Brazilian Butt Lift: Stories

This is probably a long shot, but incase there is anyone who has an appt in June scheduled for BBL with Salama and wants to switch for end of July for whatever reason--was just putting out there :) Well Ive been on this site for awhile, just reading posts and having the BEST convos with some really great women so i decided to just put a post up since I am scheduled to go for this procedure relatively soon. Ive been thinking about it for awhile now (4,5 years) and I think its time. Im not getting any younger and I just reached a point where I want to be happy---no ecstatic about my body. I want my confidence back and I think this procedure may help. Im something in the middle because im not a big girl, but im not skinny either so there are definitely places for fat to be taken from for the grafting. As my journey continues, I will update everyone because Ive been super fortunate to get advice from the BEST women on here (formerly undacvrbeauty(i see u :), enjoyself, frootytooty, butterhoney, deedawnta, hopeful828, beautiful10, barbz1, Laurense, lana234, mynuself, bootyful, bottomup, sabrinax, orlando7193, luxury19, jerajaela, nevaeh, mrs. billionaire, amarettpcream, sexylexy45, want a new body, sexykeri, bootywork, hellokitty15, danielle01, buttbutterfly, sabrinax)--had to name all of you cause youve been so great and so supportive when i was at my most vulnerable and i appreciate you guys--really i do...... Soooooo i will try my best to be as supportive to anyone else who is going through this and to share my experience as much and as often as i can :) Lastly, If theres anyone out there with a salama appt in June willing to switch for the end of July let me know...I know its a long shot, but hey whats life if you dont take a shot at it, right? Stay positive every1--i know im tryin to :)

Hey guys :) Hope everyone is doing well and that this journey is exceeding expectations (in a good way). Ive pretty much been in freak out mode ALLLLLLLLL last week..and now. Im really scared of having this surgery done and even wondered if I should not do it. But I was also thinking about if maybe I should and things would turn out ok --maybe im overreacting. Ive been doing alot of research and have been finding out alot of things about this surgery as far as the complications, etc. Although alot of the doctors say those complications are rare, Ive found so many articles about people who have died from fat/pulmonary embolisms, fluid overloads, and bradycardia. Its really scary and although we always want to just think about the end result (cant wait to look sexy, etc) this is major surgery and its just a risk we're taking. You just never know. Im still thinking about going through it, and praying and hoping nothing goes wrong but Im just bringing some awareness to myself and to others. Its a must to have a board certified surgeon on the job (obviously) and its great if he has many many years of experience. Although Ive found that even thats not a guarantee :(

In any case, apart from that whole downside, Ive also been looking into the recovery period of this procedure in the event that I do survive this. An important role that we play post op is nutrition. Ive been really worried about where or what Im going to eat in Aventura cause Im not from there and am unfamiliar with the area........However, I did come across this website thats good cause it has lists of good foods we should shop for...Protein is important to help the body heal so heres a link:

http://bodyforlife.com/library/food-list

I hope this is helpful to everyone.....also, if anyone has some words or experiences or anything they can tell me regarding complications theyve had with this procedure (from Salama or any other dr.) please let me know. I want to know what im in for :/ Also if you happen to have had a wonderful, easygoing procedure thatll make me feel better so please share...thx

E

http://www.usatoday.com/money/perfi/basics/story/2011-09-13/cosmetic-surgery-investigation/50395494/1

Hey guys...im scheduled for July 27th and initially had agreed to switch with someone who had June 4th...everything was set up we just had to call together but she decided to switch with someone else....i had my clearance done and that has to be done within 30 days of the surgery date...i can't pay for it again, so if anyone has an early june date and wants july please let me know soon. m flight was booked so it will cost extra to change everything. So if anyone can, let me know :(

Im generally a pretty chill person and i really do try to help and be there for anyone even if i dont know them so when people do weird things it really hurts and throws me for a loop...im just wondering why she couldn't have just told me that another date was better for her......jus to save me from getting ready for June......ugh--im so freaking sad now. Well I'm researching more about this procedure and will let you guys know of anything i find in general...hope everything is going ok for everyone :)
Private message me if anything :)

