Anybody want to travel to India for bypass or labband save $$$$$

Hi does anyone want to go to India with me for a bypass Its 9000.00 us dollars plus airfair. the lapband is 6750.00 4day stay for lapband 7 day stay for bypass. Read lots of testimonials , talked to them on the phone. They do quality work and people seem very satisfied. They have even fixed bypasses done in Mexico ,with our high dollar it might just be the time to do this. Any takers ,we might get a volume discount too. LOL I cant wait 5 more freaking years to see Dr. Beaujolais

I just might be interested. I was planning to have a lap band but I have not been able to discuss this with a doctor knowledgeable in bariatric surgery to be sure that is the right choice for me. What does one do about fills for the lap band? Dr B will not do it for anyone but his patients. 9000.00 is 8376.00Cdn$ and 6750 is 6282.00Cdn$. I do love a bargain. Which clinic were you looking at?

Hi Charline didn't think id get a response so soon. The people i've been communicating with are called Forerunners Healthcare. They sound top notch trained in America at Harvard. The testimonials and pictures are on there website http://www.forerunnershealthcare.com/index.php....... I originally wanted the lapband too but the research I've done says bypass patients have better results with weight-loss ; and getting those adjustments to find what they call the "sweetspot " for weightloss can take several adjustments for some . Still my doctor did say they were training someone in Fredericton to do them but I'll have to ask her if she knows who that is. Considering that lapband here costs 4500.00 for the band itself paying a few thousand more for quick service seems not too bad. And a student who lives on my street says airfare is 1300.00 . so add that too and your looking at about 7500.00. There is also an all inclusive package with a Dr. Joya in Puerto vallarta Mexico 12,500.00 for bypass and 8000.00 for the lapband all inclusive airfare too.8 day and 4 day package respectively. On dr. joyas website he says he has done 750 bypasses so he is well experienced, the staff does have a language barrier though wheras in India they all speak english. Also the bypass is reversible too just a little more complicated. If you would like to talk more My number is 459 8092.

It sounds good. My doctor said that most doctors in India are trained in the UK and so are very competent. I was looking at another site -can't remember the address- where the fee for lap band was only 4900.00. They didn't offer info in their doctor's credentials on the site. You had to e-mail them. I think that the site is really a medical tourism site. Any way, I am going to seriously consider this. I think we could get the air fare much cheaper too. I travel a lot and I'm pretty good at e-travel. I know that in Europe air travel is tremendously cheaper that in North America. I will call over the weekend. My number is 459-7924. Talk to you soon.

Hi Charline I have written to forerunners healthcare in India and asked a few questions specifically about the hospital and/or clinic where they perform their operations. Iam enclosing them now. Dr Dheeraj Bojwani: Thank-you for your reply . I have a few questions when you have time. At the facility where these bariatric surgeries are performed ; is there a functioning Operating Room and Intensive Care Unit staffed by nurses internists and surgeons 24 hours a day should a problem such as excessive bleeding or other post-operative complication arise ? or Will the surgery be performed in a clinic? Is the banding system you use the official "Lap-Band System*" that is offered in the USA ( the only one approved for use in America) or is it another adjustable band such as the "Midband" or the "Swedish Ajustable Gastric Band" Since the bariatric surgeon in my area refuses to do the fills for patients that are not his,own ,Would you be willing to give me written instructions for my family physician or for one of the ER doctors I know so they could do the fills for me? I have read that it takes as many as five or six fills to find the right amount of saline to place in the band, Do you have any procedure that might be able to determine the right amount of saline to insert into the band before i Leave India? Also how many CC's of saline does the band hold ? And is there a standard amount of saline placed in every gastric band or does the amount vary with each indiviual? Would it be dangerous to put more than the standard amount of saline than the usual into the band to get me off to a good start and insure successful weight-loss? I have read that band slippage can be a problem , Is this because more saline is needed in the band or is it because sutures have failed? Sincerely Stephen Goodine Fredericton New Brunswick Canada ----- Original Message ----- From: Forerunners Healthcare Meditours To: Steve Sent: Thursday, November 08, 2007 2:18 AM Subject: Re: questionnaire return Dear Steve, Thankyou for your Email. This is Dr Dheeraj Bojwani. I have seen your medical details and your BMI is almost 50-with 2 comorbid conditions. You are a very good candidtae for the surgery and will benefit a lot from it.You can expect to loose 80 to 85% of the excess weight in the 12 to 15 months after the surgery. And your BMI can come down upto 32 to 33 Dr Lakdawala has done approximately 330 Obesity Cases- aprrox 200 of them are Gastric Bypass Cases and the other 130 cases are other Obesity Surgery.Out of the total 330 approx 75 of them are Americans.

