Mexico
People go to Mexico because of price. We cannot compete with prices, but we offer something a lot better than price:
(a) Follow up: Our follow up for care is done here! You don't have to
travel overseas, or across the border to get your care. And, for those patients
who self-pay all the follow up is included in the first year.
(b) Safety: Our safety record is outstanding. Not only can you drink the water,
but we can assure you that our instruments are sterilized, the band we implant
in you is approved by the F.D.A., the nurses who take care of you are real
nurses with verified credentials, the anesthesiologist is board-certified with
outstanding training.
(c) Complications. No one likes to think about them, but complications occur
even in the best of hands. Are they set up for complications, or do they transfer
you back to the United States? In one facility I visited in Mexico one wall
of the operating room was all windows. I asked why? They said because
the electricity was unreliable, and if it went out they needed light to finish
the operation. In the U.S. we use back up generators.
Many have asked why not go elsewhere to have their band? Why not go to Mexico? The reason is simple. The LAP-BAND operation is just the start of a journey. We believe after-care is more important than the operation. If you check the message boards you will see more slips, more erosions, and more dissatisfaction from patients who have gone outside the U.S. for their band. You simply do not get the aftercare program that you get here. Even for those who can find a place to do an adjustment in the U.S., that doesn't mean they have learned how to take care of their band or how to work with it. Learning how to use your tool is as important as getting the tool. Would you get a complex piece of equipment without learning how to use it? The band is a simple tool, attached to a complex organ - -the stomach, which has nerves going to the brain. To be successful with your tool means you have to learn how to use it properly -- otherwise it becomes an expensive piece of plastic.
We believe the LAP-BAND is more than an operation and that it matters where you get your after-care. Centers who specialize in the LAP-BAND, whose after-care is dedicated to the LAP-BAND do far better than centers who do not. This is even true in the United States. Recently patients who had their original operation performed at the now defunct Wish Center were shocked to learn that the six small meals a day they were told to eat was incorrect information for LAP-BAND patients. It was no wonder they were not losing weight. If you are from Arizona and want a LAP-BAND, find out why many are coming here for the operation. Our center is dedicated to the LAP-BAND, no confusion about the information you receive from us. If you wish to have your operation in Mexico, then have your after-care there. But first you should know the risks involved, and that your after care will be done in Mexico.
Because we cannot be assured of the quality of care of bands placed overseas or in Mexico we cannot assume the care of these patients.We have joined the majority of surgeons who will no longer do aftercare for those who have their bands placed outside the United States. We are happy to take care of patients who had their LAP-BAND placed from another surgeon in the United States.
We believe the success of our patients is because of the aftercare our patients
receive. Aftercare is more than an adjustment, it is the beginning of a lifestyle.
Our aftercare program is directed for LAP-BAND patients. From the internet,
email, our books, support groups, podcasts, and private consultations, it is
designed to help you achieve your goal. Other people talk about their after-care
program, ours works, and has been in place for years.