Help me decide on a doctor and prove to my wife this is safe.

Hello - I have been a long time on and off lurker here and on some other sites for bariatric surgery.

I have wanted to get weight loss surgery for a few years at least. I have heard all the obvious bad reviews and experiences about going to mexico for surgery.

I need help in a direction of a doctor. Leaning towards Dr Kelly as there are so many easily identifiable cases of success from patients of his all over the place, but I am not against other suggestions. Dr Ortiz sounded great until i realized that all of his US related acknowledgments are slightly fabricated or paid for in some way.

The other side of this is the fact that my friends and more importantly my wife think im gonna end up dying on the operating table or getting my organs stolen. Can you please share experiences you had with dealing with this (loved ones wise) and what you did to calm them down and get them on board with the decision. 

Thanks, Josh.

Hello Wrex, I am also looking to find a surgeon in Mexico, I've seen many doctors but honestly it is difficult to know which is better than the other, mostly because they all say the same things and are supposed to be the best option, but I've seen many websites where people have really bad surgery experiences and to be honest it's kind of scary to go out of the country to the unknown.

My second concern is the price, I've been declined by the medical loan companies and am looking for an affordable surgeon that does not sacrifices quality, I've seen some doctors in Tijuana and others in Mexicali (I think it's what is called) that have some options.

I've heard and read about Dr. Jorge Maytorena because one of my friends is spoke with him, I'll definitely want to know more about him and other options. 

I'm looking for some information, let's share research.

I don't know about the doctors that you all mentioned, only the doctor that I used for my sleeve.  I had surgery with Dr. Fernando Garcia on October 6, 2014.  He is using a different hospital now (a newer one) than the one that I had my surgery at, so it would do me no good to tell you about the hospital, however, I can tell you that my scarring is minimal and aside from normal sleeve issues (like vomiting in the beginning and constipation now), I have had no issues.  I would most definitely recommend to whomever chooses to have surgery in Mexico to have someone lined up here for after care as you will definitely need it.  I would recommend Dr. Garcia based on my experience.  Whomever you choose, research the heck out of them online to see if you can find anything bad written about them at all and also ask a LOT of questions of the coordinator.  I can give you a list of the questions that I asked if you need a sampling.  Good luck to you both!

Thanks for the replies. I am at the point right now where i have done the basic part of getting this all approved under normal insurance in the states. My problem is im not the greatest with being consistent with appointments (adhd). The other thing that hurt me is we have switched ins carriers in the middle of me doing it and we are about to pick up new ins through my new job here shortly. So any thing i do is not going to be acknowledged by the new company. So as I have read happen to other people as well I have kinda just fallen harder into my same old habits knowing that i cant get anything done for 6 months plus.

The reason i was leaning towards Dr Ramos is because he is easily found and he has a lot of previous patients on you tube. Just a quick minute search found at least 10 patients.

Being adhd and just in general i am all about the instant gratification (aren't we all). Now don't get me wrong, I am fully prepared for the hard work that needs to be done with getting this type of surgery and I know its not a miracle cure by any stretch... but I am the type of person that needs something to force me in that direction and I think this will def help me with that.

I used Dr. Kelly with absolutely no regrets. He is a great surgeon. He has a couple of Facebook pages. One is Dr. Ramous Kelly bariactric surgery Information.There is also a private one for his patients and future patients. You can book directly through his office. You can talk to his coordinator and if you have more questions Dr. Kelly will call you. I have his number if you need it. Good luck! Message me with any questions.  Linda

I had my VSG on 8/15/15 with Dr Alvarez. He's not on your list, but he is Amazing!!!!!!!!!!! so just wanted to share. He's done 9000 VSGs, hospital and staff are awesome, and you can not find one negative review or statement about him anywhere..... Because he is that good. 

Good luck with your surgery, and I wish you success on your journey

Hi there. We flew to Puerto Vallarta from Newfoudland, Canada. Quite a jaunt. We chose Dr. Joya to do my husbands sleeve. He was a bit pricier than others - but we knew several people who had surgery with him and did well, and the hotel and hospital was top notch. If you check his website now - drjoya.com - you will see there is a different physician doing the surgeries now - and the price is less than it was a few yrs ago - $4500 - vs the $6500 we paid - but that did include the hotel stays and pick up from the airport etc.  Also - we flew right into PV - no waiting at the border in a car or anything like that - it was easy peasy. The whole experience was excellent - I am an ER nurse and very picky - so I was very aware of all the aspects of hubby's surgery experience. Everything was exactly as explained. Any communication with his co-ordinator was answered promptly. My husband has had excellent results and we are more than happy with the whole experience. As well - the surgeon, dietician, anaesthetist and internal medicine doctors - all came and saw hubby before surgery and all of them spoke excellent english - which was very important. Hope this helps a bit - feel free to message me if you have any questions. Best of luck to you!

Mary

PS I had RNY here in Canada in 2008.

I have had several surgeries in various cities in MX as well as a huge amount of plastic  surgery and several dental visits,one for 3 implants. 

The hospitals in MX are excellent and clean as a whistle. If the house keep mopped the floor outside my room one she mopped it a hundred times while I was there. Some of the hospitals are older but they have everything they need to do surgeries safely. You are not just thrown up on the table in someone's back kitchen. 

The price is excellent even for the most expensive surgeon. I have had my WLS for nearly 6 years,have lost and maintained the loss,of 121#. My diabetes went away as well as many other health issues. 

Your wife has been watching toomuch TV,re stealing organs. Saying that is doing a huge disservice to the Mexican population who did everything they could to make my surgery safe and my stay comfortable. 

I would tell my husband,had he not been completely supportive,which he was,that I understood what he was saying,but this was my life,my health and my choice. I would have WLS where ever I could. To save my life.

Hi, Josh, I had mine done with Dr Mario Camelo Ramos in Tijuana Mexico and I´m doing great!! 

in my personal experience, it was the best decision I could have ever made, I went there by myself, but never felt alone, He has a great team!

Dr Camelo came to visit few times during my hospital and hotel stay, At the hospital were other patients that  came with another doctors and different companies, and I must tell you, I FELT REALLY LUCKY to be there with Dr Camelo and Dr Reyna by my side (bedsides the coordinator and the amaizing staff)... and I will tell each and every one of the people who have not yet decided on any surgeon, go with Dr. Camelo, you´ll find him on facebook by his name!!

You´ll be safe, you just need to do what they tell you to do!! PREOP DIET is the KEY!!! Post op and foollow up its very important to keep in touch with your Dr too, they always checking up on my progress or in my stall..that´s other thing...they´re always checking up on me and asking me to come over!!

Hope you go thru your WLS!!! you´ll be just fine!!!  I am. (8

I went with my husband to Florence hospital in Tijuana.

We used Medical Tourism - Dr. Gonzalez. He has been doing it since 96 with over 4k procedures. Spoke excellent English.

We had no issues in Mexico. The medical tourism industry is huge in Tijuana - the Grand Tijuana hotel has a floor dedicated to surgical care and is attached to essentially a mall of medical offices. 

Comb these sites for doctors. The hospital was a little shifty looking on the outside but modern on the inside. We were cared for by no less than 4 people around the clock. 

More laid back and personal than  my care here in the US.