I have lurked on this site for some time, now. I really gain a lot of information from many of the message boards. But after reading this post I HAD to respond.....
To Pam: THIS IS YOUR OPINION..............BASED ON WHAT? Good Grief , how can you spread such horrible rumors about Dr. Rodriguez in such a blatant way?
I have researched every message board, talked to many of his patients face to face, been to Acuna, MX to meet him personally, and I have NEVER and I stress NEVER heard one single bit of negativity about him, his facility or his sugical ability. Only the BEST reviews of him! Now,evidently, you have never been there, talked with him, or had any contact with him whatsoever! So, my question in...........what is your opinion based on?
Do some homework, research, whatever before you go around trying to defame someone. By the way, how much research did you do on your own Dr., the facility, and most of all the trip from Fl to Texas? Looks to me you went at it blind. (You were very fortunate to have had an excellent surgeon with great credentials.) However, anyone knows you can't just slip across ANY border especially the MX border!!! I'm surprised the Mexicans didn't haul you in immediately....especially if you portrayed the attitude you have shown on this forum!!!
I have researched many MX Dr's for my surgery......I have narrowed my search down to Dr. Rumbaut and Dr. Rodriguez. They are both great surgeons...... Money, of course, does play a big part in my decision, otherwise I wouldn't be going to MX. But there is not a great deal of difference in the two Dr's prices. Here are some of the reasons for the difference in the two Dr's charges. Dr. Rod's facility is much smaller and in a much, much smaller city. (Monterrey is the 3rd largest city in MX.) Acuna is 100 times smaller. Therefore, the costs in Acuna are not as high. Also, Dr. Rumbaut provides a year's worth of fills for free.
I am choosing Dr. Rod because of his credentials, his manner, and his undying, unselfish need to help obese people, and his proximity to where I live. (Again, I've done my research on all of this.....)
To bring this topic to a close ,I will also tell you that Dr. Rod is extremely qualified in his field........heck he even trained in the US and has trained some of the US surgeons in the Lap Band procedure.........(once again, research has made this all evident to me.)
So, I think were fortunate to have "won" your procedure and did not have to pay out of pocket...........but for those of us who must and have had to jump through a few hoops to get the money and have done EXTENSIVE RESEARCH in order to get the best care we can....please don't send negative thoughts through this forum or any other. If you can add one bit of validity to your erroneous statements, THEN ,please speak up......that's what these forums are for. If not, then pull up your big girl panties and try to lead a full, productive life with your new band!!!
By the way, unless I missed something.........how is your progress with your band? That is really what we all want to hear. The progress people make with their new life, their life changes, their success stories ,how they deal with the band, their emotions,the ups and downs with the band etc. etc, etc.
BD