It seemed so easy at first, Justine Rodriguez recalled — bariatric surgery for $5,000 and a quick trip over the U.S.-Mexico border. Following the operation in Tijuana, Rodriguez flew back to her home in Idaho, eager to begin shedding pounds.
As four Utahns seek treatment after an outbreak of drug-resistant bacterial infections at a Tijuana bariatric clinic, Rodriguez and her doctor at the University of Utah are warning prospective medical tourists to know the risks.
"God spared my life," said Rodriguez, 33, who now lives in Magna. But she has spent weeks in hospitals and almost two years on a feeding tube, suffers from seizures, can't eat most foods, and has to take "about 20 pills a day," she said.