Step #1: Get Approved for Surgery

  1. Fill out Healthcare Questionnaire (Medical History Form)
  2. Once completed, our medical liaison and the requested surgeon receive an electronic copy. If you didn’t specify a surgeon, it will be reviewed by the surgeon who best fits your health and medical needs.
  3. You will be notified immediately by email of your results or if any additional information is required. Your patient coordinator will then contact you via phone, text, and email to discuss next steps and any recommendations the doctor(s) may have.

Step #2: Schedule Your Surgery Date

  1. Once approved, you can book your surgery now or check availability for a specific date. Your patient coordinator will check the calendar for the selected doctor’s availability (we can usually accommodate your preferred date unless the time is already booked or the doctor is out of the office).
  2. You will need to follow a pre-op diet based on your BMI (anywhere from 2 days to 8 weeks prior). This includes a 2-day clear liquid diet immediately before your surgery date. The pre-op diet is protein-based and not difficult to follow. It is required primarily to shrink your liver, which will make the procedure safer and easier to perform.

Step #3: Prepare for Surgery Date

  1. Once scheduled, you will receive a Booking Confirmation Email entitled “Your Surgery Date is Scheduled,” and it will include specific guidelines that you will need to follow regarding booking flights, pre-op diet, and medications you may continue or discontinue before your surgery. (NOTE: Most medicines for High Blood Pressure, Heart Issues, Hypo or Hyperthyroid, Diabetes, Depression, & Anxiety, etc., should NEVER be stopped or titrated down without specific instructions from the surgeon or your Primary Care Physician.)
  2. We require you to submit the following documents. Instructions are within your Booking Confirmation Email to upload/complete ALL documents, including;
    • Consent Form. Include information regarding potential accommodations you may need, such as additional hotel reservations, use of a wheelchair or assistive device, your emergency contact person’s information and phone number, your flight itinerary, and your signature at the bottom of the form.
    • Copy of a valid Passport (Passport Requirements).
    • Final Payment or Send Proof of Cashier’s Check 30 days before surgery.
  3. Your coordinator will save all of the appropriate documents in your file (i.e., FMLA paperwork, time off request for your employer if requested, copy of cashier’s checks, and consent forms).

Step #4: Preparing for Surgery

  1. Keep in touch with your patient coordinator to report any changes in your medications, health status, travel plans, or concerns.
  2. Ensure your passport and travel documents are up to date, read the pre- and post-operative diet instructions, and stock up on the necessary items for the first couple of weeks after your return home.
  3. Pack lightly, and ensure that any laptops, notepads, or electronic devices are stored in travel cases with your name clearly visible on them. The hotel and hospital have the standard U.S. outlets, free wi-fi, free phone, and a safe to lock up valuables.
  4. Make sure to pack a loose, comfy nightshirt, a roll of medical tape, gauze, or larger bandages for sensitive skin, and a soft “sports bra” if necessary. Also, take any medications you take regularly with you in the original prescription bottles. It is not needed to bring any drinks or food with you to Tijuana; you can purchase sports drinks or juices upon arrival.

Step #5: Arriving in San Diego

  1. The Tijuana patient process officially begins! One of our private drivers will pick you up and transport you directly to the hospital or hotel specified in your package. Both locations are just 20 minutes from San Diego Airport and a few blocks from the San Ysidro border in Tijuana.
  2. You will meet the patient advocates/coordinators, who will assist you in checking into your room at the hotel or hospital. Checking into any hotel will require that you have a credit card; you will not be charged for anything unless you charge something to your room number.
  3. They will provide you with an information sheet containing their phone numbers, in case you would like to contact them while at the hotel. Dialing the 011-521 numbers first is unnecessary because those are only international numbers. Please give the Tijuana coordinators any cashier’s checks you may have taken to pay for the balance of your surgery. Periodically, the coordinators will check in with you post-operatively to ensure you are doing well. They will also inform you of the time to meet them in the lobby on the morning of your surgery for a shuttle ride to the hospital.

Step #6: Surgery and Recovery

  1. On your surgery date, you’ll meet the patient advocate/coordinator at the hospital. You may have a short wait in a general waiting room area, where you’ll have the opportunity to chat and get acquainted with other patients scheduled for surgery on the same day.
  2. Our patient advocate/coordinator will escort you to your hospital room, where you’ll be given a hospital gown and have lab work done. The surgeons, anesthesiologists, and an internist will conduct the pre-surgery consultations. This is a perfect time to ask any questions you might have for the doctors about restarting medication, vitamins, wound care, diet, and exercise. Then you will have your procedure done.
  3. The process times will vary depending on the type of surgery you have, and you will be required to sleep for several hours post-operatively. Please ensure that you inform your family members back home that you will call them when you wake up, but you may be sleepy for several hours after the operation. It is not customary for the hospital staff to contact family members for you. You can use the phone for free at the hospital. Ask the nurse for the phone.
  4. Make sure to walk, walk, walk post-op. The following day, they will take you upstairs for a quick scan of the tummy to check for leaks. You will be given a small cup of contrast media (Gastrografin) to drink, along with a report of this scan to take home with you.
  5. The doctor(s) or their surgical assistant will be the person checking in on you daily. The morning of your release, the physician(s) will check on you. Depending on the doctor performing your procedure, they will remove any drain tubes. However, the surgeon may decide to leave the drain tubes in place for an additional day or two. The nurses will dress your wounds, and you will be given a bag with antibiotics, pain medication, the report of your leak test, procedure verification, and the doctor’s names and email addresses. Make sure that you receive this bag before you leave the hospital, because it is tough to obtain medical records once you leave the hospital. You will then take the shuttle back to the airport along with your fellow patients—plan on booking your flight back home after 2 pm or 3 pm (weekends).

The driver has an exclusive license and dual insurance, allowing them to take you through the border in a special medical tourism line that lets us “Hopscotch” to the front of the line. However, depending on the day and the time, the amount of time it will take to cross back into the United States will vary.

Step #7: Flight/Drive Home

  1. Whether you drive or fly back from San Diego, make sure to move your feet frequently. Stop and stretch out your legs, or if traveling, take a walk to the restroom often and make sure to stay hydrated.
  2. Do not try to lift your bag into the car or overhead storage compartment; ask for assistance. Drink juice and water, not coffee or tea.

Step #8: Post-Op Diet

  1. A good rule of thumb for the post-op diet, starting from your surgery day;
    – 1st Week, continue clear liquids
    – 2nd Week, add to your diet with thick liquids
    – 3rd Week, add pureed foods
    – 4th week, add soft solid foods
  2. Restart your medications as instructed by the doctors. If you are diabetic and use insulin, you may need to adjust the amounts as your dietary needs change. Be sure to sip fluids throughout the day.
  3. Make sure to discuss with the doctor when to start taking daily vitamins, such as those for Hair, Skin, and nails (biotin), calcium chews, and sublingual B-12. Your stomach will be rumbly for several weeks!! Refer to the post-operative diet plan for guidance on reintroducing foods into your diet.
  4. Start slowly when reintroducing solid foods. Remember, you are trying to give your tummy time to heal and allow the swelling to subside. If you have any questions regarding your post-op diet, you can email them to the Mexico Bariatric Center’s nutritionist. Any medical questions should be directed to the doctor or their assistants. Your surgery coordinator can assist you in sending your questions to the physician.
  5. Finally, schedule a follow-up appointment with your primary care doctor within ten days of returning home.

Did you find out if you qualify? Take the first step by filling out a health questionnaire here:

Fill Out Health Questionnaire

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