Having Surgery In Mexico 05/28/09

Well I am ready to go . I have my passport plane tickets and clothes packed . I am so scared . I hate the fact that I have to be so far from home and family for this surgery . Dr. Zapata in Monterrey is doing my surgery I have only heard great things about him . I am excited as well as scared to death . Please pray for me . Thanks Teresa

You are going to one of the 3 best docs in MX.  Zapata, Aceves, and Rumbaut are the top three in Mexico so you did your research well!

Congrats on your research and good luck on your surgery!

Dr.Zapata is who I have chosen as well. Please keep us updated on your progress. I'd love to get her all about your experience. I am just waiting on the funds to come through and am hopping for an early June surgery date.

I see you did not list off Dr. Alvarez - have you heard some negative things about him? That is actually who I was planning on going to?

I look forward to your comments.

Personally, he's just not my pick.  I think there are better doctors that have more reliable statistics that aren't out of this world.  They work out of nicer hospitals with more hospitalization and for less money.  Just my personal opinion.

Remember, the stats that are on the MD profiles are updated by the doctors and not verified by OH.  A doctor can claim anything he wants.  Doesn't make it true. ;o)

I just think he pushed it a bit far here and it's kinda turning around and biting him in the butt.

 Dr Aceves is FACS, why it is not mentioned on his website's profile?

For the band, he has been trained by my surgeon of choice here in mexico city: Dr. Armando Castillo but I can't afford the hospital he is working for...

Something you have to be careful when you express you opinion about mexican surgeons is that your evaluation is only made on the north of the country! 

The cream of the cream is in mexico city!

 but they dont do medical tourism :-)

You have to go through a pretty deep evaluation before being considered for surgery. Also these docs will never allow to operate on someone they haven't meet several times in person:

Aceves, Alvarez, Joya, Zapata,etc. you make your deposit and you have a date scheduled. It would never happened with the top surgeons in Mexico City!!!

Also they don't accept BMI's under 35 (which i am), all the docs mentioned above accept it!

So there are 2 different things: Mexican Medical Tourism and Mexican healthcare.

I totally support doctors that do WLS on BMIs lower than 35.  I think it is nothing short of stupid to wait for someone to be seriously obese before they can get help.  By that time heart disease, joint damage, diabetes, etc. are kicking in.  I'd MUCH rather see someone get healthy before they are high risk for surgery because of comorbidities.  I think doctors that turn an obese person away because they haven't reached SERIOUSLY obese should be removed from the profession.  I wish I would have had surgery at a BMI of 30 instead of waiting for 41.

The doctors that understand our frustrations and humiliations are the ones treating people before it's so out of hand they are nothing but a higher surgical risk

You really aren't very well informed about how the list of doctors you suggest do their pre op screening.  You are not correct at all.  I think to suggest someone fly to Mexico to have pre ops done and then fly back later to have the surgery is well... it's not realistic.  If you live locally that's fine but there is no reason why US citizens should have to keep coming to MX when the same exact thing is done in one trip.

I question why you are so thrilled about Mexico City and that's where the best is but you claim you are going to a doctor that isn't doing things the right way.  Can you see how it doesn't really add up well?

I love the Mexican medical culture, I think it wins against the US hands down.  But it doesn't have to be as stiff and rigid as you seem to prefer.  It can be done in a much more relaxed manner.

I'm sure you have your criteria for "top surgeons" in Mexico city but it might not be something the rest of us agree with.

For a doctor that does not do medical tourism, why does he advertise in English?

armandocastillo.com/castillo/cirugias_tipicas_ingles_version _6.htm

Is the reason you are not going to him because he only does bands and bypass?

 Exactly as i mentioned below, he is more experienced with the band and the RNY.

All Angeles hospitals have both there websites in Spanish and English because we live in the capital, there are a lot of anglophones living here. 

Contact him and try to schedule a date with him if you are not convinced!