What It Was Like Having Double (And A Half) Hernia Surgery In Mexico

Because the proprietor of one of many main firms that moves household goods to Mexico, along with being requested concerning the process for importing family items, I get requested all kinds of questions on what it’s wish to reside in Mexico, comparable to:

What’s the climate like?

Reply: Apart from the far north-west of Mexico (suppose: Tijuana and Ensenada, which has climate like San Diego, California) the climate on the seaside in Mexico is sizzling the summer season and fairly excellent within the Highlands just about all 12 months spherical.

Will I be killed by cartel members?

Reply: There’s a very good probability you gained’t. In my total time in Mexico, I haven’t but been killed by cartel members, not even as soon as. The identical is true for my spouse; she’s nonetheless alive. And neither of us had any points with violence, by any means, both. Why not? Two causes: 1) we’re People, and as such, we’re a protected class; and a couple of) extra importantly, we have now not been concerned with the drug commerce, additionally not even as soon as.

Can I’ve a greater way of life than I do within the US on the identical sum of money?

Reply: Your lifestyle can be much, much better in Mexico for the same amount of money as in the US or Canada.

I additionally get requested concerning the healthcare in Mexico and over the past a number of years, I had some personal experience, however nothing like a surgical procedure the place they put you below common anesthetic.

It was Mark Twain who stated, “Nothing so focuses the thoughts because the prospect of being hanged.”

The identical is also stated about one’s reply about nearly something within the summary when the fact is about to occur. Like, for instance, giving glib solutions concerning the healthcare in Mexico within the summary with out ever experiencing a extra concerned surgical procedure oneself.

That was about to vary.

How would I reply the query about healthcare after I had a extra severe surgical procedure?

Upon listening to that I wanted the surgical procedure, would I panic and wish to return to the US?

No, I wouldn’t.

We reside about half of the 12 months at Lake Chapala, which has, as a significant profit, the healthcare services of Guadalajara about 45 minutes to an hour and a half away, and these services are identified for his or her very trendy, very high-quality care. It’s one of many explanation why we reside right here. Whereas I’m not an knowledgeable, and relative to non-public expertise (fortunately) I can’t converse with authority concerning the high quality of the healthcare in different areas of Mexico, I assume that Mexico Metropolis and many of the main expat areas have good high quality healthcare, together with Merida, within the Yucatan, which can also be identified for superb care.

Once I was rising up within the Los Angeles space, I had an American buddy who went to medical faculty in Guadalajara after which practiced within the US. He was a reasonably good physician, in order that was a very good signal.

Different good indicators have been just about every little thing else I heard concerning the healthcare right here, particularly for individuals such as you and me.

Why do I write “for individuals such as you and me?”

As a result of, whereas within the US, you (possible) and I (definitely) are simply common individuals who get common medical care, whereas in Mexico, we’re considered as a part of the higher class, so we get higher class medical care. It is probably not truthful, however it’s true. My important level of bringing this up is that the expertise I’m about to explain with the Mexican healthcare system is for an upper-class degree of care, which is given to nearly all expats. Do all Mexicans get this degree of care? No, they don’t, identical to within the US, in case you needed to go to a clinic for individuals with no cash, you wouldn’t get Johns Hopkins’ degree care, both.

Right here is my timeline:

Tuesday, after an superior pickleball efficiency: I see a lump and suspect an issue.

Wednesday at 11:30: I present up with out an appointment on the native hospital at Lake Chapala, not in Guadalajara.

Wednesday at 11:45: The physician sees me, and suspects I’ve a hernia.

Wednesday at midday: They do an ultrasound, which confirms that I’ve an inguinal hernia, which is the most typical in males and particularly in males my age.

Wednesday at 12:15: I meet with the physician to assessment the results of the ultrasound, which I used to be already informed by the technician doing the ultrasound: I had a hernia.

Wednesday at 12:30: I’m prepared to take a look at. The hospital tells me that the full invoice, out of pocket, with out insurance coverage, is $1,800 pesos (a bit over USD $100).

Wednesday at 12:31: I pay the invoice hurriedly and depart the premises earlier than they’ll change their thoughts.

Wednesday at 12:32: After evaluating what the fee could be within the US, on behalf of my funds, I pause to specific thanks once more for being in Mexico. It’s a good second.

