Picture sitting at your desk in the middle of January. You eye your calendar in the corner, crossing off the days and staring longingly at the date that marks the start of your trip to Mexico. However, you aren’t planning a vacation to a resort. Instead, you are looking forward to undergoing a safe and affordable medical procedure in Mexico, which will provide a marked improvement in quality of life when you return home. Medical travel and medical tourism are growing opportunities, as patients are choosing safe and effective treatment south of the border in larger and larger numbers. Bariatric surgeries, including gastric sleeves and gastric bypass surgery, and in vitro fertilization with donor eggs are just some of the safe and proven procedures which are provided to patients by trained and certified medical experts at a far more affordable cost than is possible back home. International Patient Facilitators (IPF) expertly provides these procedures and is responsible for dozens of success stories of happy and healthy patients whose lives were forever changed for the better.
Gastric Sleeve Surgery
Vertical Gastrectomy (VSG), more commonly referred to as gastric sleeve surgery, is a relatively new bariatric restrictive procedure. This means that it restricts the amount of food you consume because you feel full sooner. International Patient Facilitators’ advanced surgeon Dr. Sergio Verboonen employs the double-buttress technique to prevent pouch enlargement and leaks at a cost-effective price.
The gastric sleeve procedure involves the creation of a thin vertical sleeve of stomach. A stapling device is used and the rest of the stomach is removed. The digestive process occurs as usual, it is simply that the stomach itself has been made smaller and the amount of food capable of being consumed is restricted. The procedure may cause a decrease in appetite, and may reduce the “hunger hormone” (ghrelin) produced by the stomach.
The procedure is performed laparoscopically, which is minimally invasive and has the added benefit of needing a shorter hospital stay, providing faster recovery, smaller scars, and less pain than alternative procedures. This procedure provides patients with significant weight loss and results in obvious health improvements.
The minimally-invasive nature of this procedure makes it ideal for high-risk patients or individuals fearful of more intensive surgeries. The procedure results in significant weight loss and a noticeable improvement in overall health. For example, Lee S. lost more than fifty pounds in the six months following her 2013 surgery, and remarked, “I wish I would have done this years ago!” Donna H. lost more than eighty pounds to reach a weight of 132 lbs., and claims she hasn’t “felt this good since I was 20.”
Gastric Bypass Surgery
Gastric Bypass Surgery is a procedure frequently performed on the seriously obese. The procedure involves the creation of a smaller stomach pouch and alters the normal digestive process of the body. Food intake is restricted, as is the amount of fat and calories absorbed by the body. Food bypasses a large part of the stomach and most of the small intestine.
The procedure, also known as Roux-en-Y (RNY), involves the creation of a smaller, higher stomach pouch, connected directly to the middle portion of the small intestine through a tube called the “roux limb” or “food channel.” This meets with the small intestine at a Y-shaped junction, hence the procedure name.
Gastric bypass surgery is highly effective on the morbidly obese and studies show that, on average, more than 75% of excess body weight is shed within the first year. Additionally, related health complications in patients have been reduced by 96%, according to one report.
With International Patient Facilitators, the procedure is performed laparoscopically by expert bariatric surgeon Dr. Sergio Verboonen. This provides minimal invasiveness, does not result in major scars, and reduces hospital stay and recovery time. In addition to the procedure being performed in an expert and safe manner, the cost is much more affordable in Mexico.
As a result of gastric bypass surgery, William C. lost almost one hundred pounds, dropping to 218 lbs. from 305 lbs., was taken off diabetes medication by his primary care physician, and believes that the procedure “literally saved my life.” George F. lost half of his body weight, shedding more than 185 pounds, and has “started living my life again.”
IVF Donor Eggs
While quite different from bariatric surgeries, IVF procedures not only transform lives, they create lives. For women who struggle with infertility due to problems with ovulation, premature menopause, or ovarian failure, in vitro fertilization in Mexico is a safe, affordable and life-changing opportunity.
Egg donations are provided by anonymous donors who are screened and tested for infectious diseases like HIV, sexually transmitted diseases, and hepatitis. Next, the menstrual cycles of the recipient and donor are synchronized using IVF drugs. This synchronization is to ensure that the collection of eggs and embryo transfer takes place on the best day for conception. Fertility drugs are administered to thicken the uterus, induce ovulation, and prepare for the embryo transfer. Hormonal supplements are provided to optimize this process. Meanwhile, the uterus lining is monitored by ultrasound and hormone levels are checked by blood samples.
When conditions are optimal, eggs are removed directly from the ovarian follicles of the donor, who is placed under mild sedation. The donor takes estrogen and progesterone hormones to thicken the uterine lining. The eggs are fertilized by sperm, and the cells divide and multiply as the fertilization process begins.
The embryo transfer is determined by expert IVF doctors, usually one to five days after fertilization. The embryos, the number of which is determined according to the needs of each individual couple, are placed in the uterus of the recipient using a catheter. Unused embryos can be frozen and stored for future treatments.
Successful IVF treatments result in the birth of healthy and happy children. For example, Janel and Mike M. Were greeted by Michael Jr. at a healthy 7 lbs., 15 oz. in 2012. Johanne and Micheal welcomed three gorgeous daughters as a result of affordable IVF treatments with International Patient Facilitators.
Medical travel and medical tourism is a growing trend, and for good reason. It provides individuals with safe and affordable procedures which can forever alter their lives in positive ways. Whether it is a gastric sleeve procedure to lose unwanted weight, gastric bypass surgery to help fight morbid obesity, or in vitro fertilization treatments to welcome life into the world, International Patient Facilitators changes peoples’ lives on a daily basis.
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