Where do I start? (Questions, help!)

I am 22 years old and unfortunately insurance will not cover this surgery for me - I live in Seattle and have spent hours and hours reading about different surgeons in Mexico - I don't even know how to start! I have a few main questions to start so please lend me your knowledge!

• How did you pick your surgeon?
• What were the average costs for everything total?
• How long were you gone from work for recovery, including surgery time? (I am a store manager and can't see myself being able to leave more than 7-9 days.
• What do you wish you had known beforehand?

Thank you!! I have been considering a few doctors, but Mario Camelo Ramos is at the top of my list currently.

Hey there Taylor,

I was sleeved by Doctor Camelo through Quality Medical Facilitators and I was very happy with everything. After researching for a long time and hearing recommendations from several friends/relatives, I decided to go with a doctor that 1)was recommended by someone who had a similar BMI and health history like mine, 2) a surgeon that did not perform too many surgeries per day, 3) a good support team that I could speak to before my surgery and most importantly, after my surgery. It was also very important to me to have a support group, I know this is not the case with everyone, but having a group of REAL people in Facebook who went to the same place where I was going, had the same doctor and the same surgery was a great advantage, particularly because my coordinators were there and I was able to get a sense of the type of people they were, you know, get a feel on the way they did things.

In total i paid $4500 and everything was included. I was gone 3 days and returned on the fourth. I took 3 days off work and would have liked to take at least two more but I'm way older than you.

I wish I would have known that the gas pain was not going to go away with the GasX strips (at least for me they didn't work), that it was going to take me three full days after surgery to have a bowel movement and that Tiajuana is not like they paint it. I had so many misconceptions about what it was going to be like that I was embarrassed afterwards!

Good luck on your research!

Hi,

You made the comment "Tiajuana is not like they paint it. I had so many misconceptions about what it was going to be like that I was embarrassed afterwards!" So my question is, what was it like, better or worse than you expected? I'm assuming that cleanliness would be a factor, was it? Did you have your procedure at a hospital or clinic? Any input from you would be greatly appreciated. I am going to have bypass.

THANKS

I used Dr Lopez through BariatricPal. I was more than happy with the care and the recovery house. I was in the hospital/clinic for two nights and spent 2 more at the recovery house. Spent less than $4,000. I think everything was well explained and planned and I didn't need to know anything that I didn't. I'd go for the 9 days off work if you can get it. You will be tired even if you feel great for a while. Good luck.

I used Dr. Fernando Garcia, paid $4400 for the surgery and around $700 for airfare for myself and my husband. I picked my surgeon from a two month elimination process, where I asked MANY questions of the coordinators and read MANY online reviews, trying to find anything negative that I could on surgeons. I took off 2 full weeks but wish I had taken a third as I threw up on my first day back to work. I wish that I had known that dehydration can cause nausea, as I was dehydrated for the first month (it is hard to get fluids in) and extremely nauseous. Good luck to you!

I certainly would recommend you Dr Camelo and his team. Dr Reyna and the girls are always there..they now independent from a big company so it's just them now...Quality Medical Facilitators look them up on Facebook

Hi there - I had y surgery with Dr. Ramos Kelly and it was a wonderful experience. I picked Dr. Kelly based on his level of experience, the fact that he is accredited by the America College of Surgeons and a level of comfort that I developed from talking to him on the phone and asking questions even before I had booked my surgery. My costs were a bit higher than others because I had my surgery at Hospital Angeles - everything was a little over $7000. I had my surgery on a Friday and was back at work the following Friday but I wouldn't have minded more tie to rest.

I did a lot of research and I talked to Dr. Kelly at least 3 times before my surgery so I felt well informed about the procedure. The only thing that has been lacking has been the follow up care but I knew that going in. I have had an easy recovery and I am very grateful for it. Here are some of the questions I asked before hand:

• how many surgeries does the surgeon do per day?
• what meds will i get in the hospital?
• do they give you any medications after surgery such as pain killers, antibiotics etc to take with you when you leave?
• do they give you anti-nausea meds in the hospital?
• do they give you blood thinners after surgery to prevent blood clots, especially since we fly so soon after the procedure?
• do they have guidance on nutrition for your first few weeks post-op?
• how much weight can i expect to lose?

good luck and make sure you do your research - look for reviews of the dr here, on youtube, on real self.com or even bariatric pal.

