RNY in Mexico

Hi everyone, newbie here.  Just a little about me.  I live in Oregon and have insurance, but of course there is an exclusion for weight loss surgery so I am looking into possibly going to see Dr. Joya in PV to have an RNY.  Looking into maybe doing it toward the first part of next year because I am scheduled here in Oregon to get my GB taken out on Nov. 8th, so this will be a good indication as to how I will actually handle surgery.

I do have a few questions though for anyone who has had wls overseas.  I am worried about finding a dr. here in the states that will want to take me on after I get back.  Or can your PCP take care of any testing, check-ups, etc. when you get back?

Also, this may sound like a stupid question, but I get keloid scars, should I be worried that any "inside incisions" or stapeling could then become keloids and cause major scar tissue??????


Thanks

Your PCP can order your labs for you, although you will probably need to take him or her a list of what to order.  however, if you have any kind of complications, you'll most likely want a bariatric surgeon to treat you.  You'll just need to call different surgeons in your area until you find one that will do follow up for a patient that had surgery out of the country.  Some may be reluctant to do that, so you may need to make a number of calls.

You will probably benefit from having a registered dietician to consult with periodically as well.

Research shows that if you tend to keloid you tend to have more abdominal adheasions after surgery than a non keloider after abdominal surgery

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20974460

Pup

I did not have insurance coverage for WLS either, so I decided to go to Mexico also. I am not sure how I found the doctor that I used, but I found a real winner. Even my pcp is happy with my surgery results. I spoke to my pcp before I left for surgery because I wanted him to do my followup and he nearly flipped his lid! Fortunately, I had found a really, really competent doctor. I and my pcp checked up on him. Dr. Valencia had performed RNY for two years as a guest professor at UCLA. He is highly regarded by the surgical staff at UCLA. I just praise the Lord that I found the surgeon I had. He changed my life! I was a difficult case and he was still able to do it laproscopically. If you are going to have rny, I do recommend that you check credentials on any doctor you let work on you regardless of what country. I hope you have success in your surgery as well!

Thanks guys for all the responses.  April, you're right, maybe I should discuss it with my pcp BEFORE I go, just to make sure he is onboard with my going to Mexico for this.  He has been my pcp since I was a teenager, so hopefully he will be willing to do my blood work when I get home.  Can't wait to have this stupid gall bladder removed tomorrow and get to healing so I can make arrangements.  But until then I will continue to do my research.