Wednesday at 9 PM: The physician on the hospital emails me the ultrasound report.

Thursday at 11:00: I depart a message for my medical health insurance agent, Andre Bellon.

Thursday at 11:50: Andre calls me again, explains the prices (about equal to my deductible of $100,000 pesos, or rather less than USD $6,000) and totally different doable procedures and recommends Dr. Valenzuela, who had extraordinarily skillfully carried out a minor surgical procedure on my spouse just a few years earlier. (He was nice. There was no scar and I paid him in money within the foyer of the hospital.)

It seems that Dr. Valenzuela has privileges at a number of hospitals within the Guadalajara space and is an knowledgeable in robotic surgical procedure. Andre tells me that the machine to do the robotic surgical procedure is at a hospital that isn’t in community, so there could be round a $15,000 pesos penalty (round USD $900), if I made a decision to have the robotic surgical procedure.

Thursday at 12:20: I depart a textual content on WhatsApp for Dr. Valenzuela, together with my ultrasound report.

Thursday at 12:50: Dr. Valenzuela responds and instructs me to make an appointment at his native workplace at Lake Chapala for Monday at midday the place he would meet me there to debate it.

Monday at midday: Dr. Valenzuela examines me and instantly is aware of the issue. It seems that, since he carried out my spouse’s surgical procedure, provided that he had performed so many hernia surgical procedures, he had taken on the identify “Dr. Hernia”, and I consider he even copyrighted or registered it in Mexico. Dr. Valenzuela was such an knowledgeable that he teaches the process to different docs and had performed 1000’s of them. One other good signal.

Monday at about 12:15 to 12:19: Dr. Valenzuela explains the choices, that are just about restricted to the robotic surgical procedure on the hospital that was out of community and laparoscopic surgical procedure at a hospital that was in community. Dr. Valenzuela tells me that the robotic surgical procedure wouldn’t be wanted for me, as a result of I hadn’t had different surgical procedures within the space and mine could be fairly easy (for him). After I defined that Andre had informed me that my insurance coverage deductible was most likely greater than the price of the surgical procedure, Physician Valenzuela stated that I might simply pay him a specific quantity lower than my deductible of $100,000 pesos and he would pay all the opposite payments, utterly.

Monday at 12:20: I comply with the funds.

Monday at about 12:21: Dr. Valenzuela explains extra about how the surgical procedure could be performed, together with drawings, footage, just a few movies that I didn’t really want to see and an evidence (with footage in fact, and one other video I didn’t must see of it being performed) of how they are going to insert three small tubes by tiny incisions in and round my navel, inflate my belly cavity with carbon dioxide so they might see higher, push mesh by the tubes, push or pull the hernia again, and fasten the mesh on each side, all with devices manipulated by the tubes, a digital camera and a light-weight, and watched on a tv display screen. The entire thing would take lower than 90 minutes, after which, he and the opposite medical professionals would have lunch and another person would wheel me again to my room.

Thursday: Our driver Gilberto picks up my spouse and me from our house at Lake Chapala and drives us to Hospital Joya in Guadalajara. On their web site you possibly can see an image of the doorway to the hospital with plenty of individuals lined up and a Mariachi band. They most likely took this throughout Covid, as a result of once I arrived, there was near no person there, and I didn’t get the serenade, both.

Within the foyer, they put me in a wheelchair, I stated “Goodbye” to my spouse and Gilberto, and so they wheeled me as much as my room. My first impression of my room was that it was very massive, non-public, and had a sofa giant sufficient to sleep on. My second impression was how good it was that, by the again door, seconds later, emerges my smiling spouse who I had left about 5 minutes earlier, together with Gilberto, holding all my spouse’s provides.

They have been going to stick with me in my room.

That is the best way it’s usually performed in Mexico. If it’s a must to keep in a single day, so will your loved ones. They get a mattress or an enormous sofa and so they even get meals. Later, whereas Dr. Valenzuela could be manipulating devices into my gassed up stomach a bit down the corridor, my spouse would take a pleasant nap on that sofa, on prime of the sheet and comfortable pillow she had introduced for simply such an event.

I wasn’t going to be there in a single day, but it surely was very good that I had a really massive lavatory with good toiletries (identical to you’ll anticipate in a pleasant lodge) with a very nice, massive bathe, and many others. (It was all very nice.)

