WLS in Mexico: Where do I start?!

Hi! I'm in Alberta, and Alberta Health covers the surgery 100% as well, but the waitlist is currently 7-10 years, which is outrageous in my opinion. I am also looking into self-pay options in Canada as well, though they are very pricey.

I paid for it myself and went to Mexico myself in 2008. I had a wonderful experience and I am doing very well to this day (although I have gained back a bit of the 100 pounds I lost, but it is a process and I am not giving up!). I went to Dr. Alvarez and I would highly recommend him and his team. Good luck!

https://www.endobariatric.com/

Thanks for the info! :)

I am going through Beliteweight in Orange County, California. They are a medical bariatric surgery referral company. I am having surgery 12/12/2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. It took 3 months after my initial contact in September to complete all requirements and tests. They work with your medical provider to qualify you for this. The Surgeon in Las Vegas sends the Physician your city a list of requirements to order for you to meet, when all is done your provider must clear you for the surgery. I had the usual tests including cardiologist, pulmonary specialist, nutritionist, psychologist, and PT. Basicly, the same tests and routine that I had 2 years ago when starting this journey. Because of my age (73) I am considered high risk and my local bariatric surgeon was super cautious and it seemed to be dragging on forever. This was not a hasty decision. I had contacted Belite one year ago and had given it much thought. Our local hospital has support groups for pre and post bariatric patients too and welcome all regardless of where you have your surgery. I went to several of those. I will update afterwards.

Congrats! There are a few studies out there that show older adults have great success with bariatric surgery and the NIH lifted age restrictions in 2016. Just remember that it'll be especially important for you to exercise in addition to losing weight to help prevent sarcopenia that comes with aging.

Here are some articles on the topic of bariatric surgery for older adults. (Which is defined as 65+ most of the time.)

Gill, L. E., Bartels, S. J., & Batsis, J. A. (2015). Weight Management in Older Adults. Current Obesity Reports, 4(3), 379-388. http://doi.org/10.1007/s13679-015-0161-z

Giordano, S., & Victorzon, M. (2015). Bariatric surgery in elderly patients: a systematic review. Clinical Interventions In Aging, 10, 1627-1635.

Marihart, C. L., Brunt, A. R., Marihart, S. A., & Geraci, A. A. (2016). What's Age Got to Do With It? A Comparison of Bariatric Surgical Outcomes Among Young, Midlife, Older and Oldest Adults. Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, 2, 2333721415621812. http://doi.org/10.1177/2333721415621812