Give me the total scoop on getting banded in Mexico???

[mrucker 0]

MY QUESTION: Give me the scoop on getting banded in Mexico - what was the cost? Did they provide an option for financing? HELP! I have planned on going to a local center and getting the band in late-summer and thought that my insurance would pay for it. However, I just spoke with a nurse from my PCP and now I'm MAD! My insurance requires that I have 6 month observation, and she just explained that she would not be able to count one of my months in the middle because we discussed a sinus infection instead of my weight - even though the doctor documented my weight progress too! I'd like to get this taken care of by the end of the summer!

[wyobandster 0]

Hi there Misty. I had my band put on in Mexico by Dr. Kuri a little over a year ago. I had a wonderful experience there and have no regrets. My insurance didnt cover banding so I had to self-pay for mine, which is why i chose to go to mexico. It was $7,500 which is quite a bit lower than doing it in the states. Dr. Kuri was very competent and knowlegable. He has done many many bands and has trained other physicians in this surgery. The hospital was very modern and clean. Nursing staff very kind. Lanuage barrier wasnt a huge problem either. I love my band and would do it all over again. Good luck. Oh and about financing .. We ended up putting mine on one of the low interest credit cards but yes, i think they did offer financing.

Edited June 13, 2008 by wyobandster
adding comment

[Vikki 2]

MY QUESTION: Give me the scoop on getting banded in Mexico - what was the cost? Did they provide an option for financing? HELP! I have planned on going to a local center and getting the band in late-summer and thought that my insurance would pay for it. However, I just spoke with a nurse from my PCP and now I'm MAD! My insurance requires that I have 6 month observation, and she just explained that she would not be able to count one of my months in the middle because we discussed a sinus infection instead of my weight - even though the doctor documented my weight progress too! I'd like to get this taken care of by the end of the summer!

I would love to share my story with you about being banded in Mexico. I LOVE MY DR and he has given me hope with this tool. I too tried to get insurance to cover it here in the US but they wouldn't even consider me unless I was 40BMI or above. Well I was 38BMI and not about to gain another 50 pounds to get the insurance to MAYBE cover it..................So I said forget it I am going to get it done and found a GREAT DR in TJ, Mexico who has always been very professional and treats me better then the Dr.'s i have here in the US> I found him threw my girlfriend that was working as a patient coordinator for him and she went there with me and stayed the whole weekend with me. It is scary to think of having it done in Mexico I get that. I live in Orange County so it is only a 1 1/2 drive for me but when I go to see him for my fills his office manager comes and picks me up right across the border over to him at the Los Angeles Hospital where his office is. I get my fill for 150.00 and that is for the Floro machine (xray machine to see the pink liquid go down and know if you are too tight or too loose) and 50.00 is the dr. fee. My girlfriend had her band put on 1yr ago and lost her insurance and her Doctor from UCI medical center wanted to charge her 1000.00 for a fill.............REDICULOUS!!!!!!!! Money hungry doctors in the US and it is why the insurance companies are denying this to be covered. My girlfriend now goes to see my doctor in Mexico and she just loves him. She says he is much better then her doctor here and gets better fill results. We usually go down together to get our fills. My surgery costed 8500.00 and I am still paying the loan off as I borrowed the money but it was the best investment I have ever made. I am finally not obsessed with food every day because I can only take in small amounts at a time and want the small amount to be a good choice of fuel for my body not to just eat to EAT AND EAT!!! Never feel full so eat some more. It took awhile to feel the peace of the food addiction lessoning but it is not totally gone. I still struggle every day with not eating the chocolate or chips that go down fine but havig the yogart with granola instead or a Protein shake instead of that sundae. You can not let the band be a success and eat around it with high calorie high fat stuff but WHY??? This was a big decision to do this and I am going to get into a normal BMI and darnit I am going to STAY THERE for life!!!!!!!!!!! Be healthy and in normal size cloths. My doctor's link is on my signature and they take GREAT care of you in Mexico. I was and still am impressed with my doctor. He knows how scary it is for us to go get the surgery done there and makes it a very pleasant experience every time. He personally picked me up from the Amtrack station in San Diego when I had my surgery. What doctor gives you that kind of attention. Plus he is a gastric surgeon in Mexico not just a Lap Band doctor which a lot of them are. He Loves helping others fight obesity and you can tell by the way he treats you that he really is a great person and knows his stuff. You can email me if you want to discuss further about Mexico. I totally understand how you feel. Make sure you do your research because just like in the US there are bad doctors in Mexico that are in it for the money and could care less about YOU as a person. my email is vikki4mymail@yahoo.com

[Ninja 0]

Misty, I think you'll find that many, many people who went to Mexico were thrilled with their experiences and some were not. All of the questions you asked vary according to the surgeon. Some offer financing, some don't. WasABubbleButt wrote a really excellent guide to finding a Mexican surgeon:

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f200/researching-mexican-lap-band-doctors-101-a-43575/index3.html

If you'll do a search using the search function at the top of the page you'll be able to find lots and lots of threads about the topic.

As for me, I used Dr Rumbaut in Monterrey and was incredibly pleased with the experience. I'd do it again in a heartbeat, and the only thing I would emphasize is that you MUST line up a fill/aftercare doctor before you go.

Good luck!

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

MY QUESTION: Give me the scoop on getting banded in Mexico - what was the cost? Did they provide an option for financing? HELP! I have planned on going to a local center and getting the band in late-summer and thought that my insurance would pay for it. However, I just spoke with a nurse from my PCP and now I'm MAD! My insurance requires that I have 6 month observation, and she just explained that she would not be able to count one of my months in the middle because we discussed a sinus infection instead of my weight - even though the doctor documented my weight progress too! I'd like to get this taken care of by the end of the summer!

If you can get it done under insurance that really is best. If not, Mexico is a great option. I don't really understand why a sinus infection in the notes would be a problem, I'd appeal that if I were you.

You can get financing through a financing company but that is pretty expensive. It's best to go with a credit card (low interest cc) or a bank/credit union loan.

You just have to be careful of where you go. Just as the US, Mexico has good doctors and really bad ones as well. That holds true for any country. Then you want to look at location, some cities are safer than other cities.

Good luck to you!

[Catherine55 43]

I used Dr. Rumbaut too and had an excellent experience. I posted all about it at the beginning of my blog, if you are interested, including photos of the hospital.

Funny . . I just visited a friend at Lennox Hill Hospital here in NYC, which is supposed to be one of the best hospitals in the world, etc. . and it was a complete hole next to the hospital in Monterrey!

Best of luck with your decision -- feel free to message me if you want more information about my experience with Dr. Rumbaut. I also should mention that the woman who answers his U.S. telephone line (Cathy) is fantastic. She spent so much time speaking with me and answering all of my questions, and I really appreciated it. She was banded by Dr. R. as well.

Also -- Dr. Rumbaut is banded, so I felt like he had a great perspective that other surgeons who are not banded do not.

Catherine

[KartMan 58]

I was banded here in the US, however my sister was banded in Mexico by Dr. Ortiz and it was fantastic. You can read my post on the experience here http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f11/dr-ortiz-occ-94998/