Hi

I'm Fran. I'm 95% booked to have MGB with Dr Rodriguez in Juarez next week. Have to finish getting the finances in order. I may go by myself, it's hard to ask anyone to make arrangements before things are set in stone. 

It may sound like a rush decision, but I've researched and dreamed for years and it's finally coming together.

My biggest worry is that I don't have a passport, but I'll probably get it Friday. Beliteweight.com said I wouldn't have trouble in Juarez without it, but my family is pushing me to get it anyway.

Can anyone speak from experience on this?

And I know I'm on the wrong board, but this is the closest to my surgery and I need a board with actual traffic and hopefully some actual support.

Good luck, but you won't be able to come back into the country without a passport. When did you file the paperwork?

I have not filed for a passport. Beliteweight.com told me that at the El Paso/Juarez border passports are encouraged, but not required.

My discussion with the passport agency made me believe that, yes, if I paid enough extra fees and with an appointment and a medical necessity letter I could get it that day.

At this point, I've hit a financial hurdle and have to postpone at least a week. I can't even go and pay the regular passport fees until the middle of next week, and then we will go from there.

Someone gave you bad information.  You cannot get a passport the same day under any cir****tances.  Even the expedited processing is at least a week (their "goal" is to process it within 8 days).

Even getting a replacement passport from a US Embassy (if you have all the appropriate documentation) if your passport is lost or stolen while out of the country is almost never happens the same day.  They simply cannot do all of the background checking and/or verifications in a single day.

Welcome Fran

I am sure that most of the people on this board know little about the mini gastric bypass and that we can learn a lot from your experience.

Can you tell us the difference between an RNY and what you are having done?

The MGB has only one anastamosis rather than two with a RNY because instead of a pouch (although they still refer to it as a pouch), it is a sleeve where the bottom of the sleeve is attached directly to the intestine at the end of the bypassed portion of intestine.  

The advantages are that with only one anastamosis it is a simpler, faster procedure with (theoretically) reduced risk of leaks.  The disadvantages -- other than that VERY few surgeons do it and insurance generally won't cover it -- are that people can have severe reflux issues (even if they didn't before surgery) and sometimes there can be complications because of the awkwardness of how the sleeve is attached to the intestine.

Lora

Thank you. I had been reprimanded by an MGB 'expert' by describing it as a sleeve with an extra bypass element.

Yeah, one of the surgeons I work with said something about how the surgeons who actually do the procedure insist on calling it a pouch even though it is a sleeve.   Not sure why they are so touchy about a single word, but apparently they are.

Lora

It usually takes MONTHS to get a passport.  My husband and I had to get passports in a hurry many years ago.  We were sent to Chicago and had to stand in line and jump through hoops for the entire day and pay an extra charge, but they issued our passports the same day.  I don't know where you are located, but maybe you can call The State Department or the number for the National Passport Information Center is 877-487-2778.
 Good Luck!

I talked to them yesterday. Plan to go next week and pay the fees or apply at normal speed based on how I decide to reschedule.