Question:
Has anyone had surgery in malaysia, specifically penang?

   — soccermom417 (posted on May 31, 2009)

May 31, 2009
Do you plan or live in Malaysia ?? If not you might want to consider the after care!!
   — matigian

May 31, 2009
No disrespect to anyone else's opinion or anything...but the thought of having surgery out of the country scares the daylights out of me. And like the previous person stated...you are going to need after care. It's not wise to just go and have a surgery and not follow up medically or have the emotional and educational support that you are going to need. Again...this is just MY opinion. Personally, there is no way I would do this. It might be cheaper...but the risks wouldn't be worth saving a buck to me. Good luck and God bless!
   — PaulaJ

May 31, 2009
Part of the problem with having surgery outside of the United States, or even if you live quite a distance from your home if you DO have it here, is that you will require follow-up care, and I have heard that most WLS surgeons here will not follow up a surgical patient who had surgery out of the country, including getting fills for the lapband, etc. For those of you who live quite a distance from where you are having surgery, you might keep in mind that you will have to schedule follow-up appointments that may necessitate a long drive every week or two in the beginning, and then every 3 months thereafter for the first year.
   — Erica Alikchihoo

June 1, 2009
I have recently watched a news piece on surgeries in Malaysia and that general area. It was mainly talking about organ transplants. People would send their payment (whole or partial, I don't know) however, when they got there...there was nothing!! One guy even died in Malaysia because he was so ill and desperate for a kidney. Now if you follow the logic, how are you to know if the place you are hedging your bets on is even legit. It is not a stretch of the imagination for these criminals to be able to come up with another desperate group of people to focus their scam on: the obese who are desperate to lose weight. Personally, I wanted to visit the clinic, meet the doctor and learn of the after care that the clinic could provide. If your health is your concern, don't gamble with it.
   — Renee B.