That they had a TV that my spouse might watch later from the consolation of the hospital mattress I’d have vacated whereas I used to be having mesh sewn into my physique. The monitor had a disconcerting message, however I used to be fairly sure it was solely in reference to the TV sign. (See the image to the correct and up a bit.)

They put the basic hospital gown on me. In succession, I obtained requested questions by a number of individuals who launched themselves: a really candy youthful physician with a sweatshirt that learn “Mind Washed Technology”, the nurse who could be accountable for me after my operation, the nutritionist, and a number of other different individuals.

My spouse handed out individually packaged cookies and water to the medical employees. After all, I couldn’t eat or drink something. Everybody else was properly fed and completely happy.

They put the IVs into my arm.

Then, from about three toes away, on the finish of my mattress, I used to be handled to the comedian spectacle of two of the feminine nurses attempting to place the compression socks on me. They clearly had each method and willpower, however I assume that I used to be larger than the common affected person, so they’d to herald somebody with extra higher physique power. After about 5 minutes, plenty of laughter and plenty of wiggling and pushing and pulling, it was performed; the compression socks have been on. Trendy, they aren’t, however neither was the gown, as you possibly can see for your self. Everybody rested

and congratulated themselves on a job properly performed. I don’t keep in mind any excessive fives, however everybody had a very good quantity of esprit de corps.

Dr. Valenzuela appeared and we talked for about 60 seconds. He stated they have been ready for us. I obtained put onto one other mattress, rolled over to simply exterior the working room, requested extra questions, put onto the mattress into the working room, and requested but extra questions.

Trying up from my mattress, along with watching the ceiling, tilting my head barely, I might see that there have been maybe 5 or 6 individuals within the working room, all busily preparing for my surgical procedure. They rolled within the monitor they’d be watching after they inserted the tubes and pumped me up with gasoline.

A person who recognized himself because the anesthesiologist stated hi there and informed me that I’d maybe really feel a bit dizzy in just a few seconds.

The subsequent factor I knew, I used to be speaking with my spouse about an hour and a half later in my good, massive, non-public room with the good toiletries.

I assume it was a very good signal that I used to be hungry, however I didn’t very similar to what occurred subsequent.

My spouse and Gilberto wished dinner. They ordered from the menu, through the hospital cellphone, like room service on the 4 Seasons. They have been having a grand time. About 20 minutes later two hamburgers with french fries appeared, one plate for my spouse and one plate for Gilberto. They regarded actually good, and so they smelled actually good.

Nevertheless, they didn’t convey me something, so I used to be left to marvel what my hamburger would appear like.

Perhaps a double with some additional crisp pickles, as a result of, in spite of everything, I used to be the one who had the surgical procedure, not my spouse or Gilberto.

Lastly, they introduced in my meal, not but revealed as a result of the plate had a metallic cowl. Stuffed with anticipation, I put my finger within the gap in the course of the metallic cowl, pulled up and to the correct, and checked out what was revealed beneath, on the plate. There it was: slices of cantaloupe and honeydew. Properly introduced, I’ll grant you, in fairly layers. However a hamburger, it was not.

I regarded up with a little bit of righteous indignation to see my spouse was consuming french fries and Gilberto had that type of squinty-eyed look of somebody who was actually concentrating on having fun with his meal whereas wiping the catchup from his mouth.

They each smiled and waved, mouths too full with hamburgers and french fries to talk.

After swallowing, my spouse requested the employees what they used to season the french Fries, as a result of they have been so good.

I ate the fruit.

I don’t keep in mind being in any ache by any means; just a few delicate cramping. In just a few hours, they’d me stroll across the commodious room, after which put me again within the wheelchair for the return journey to the foyer, sans a meaty meal.

Two hours later, Gilberto delivered my spouse and me to our house. 4 days of vegetarian meals with little or no flower adopted, ready lovingly by my spouse, who could be very, superb at being inventive at making greens and fruits as interesting as they are often.

It’s now been three weeks and I’m doing very properly, albeit a bit sore. I had one put up op go to with Dr. Valenzuela wherein he did his personal ultrasound and verified that everying went properly. He additionally informed me that, whereas he was doing the surgical procedure, he observed that I had one other hernia as properly, in my navel.

So, he fastened that one on the best way out, no additional cost.