After researching and going back and forth for several years, I've finally committed and have a surgery date for next month.  Now it's time to book my plane tickets.  I am more terrified of being embarrassed on the plane than for any other part of this process.  For those of you who flew, did you have better luck flying 1st class or with any particular airline over another?  Most especially those with a higher BIM >50, I would love to hear your experiences.  Thank you.  

Hi, I came across your post.  It's nice hearing about your experience.  I also had my sleeve done in Tijuana back in June.  My surgeon was Dr. Maytorena.  I have a couple of friends that got theirs with him as well after I came back.  People are a little skeptical when you tell them that you are going to a third world country for a procedure.  I had the best experience as well, very similar to yours.

Congratulations!

S.C

Thanks, friends!  Still feeling great so far!  Just learning to beat head hunger and get over my desire to chew stuff.  :)  Honestly, if I didn't have small incisions on my abdomen and get full after a few sips, I would question if I had anything done at all.  So grateful!  The hardest part is that my family still eats around me...they are having dinner right now, and it's one of my faves.  I know I'm not hungry--but it's a mental game!  I still want what I'm smelling.  lol   Hopefully time will make things easier.

Kermer--As far as cost goes, it's definitely 1000's less than anything I would've paid for here in the states.  Depending on what you need, I'd just email the centers you are considering and ask... they will get right back to you.  Important considerations (for me, when I was deciding) are: surgeon's certifications, experience level, 3rd party reviews, and being a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS)... I work in the medical field here, and I know what it takes to be in that group.  Since I was so unfamiliar with med training in Mexico, it was important that my surgeon meet standards I was familiar with.  I also wanted to make sure the center was a Surgical Center of Excellence...also subject to consistent standards be it in the States or anywhere in the world.  When I was comparing clinics, I found that in some things...it seems like you get what you pay for.  But everywhere I considered was affordable.  I would've paid about $12-15k here in my area, and you can expect to pay around half or less of that range pretty much anywhere in Tijuana (at least that's what I found).  Full disclosure--some of the clinics I saw advertised a really low price, but didn't meet the criteria I was looking for.  Now that doesn't mean that makes them bad places to have your procedure... I'm sure others here have used those dr's and had great outcomes.  For me, I was picky on what I was looking for, so it limited who I could choose from.  I just kept asking, "IF things go wrong, what do I need/want for my care, especially since I am there alone?" 

Either way, low overhead costs in medical care in Mexico made this a doable dream for me.  No regrets at all.  Just so glad I took the leap to the Losers!!!!  :) :) :)

I went through ALM and was very happy with all the staff . Dr. Ortiz did an awesome job. I had an awesome experience from beginning to end. I stayed in MiDoctor Hospital and the Marriott on Day three up until I left. The Hospital was very clean and all of the hospital staff were very nice and took great care of me. I'm glad I chose ALM!

I am glad you had a great trip.  Welcome to the losers bench!