Mexico for a surgical procedure? *updated

A Canadian woman I follow on Instagram had it done in Puerto Vallarta a few years ago. She had a very good experience. You really need to do your research. Here’s her story.

kaitlinhargreaves.com/my-weight-loss-journey/

My cousin had extensive dental work in Mexico and was pleased.

All I have heard is that doctors here will not willingly do follow up or address issues. So check that out before you consider going.

I would make sure that you have coverage in the event there are complications and you need to be airlifted back to the US. That can be very costly and I'm not sure most insurance policies would cover it. Plan for the worst and hope for the best.

OMG.  Have you ever been to Tiajuana?  It’s the worst place on earth.  Dirty, filthy, street people, crime, police brutality and crime.  I would not go there to go to dinner, let alone seek medical services.  I get nervous getting too far south in San Diego.  

So, my answer is an unequivocal NO.

Slightly different situation, but my cousin was injured in a water slide incident in Mexico (tip of the day, if the waterslide requires a helmet to ride, that's a bad sign) and had to be taken by small boat to the hospital (the water slide was an activity on a day cruise they took). At the time, her husband was impressed with the hospital and said it reminded him of a luxury hotel. They checked her over, decided that she was just badly bruised, gave her some painkillers and arranged a wheelchair for her to use until her scheduled flight back home to Canada the next day. She was very uncomfortable on the plane, so when they landed, her dh took her to the emergency room at the hospital near the airport. Turns out her pelvis was broken severely in multiple places and she needed immediate surgery and had a weeks long recovery during which she had to live on the main floor of their house because of her very limited mobility. So, while the facilities seemed great and the medical staff competent, that did not turn out to be the case ...

This was the first thing I thought of!  I have definitely watched WAY too many episodes of them having to redo horrible surgeries and procedures from Mexico to ever even consider it.  No thanks. 

I wouldn’t even vacation in Mexico, let alone go there for a medical procedure. I’ve heard many horror stories.

I don't think I could push myself to have a medical procedure in Mexico. I haven't been there in many years, but when I was younger, my ex and I used to go all the time. We went mainly for day trips but have stayed for a couple of multiple-day vacations as well. We took my younger sister with us for a weekend once. We had multiple friends with us as well and we were all staying at a campsite and sleeping in our camper vans. My DH and I woke the first morning to my sister and our friends huddled up around the fire pit. They hadn't been to bed at all.

The story they told was that they were just drinking beer and quietly chatting around the fire when the Mexican police drove up. They demanded money or they would take them to jail. My sister was terrified and wanted to wake us up. The police wouldn't allow them to approach the van we were sleeping in. They dug out all the money they had with them and gave it to the police. The police then hit up a few other campsites. They were so terrified that they didn't go to sleep all night. They were not committing any crime, but knew that didn't make any difference and that they could easily be thrown in jail there. That was the last time my sister went to Mexico. We continued to go, but that was also the last time we spent the night there.

I've had a gastric bypass here in Canada ... weight loss surgery is a big deal ... you run the risk of problems after surgery ... I didn't have them but many do ... I had terrrible aftercare even here    

I would worry that you would need to visit another doctor in your own city to take care of any complications that might arise ...

When another Pea said that she wouldn't travel to Mexico for vacation either I agree    

A family friend had a gastric sleeve done in Mexico. She came home, ended up in ICU with a severe infection. Cost her more in the end b/c of the hospitalization here in the US.

My DN and her DH were on vacation in Mexico when he had issues after scuba diving. Let’s just say he was essentially held hostage at the public hospital when they tried to transfer to a private hospital. After bribing the head of the hospital they finally released him to the private one. Once they were there they were told they had to pay for the surgery required, in cash, before they would do the surgery. It took almost a week to get the cash together and to Mexico. They did the surgery, released him, and when he got back to the states they had to amputate his leg. Soon, I would never willingly have surgery in Mexico.

Would I have any surgery at all in Mexico? Nopity, nope, no.

If you do, I think you should go check it out first if possible? Also, I think a big concern would be follow up. Where will go if you have post op complications or issues beyond the surgery? I think if you do your research and have a plan for any post op issues, you would be good to go