Lap Band in Mexico

Well as bad luck would have my insurance does not cover the surgery.  Short of switching jobs for better insurance I am at a loss and disappointed.  I heard a lot about this procedure in Mexico. l am very leary about this.   I was looking for a cost factor and try to compare it to out of pocket here.  and some more info.  I am sure there is horror stories.  Surgery in another country... im kinda nervous about... any help or past experience would be very helpfull.  Thank You in advance.

I did not have the lapband but I did have my WLS in Mexico about 7 months ago. At the time there was escalating violence primarily related to drugs and the cartels.
It is a given that most of the border towns are having increased violence and there are travel warnings but let's try and keep this in perspective.
For my surgery I flew in to San Diego, I was picked up at the airport by a driver in a non descript van. I was driven directly to the hospital where I was met by my surgeon. When I was released my surgeon personally escorted me across the street to the hotel. When I left the hotel I was again, picked up by the driver and taken directly to the airport.
At no time did I feel in any danger or at risk in any way.
I received much better and more attentive care from the surgeon and the hospital than I have ever had in US surgical procedures. My surgeon saw me a minimum of 3 times each day both in the hospital and the hotel. He has called and emailed me several times since my surgery to check on how I am doing.
Prior to my sending any money for any deposit he spent about 45 minutes on the phone with me explaining the procedure and why he does what he does.
Hope this helps

Please tell me what part of Mexico are you going to...via East coast  (San Antonio) or via West coast (San Diego).  I had the lap band procedure done on 01/16/09 and I had not problems at all.  My procedure was done by Dr. Alvarez , he and his staff were excellent.  I had a better experience with this doctor than I have had with doctors in the states.

I agree with the above poster. I went with Dr. Almanza on Jan. 12, and felt very safe at all times, and have had no complications. I paid a total of $5500 plus airfare. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Good luck with your search.

Take a look into Dr Horacio.  www.drhoracio.com   

He's in Monterrey.  I had a fantastic experience there.

BB

I just had the surgery with Dr. Alvarez on 02/09/09 and had a wonderful experience.  At no time did I have any problems. Not with travel, the surgery, post-op, never. I would recommend this to anyone.  The Dr. and the staff were so caring and attentive. At no point did I ever feel unsafe. 

Hi!

I juat posted this comment as a response to someone else but thought it might be useful for you too:

Hello!

I highly recommend Dr. Alberto Aceves, I had my sleeve surgery with him this past January. I had also contemplated the band for about a year before I decided on the VSG, and even though my goal is to lose 70 + pounds I opted for the sleeve because I didn't want to run the risk of spending a few thousand on a band and then having a slippage or something...

I did a lot of research before committing to a dr and checked everything before deciding on Dr. Aceves, you will be hard pressed to find a surgeon with better credentials. I think the main things you want to focus on are dr credentials are: 

1)Make sure he is a FACS, member of the ASBS and also member of Mexican boards,

2)Certified by Inamed in the placing of the lapband (my doc has been since 1998!) Inamed/Allergan and J&J are the only FDA approved bands!

3) Make sure the surgery is performed in a full hospital, not aclinic, which means that it's probably just a little OR with a recovery room, but no ICU or blood bank or team of specialists on hand in case something doesn’t go according to plan

4) Ask what do they do as far as pre-op testing!! some dr's will only monitor your heart durin surgery but won't do an EKG before. A post-op barium swallow is also key.

5)How many bands has the physician done? crunch #'s don't just take their word for it, you will find some dr's claim to have done so many and have just been a surgeon for 3 or 4 years (fishy!!)

6) Make sure the dr doesn't only do LapBand because it's considered to be an "easy" surgery and is not really a testament to the dr's proficiency, if the dr has done many of the other procedures, like VSG, DS,RNY then chances are he is a good surgeon.

I think those are pretty good bases to start with, good luck on your search!!!

Ramona W.