I had my surgery done back in 2012. I had surgery with Dr. Sergio Quinones in Tijuana. I spent a year researching surgeons and I picked him for a few different reasons. Originally I was scheduled with another surgeon, but decided to cancel. For me Dr. Quinones was just the total package. He was proctor certified, had word as the chief of surgery at Tijuana general, he spoke perfect English and was a professor of bariatrics at the Medical university, so he spent years teaching other surgeons how to perform this surgery. He also had a number of years of training in trauma surgery, so it really made me feel comfortable that, God forbid if anything unexpected should arise he would be able to handle it.

I paid $4,000 for my surgery and that included everything except the plane ticket and the medications that I took home with me after surgery. I spent 2 nights in the hospital and one night at the hotel in TJ before coming back to the states. My recovery time was very short, by the time I left to go back to San Diego I could barely tell that I had just had major surgery. When I got back to SD I found that I had booked my plane ticket wrong and wouldn't be leaving until the following day, so I decided to rent a car and drive an hour away to go play at the Valley View Casino. On the way, i also helped a little old lady change her flat tire, I was amazed at how good I felt after having surgery. By the time I flew back to Tennessee the following day I was right back into my routine of taking care of my toddler and going back to work. The only thing that was different for me when I got home was that for a few nights I slept on the couch because the gas pains made it uncomfortable for me to sleep on my mattress. We had one of those tempurpedic foam ones at the time and it was just hard for me to get comfortable on. I was ready for work as soon as I got back home, but I remotely manage my technology companies online from my home, so my job is not as physically demanding as some others, but I would say if you work like an office or desk job you won't need much down time at all

As for what I wished that I had known before hand, well, I wish that I wouldn't have stressed as much as I did, my surgery was such a breeze, but like many of us I was worried about having surgery in a country that I had never been to. I was worried about my 13 hour flight back home, just the normal worries we all go through. There were a few things that I thought of after I had surgery or course that I wished I would have known about or asked, but I am one of those that when I am on the spot I just draw a blank when it comes to questions. So to help other people out I wrote a few posts on things that they might want to consider when doing there research. I will post them below so you can give them a read. I hope they help you out some. Best of luck on your decision.

Sorry there are so long winded, but I don't think that I ever made threads that link to them on this forum, so I just have to post the whole thing for you to be able to read them.

General Advice for Those Consider Weight Loss Surgery

Ok, so I have been meaning to write this post for a long time. I get asked a lot of questions by people new to wls, and I often find that they all ask very similar questions, so I figure that I can write it out in a post, and maybe it will help others that have those question, or are looking for advice.

A little bit about me and my experience, I was sleeved Oct. 5th 2012, I had my surgery through the Santa Fe Medical Group, and my surgeon was Dr. Sergio Quinones in Tijuana, MX. I did not choose to have surgery in Mexico because of financial constrictions, I could have had surgery anywhere, paying for the surgery was not an issue for me personally. I research over a year before I had surgery, and believe me when I say, I research every aspect of this surgery possible. I consulted with many surgeons both in the US and in Mexico, and broke apart every aspect of the process to find the best surgeon for me. My husband and I own a number of technology development companies, so I have an extensive back ground in technology, web development, and internet marketing that gave me a huge advantage when researching. For a while after surgery, I stayed so busy with work that I was really not active on the forums, it wasn't until I hit a long stall

I would like to put out there that I am not writing this post to start a battle on where a person should have surgery, or whom they should have surgery with. I only wish to provide those that are considering surgery in another country with information that I found to help me when I was deciding on my own surgery. So respectfully, I am very aware that many people would never consider going out of the US for bariatric surgery, and by all means, you are entitled to your opinions, but please do not post negative, or condescending comments on this thread, as this is meant to be informative for others and help them achieve better research to make their own informed decisions.

