Patients Beyond Borders: Monterrey, Mexico Edition

part two
sional. Upstairs, the anesthesiologist came
in to meet me and answer my questions,”
Marty says. When she came out of surgery,
she reunited with her husband, and the
hospital staff made her comfortable in a
private room. “The nurses were great. They
didn’t speak a lot of English, and I don’t
speak a lot of Spanish, but we did fine,”
she says. She subsequently spent six days
recuperating in her hotel. “I had very little
discomfort from the surgery,” she says.
“There was a sky-bridge over to a mall, so
we walked and walked until my muscles
were sore from the exercise. I was already
losing 2 pounds a day.”
Five months after her surgery, Marty
lost 80 pounds and is enjoying excellent
health. Her blood tests are normal, she
has gone off the diabetic medication, and
the pain in her hip has vanished. “I haven’t
needed a hip replacement after all; instead,
I’m having physical therapy to strengthen
my legs so they can do everything I expect
of them,” Marty says. She’s dropped four
dress sizes, and a friend has altered some of
Marty’s clothes for her—removing a whopping
18 inches! “It’s a whole new life, and
it’s liberated me completely,” Marty says.
“In November, we visited our grandkids in
California, and it was amazing, because we
52 Patients Beyond Borders
could walk to town and have a cup of coffee,
and I could do it! I wouldn’t even have
tried it in the old days. I feel blessed.”
Marty’s finances also worked out well.
She charged her procedure on her credit
card, and she’s already paid off the balance
in full. Her family relationships are better,
too. “My husband was so supportive
throughout our trip, and he was great at
helping me in and out of bed and checking
tubes. It was good to have him right
there. It actually made us closer, and as I
keep losing weight, we’re physically closer,
too. He also lost about 25 pounds from
the change in our lifestyle. It even saves us
money, because we enjoy going out to eat,
and now we can just agree on what we’re
sharing and split the meal.”
Marty has lost so much weight that she
may need plastic surgery to get rid of excess
loose skin. If she does, and her insurance
company won’t pay, she plans to go back
to Mexico, probably to the same hospital.
Marty’s advice to other medical travelers is
to maintain a positive attitude. You have to
say, “This is my mission and this is what I’m
going to get done,” just as Marty did. n