E

Wowzers....scheduled next week and im freaking out.....im wondering am i really freaking doing this? Will I mess up my body forever or improve it for the better? will i ever see my beautiful family again? Oh Salama---PLEASE take care of me...hoping im safe....so here goes :(.....im booking at Curtiss Inn cause its like 60 a night and the rooms look pretty huge. and ive heard the beds are comfy and theres a supermarket across the street. Theres a really good supermarket across the street from salamas office so hoping larry will drive me there and drop me back to the hotel. Right now im trying to get all my stuff together --ive read so many posts with SO many good recommendations and outlined things to bring but damn if i remember--my brain is like oatmeal right now...i cant think straight and im like "uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh what?" total dummy moments every other minute..i dont function well under this type of nervousness----DAMN!. Ok so im thinking

-use paper cup with hole for peeing--i dont know if i really need the urinal.....waste of money? what u guys think?
-undershirt to wear under the compression garment (avoid skin irritation and irritating the lipo incisions)
-iron pills? (although i thought we were supposed to take those before the surgery)
-long dress (es); sweats
-comfy shoes that are easy to slip on---TOMS sound about right or sandals
-lots of chucks (hopefully i dont bleed too much--well maybe i should so i drain)
-ive seen body pillows--but why? just for more comfort? i can use the pillows--no? i can sleep on my tummy i think with no huge issues (knock on wood)
-compression socks (well the doc gives these so i dont think ill need to buy again)--opinions?
-swiss kriss (laxative)--he gave a prescription for stool softener so do i need swiss kriss in addition to the stool softener too?
-im bringing some dvd's so i can atleast watch some movies while im laying there in pain (after my walks and exercise, of course)
-boppy pillow is provided by his office i think so no need to bring one right ladies?

What elseeeeeeeee?

I am scared--i know i said that and you all know-----but shit---OK LADIES---MY BBL GIRLS--its time----start throwing out as many random thoughts or advice as possible---! its comingggggggggggggggggggg--the day is almost here---damn!

well guys--surgery scheduled in just a couple of days.....im scared.....surprise surprise.....filled my prescriptions, I'm packing and cleaning the house and hoping for the best at this point :(. man i hope I'm making the right decision....please pray for me...also---can anyone offer advice as far as the grocery list? I'm not even sure what we should be eating post op---i know to stay away from salt so no soup--and to get our protein in--but ill only have a nurse for my first night post op--cant afford anymore nights so what should i eat-? can you guys tell me what u ate or what you bought at the supermarket---eating and hydrating is an important thing post op and can prevent complications so i want to be on top of that.......please guys---your food shopping/eating schedule advice!

Guys! You are all my angels.....im so so so sorry that it took me so long to update or get online....this is the hardest thing I've ever done in my life! In so much pain.....9 on a scale of 1-10....getting in and out of bed is the worst and my entire body is incredibly stiff and tender and its just pain....but every time i have to get up and pee, i take that time to walk around my room for 10-15 minutes.....and while I'm walking i drink either the gatorade, water or a cup of pineapple juice...its so hard to eat but I'm forcing myself.....please forgive me--i will go into detail soon of everything that happened but I'm feeling so dizzy and stomach hurts sooo much but i am SO grateful that i opened my eyes yesterday....really appreciate all of you so much...luv u guys! met some amazing girls here too that are helping me and so encouraging....will give detailed info when i feel a lil better....LOVE YA'LL and thank you

hi everyone. will update as much as i can but I'm in so much pain--but its now or never :)..ill start from when i got to aventura

6/10/12: flight arrived to aventura in the morning and salamas driver was there waiting for me. He had a few other girls to pick up also. So he decided to drop me off at my hotel to get situated and check out the area before he picked me back u at like 3:00 for my preop consult with salama. When i got to the hotel check in time was supposed to be at 10 but the person that was in there wouldn't leave so i had to wait for 2 hours. it was ok cause after the first hour i asked if i could put my luggage in another rm in the meantime so i could go to the supermarket which was across the street. I bought a case of water, 2 cases of gatorade, some microwaveable meals, bananas, some fruits, pineapple juice. When i was done with that, they finally had my room ready and Larry came to get me for preop. LArry picked me up then picked up another girl who had her surgery after mine so that was kool to meet her....Felt good to meet people because i felt so alone. Well we both got to the office for our preop consultations and there were a few other girls there as well. Most of them had their sureries done already so it was like a big ol' party in the office with us sharing our stories, insecurities, experiences and makin jokes, etc. That calmed me down...

