I was checking out a site . ( d.s. related ) long

I think you're misunderstand me. I'm not saying that all Mexican or any other country hospitals are better than all US hospitals. I'm saying don't lump all foreign hospitls into the same catagory.

Check out the hospital you could go to locally and do the same thing is you're going to consider traveling. Don't assmue that just because you're in the US, that your hospital care will be better than say CIMA in Hermosillo. FWIW, I doubt you will find a hospital with a better record than CIMA anywhere. And I'm sure some US hospitals has a good a record as CIMA does.

Kerry

I did not misunderstand you at all. I am not lumping all foreign hospitals together. I am also saying most USA doctors won't do follow up care if you had surgery outside of the USA. If you have wls surgery outside of the USA and come back with complications they won't pay for it. I know people that had surgery in Mexico and there insurance does not cover for WLS and they come back to the USA and say they have a post op wound infection, be readmit to a USA for say debridment there insurance  won't pay the hospital bill.  

Dawn,

IMO any doctor that refuses care to a person because they had surgery outside the US should be disbarred. That's a direct violation of medical ethics and probably the Hippocratic Oath.

I wouldn't expect an insurance comapny to pick up expenses for complication from any WLS they didn't originally cover, I know my insurance company wouldn't, so I don't your point.

The fact of the matter is that there are excellent surgeons and hospitals outside the US and the US medical system is corrupt. There's a huge scam going on between the insurance companies and their hospital associates, otherwise you wouldn't see such outrageous prices for hospital care. To many people, those outrageous pricies make getting the care then need impossible, so I say thank God for dedicated medical professionals (both inside and outside the US scam system) who take less money to provide care for the who people can't afford the US scam.

Kerry

Thats is how USA doctors are today. If they don't want to see you as a patient they will tell you. Some doctors don't even care about Hippocratic oath and have bad medical ethics. That is just life today. You can't make a doctor see you. I totally agree with your last paragraph.

Hi there Kerry,
Just enjoying the friendly chatter between you and Dawn.  I have to say that I am impessed that you are both keeping manners alive!  LOL!  I Love a good exchange of opinions!.....But, just a note on docs refusing care to those who have had surgery outside of the USA.....It's rarely "Their" choice but rather that of their malpractice insurance.  ....  Having worked for a couple of different Bariatric programs in the past, I have known surgeons who would LOVE to help and as you have said...feel it is their obligation to indeed do that[ but have been told NO by their insurance provider.  ......  So, just another thought to consider.......

High Fives for keeping it civil!  ...... 

Joyce,

I did not even know that about insurance companies. I will keep it civil and I would never swear at anyone on line. I think I have a good point and so does Kerry.

Hi Joyce,

Thanks for the kind words. We're all in the same rowboat here, I don't see any need to advantage to getting ugly.

I hadn't thought about the liability insurance issue, but wouldn't a doctor that refused care to someone that needed it be more liable than one who tried their best to help?

I know there are real problems in the tort system, because jurys award unjustifed sums to accident victums, thinking a manufacturer has deep pockets. I've dealt with it in regards to the aircraft industry. But I can't imagine an jury awarding a victum when the doctor tried to help, I can see  them awarding damages if a doctor refused to help.

Kerry

I see what your saying ... I am thinking in a car you can at least pull over and  get help ,In a plane  you dont have too many options  and the stress an emergency must put on a pilot ?? WOW !! you impact so many more lives  not to mention  getting up follow up care - I am sure she had her medical records  with her??    the story just blew me away .

Also let me appologize - this post was not meant for this forum !  I didnt mean to cause ant rukus - if I could have deleted it - I would have    

hard to imagine  your gut exploding ??

WOW, that is scary! I do understand why some people have to travel. You want what you want , when you want it and plus you want THE BEST SURGEON out there that is able to do the surgery that you want. You know different things happen to different people. I got very sick from my 1st surgery, but I didnt blame anyone, I think it was just my body. Because I caught an infection with this surgery too. Thats why there are always other factors that should come into play when your choosing the surgeon/surgery that you want. NOW REALLY,  are you going to go out of state or more the less in state and pick a surgeon that has a high death rate or is incompetent. Are you going to pick a surgery that's going to make your health worse than it already is because you know that you are not going to do right. Whether your not good taking pills, or your not going to eat right all of that should come into consideration. Some of us go in with the mind frame that we are not going to fail, we have this opportunity and we are going to make the best of it, I know I did. Some have failed and some havent. Now even though this lady knew full well what she was up against, she still chose to have WLS. Just like I chose to have surgery again (revision6/08, ERNY) even though I almost died (SERIOUSLY)the first time. I was very confident in my DOC, just as well as she mustve been with hers to have the surgery knowing her situation. All DOCS dont  tell you lies just to keep you from having a certain type of surgery. Would I do it all over again, in a heartbeat to be able to get up and go outside and play with my kids and not feel tired and exhausted, be able to walk a flight of steps without passing out, to able to just feel good about myself whether its 20lbs ive lost or 100lbs. Id do it, but NOT OUT OF STATE! LOL because if that were me on that plane I wouldve freaked out.

Hi Gina, I have not had a chance to e-mail you but I do have a question for you that I will get to you but I did find your article interesting. I think we each take something different away from the things that we read. As a chef and a teacher I always tell my students how important it is to be very careful about the things that they eat and drink and the conditions that they are surrounded by. What I cringed at when I read this was the fact that they found e-coli in the cultures from the infection which tells me that no matter how good you feel when you are recovering you really have to be careful. You never know what you get or where you get it. The incubation period for e-coli can be up to 48 hours and these days you never know where it is coming from, the latest scare came from jalepenos from Mexico and the one before that was from spina*****alifornia. This really is something to think about and anyone having any type of surgery which would compromise your immune-system should really be extremely careful. Thank you.