Having Surgery in Mexico

 My mom's shoulder has been a constant source of pain for her for many years.  Lately she said there's a hard lump near the shoulder which she thinks is bone cancer.  I had bone cancer ten years ago so we wanted to check it out.

In Mexico there's the public free healthcare and the private paid healthcare.  The public system is over-burdened and should be left for the Mexican people.  We didn't come here to add to their problems.  

So we opted for private care, which is great.  VIP service (compared to what we're used to in the USA) for prices that are LESS than the copays, insurance premiums, and deductibles I paid in the USA with a crappy Obamacare plan.

We have heard mixed things about getting insurance for said private care.  In the end we decided not to get any insurance because they won't cover my mom due to her age.  We'll just pay out of pocket. 

We found a private hospital and went there.  Atlas Hospital in La Paz.  We haven't tried any others, so can't compare, but the care we got at Atlas was great.

My mom got her shoulder looked at.  It's arthritis.  They gave her a lidocaine cream.  Not much can be done for it.

I asked if I could bring up my medical problem too.  Sure.  I said I need a hysterectomy.  My mom had aggressive uterine cancer last year and it runs in our family.  I have gigantic fibroid tumors (seriously, one as big as a tennis ball and you can see the shape of it on my abdomen since I don't have a colon) and also impressive ovarian cysts on one of my ovaries.  These are all the usual symptoms for eventual cancer in my family.  

We are suspected of having 'Lynch Syndrome' a hereditary syndrome that ups our risk for different cancers.  In my family line it's focused on reproductive areas.  Uterus - two great aunts dead from uterine cancer and my mom had the same.  Ovaries - ovarian disease in my aunt.

Anyway, my uterus and ovaries are diseased and with this family history it's a ticking timebomb of cancer waiting to happen.  

They said:  Sure.  Let's get your blood work and do an ultrasound and we'll send you to a gynecologist to get it scheduled next week.  Like.   Seriously.  My hysterectomy is on Sunday.

In 2010 or so I had an ultrasound that found I had a 'huge' 9cm fibroid tumor.  It has since grown to 11cm, and there's three more vying for the top size spot.  Also I have a 3cm ovarian cyst on the side of my body where I get the 'bad' periods with cramps.  The other ovary gives me pleasant periods of no note.  The bad size cramps me up every month.

Okay, so they called the gynecologist on my behalf and got me an appointment the next day.  This was extremely unpleasant.  My first ever pelvic exam in my life (I have trauma in my past and avoided them for psychological reasons).  It was extremely painful and he had to stop before fully examining me.

But he saw that I had a cervical polyp.  Something that I know has been growing inside me for over 10 years.  It's as impressively huge as the fibroids (but more annoying, since it's external).  He said I needed to go to an oncologist.

That of course scared the crap out of me, but he swears it's just to be safe.  It's probably not cancer.  Okay.  Fine.  Also I need to have two surgeries, because this thing has to be removed before they can do the hysterectomy.  Since it's so huge it has to be done under sedation.

The day after that tomorrow I was with the female gynecologist oncologist surgeon.  She didn't hurt me, because she was warned by my mom not to do the same thing the male gyno did.  

She says she can get it all done in one surgery, but I have to be cut open.  The fibroids are too big to do the normal laparoscopic type hysterectomy that can be done as an outpatient.  I'll be in the hospital 2 days.

Also, since I have adhesions from my prior two abdominal surgeries, I need a proctologist present for the surgery.  It's more complicated than it should be, but they're thinking of everything and being careful.  Extremely professional.  The surgeon has nothing but good reviews online too.

That's where I'm at as of now.  The surgery is day after tomorrow.  

I'm happy with the care I got.  There's no lines/no waiting.  They take care of you and go the extra mile.  However, this being Mexico, there are some other annoyances.

1.  This new oncologist was some random office on a busy street with NO PARKING.  And all the street parking was taken.  There was literally no where to park in a 5 block radius.  We ended up parking illegally close to a stop sign and paying a guy to watch our car.  (He was one of those roaming car-washers here).  If we have to go back there we'll take a taxi.

2.  The surgeon's cost is $70,000 pesos ($3,500usd) and she wants it in CASH.  😑  Like.  Seriously.  I had transferred $5000 to my international bank thinking I would pay her that way.  This is how I pay my rent and got us eyeglasses here.  No.  And no credit card either. Cash.  So I have to go to the ATM every day and take out the max amount.  Including the day of the surgery.  I'll just barely make it in time for the surgery.

There are other costs, such as the proctologist, hospital fee, anesthesialogist, but all those costs can be paid on a credit card.  The total cost for everything (excluding the two $1000 peso or $50usd doctor visit and $6000pesos $300usd for the ultrasound/bloodwork) is $90,000pesos or $4,500usd.

If I had this done in the USA it would have taken weeks if not months to sort it all out and get approval from insurance, and it STILL would have cost me $12,000 which is my out of pocket max.  

So yeah.  In Mexico, without insurance, you get VIP private medical care for less than what shitty medical care in the USA costs WITH INSURANCE.  

I'm glad I'm having this surgery here.  I know I'll be treated a lot better than in the USA.  But I'll post about everything afterwards.