Jacquie's comment on my last post brings up another question. If you've been banded in Mexico do any of your docs have a problem with it, or do they even know? My PCP straight up told me that if I go to Mexico to be banded they will no longer see me. For anything.
I don't really have any desire to go there, I would rather do it in the States if possible, but dang I can maybe understand not doing any follow up on the band but not at all?
I guess that's what happens when you live in a small town without many doctors to begin with.....
Dr. Kirshenbaum in Denver modelled his practice to give U.S. patients an alternative to Mexico.
ReplyDeleteAs for your doc not treating you, of course that is their perogative, but how would they know where you had surgery? As far as I know, Dr. K. didn't send anything to my PCP re: my Denver surgery. I'm sure he would have if I had asked him to (or if my PCP had asked). I know one blogger here didn't tell her PCP that she had the surgery at all as she socialized with the PCP.
I was banded in Tijuana, Mexico at Hospital Angeles. It cost about $6,000. I see a naturopathic physcian in my town for my fills. I do know that the bariatric surgery practice in our local hospital does not do fills for Mexican bands, but there are FillCenterUSA offices around too. As far as my PCP goes, I haven't seen them since I got the band, but I can't imagine why it would be any of their business. In fact I think I'd find another doc if they told me that even if I didn't have a Mexican lap-band!
ReplyDeleteBy the way, my surgery experience was wonderful. I was in the hospital for two nights after surgery. They usually send you home same day here in the States.
I told my PCP straight out what my plans were and why I made the decision I did. He was so understanding. I told him it was difficult finding an after-care doctor as I didn't want to go to Fill Centers USA and he explained that unfortunately, surgeons in general do not like to work with patients for follow-up when they did not do the surgery. For the most part, it is for insurance purposes. He said everyone is afraid of being sued. I get that. He had a patient who was visiting family in NY and had an emergency appendectomy, when she came home to Florida, he had to call in favors to get a surgeon to see her!
ReplyDeleteI too had a great experience with my surgery and I would go back to my doc in a heart-beat if it wasn't for the distance.
Wow - that's interesting. No lap band experience here but I remember when I had my tummy tuck TONS of women don't do that in the US. It is WAY cheaper out of the states and many times done better. Plastic surgery is always out of pocket and it's not looked down upon at all to go out of states. Interesting flip side huh?
ReplyDelete