I would like for those of you that read this to feel free to ask questions. I am well aware that I have worked in my career field for so long that I sometimes talk in techy lingo that many people may not understand. So, if something needs clarification, just write it down, and I will try to word it better. Ok, onto the info!

First and foremost, research is SO SO important, so you need to make sure that you have covered everything you possibly can, until you are blue in the face...and then research some more! With that in mind, there are some things that you should consider, and I am betting that many people do not. I am rather OCD when it comes to research, so I know this goes overboard, but really...can you ever be TOO educated when it come to your health.

1. When researching a surgeon, please please, do not see the flashy banner ads running across Google, Bing, Yahoo, various wls forums, and pretty much everywhere in between, and make the wrongful assumption that because one surgeon is highly advertised, he/she MUST be the best. I know this is a simple concept, but I see many people make this mistake all the time. Now, I am not implying that the surgeons that are well advertised are bad surgeons, they may very well be great surgeons. I am just saying don't let the spiffy advertising be your only research. There is a reason that marketing is a multi-billion dollar industry, it is specifically designed to be appealing, and sometimes down right deceiving. Another common misconception that I see, is people assuming that a highly advertised surgeon must have the most surgical experience. This is not always true, a lot of individuals and companies invest in the medical field, especially in medical tourism...and it is very possible that a relatively new surgeon would team up with an investor, to help build his/her surgical business. On an opposite note, you should also never assume that a surgeon that doesn't advertise isn't as skilled. It is not uncommon that highly intelligent and skilled professionals, know virtually nothing on how to properly market themselves or their business, and even more common that they know nothing about advertising on the web. The moral of the story is that advertising or lack of advertising really tells you next to nothing about the actual quality and skill set of the surgeon and/or Hospital. There are tons of reasons why someone may or may not have great advertising, so don't let that be a major factor in your decision.

2.The Ads are there for a reason. Don't be misguided into thinking that because you see the same doctors face in multiple locations, that that surgeon must be highly regarded by the search engines, blog posters, ranking sites or more importantly the forums...those surgeons pay to be on all of those places. Now, I am certainly not bashing any of those places for selling ad space...let's face it, they are businesses, and businesses must make money to survive, make improvements, pay employees etc. Just realize that there are only a handful of reasons that those guys are plastered all over the web, they are either paying cash to be there (Most likely thousands), they are working in a mutually beneficial partnership with a particular website(s), or they could be the owner(s) of the website all together. So again, be aware of these things as you do your research.

3. Accreditation, Center of Excellence, and ESPECIALLY anything that's implying USA endorsement. Have you ever been on a surgeon or hospital's website and seen those highly emphasized stamps of approval by this or that super important sounding association, organization, or particular establishment. Man, oh man, THESE guys are my favorite. Back when I was researching my surgery, I came across a post from a person that was blatantly bashing everyone who didn't go to her surgeon, and then made a rather snarky comment on how she "Would NEVER use a surgeon that that was not yada yada yada certified" Ok, ***big spoiler alert*** yes, there are a number of agencies out there that provide international endorsements, special certifications, seals of approval and all that jazz...however, a good portion of those are pretty much set up to do nothing more than look good, and sound impressive. If you actually research those companies a lot of times you will find that they require very little experience, some cash, and maybe a letter of recommendation. The particular one that was referred to in the member's post that I mentioned only required a surgeon to have done 25 bariatric surgeries in a 2 year time frame, pay a little over 300 bucks, and send in a letter of recommendation...that was it. Sorry, but in my opinion only requiring 25 surgeries in a 2 year time frame seems a little low for such a prestigious organization, for an endorsement that undoubtedly is an influencing factor in the average wls researcher that doesn't know any better. These types of companies are essentially what we refer to in my industry as an impressive hustle. I cannot stress enough how important it is to really analyze every aspect of of the research process, when you do, you will have a great advantage to weed through all the meaningless pomp and cir****tance of the industry and be more able to base your decision on factual, meaningful considerations. Now, to be fair, there are some of these companies that do have high standards that must be met to gain membership, their are legit endorsements out there, just make sure that if those things matter to you, that you look into them so that you can separate the valid from the utterly useless.

