Soon to Be Yily Doll. May 2014!!!! - Dominican Republic, DO

I'm so excited. I received confirmation for my surgery date for a tummy tuck, fat transfer to buttocks, bbl, lipo of abs, flanks, underarms, back and breast lift. I am 35 years old, with one child. 5'3" and 185 lbs. I hope to lose 10-15 lbs prior to surgery. I'm so ready to have the body I have always wanted. I have worked out and dieted for years and never have been able to achieve that hour glass shape. I lose in my breast and butt first and stomach stays the same. My surgery is scheduled for May 2, 2014. Now it's time to start getting my supplies and saving up!!!

Today I get to work and guess what!! There is a urinal and gloves sitting in the giveaway area at work! We are in the process of moving and people are cleaning out their offices. I guess someone didn't want those items and set them out for others. A few less things I have to buy. Anyway, I'm trying to eat right, but it's just not working out. I keep thinking that I should wait until a couple of months before to start a diet. I'm so afraid to lose and then gain back before my sx. I plan to purchase my flight next month. I have a $400 voucher that has to be used before Nov. 15th and my flight will be around $650 so anything will help. I have a question? I re-read my quote last night and it stated the compression garment is $140. Does that mean its not included with surgery? Or is that just the cost to buy an extra one, if needed?

I booked my flight yesterday. I have been checking for the past two months and they have been around $646 from Atlanta. I happened to check last night and they dropped to $479!! I had a $400 voucher that had to be used by November 15 so my total ticket was $79. I'm so excited. I also booked my stay with Real Recovery Armonia for May 1-10. Now it's time to save some money and collect my supplies.

I have 5 months to go and I can't seem to get a dime saved. I'll be glad when the holidays are over. I finally took some before pics. My eating has been horrible over the past couple of months. I hoping to get my diet started for the new year. My clothes are tight and I am just so ready for my transformation. I just have no motivation right now, but I'm sure reality will kick in shortly. My before pics should be my motivation to get in the gym!!!

I'm posting my favorite wish pics. The new year is almost here and it's time to start dieting. I'm hoping to lose at least 15 lbs. for now I'm just going to do a high-protein diet and workout 4-5 days a week. I will do something more drastic if march arrives and I still haven't lost, but I should be able lose 10 lbs by March. I am hoping that I can get some money saved up. Christmas is finally over and May will be here before I know it. I'm so ready for my transformation!!!!

My boss surprised me yesterday with a surprise award which includes a bonus. I'm so excited because I had absolutely no money saved. This will take a little pressure off for the moment. Now I need to start buying more supplies. Thus far I have maxi pads, gauze, surgical gloves, pez, a robe, pee pads and sheet protectors. I still have a lot more stuff to buy so I need to get my supply checklist together. I also would like to visit my doctor for a physical. I'm not too sure I will be able to get my meds prescribed. I'm hoping because I would save so much money. If I have to get meds in DR, does anyone think I can be reimbursed through flexible spending? Also has anyone had any luck using flexible spending for lymphatic massages after returning home? I need to save every dime I can.

I can't believe I am 3 months away. Boy time sure does fly. I bought some more supplies today. I bought a boppy pillow off craigslist for $5. I also bought arnica cream, vitamin c and b complex. I will also buy bromelian and arnica montana tablets this week. I only have a few more items to get and I'll be all set! I'm trying to spend as little as possible on supplies. I also finally got my savings in order thanks to my recent bonus. The countdown is on. My eating has been so so and I haven't lost much weight, but I re- joined my gym Friday so I hope to start working out soon. I need a work out partner so bad!!!

I got my test results back today and my hemoglobin was 12.8. I'm happy they came out great, but I would definitely like to get them higher. I checked my results from 2 years ago and it was the same thing. I guess 12.8 is my normal range. I will start my iron regimen about 2 months before sx. Now I'm just awaiting my physical with my doctor. I'm hoping that I can get all the required prescriptions, but if not I'm not going to lose sleep over it. Not too many things can deter me at the point. I'm seeing there are a bunch of people on or around my sx date. I haven't found a buddy yet, but it's just good to know there will be other people staying in the recovery house that I can talk to. The price for a double is only $10 less per night so and $80 savings is not that big of a deal. Now I'm off to get more stuff!! I'm hoping to get the bromelain and arnica montana tablets this week. Here's a pic of all my supplies thus far.

