an infection. He gave me an antibiotic and sent me on my way. The port incision came open yet again after 1 day of the medication. It drained for several weeks again then the tubing connecting the port to the band came out of the incision. For 1 week I had to walk around with this tubing haging out of my abdomen. Pretty!! I had to pay to go back to Mexico and pay them to remove my port. They cleaned up the port site, removed my port and sutured me shut. (Which I find out now that you should never suture shut an infection site!) They gave me an antibiotic and sent me home. After I completed the prescription the infection was back with a vengence. I went to my primary care physician who said as long as I had that band I will probably have an infection. So, I sought a second opinion from a bariatric surgeon who does not do lap bands and he gave me the same advice. We scehduled the surgery to remove the band(which was covered by my insurance except for a out of pocket expense of $5,500.00) When the surgeon got inside to do a simple removal of the band he found that the tubing which was still in my abdomen had eroded through my bowel creating a 2 1/2 hr surgery. Also, I was left with an incision around 8" long down my stomach and the original port incision which needed to be packed with gauze twice a day for the next month. I have been off work for 6 weeks. So, for around $14,000.00 I have nothing to show but the 35 lbs I lost because I was too sick to eat and a stomach that looks like a road map it has so many scars. Again, I do not completely blame the doctors in Mexico, but wonder if the outcome would have been different if I had stayed in the US.

[cosmos110 0]

Here we go. Dear Snowbird. Your telling me that your insurance company here in the U.S. approved your lapband and then you went to Mexico and Your U.S. Insurance company paid a Mexican Doctor to Band You? I hope thats not what your telling me !!!

As I read these blogs I know full well that a lot of postings are from Mexican Cayotes. All readers need to be aware of that. Anyone who doubts it need only pick up thier phone, call any insurance company in the U.S and they'll laugh you right off your chair.

I've dealt with Insurance Companies here enough to know that each Insurance Company has thier list of approved Doctors AND there ain't none of them in MEXICO !!!

CAN YOU HEAR ME ?????