Why not Mexico

Yes. I'm always appalled by the lack of information people who have surgery in Mexico seem to get. Of course, some people who have surgery in the US and Canada seem to have a total lack of information as well, but it seems worse for those who travel to Mexico.

I absolutely disagree. I had surgery in the states (Lapband in 06 with Dr. Dirk Rodriguez out of Dallas) and in Mexico (sleeve Dec 17 Dr. Ortiz - A Lighter ME)and the level of care I received in Mexico both pre-during-and post-op have been FAR superior to the level of care I received in the states.

That's great. But we see many people here on OH who had surgery in Mexico and are completely clueless. Perhaps that's due to their own natures and not the nature of the program, but it's definitely a trend.

I had surgery in Mexico and had a great experience. I was given detailed diet instructions for pre and post surgery and can still contact the surgeon for additional support, which I've done a few times. I didn't choose the cheapest Mexican surgeon but chose one with excellent credentials (including US training) that operates at the best hospital in TJ. I'm very happy with my results and better health.

My 2 cents: there are many people that post that have had complications after surgery in the US but people don't say to never have surgery in the US or with that particular surgeon, and yet if someone has surgery in MX and has issues then people blame the surgeon AND all practitioners in Mexico. Weird bias.

The problem with complications is that if you do have them after selfpay, you often have to pay for medical care out of pocket and that can lead to financial ruin.

Depends on your insurance; that scenario would not have been the case for me. There are also plenty of people who have surgery in the US that get screwed by their insurance when they have complications. Our healthcare system is a mess.

I made sure to follow all the pre-op and post-op instructions to the letter to minimize risk of complications. So between what I did with regards to self-care, as well as selecting a great surgeon, I had a very good outcome.

I share your husband's concerns. What if you have complications? Will they be covered? Maybe RNY is best for you?

Yes our socialized medicine is a gift horse I do not look lightly in the mouth.

As a breast cancer survivor I spent 9 years taking estrogen blocking drugs which resulted in some bone loss and minor osteoporosis . So I don't want to deal with malabsorption of calcium.i need calcium, and my GP tells me taking really large doses can detrimentally affect the heart. Also the internist told me that RNY patients over 65 have a higher rate of bowel blockages 4-5 years out and I'd rather not be getting emergency surgery in my 70's.

so that's my reasoning. They do do VSG, but the system prefers RNY because it results in greater weight loss on average. I'm not morbidly obese and only want/need to lose 90 pounds. So I may have to talk the surgeon into it.

i found out today I meet with the surgeon Friday. It sure would be a lot easier (and cheaper) to get it done here, as I'm, that's what I pay my taxes for.

About the bowel blockages, my CRNP has me keeping track of bowel movements in addition to liquids and foods. You won't have a blockage if you pay attention. Also, they do suggest Miralax every day for a while. This is the first time in my life I've had to pay attention because I'm not going all the time! They even have me keeping track of how often I urinate, due to being diabetic. But, knowing your body is a good thing..right?

The ASMBS recommendations for Calcium are the same with RNY and VSG, so you'd be supplementing the same regardless of surgery.