"I, like many of you reading this, did not originally plan to go to Mexico to have surgery. My journey started out with the knowledge that the path I was on was not helping me to be successful in losing weight and becoming healthy. I knew WLS was a good option for people like me, so I started tentatively looking into it.
Then, one late night I stumbled across a You Tube video of someone who had WLS called the Gastric Sleeve (VSG). I liked that it was a restrictive operation and not a malabsorbtive (did I spell that right?) one. I looked into surgeons here in my area (outside DC there are ALWAYS options) and checked into my insurance. The insurance is where I hit a road block. My insurance coverage was minimum, required numerous hoops to jump through (that were not covered), and was likely to not cover the VSG in particular. I could not afford to pay what amounts to 15-20K out of pocket for surgery in this area.
However the idea of having the surgery stuck in my head, so I continued to troll the internet and You Tube for videos of people who had the VSG done. In this process, a number of people had mentioned Dr. Alvarez, and I found his videos as well, offering some really helpful information on all kinds of topics about the surgery, as well as before and after. So I researched Dr. Alvarez in Mexico, and I liked his personality and his background and training. I talked to a number of former patients, and even did a background search on him. I was nothing if not complete in my research… and I honestly wonder if I would have done the same amount of research on a US doctor. What I found was expert training, excellent patient care, complete and continued subject knowledge and superior experience. Dr. Alvarez is conservative with his patient care and surgical techniques, all in an effort to create the absolute best outcome for his patients. The small hospital, though older and still being updated, was clean and the staff well trained. The location in Mexico was quiet, and really similar to other small towns around the US. His entire team was wonderful, from phone conversations with Susan, who worked with me and answered all of my questions, to Rosy his driver, his patient coordinators in the hospital who spoke English, everyone was wonderful. My hand was held the entire time, and though I had someone with me, I feel confident I could have done this on my own.
Going to Mexico is not without it's drawbacks. The biggest issue in all of this was finding aftercare in the US. However I found a nutritionist covered by my insurance, a support group for WLS patients, and my GP (who is familar with WLS patients) agreed to support my medical needs, should any arise. I advise anyone considering going to Mexico to set these things up IN ADVANCE, so you are not wondering what to do after the surgery. Many US bariatric surgeons will not support aftercare if you have the surgery done in another country.
Though I chose to go across the border because I am what amounted to a mostly self pay patient (in Mexico I can pay less than half of what it would cost me in the US just for out of pocket costs for the surgery), in the end it is less about cost, and more about the doctor you choose… and I felt confident that Dr. Alvarez was the best doctor I could have chosen. I had my surgery over a month ago, and I have had ZERO problems! Thanks Dr. A!"