4. Websites that rank hospitals and surgeons, here is another tricky aspect. For about 12 bucks, my 3 year old could purchase a domain, set up a website that sounds official and assign very bias rankings to any establishment that is in direct competition to his business. They are cheap, they are easy, they are effective at deceiving those who don't know any better, and thus can be very profitable. I know I know...how do you tell the real from the not real? There are a few ways, but you have to know what to look for, and even then it can be a craps shoot. You can start by looking for things like reviews posted by users...if a site has a ranking, but you can't tell how that ranking came to be, proceed with skepticism. My best advice there is find as many people as you can that had surgery with that surgeon, or at that hospital, both patients that were there a while back, and people who were there last week. Look for pictures, talk to patients, and use your own judgement, just make sure you get as much info as you can, from as many different sources as possible. A wide scope will give you a much better view of the whole picture.

5. If it makes no sense...there is a fair chance it is crap...so always check the facts. I can't tell you how many times both when I was researching my surgery, and still today, that I see a person that is either, not fond of surgery out of the US, a person/coordinator working for a particular doctor, irate ex-employee and/or patient that will go online and make a ton of terrifying, extremely bias, unfounded statements, or at times blatant lies, that inevitably start a heated debate between US vs. Out of US patients, and scare the crap out of many of the people new to wls. Please understand that this happens, and will continue to happen despite the best efforts of pretty much any website owner, especially the forums. Forums are huge, with thousands of post and threads made every day, it is impossible, even for the best of forums to be able to monitor everything, so your best bet while researching is to check the fact and form your own opinions. If you see a person that used to talk about how great so and so was, and the next day they have done a complete 180, I think it is worth while to check out why that may have happened. You have cases where said person may have worked for that doctor or company and now they are out for blood for whatever reason, or you will find sometimes that that person may have had a legitimate reason for their change in opinion...maybe they had a complication, and were not provided with doctor instructions, or follow up...maybe that person had a great surgical experience, but has recently learned about a questionable situation that has made them think differently. In either case, if you pay attention and follow the conversation, maybe even talk to that individual, in time you should be able to learn enough information to form an opinion. So don't read the first post made on a thread and automatically assume that surgery in another country isn't safe, or this doctor is a butcher, or that hospital is ill-equipped...there are two sides to every story, and I personally prefer to hear them both before jumping to conclusions.

Ok, enough harping on the many many things that you should consider while doing research, now I would like to offer some tips.

6. Before having surgery in another country, do some calling around and get your follow up care set up and in place for when you return home. I know that many people fear that finding post-op care might be difficult...I think this depends on your area, I personally had no problem finding my follow up care. A PCP can run all the follow up blood work...I personally never saw the need for me to consult a NUT or a Shrink, but if you need them they should be easy to find. Now, very important, when you are calling around setting up the post-op care make sure you ask if their is a fee for people had surgery out of the US...some doctors will try and sneak that in on ya to line their own pockets...but not all try to sneak in this policy. I suggest of you talk to a PCP or Bariatric doc that does, hang up the phone, flip open the yellow pages and call the next guy. Personally, I feel that there is no reason to pay a special fee because my surgery was not done in this country, and neither should you.

7.Speaking of follow up, I suggest to everyone that they ask about the follow capabilities of their surgeon should you develop a complication. Listen, it doesn't matter how awesome your surgeon is, how great his reputation is, how low is complication numbers are, or where you have this surgery...it is a statistical FACT that someone, somewhere is going to have a complication, and I believe that everyone should be prepared for that just in case. So don't feel guilty or reluctant to ask your surgeon what he/she does in that case. I personally questioned mine to death...and let me tell ya that man has the patients of a saint! He and his staff were very thorough and patient in making sure I got answers to all of my question. I didn't have a complication, but when I was 10 days out from surgery my son decided to jump on my stomach, and did bust open my largest incision. I was so worried about it getting infected or not healing correctly...but I can honestly say, that my surgeon had excellent follow up and helped in any way that he could. He called me, and told me how to take care of that incision, requested me to sent him pictures so that he could make sure it didn't get infected, and then personally called or emailed me for the following 2 weeks until it had healed. It was fantastic to have that support, and I think that knowing that your surgeon will go that extra distance after you are back in the US, really adds to your confidence when having this surgery.