PreOp cpnsult...First time meeting or talking to salama. He looked at my body and said it was a good candidate for the operation--but sometimes i feel he says that to everyone..lol. anyway he said my stomach had enough fat and i can add arms if i want. he told me where the incisions would be (2 on the side lower abdomen -- by top of vagina, 2 on the upper and lower butt, one in the back, one in the middle of the butt crack, and belly button--ugh)...also where the drains would go--2 one in the butt --in that butt crack incision and one on the vagina. was able to ask him some questions that were bothering me that i was unable to get answered but he kinds of goes through his whole explanation and tells you to ask your questions after cause he might answer them on the way....preop done--said by to the girls--headed home--thought a lot about why the hell o was doing this. still wasn't sure if this was something i should do....even at this point--smh

6/11/11: surgery day :( --woke up at 4am cause i could not sleep...kept thinking about my family and how much i loved them and why i was putting myself through all this. what if i dont make it? what if something really bad happens? dont want to hurt them....i prayed a bit and felt better. Larry picked me up later and off to the surgical center we went. Surgical center was clean--looked professional but was in an office building--this is the kind of surgery you want to have in a hospital guys, but you get what u pay for. There were 2 nurses waiting--Monica and another nurse--i forgot her name cause i was so nervous..she had me change into the surgical gown, hat, pee for a pregnancy test and put on the white compression socks and surgical slippers and paper panties. was hard to pee in the cup cause preop instructions says you can't eat or drink after midnight the day/night prior to surgery. i hadn't drank or eaten since 9:58 pm the night before --but i eventually peed---a little bit. Dr. S arrived--spoke to me a little --took pics. Another dr. came--asked me why i looked so nervous and i told him cause this was a big surgery and my life could be on the line....he said ill be fine and on came the anesthesiologist who was actually a nurse anesthetist i think. he asked me his own set of questions : have u had previous surgeries, been on anesthesia before, allergic to any meds, etc....on to the surgical room i went. laid on the bed--he put the iv in..vision got blurry, started slurring my words, and i could smell the medication or whatever he was giving me from the inside out--ugh....i was out......

Woke up with a very dry mouth and throat. looked around and only the nurse was there--no salama--he had started on his next surgery. i was slurring my words saying salama salama--lol--cause i begged him to make sure he's there when i wake up cause i wanna hear from him how the surgery went....they got him and he said "you woke up--you got 1000cc's"--i wanted to talk and ask questions but couldn't....later on when i looked at that post op paper it said 1100 cc's--i had begged him him for 500-800 before cause i had some butt and was afraid he would do a huge huge thing that i can't handle--but he did what he wanted or thought was better anyway so i dont know if asking him on your preop makes that much of a difference. u can try. i hunk he says different cc's look different in everyone.

Butt felt so hard and so heavy...I was in so much pain--my stomach was hard and ididnt even know if it was tender cause i didn't dare touch it. worst feeling.

i got to my room and the hired nurse was there. i walked a little bit and that night i tried waking through the night--sleep for 2 hours. wake--(usually when i had to pee) , drink and walk for 10-15 minutes...i was really afraid of this fat embolism stuff. so i was walking a lot.

I used a cup to pee and it worked for the first garment--but the second one , the pee got everywhere--the opening is more towards the back in this garment.

looking in the mirror--my hips look huge and butt looks big---nursse notices that one hip is way bigger than the other--im in so much pain--cant even look--i just put something on and take my pills and got to bed.

6/12/12: pain is pretty unbearable today. everything just hurts but i keep walking and walking--eating and eating...drinking and drinking...aas much as my body would allow

today had to go to office to get the garment changed by nomi (nurse)---hurt like hell but she was patient--but it hurt.....it was a large and still really really really tight...she said it had to be. but it was so so tight.

