How This Actually Works, Step by Step

Most people imagine flying to a foreign country and walking straight into an operating room. That’s not how it works. Not in China, not anywhere with a legitimate medical system. The process follows a logical sequence designed to protect you — and to make sure surgery is actually the right call.

Here’s the real sequence, stripped of marketing fluff.

Stage one: remote evaluation. You send your existing medical records. These typically include your full medical history, any previous weight loss attempts documented by a doctor, recent blood work, and ideally an endoscopy report if you have one. Our team translates these materials and submits them to the bariatric department at your target hospital. A specialist reviews everything and determines whether you’re a candidate. This step alone filters out people who would fly 18 hours only to be turned away.

Stage two: the written second opinion. The specialist provides a written analysis. This covers whether surgery is appropriate, which procedure fits your profile, and what pre-operative steps you need to complete before traveling. This document costs from $300–500 and takes 5–10 business days. If you later proceed with surgery through our coordination, that fee is credited back in full.

Stage three: video consultation. You speak directly with the surgical team. Bring your questions. Ask about their complication rates. Ask how many sleeves they’ve done. A top Chinese bariatric center performs over 500 procedures annually. They’ve seen your body type before. The video consult costs $500–800 for a top-tier specialist and is also creditable toward your eventual coordination fee.

Stage four: travel planning and visa. You’ll apply for an S2 visa, which covers short-term private medical treatment in China. Processing takes 1–4 weeks depending on your local Chinese embassy. You’ll need an invitation letter from the hospital, which the international department provides once you’re accepted as a patient. Book nothing non-refundable until the visa is in your hands.

Stage five: arrival and pre-op. You land, rest a day, then begin a 3–7 day pre-operative workup. This includes a full metabolic panel, cardiac clearance, abdominal ultrasound, and often a sleep apnea assessment. Bariatric patients frequently have undiagnosed apnea. The hospital needs to know before anesthesia. Only after all clearances are green does a surgery date get locked.

Stage six: surgery and hospital stay. The procedure itself takes 1–2 hours for a sleeve, 2–3 for a bypass. Hospital stay is typically 3–5 days. You’ll be on a clear liquid diet before discharge. Pain is managed. You walk the halls the day after surgery. It’s not comfortable. But it’s routine.

Stage seven: local recovery. You stay in China for 10–14 days after discharge. This is non-negotiable. The surgical team needs to see you at least twice for wound checks, drain removal if applicable, and to advance your diet from liquids to purees. Fly home too early and you’re gambling on a complication at 35,000 feet.

What Brazilian Patients Actually Pay: The Numbers