8. Finally, records...I suggest to anyone and everyone to make sure you get a copy of your surgical records and surgery video if your surgeon does the videos. Doctors take a lot of precaution in insuring they do everything possible to make sure you have a complication free recovery, but as I mentioned surgery is a numbers game, and it will happen to someone. Now, something to consider is that in Mexico, and I would assume this applies to pretty much every country, is that the medical facilities and doctors are required to submit your medical records in the countries native language...so for my my records were written in Spanish. Before you have surgery, give your doctor, or their staff a call and inquire about getting a translated copy of those record for you to bring home with you. I say to call before because getting a document translated can take some time, or they might charge a fee for the service, so you will want to know those things before hand. The same thing with the videos, with my surgeon, if we wanted a copy of the video of our surgery, he requested that we bring a flash drive with us, because the video files are too big to send through email. You may never use any of the records or video, but it is always nice to have on hand, just in case your medical professionals at home may need them.


I apologize for the lengthy post, I could go on and on, but I believe that people seeking this surgery should be as well informed as possible. I am not sure if my ramblings will be of any value, but I do hope that they might help some the people starting this journey. I have tons of advice, and quirky little tid-bits that I stumbled upon during my research phase, so if anyone has in specific questions, or is in need of advice, just ask. I am an open book about my surgery. I do not care what surgery you are having, who you are having it with, or where you are having it at, I would be happy to help if I am able to. Best of luck to you all, this journey is simply amazing.

Advice for Newbies: Questions to Ask

Determining the right questions to ask the Surgeon(s) you are considering can be a difficult process. Many of us before surgery are so hyped up by the thought of getting surgery that we sometimes draw a blank on questions when it comes time to ask them. So for this post, I would like to offer up some of the questions that I feel everyone should ask when considering which surgeon is right for you. Bare in mind that I had surgery in 2012, and I am sure that I will not cover all pertinent questions. This is merely a starting place for those new to wls, and if any of you have addition questions that you feel should be added, please feel free to post them below.

First, if you have not determined a list of surgeons you are considering, there are a few question that you really need to ask yourself to help you generate that working list of potential surgeons that meet your criteria.

1. What are your financial limitations?

In Mexico, prices of bariatric surgery can vary greatly between the various surgeons, so taking a look at your budget for surgery can be a quick way to rule out a number of surgeons.

2. Will you be travelling to have surgery alone, or will you be bringing a companion along for support?

This determination will factor into your financial limitations in many cases. Not all, but some surgeons in Mexico do charge extra fees for patients travelling with a companion. When deciding on a surgeon, you will want to make sure and ask if there is an extra charge for companions, and what those charges cover for the companion. Does it cover their transportation and hotel/recovery house stay only, are their meals included as well. With my own surgeon, there was no charge for companions because they would have shared my transportation and stay at the medical facility and hotel. The only thing I would have paid extra out of pocket for my fiance to come with me, would have been the cost for his meals while we were in MX.

3.Next, you need to consider where you prefer to have surgery at, and why?

Having surgery in Mexico is different than surgery here in the US. In the US, surgeons are normally associated with a dedicated hospital or surgical site, so you don't really have a choice when it comes to where you are going to have surgery. In Mexico, a number of surgeons operate more like independent contractors (Meaning they tend to have operating privileges at a number of locations: Hospitals, Surgical Centers, Clinics, etc.) To me, this is a benefit to those seeking surgery in MX, because it gives the individual options on the location of their surgery. For many people, especially if they have never had surgery before, the tend to feel more comfortable having surgery at a hospital...for whatever reason it makes them feel safer. For people such as myself, I have had a number of surgeries over the years here in the US, so I have had experience with surgery in Hospitals, Surgical Centers, and Small Specialty Surgical Offices, and to be honest I prefer the surgical centers over the hospital setups hands down. Having the option to choose your location is great because the hospital tends to cost more than a surgery located in a surgical center...but in reality, Mexico Hospital vs. Mexico Surgery Center, doesn't always equate to a better or safer surgery setup.
My VSG surgery was conducted at a surgical center (Although my surgeon does have additional operating privileges at Hospital Angeles, INT Hospital and a number of other places as well). I liked the surgical center because it was a smaller setup, dedicated to bariatric surgery, yet still had everything needed to handle the situation, should and unforeseen complication arise. The surgical center had a dedicated ICU, a private ambulance, and my surgeon was a highly trained trauma surgeon, with specialty in bariatric surgery, and was proctor certified...there was no doubt in my mind that I was in the best of hands.
The point is decide what you need to feel comfortable having surgery, and make sure that your doctor's surgical location is equipped with those things.

