CosMed - After the Surgery
I've been researching and saving for 3 years now. I have finally saved $20,000 and my weight has stabilized. I feel the time is right for me now. I am self employed and January - February are my slow months. I have a passport card but not an actual pass port. I applied for one and I should have it in 1-2 weeks. If I'm not mistaken if I fly into Mexico I need a passport. A card will only work if I drive into Mexico.
I've spoken to my dr. many times regarding this in the last several years. Two weeks ago I made another appt and I saw her today. I made it clear that if she wasn't going to help me I would be shopping for a new doctor. I also made it clear (I had tears in my eyes) that I do not want anyone but her. She has been my doctor for over 15 years and she knows me well.
I do still have a lot of questions to ask. I'm thankful Chris turned me in the direction of Dr. Sauceda.
5'3"
50 years old
Start weight and bmi -- 228 pounds 40.4 bmi
Current (November 21, 2012) -- 150 pounds 26.6 bmi
Yeah, you will need a passport. I guess I wondered if you had researched much due to your breast implant question.
Read all the past posts if you decide to go with Dr S. I guarantee you will not regret it. Lots of good information written by patients while they were there. It is fun hearing everyone's experience.
12/09 and 6/11, 9 skin removal procedures with Dr. Sauceda in Monterrey Mexico
Revised to the Sleeve after losing 271 lbs with the LapBand.
I had my plastic surgery at CosMed on 10/29. I had a lower body lift/tummy tuck, lipo, fat transfer to buttocks and a crescent upper body lift. I arrived Sunday, Oct 28 and left Saturday, Nov 3rd. I stayed in the Recovery Boutique and highly recommend it. The care was incredible - the women were wonderful and made certain I was comfortable and had everything I needed.
My surgeon was Dr. Quiroz and I could not have been in better hands. I checked out plastic surgeons in San Francisco and Los Angeles prior to meeting him. Once I visited the clinic and met him and his staff, there was no question that he would be the one to do my surgery!
The meals are all included and you have free, unlimited calls to the US. They have free wireless Internet and two computers for your use. When I compared the hotel with the recovery boutique, the level of service, care, and amenities offered at CosMed far outweighed the hotel.
I hope this helps! Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions!
one more thing - Dr. Quiroz has called me at least every other day to check on me since returning. He is the best!!
I have asked this question of other CosMed patients and no one seems to answer. I ask this because this is an important part of Medical Tourism and ensuring the safety of patients.
What is included? How long do you stay in the hospital post surgery? Is the hotel stay included? Is the cost of the Recovery Boutique extra? What if a person wanted to save money and not stay in the country post surgery, would that be allowed? Are they able to stay at any hotel, regardless of the safety - if they were considering the cost? How long is the requirement to stay in the city post surgery?
With Dr Sauceda, the clinic stay is as long as you need it for your surgery. One patient stayed in the clinic for 12 days. All food is paid for in the clinic, 24 hour nursing care. Post clinic, he drives you to the Hampton Inn, where he checks you in and takes your bags to the room. He pays for the entire stay at the Hampton Inn. 12 days is required for most surgeries and some 14 days. It is truly all inclusive. His RN visits your hotel room each and every morning until you leave - helps you shower and changes your dressings, as she assess your incisions. He visits you each evening.
He supplies 2 full compression garments from www.marenagroup.com. If you get arms and breasts and LBL and thigh work, he will supply 2 sets for each part of your body.
If your surgery cost is over $7,000, he pays up to $600 for your airfare.
As a self pay patient, I think it's too easy to take the cheapest way out - many do this - and if it's left up to the patient to cover the cost of their aftercare - they won't always take the safest route. I appreciate Dr Sauceda and the way he requires patients to stay - he pays for their hotel and they garments. He pays his RN to care for us each day and he visits us each evening. I appreciate that he puts our safety first and foremost.
12/09 and 6/11, 9 skin removal procedures with Dr. Sauceda in Monterrey Mexico
Revised to the Sleeve after losing 271 lbs with the LapBand.
The Recovery Boutique is a separate entity and you pay for that. My first night was $75 pre-surgery and each additional night (first 6) were $150 a night. My seventh night was $125. I was in a room completely to myself, had 24 hour nursing care, and a visit from the surgeon twice a day.
After being in surgery 6 1/2 hours, I lost quite a bit of blood. While I was getting ready to go home on the 5th day, I fainted. Thank goodness the nurse was there with me! I would have never anticipated that and had I been anywhere but the Recovery Boutique, I don't know what the consequences might have been. By staying, they were able to monitor my iron level on a daily basis.
The very best thing you can do for yourself is to check out several of the clinics and interview the plastic surgeons face to face. Take a tour of the facilities and compare everything. I met with several plastic surgeons in Los Angeles and San Francisco before looking into Mexico. The cost was not a factor for me - I wanted to be where I felt most comfortable and where I felt I would get the best care.
Thanks for answering my questions.
My fear with the way Dr Q does his plan is that many who do worry about the cost will not choose to stay in the Recovery Boutique and if you had not been there and fainted in a hotel room alone, who knows what would have happened. Dr Q had a patient who also had internal bleeding and things were not good. It's for this reason, I advise people to really be careful going to him for their work.
I have a wonderful plastic surgeon and am very pro-Medical Tourism and because of possible issues like yours, he doesn't allow the patient to pay for their aftercare or make the choice of where to stay - it's too easy for many to choose the "cheapest" route and not the safest. With Cos-med, 7 nights at the recovery boutique added up to $1100.00 extra. My doctor requires us stay in town for 12 to 14 days depending upon our age and our procedures. He pays for our hospital stay and will keep us in the clinic for the entire time at no extra charge if we have lost a lot of blood or have any problem that may cause a serious complication. He also pays for us to stay in the hotel with his RN visiting us daily and him visiting us each evening.
I appreciate your story. I'm glad you were okay and I am really glad you had stayed at the Recovery Boutique.
12/09 and 6/11, 9 skin removal procedures with Dr. Sauceda in Monterrey Mexico
Revised to the Sleeve after losing 271 lbs with the LapBand.