6/13/12: 3 days post op and still in pain--the pain pills help a little bit but not much. dont want to take too many so i take 1 at a time every 3 to 4 hours...also have to take the antibiotics (3 pills 3 times a day). ugh. i showered cause i had to get my first massage today and again--this not only hurt it burned but celia is patient and she's nice--tellls u to breathe. helps but not really--lol. everyone says u feel so much better after the massage...i still felt tight and after the massage she put the board and sponges to help my stomach look better----

Stomach looks severely distorted---theres a huge for in the middle and the belly button part which used to be in the middle is off to the side. its horrible but can't change it now...the board is supposed to help make stomach look better but with the already tight garment, wearing the board was unbearable the whole day and nigt. i couldn't breathe --i got no sleep and was just on tears. its horrible...this night i regretted doing this to myself--i just kept whispering this was a mistake--this was a mistake,....and i still think it was.

6/14/12: massage 2 is today and i still haven't tried to move my bowel---i dont know how cause my stomach is so tender and butt so hard--not sure what to do--but will try--i want to move bowel and shower before celia comes....also i started bleeding a lot down there last night (my arms were bleeding a lot test too)..i was scared because its not time for my period at least for another 2 weeks so I'm wondering if he punctured an organ or intestine....will keep u guys updated.

6/14/12 contd: i moved bowel today----took the colace and swiss kriss (laxative)....it was still hard cause i dont think the swiss kiriss had kicked in yet---stool wasn't hard, but it didn't just "come out"--sorry for being so detailed about that, but girls about to get this done should knw wverything--even the nasty nasty.

i also showered afterwards. its hard to do all of this cause your stomach is so tender and when i say hard--i mean its really like rocks---rocks in your stomach....when barbz1 and enjoyself and all my girls on here said hard stomach and bricks for butts, i thought oh hard stomach--thats ok--ill pretend its abs or something---NO GUYS!! this is hardness that you've never seen or felt before...its tender and sensitive and it can't be touched--its like heated rocks under your skin...its the worst of the worst. the massage was the second for me and it hurt just the same...i did feel a little better after but during was really painful but celia understands--she keeps going but she's soft with it--even when she does it really hard. massaging the back feels better than massaging the stomach. She uses the boppy pillow when doing your front. i use a pillow under the stomach when i do the back--just feels better. She told me to keep eating as much as possible and walking. she also said to not use anymore of the percocet (pain meds) cause they make u sleepy...can use tylenol or tylenol pm for pain.

oh and its also helpful to take the perks 30 min before your first few massages that are the most painful. I'm hoping it gets better.

After massaging both times my skin everywhere was UNBELIEVABLY itchy--i felt almost dirty...it itched like fucking crazy. i hated that. i thought it was the oil she was using but she and Jennifer from the office said its the healing after massaging or circulation getting better after massages. it stops for me after a little while. but i hate it cause i can't scratch anything with the garment an cause skin is so sensitive.

rightnow i still regret doing this, but I'm hoping this hardness on stomach and butt goes away. the pain and all the extra stuff is something you will not understand unless you go through it--trust me on this. i went through this site for months and the beautiful ladies helped with a lot things and told me what to look forward to--but i STILL was far from prepared when dealing with it--everyone is a different tolerance so you may not feel the same...but for me---i regret it. i will update again tomorrow. ask me anything you want...will try and answer and help


oh and pics---i will upload but i had problems with my phone so I will keep trying. :) Pray for me guys--im getting through but hoping i make it through :)

6/15/12: still a rough ride for me...last night after eating drinking and walking a lil i laid down and felt my heart beating a little more than usual. i took my temp and it was 99.1 which is slightly high but not any cause for concern---i then decided to see how my pulse was so i counted for a minute and it was 120--tachycardic :(.....post op they five you the number to the office, rubens cell and salamas cell (for emergency only)......although a little scared, i didn't know if i should jump the gun and bother salama so i texted him and he texted right back which was kool. he said i may be getting anemic and should be taking 325mg of iron post op- i have some iron pills but haven't been taken that large of a dosage...think maybe 2 26mg ones...so he said to come today to OR for fluids at 1pm---i called larry this morning and told him he said he'd get me at 1230----12:34 i called him but he said salama said not to bring anyone to OR yet cause he was still operating. come at 5....guess its better to stay in hotel then go to OR and have to wait for him so I've been doing whatever to see if i can feel better. had the ac on but got too cold and made my body too stiff so i walked for 20min.....forced myself to eat, drank like 3 bottles of water and 1 gatorade from this morning to now and took my second set of antibiotics...pain level is like a 5....im really sore and stomach is really really still. not sure if because i got my menstruation (at least i think its my menstruation --cause it wasn't due for another 2 weeks.)...skin still feels a lil hot--last i took my temp it was 100.4. called office but Nomi isn't there and Jennifer said to eat and drink and make sure to see him at 5 since its the weekend...im laying down now hoping I'm ok. i dont care about my stupid butt right now....i hate feeling like this and not knowing if I'm ok. feeling alone :(