4. What qualities and credentials are you looking for in your surgeon?

We all want the best when it comes to the guy that is going to be holding the scalpel, but in reality you need to be looking for the surgeon that is the best based on your particular needs and medical history. For example, let's say that you have a lap band, and are looking to revise to the gastric sleeve. That instance alone is going to change the scope of the surgeon you should choose. Choosing a surgeon that has preformed 5,000 sleeve surgeries, really doesn't matter if he has only perform 3 revisions. Instead, you might want to choose a surgeon that has performed 2500 sleeves, but 1000 of those were revisions...make sense?

If you are a person who has never had surgery, been put under general anesthesia, are prone to some type of complication during surgery etc. Then you are going to want to consider those factors when analyzing surgeons you are interested in and make sure the surgeon and his team have the capacity to safely handle your cir****tances.
Training, education background, and continuing education are important factors in your decision as well. make sure your surgeon received his/her education from a reputable university, inquire about their specialties and experience, and ask about their efforts in continued education. With any surgery there are constant developments and evolution that are made to perfect the technique and procedure itself, all of which to increase the success of the surgery, and the safety for the surgical patient. Having a surgeon that participates in adapting to those advancements could be a great benefit to your surgical out come. For example, when I had my surgery back in 2012, my surgeon used general anesthesia, a few months after my surgery, I was reading on his forum group that he had changed his methods and started using general anesthesia in conjunction with a new technique, which he has learned at a bariatric conference he had recently attended. His new method allowed less general anesthesia to be used during surgery, which is safer for the patient, and makes the recovery both faster and easier for the patients as well.

Ok, so now that you have some ideas to help you to compile a list of potential surgeons, what questions should you ask those surgeons that will enable you to make your final decision?

1. The what is the surgeons education back ground, training, and continued education?

2. How long have they been performing bariatric surgery?

3. What type of bariatric surgery do they perform, and how many of each procedures?

I noticed that a number of surgeons were quick to list a high number of surgeries either on their websites, or when I talked to their staff over the phone, but many of them never mentioned if that number was compiled of all bariatric surgeries, or simply the number of various surgeries they are performed in their career. Many surgeons perform a number of non-bariatric related surgeries, and will throw those into the count because it make the numbers look better, but that can be very deceiving if a person doesn't think to ask for further details. I personally don't care if my surgeon as performed 2,000 appendectomies through out their surgical career, but it does matter to me if they have only performed 25 sleeve surgeries total, and that knowledge will affect my decision greatly. That notion would be the same if they have done a number of bariatric procedures, but only a handful of those were actually sleeve surgeries, you are going to want a surgeon that has a good amount of experience in whatever bariatric surgery you wish to have.

4. Does the surgeon operate out of additional locations, can you choose the location, and how much extra cost will be added if you choose surgery at another location?

5.What equipment does your surgeon use?

Even though you are seeking surgery in another country you want to make sure that the equipment is quality, and meets FDA approval. Let's face it, most medical equipment is manufactured in other countries to begin with anyway, but it never hurts to check and make sure that your surgeon plans to use high quality tools. With my own surgery, my surgeon used FDA approved Johnson & Johnson cartridges to form the new stomach, along with top quality equipment in the OR. It may sound a little OCD, but I figured if my new stomach required that I be left with staples in my body, I wanted verify the quality of them myself.