I told you that I was going to e-mail my cousin. He is a doctor and the dean of a graduate medical school program at the University of Illinois. Here is the reply he gave me On Nov 19, 2007 9:03 PM, Georges wrote: > > Charline: Here's what I was able to find out. Knowing little or nothing > > about bariatric surgery myself, I asked a surgeon friend of mine here in > > Chicago, who does bariatric surgery, for some clarifications about your > > concerns. Here's what I gleaned. > > > > 1- Follow-up is the key to success. Bariatric surgery is the most > > invasive behavior modification that we can do. Although the operation > > itself is always a risk (e.g., 1/1000 to 1/500 mortality rate), the key to > > success for bariatric surgery is in the follow-up, in the post-op control > > of the device. The objective is not reached with the surgery, about a > > one-hour laparoscopic procedure, but with labor intensive post-op care. > > It is crucial that you have a good coordinated support system when you > > come back to Canada. The follow-up includes dietetics, psychological > > support, and surgical and medical consult, especially to control possible > > vomiting after eating and adjustments of the device for proper weight > > loss, and adjustements for some of the co-morbid conditions like > > hypertension and diabetes. So if you do decide to go abroad, then make > > sure that you will have access to proper follow-up care for lap-band > > surgery when you get back home, either directly in Fredericton or in > > St-John. Bottom line, follow up is critically important. If you don't > > have access to a coordinated follow-up program specifically for lap-band > > suegery when you get back home, then surgery abroad is not a good idea. > > Do find out if there is such a local support program for lap band surgery. > > > > 2- Surgery abroad. He did not know about Mexico but for India he > > suggested the following four points that should help decrease the risks: > > - Is the surgeon Canadian, US or British trained? > > - Is the surgeon Board certified in surgery in the US, Canada, or the UK? > > - How many lap-band operations has the surgeon done? The more > > experienced, the better. Avoid beginners. > > - Is the hospital accredited by the US Joint Commission? That means that > > they satisfy North-American standards. > > There are many well-trained surgeons abroad that work in high standard > > hospitals. If you do go abroad, it would be good to stay overnight in the > > hospital after the surgery and then a couple more days afterwards locally > > (4-5 days) to make sure that there aren't any immediate complications. If > > the quality of care is high, then the chances for a successful surgical > > procedure should be good. He also suggested that you look into Australia > > because the Australians are leaders in bariatric surgery. Finally there > > are also the US option, for about 11 to 12,000$US (some have payment > > plans), and the Montreal or Toronto options. > > > > Hope this helps. All the best in getting healthier and "getting your life > > back." Cheers. Georges B. I haven't had the heart to tell him that there isn't a support system here in NB. I will look in the Australian option but I suspect that it is about equal to Canada in cost.

The response you posted from Dr Bojwani does not answer you questions. Did you ever get a complete answer?

Hi Charline : Sorry for being so late getting back to you ,had a famiiy emergency, Guess i asked forerunners healthcare in India too many questions and scared them off seems less likely that I will go there or anywhere for that matter, although Dr. Joya in mexico sounds like a good doctor with lots of experience. Talked too my doctor about travelling to Mexico and she was not enthusiastic about it . There Is some one doing the fills for the band in Fredericton 100.00$ a fill. She doesn't know his or her name but they were trained by a doctor out of Ontario to do them a dr. Mumford ors imilar name in Missauauga. Have to find out more. Drs. are making a killing off these operations in Canada. Shame on them! read your post from your cousin lots of good info there Thanks Steve

Hey Stephen, i actually was thinking on Dr. Joya too. Heard great things on him and i am actually chatting in MSN with a patient of his, Laura. She cant say enough about him. She fell in love with the doctor that looks after recovery and moved down to be with him. Dr. Jorge. Anyway, i can ask about package deals there too. In the BC form there are alot of people that wnt to him and say great things. I am aggresively persuing out of country coverage from medicare. 5-8 years is bull. 12,500 all inclusive is pretty good thoughts??? Paul

Hi Paul I emailed Shrinking laura too, read your post about dealing with medicare They were quite happy denying my coverage for an Ontario doctor , they said he was billing outside the reciprocal agreement that exists between the provinces . Medicare didn't tell me to apply again directly too the doctor ( *****cently approved me for Dr. Beau. in moncton ) for an American operation , just that they would cover me for a canadian hospital . They should be a liitle more open about covering us for Mexico everyone would save , lives and money . Canadian doctors seem to want to get rich off us, what a sham! Steve