also.....when i took my temp earlier and it was 100.4 i should mention that i was crying a lot b4 taking it---kinda broke down but I'm not sure if that was the reason for the spike...i mean its aventura, its warm already, u have this really tight garment and board and sponges and compression socks, hard to breathe----so crying and getting overworked may increase it,...but i took temp again and temp was 100.6...im hoping my thermometer isn't working cause I'm scared...on here trying to lay and read others updates---scared to close my eyes and fall asleep :(

Had my drains removed yesterday. I had two drains in--one at the butt crack on the top, and one in the front (vaginal area). They are sooo irritating and make everything a lil more difficult--laying down, showering, using the bathroom. Even though i wanted to keep them in an extra day to drain out as much fluid as possible i was a little relieved to have them removed. Took just 10 sec to remove each--the front drain kind of hurt a lot (only for a few seconds), but the back didn't.

Ive been feeling better since they gave me fluids last week, but am still vey very stiff. The hardness in my stomach is disgusting, and everyone says it will take a long time for all of that to go away--longest I've heard is 6 months--that really is not a good thing...makes me feel really nasty. hate it but will deal...much thanks to all of the bbl girls over here and esp. on real self for helping me and keeping my hopes up :)

Well to sum up ,i think salama is a good doctor. He has good bedside manner and when i went for my consults with him, i asked a ton of questions, some silly, some not but i didn't care. he answered all of them and he's a nice doctor. I was very scared to have the procedure done because i was afraid of all the complications and he went into detail about what the complications were and i asked what could be done to avoid certain things and he was detailed with that too. so he's a good doctor.

As far as my results i feel that they are ok--nothing drastic to me. i was told i had over 1000 cc's but doesn't look that big to me. i lost ALOT of weight though i think. plus swelling going down little by little. i was stressed during my procedure so i think that had me losing more weight. my stomach is still very stiff and i feel the icky lumps all over but dr. s told me from the beginning that will take 4-6 months to be over with. back is still swollen and everything is still sore. i dont have much bruising and the bruising i do have is going away little by little. i took some of the arnica from dr. s office, but i really think celia's massages have been helping with the bruises.

Massages are iffy. some people say they dont need them--others say its a must. i dont think they are absolutely necessary but i do think they help a lot with fluid build up. They really do hurt like hell but i think they are good for you. Also the massage therapist kept telling me to use a HEATING PAD on my own at home. She said it helps to break down the scar tissue over time so i bought one at cvs. you can prob. find it in duane reade, walgreens too i think.

Also a lot of ladies have been developing fluid build up after the procedure and they have to go get it drained, when i asked dr. s about it, he said the only way he knows to try to avoid is a lot of compression, so wearing that tight ass garment as often as possible. I'm in a Medium now, and its tight with that cardboard but i know i will have to stop being a baby and get the small soon which I'm not looking forward to,but i gotta do it.

will update again soon ladies

CAUTION: as far as the heating pad i mentioned be sure to follow the instructions and start with a very low heat---because some pads get hotter over time whichever setting u have it on. so be very very careful not to burn yourself or the lipo areas because since some people have no sensation post op you may not know or feel if its burning so be very cautious with the heating pad

hey ladies...so i bought a medium garment just this past monday from dr. s office but think i may need a small soon...anyone have any advice as to where i can get a good compression garment based on their experience? I'm thinking ill have to order online but wanted to see if there were any suggestions cause i dont wanna get a wrong one and have to send it back and everything....

