Liz5660

Hi everyone,

I live in Little Rock, Arkansas. I was banded on 7/29/05 in Monterrey, Mexico by Dr. Roberto Rumbaut. Insurance denied coverage of my surgery, so since I had to pay out of pocket I went to Mexico where it was less expensive. I went to a local surgeon yesterday for a fill. I was chastised for going to Mexico. This doc was real "sour grapes". I got a lecture on why American docs are resentful of us going to Mexico for our surgery and then coming home and expecting the local doc to take care of us. I nicely explained to him that it was strictly a matter of money. He suggested I could have saved the extra money. I then told him, yes, but I work for the State (meaning low salary!) and it would have taken me two years to save the extra money. Oh, he ended up giving me the fill. But his office informed me that they charge Mexican banded patients $750 for the first fill and $500 thereafter. Supposedly because the Mexican docs "put the band in weird places and it's hard to find". I'm happy to report he found my port immediately and I was out of there in 15 minutes (but $700 poorer). I managed to talk them down a little on the price because I was not informed ahead of time. All in all it was a very unpleasant experience. I felt like I was lectured and punished like a wayward child. Yuck! I think I'll spend the same money next time and go to another city with another doc and make a mini vacation out of it! I just had to get my "bad experience" off my chest! Any other Mexican bandsters experiencing the same problem with American docs?

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Liz5660