6. What closing technique does your surgeon use to form the new stomach?

I never ceases to amaze me just how many people I have met since having my wls, that never thought to inquire about how their stomach would be closed. I actually had a friend in that had surgery in Las Vegas, whose doctor never explained how he closed the sleeve, or that there were other options of how it can be closed.
With the closure different surgeons used different techniques. Some use staple cartridges only, others will use a combination of staple cartridges and then suture over the staple line to provide and extra layer of protection, and a few will used staple cartridges, a suture line, and a special glue to secure the new stomach.

7. How many leak tests are performed by your surgeon?

My surgeon performed 2 separate leak tests, one during the surgery, and an additional one before we were released from the surgical center. Having a surgeon that takes every precaution to insure your safety is an important factor, especially when having surgery in another country.

8. Does the surgeon and staff speak English?

This may not matter to everyone, but I speak next to no Spanish, so it was important to me that I could properly communicate with by my surgeon and his staff. I had a history of sever GI issues that needed to be discusses with my surgeon, that would affect my surgery, and it was VERY important to me that I knew he understood those issues, and could convey to me the methods that would be taken into consideration for my surgery. Now, for surgeons and staff members that are not bilingual, I am sure most places would have someone around the clock that could translate, but anything could happen, and I liked the idea of being able to communicate directly, without having to wait on a translator every time I had a question.

9. Does your surgeon offer copies of your medical documents, and are they in English, and is there and extra cost for them?

Most people might not think they would not really need these documents, but I like to cover all bases...just in case. Now, Mexico surgeons are required by law to file these medical documents in Spanish, so it is a good rule of thumb to also ask if you can receive a copy that has also been translated to English as well. Make sure and get the surgical report, any records and/or nurses notes for your stay at the center, and if available a copy of your surgical DVD. These are all handy to have a copy of should you ever need them in the future once you are back in your country of origin.

10. What size bougie does your surgeon general use, and how will they determine which size is right for you?

11.Will you fly in and have same day surgery, or will you need to fly in a day early and make arrangements for a hotel in San Deigo, or where ever you are flying into.

12. If you are required to arrive the day before your surgery, ask if the hotel cost is included in your surgery price for that stay, or if you would need to pay that out of pocket. If you have to pay for it out of pocket, ask the staff if they could suggest a place to stay, and if they received a special discount price for that place. General speaking if a business sends a number of people to a particular place they receive a lower rate for those accommodations.

13. Ask, if you need to provide an of you medical documents from your doctors in the US, and make sure that you bring them to Mexico.

With some medical conditions a surgeon will require either, records from your US doctor(s), a doctors release for you to have surgery, or tests results that you have had ran in the US. People with things like heart conditions, GI issues, Blood disorders, problems with receiving anesthesia, or with revision patients barium swallow results. I mention this because depending on certain medical conditions: one, your surgeon needs to be well informed of your situation in order to determine the best way to handle your surgery, and two, if you are asked to bring these documents to your surgeon, and forget them at home there you will most likely be required to see a specialist or have those tests ran in Mexico to clear you for surgery which will cost you extra money when you get there, or not be able to receive the surgery.

14. Ask for a list of contact information before, during, and after your stay in Mexico.

It really helps to have the phone numbers of your coordinator, the driver, the surgical facility, and your surgeon, or someone who can get a hold of the surgeon directly. Cell phone service in Mexico tends to be a hit and miss situation, so in addition to getting the staff cell numbers also ask for the direct phone lines or magic jack/Google numbers, that way you are able to reach the staff should you need them.
This list could go on and on, but for the sake of not writing a novel I will this one as is. I hope this helps some of you that are uncertain on where to begin, or questions that you might want to ask. If anyone has more to add to help those that are new to the wls process, please do, and as I think of more, I will add them in as well. Best of luck to everyone, and feel free to ask if you have any questions.

Also, my apologies for the spelling errors and grammatical issues, I wrote this in a hurry, and didn't spell check it before posting...so overlook those issues if ya can

Wow! This is great info, what a great post!

Thank you, I am glad you enjoyed.