So i ordered a smaller garment from salamas office (crazy post op fees).......but MAN idunno how u ladies have gotten into the small garment--i had to squeeze squeeze squeeze myself in there---and thats AFTER i made slits and cuts on the garment with the scissors! it wasn't getting past my legs whatsoever! But its so tight on the butt...my butt is all gone now---i mean day to day I'm changin from a 42 to a 43---and i was like a 43 preop so its a lose lose for me in terms of this surgery---BUT I'm really wondering if these tight garments have something to do with the butt going down more than it should....u aren't supposed to sit cause its putting too much pressure on the butt, but then this small garment is really flattening out the butt even though its good compression for my stomach...i had asked celia (massage therapist) when she was squeezing me into that medium a few weeks ago but she said it doesn't do anything to the butt--.ugh--what do you ladies think about this?

about to be 5 weeks in a couple of days....then 6 weeks in a week....CANT WAIT.....its been hard sleeping on my stomach...i keep waking up finding myself on my sides and its annoying. i think all the fat he put in my hips are gone because of it...but it happens while I'm sleeping so i can't even help it.....i keep waking up a few times a night and its been pretty hard not to sit....i haven't sat on that boppy pillow because its just way too bit to bring to work....the thing is huge. plus when i tried to sit on it after 3 weeks, i felt like it put pressure on my butt still...so i started either kneeling or sat but more on my thighs so my butt wasn't really touching just the back of my legs....u know markmann doesn't want patients sitting AT ALL for like 2 months --he advises against the boppy pillow and doesn't even want his patients bending---I was doing ALOT of bending--pick pick stuff i dropped up....squatting to use the toilet....he usually gets really great results so I'm thinking apart from salama maybe thats why i lost all the butt....what a waste of money. i will now focus on getting my stomach to look normal again--(its flat but theres no benefit to the flatness if its looking so distorted)........and the SCARS---i need help getting rid of these scars all over--especially the back one--its so much bigger than the others.

i heard me derma isn't proven to really remove scarring completely so what else should i use? fade cream??? Suggestions ladies?

oh yeah---and to think i only asked him for 500-800cc's cause i was scared it would look too crazy!!! he said--u dont even know what 800cc's look like! and he was right cause i got 1000cc's and my butt is super super small....so he knew what he was talking about--smdh!

well I'm a couple days short of the 3 month mark and I'm feeling 100% back to normal.. Unfortunately, I also look like shit. scars are here, and my butt has all gone away....everyone is telling me how much weight i lost...really hate that i have absolutely no butt and i now am thinking about a round 2 which i was completely against. after all that pain and money---waste of time and a waste of 3 months in my case....im glad my stomach is soft again and i can move and sit when i want. when i lay for too long and i get up, i still feel a burning in my back i guess from lipo :(...i started working out little by little but only because i was scared to lose any more weight. I regret going to salama and wished that i instead saved that money and continue saving so i could go to markmann or someone that would've made at least a slight difference in my body. My butt looks so horrible to me--its just flatter in my opinion...feel like crying and hate that this isn't over with. Anyway i will be looking into other doctors for possibly doing this round 2---still not 100% on that yet cause i dont want anything to happen. i will keep u posted if i do decide to do the round 2. good luck to everyone and hope u have better experiences than i did :( oh and thanks to all the girls on here and by salamas office who helped during my recovery--really appreciated all of you. I will still check my messages once in awhile so you can send men whatever for questions, comments-----updates--whatever. Good luck everyone

oh and found huge dent on left butt cheek last night. i felt it a few weeks back but didn't really see it...guess when the swelling went down and fat was gone it appeared--so yes i have a dent now too.

well its been 7 months.....my results aren't so good...ive been left with 2 dents in my butt and they are noticeable--even through clothes. the most annoying thing for me right now is that i have a bit of a pooch and I've been eating healthy and doing strength workouts so it kills that i went through all the pain, the time and expenses and ended up back at square one. i will be doing round 2 as much as i dont want to do it....but i have to correct these dents and hope for a better body...this just is the worst for me. Anyway--i was thinking of going to another doctor but i am thinking ill go back to salama because i dont want another doctor starting fresh--new anesthesiologist etc...i dont know--im still on the fence of who ill do surgery 2 with--but i know i want it done in the next few months=---i want to be healed before it gets warm out again...i can't do recovery in the summer heat again--it was so unbearable. Anyone have any advice, questions or comments hit me up

So ive been looking for an Aprail date for the longest.......really need a revision and not sure what i should do at this point. i was going to go to a different doctor--had a date set up and everything, but decided to staty with Salama--but now its March and I still cant get a date for April...this is too much stress and i thought it was over...so sad. If anyone has an April date or knows someone...PLEASE hit me up--ill even take a date the end of March :(