I'm so very confused!!

I would REALLY like to have gastric bypass, or Roux-en-Y, done as soon as possible. The constant reflux is starting to wear me down greatly. I saw a great doctor in Dallas, Texas in February & started with all the pre-surgery stuff that insurance requires. I had the sleep study done which obviously didn't show enough sleep apnea to qualify me for insurance coverage for the surgery. Since insurance won't cover the cost & I can't afford to pay $22,000+ out of pocket, I am now looking at going to Mexico for this surgery. My dilemma is that I don't know where to begin looking for a reputable doctor & facility in a different country. I have read many good things about Dr Kelly in Tijuana and great things about Dr Joya in Puerto Vallarta. I have made inquiries to both places. Although, the inquiry to Dr Kelly was obviously through a third party because I received an email response from Cindy with Mexico Bariatric Center. Cindy's response stated: "right now at this time Dr. Kelly is having some issues finding a hospital that he still has privileges to do surgeries." Then she went on to recommend Dr Valenzuela and Dr Cazarez. This, of course, has me questioning Dr Kelly. Now, my email response from Gerald with Dr Joya's office is putting down all the doctors and facilities in the border cities stating: "You will not get the same quality of care, nor quality of doctor in Tijuana. I know this for a fact, that and most of the cut rate type surgeons only keep you onsite for 4 nights, and most use secondary market medical supplies." He then went on to send me a link comparing the 2 cities saying: "You get what you pay for, especially in Mexico, here is a link comparing the cheap border doctors facilities with our state of the art facilities...
http://www.drjoya.com/why-choose-drjoya.html"
I would choose Dr Joya going by the information that Gerald sent. However, Dr Joya charges $9,000 for the RNY, as opposed to the $6,000 charged by the doctors in Tijuana. Then I start reasoning/debating with myself that if I am willing to pay more for my own peace of mind, then maybe I should just get a loan for the $22,000 & have the surgery done in my own country. But that is just not feasible at this time - too many other money needed priorities are waiting. So now I'm back at square one........... really, REALLY confused.

I am so sorry you have been confused and misled by others.  I am having surgery my Dr Kelly in two weeks.  I booked directly with his office and have had all my questions answered.  Dr Kelly called us personally and spoke to myself and my husband.  I am looking forward to meeting him in person.  Please contact him directly if you have questions.  Call his office at (619) 793-4869  dont listen to rumors.  go directly.  Thats what I did.  I spoke to a number of very good doctors in Mexico.  Check out these message boards and do your homework.  You wont be sorry.

Good luck with your search

Kathy

Thank you for replying. I told my husband yesterday that I had made my mind up to go with Dr Kelly but then I received that response from Cindy & it just confused me all over again. I'm an RN, having worked mainly in ICU, so I am a little skeptical about going to Mexico for surgery - & Cindy just added to that skepticism, unfortunately. However, I have spent the past several hours doing nothing but reading, reading, & reading the many experiences people have had recently with having gastric weightloss surgery in Mexico. Other than the response I received from Cindy, I have yet to find a single negative comment about Dr Kelly himself, nor Dr Joya for that matter. I don't believe, either, that the facilities in Tijuana are anything like portrayed by Gerald, Dr Joya's coordinator. Otherwise, there wouldn't be near as many satisfied patients on this forum as there are.

This is something I posted the other day in a reply to someone else who was trying to decide where to go. I will also add that although other surgeons were cheaper - it didn't sway our decision to use Dr. Joya. My best friends daughter went to him based on my recommendations, and her friend and then that friends father and so on. Gerald ALWAYS provided timely email responses and information. I had no second thoughts at all about having hubby have surgery with Dr. Joya. If I had - it wouldn't have happened. Good luck!

 

If it makes anyone feel any better - I am an ER nurse x past 31 yrs. My husband had VSG with Dr. Joya in May. First class care and treatment all the way. Things couldn't have gone any smoother. And the hotel is freakin' AWESOME! Being a nurse - I was so aware and nosey about every aspect of my husbands surgery and after care - I even took pictures of the IV bags they hung and the labels on them. Anyway - everything was exactly as they said it would be. Good luck to those still in the planning stage!

