Question:
has anyone gone out of the country for surgery

i was hoping people could share their experiences and their costs of surgery out of the country. thanks!!    — Dana M. (posted on February 2, 2003)

February 2, 2003
I had my open rny on 1-17-03 in Ensenada, Mexico with Dr. Alejandro Aguirre. I had a very good experience. I was self-pay and my total cost including my travel expenses was around $7,500. I'm am just over 2 weeks post-op and am down 23lbs and feel great. I would highly recommend Dr. Aguirre, he has a lot of experience and is a wonderful person. If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me at [email protected]
   — Lisa F.

February 2, 2003
Hi.. I went to Brazil for a DS. It was a fantastic experience, and I thank God everyday I went! Let me know if you have any questions. We have a group at Yahoo. [email protected] also check out Duodenalswitch.com Good luck to you!
   — Jacklyn C.

February 2, 2003
I went to Spain to Dr Baltasar for the DS.It was a wonderful experience. I did some siight seeing before surgery. Dr Baltasar Is Wonderful. We alsohave a group at Yahoo.I dont know how to post a link , but if you go to yahoo.com and click on the word Groups you can do a search for Drbaltasarduodenalswitch and that should get you there.
   — Laura W.

February 3, 2003
Hi Dana, I seriously considered going overseas for surgery because I was self pay. Then someone suggested Dr Gibbs in Arkansas and I ended up going there for no more money than overseas would have cost. I had an open RNY on 1-15-03 and what a wonderful doctor and really wonderful care at the hospital - real southern hospitality (I flew there and back from Philadelphia). Surgeon was $3600, hospital for up to 5 days post op was $7,000 and anesthesia is $1,000 or $1,500 for an epidural for pain (which I'd recommend). I got a private room so my husband could stay with me for an extra $45 a day. I'd be happy to answer any questions if you want to consider this route. I'm really happy I went this way and less than 3 weeks out, I'm feeling great and losing fast.
   — Brenda G.