From Ohio

[Mel5683]

Good morning all! I am considering lap band in Mexico. I have already research and i am ready to completely do the procedure however i live in ohio. Did it end up being expensive to travel to mexico for the procedure. How much is thecost of the lapband? I want to finance it and i heard it was cheaper when you self pay.

[NkyBelle]

I live in the Cincinnati area myself. I've weighed out the costs when I was deciding on going to Mexico versus doing it here in town. I was coming up with anywhere from 16,000-18,000 if I did it here, compared to the 9,500. That didn't include aftercare for fills either. So I thought it was better to go the Mexico route. Not to mention that I felt good about the experience difference.

[maniacmamma94]

I agree. My decision was based more on the experience of Dr. Ortiz......the difference in costs was a small factor....but did weigh in to the picture a tad bit.

Based on US costs......I finally determined that I could see Dr. Ortiz for the surgery and travel back to TJ for the fills......and still come out ahead on the money end.

I have arranged after care with a doctor in St. Louis in case of an emergency. And, I will also make arrangements with my PCP in case of an emergency.

I have priced airfare.......I think I can get a ticket for about $300....maybe less.

Take care!

Kim

[clg8579]

Hi Mel,

I live in Michigan and did have Dr. Ortiz do the surgery. I was also self pay. It cost me about $500 for flight. Transportation cost to and from airport are paid for with the $9500 the first time. If you go back to Dr. Ortiz for fills you need to make your own travel arrangements or you can pay to have the Dr's office provide it (about $160). You will also pay $100 for the fluro and if you decide to spend the night you will have hotel cost approx $89 per night. You really do need to find a local doctor that can provide aftercare, even if you decide to go back to Mexico to have all of your fills done. You will need to check and make sure someone local will see you if you have surgery done in Mexico (sometimes hard to find). This is just in case of emergencies. I had a local doctor do my first fill and will have him do my second fill as well. If it doesn't work as well as I want it to, I plan on going back to Mexico for any additional fills. The local doctor will charge you for fills too so keep that in mind when you are thinking about total costs.

Best of luck to you!

Chris

[karenb]

I live in NY and have had fills here and flown to TJ to have them done by Dr. Martinez. I would say that Dr. Martinez's are better. I use my frequent flyer miles to fly on Jet Blue. Also, there are easy ways to get from SD to TJ--bus, trolly, etc. It costs about $10.00 total. Also there is a Mexi-Coach to cross back over the border; it doesn't wait in the long border crossing lines, there is a special bus lane. I just did it on July 4 w/my daughter, who was also banded by Drs. Ortiz/Martinez. We just love them.

Hope this helps.

[clg8579]

Karen,

where do you get on the Mexi-coach bus? I've been wondering about this too. Thanks

Chris

[megansmom]

My daughter Megan was banded by Dr. Ortiz on June 23rd. We live in Ohio too. I have decided we will go back to Mexico and have Dr. Martinez do her fills. I am not sure where in Ohio you live but we flew out of Detroit the first time ($400.00) and are going to fly out of Cleveland ($250) this time because it is cheaper. The cheapest airline from around here is America West. We are very happy with Dr. Ortiz / Dr. Martinez and want to have the best Dr.s do the fills so this is why we are going back. Good luck!