 

Wow, the lies on that website would make me want to RUN from Dr Joya.  Seriously?!?!

I am stunned.

 

PS: you are going to Mexico to get surgery, not to go on vacation. Unbelievable.

Find a doctor with the best track record, with the least amount of complications.  Not one who has a clinic close to the beach.

 

I'm having surgery with Dr. Rodriguez in Juarez in August. I am going through BeLite weight and my patient advocate is Jessica Espino. I feel comfortable with this decision. Jessica had the surgery with Dr. Rodriguez, so she has the inside scoop.. They also provided email and phone numbers of former patients that have agreed to answer questions by people who are considering surgery. There is no pressure and your deposit is fully refundable up til 10 days before surgery date. They have a website and FaceBook page if you want to check them out. Whatever your decision is, make sure you choose the doctor that makes you feel the most comfortable. 

Hello there I just wanted to add my thoughts to your post as well. I am now a week post op with VSG with Dr Kelly. I contacted him directly and didn't use any of the other groups to go down (bariatric center or a lighter me) as I wanted to have some control over the issue. The people feom these groups make money when you use them kinda like a finders fee.
I am a control freak fully admit it, but like yourself I am also a critical care nurse and do not give over contol well lol I don't think any of us do. I was fully satisfied with Dr Kelly and the surgery that was performed all of my medical needs were met. He is currently doing his surgeries at Hospital Nova it has everything that could be needed since it's not just a surgical center (has a icu, blood bank, lab, Xray alk on premis).
If you have any questions please pm me and I will answer them.

I totally agree that the comparisons made on Dr. Joya's site about his facilities vs those in other places - did put a sour taste in my mouth. I really don't feel that kind of thing is needed. Leave it to the individual to research and compare. We had already made our decision and paid deposit at that point anyway and were 100% sure we were going with Joya. 

My husband has VSG. I had been in contact with a lady from Saskatoon via these message boards before we went down. She went on her own. We met up at the hotel pre-op and also several times after both in the hospital and at the hotel. She had RNY done. She has done well - we are still in touch. 

It's a serious decision - take your time - decide what gives you the most piece of mind. You want to go to sleep for your surgery with a smile on your face and a feeling of "let's get 'er done!". Take care and good luck!

I am actually in touch with Cindy as I have scheduled my surgery with Dr. Valenzuela. 

I am going to tell you something I see with surgery in Mexico... these people all mentioned seem to be very skilled, competent surgeons. You probably will not go wrong with who you choose, you just need to be comfortable. However, it is called "medical tourism" and the culture is just different... they want BUSINESS! Not sure if the surgeons push this or what...

I initially wanted to go with Dr. Kelly but decided against it because of how hard it was to reach them (and I used the phone numbers given to me by the people here, and e-mail... I just didn't feel comfortable when I couldn't reach anyone). That is just MY beef though... it does not mean I think Dr. Kelly is a bad doctor at all....for me, I need to be able to reach someone when I need them. Going to Mexico is scary enough.

I have a feeling Dr. Kelly isn't with MBC anymore... so as much as I like Cindy and think she is sweet, I would personally not listen to her positioning on Dr. Kelly because her information is probably coming from MBC. However, she recommends Dr. Valensuela so much because she had her own VSG with that team. Its one of those things... sell what you know! She knows that team best, so that's who she recommends. I couldn't find seriously negative reviews with her, the price is right, so I went for it. I have my surgery in 10 days.

I know it's confusing, but try to look at it from a business standpoint. Go with who ever makes you comfortable, who you like the stats behind, and just go with it! 

Let us know what ends up happening!

EXACTLY!!! Go with who YOU are comfortable and happy with. Everyone's reasons for choosing particular surgeons are different - what's important to one person - is not so much for the next. We are all different - that's what makes the world go round!