I'm thinking Mexico...

Hi,

After a couple of years of waffling, I'm finally ready to take the plunge.  I've been waiting for a phone call locally from my doctor's referral and have yet to hear anything.  It was July that she told me she sent in my referal for surgery.  I'm guessing the wait is much longer.  

I'm 42 and after being obese and getting bigger all my life, I'm realizing I want to do this NOW.  I've waited long enough and while I'm eager, I don't want to make a mistake in choosing a surgeon.  I've been communicating with Sheri Burke who books for Dr. Verboonen in TJ and Cancun.  I seem to lean to the Cancun location, simply because TJ sounds like a scary option.  I have a friend who lives in San Diego tell me that I simply DO NOT want to go to Tijuana for surgery, that with random shootings etc., it's not worth it.  And he lives right there....

Cancun SEEMS a safer alternative, and it's only about $1000 more, and they work out of a hospital rather than a "surgical centre."

I would love to hear from other Manitobans who have gone through the wait here, and who have gone to Mexico.  I'm continuing to filter through the boards here as well, but thought I'd try to get some most recent info.

Thank you so much, and I am so excited to change my life!  FINALLY!

Patti

Hello

I went to Tijuana in February 2012 and had absolutely no issues whatsoever.  The extent of the "criminal activity" we saw were some police cars with flashing lights near a shopping centre we could see from our hotel room (The Tijuana Marriott).  We were picked up at the airport in San Diego by a shuttle driver from Obesity Control Center and taken by hotel shuttle back and forth from the hotel to the surgery centre.  We went on a tour of Tijuana in a cab, again saw & experienced nothing.

There is crime everywhere (and shootings...a la Salisbury House here in the city just a few days ago). Apparently my sister-in-law, who came with me to Tijuana, was worried about something happening, but I never was.  Maybe I was just naieve!  You need to go where you feel comfortable. 

I know...I'm worried about Mexican crime when I live in Winnipeg....duh! 

Thanks for replying.  I also researched Dr. Ortiz and would feel very comfortable going to him, although his price is nearly double the others the last time I checked.  Is it still in the $10,000 range?

Is there any type of Winnipeg support group do you? 

Thanks again..... :)

I only paid $7000. Any time I've asked for information since then, that's the same price I've been quoted.  That also included hotel accommodation for no extra cost for my companion for the full 4 nights we were there.

I was most comfortable with choosing Dr. Ortiz because the Obesity Control Center has a designation as a Center of Excellence in Bariatric Surgery from the Surgical Review Corporation in the States. I figured that meant they'd been thoroughly checked out. Lots of other surgeons were much cheaper, but I was willing to pay the extra money to go to someplace I knew had to be reputable. I read some scary stories about some other places/surgeons.

The only support group is right here. You can always ask questions on this forum. The ladies on here get together every few weeks. The next one is Tues Oct 30.  I could probably call or e-mail the facilitator or nutritionist at OCC if I felt I needed to, but I never have. 

I and a few others on this forum have gone to Mexico, TJ specifically, and had no problems whatsoever. You are taken care of extremely well and always have someone with you if you need. Now of course, we never went out walking at night but I would not think of doing that in Winnipeg either so it was really no big deal. When I first thought of TJ I had all the same thoughts that everyone else did about that area of Mexico but after reading how many people went and had no trouble, I was reasured. When you think of it, there reputation hinges on incident free medical procedures and if people were having issues, no one would travel there..hence no dollars coming into their country ( and Im not talking about their drug money, lol). They NEED people to come there.
If youdo a search on this forum, you will find a few of us who went there and you can read our posts. I think you would be quite amazed at the pics and care we received. Good luck with whatever you choose!

Fiddlechick there are lots of us on this board who went to Tijauana and used Dr. Ponce.  I had the Duodenal Switch done with him.  His patient co-ordinator charges 8,000.00 for the switch all inclusive except plane fare.  You are picked up at San Diego airport and taken to the hospital. It is a full service hospital.  Very Clean and professional.  The VSG is lots cheaper I think it is around 4,500.  not sure on that.  If you can afford the duodenal switch you may want to check into which would be the better surgery for you.  The switch has the higher percentage of people who have lost the weight and kept it off.  It makes it so you can only absorb 20% of the fat you take in.  Do some research there is dsfacts.com and check the duodenal forum on OH. Some of the other girls who went to Dr.Ponce will let you know how things went for them.  Barb    also please come to our meet and greet on Oct.30th at the Sir William Stephenson library I believe it starts at 5 pm.

I had a great experience with Dr Ponce in Tijuana. I've posted my photos here- www.photobucket.com/wlstijuana so people could see the pics of hospitals.
I booked through Trish at wlsforbetterlife ..... It was 5500 plus the 600 airfare through united airlines. I had the vertical sleeve.

Cancun is way safer although I never felt unsafe at any time in Tijuana. We went shopping in the tourist district with Trish. I went with my sister a couple months later and would go to the conveinece store next to the hospital ( I tried to overpay for my yogurt and cheese stick and they were super honest and helped me figure out the exchange lol.... ). I also went to the starbucks next to the hospital for my coffee by myself without any issues.  We also walked to the little taco stand near the hotel that Trish took us to , we later walked there ourselves. \

The hotel is across the street ( lucerna and is gorgeous)  We were always with someone from the time we landed and it was very safe to me.