I am a little over 2 months away from my sx and things are starting to fall in place. I met three awesome surgery buddies. We are staying at Upscale Recovery House. Three of us just happened to be on the same flight over so it will be so nice to have good company the whole way there. I have only a few more items to buy and my supply list will be complete. I wanted to try to stay under budget for my supplies. I only budgeted $100 so we'll see how well I can do. Last step is to raise the rest of my surgery money. I'm halfway there and hope to have it all by next month. Here's my supply list and where I bought everything. Hopefully this can save you some money too!

Alcohol pads (Dollar tree) $1
Boppy Pillow (craigslist) $5
3 packs of Maxi pads (grocery and drugstore using coupons) $3
3 sample packs of Extra strength Tylenol (dollar tree) $3
Gauze pads (dollar tree) $1
Dressing bandages (dollar tree) $1
Tape (dollar tree) $1
3 packs Baby wipes (dollar tree) $3
Compressions socks (walgreens.com) $13
Urinal (free from the job)
First aid ointment (dollar tree) $1
Stool softener (dollar tree) $1
Gloves (free from the job)
Bromelain tablets (walgreens.com) $5
2 tubes of Arnica cream (rite aid) had b1g1 sale and used a coupon $6
Arnica montana tablets (walgreens.com) $5
Folic acid (Kroger) $3
Pur absorb iron pills (walgreens) on sale for $10
Vit b complex tablets (Kroger) $2
Vit C tablets (Kroger) $3
Surgical gowns for lounging around (free from the job)
Tena incontinence pads (publix) $1 used a coupon
Drainage pads (free from job) will use to protect sheets during massages
Antiseptic wipes (dollar tree) $1
Dressing bandage (dollar tree) $1
Disinfectant wipes (free from job)
~ $70 spent thus far. Looks like I may be about $50 over budget with my remaining supplies. It's all good though..

I still need to get an
Ab board ($20) for faja, lipo foam (~$21), Benadryl itch spray (hoping to spend $2-$3 with coupons) diurex water pills (hoping to spend $2-$3 with coupons) and prescription meds ( hoping to spend $30 with scripts from dr), natural sleep aid ( hoping to spend no more than $5)

I visited my pcp for a physical. I don't know why, but I was so nervous mentioning surgery and asking for prescriptions. I told her that i was having a tummy tuck, but didn't say where. I decided there were only 3 medicines that I needed so I will just get those from the pharmacy in DR. Luckily I did get a prescription for omeprazol for my everyday acid reflux so I was able to use my FSA card. I also received a prescription for probiotics to avoid yeast infections while taking antibiotics after surgery. I have hydrocodone left from past surgery so I'm good there. All I have to get in DR is Heparin, Clavulin and Diclofenac and I'm good on my meds. I bought hibiclens to wash up before/after surgery. If you have Kaiser you may want to purchase this at the pharmacy it was $9 for a 16 oz bottle. This was way cheaper than ive have seen anywhere it also came with a pump. I used coupons to buy Diurex water pills so that ended up being around $2. I also purchased my ab board from a website called Caribbean shape. The cost was $20 and it included free shipping. I also bought my lipo foam from called Contemporary Design Inc. the cost for 3 sheets was $27.85 with shipping. Luckily I received a gift card at work so I did not have pay out of pocket for these. It took so long to locate the ab board and lipo foam for a decent price. It's like either the shipping is ridiculous or the cost is. The only things I have left to buy are itch spray, melatonin natural sleep aid and granny panties and I will be all set! I'm officially starting a diet and workout regimen on Monday. My weight loss has not been going so well. I'm going to try the Super Shred Diet. I have done shred in the past and it worked well so hopefully I can get at least 10lbs off. I have so much travel for work before sx so hopefully i can eat right. On another note, I have surgery money saved! All I need now is my revovery house money and spending money. I'm so ready!!!

Today was the first day of my diet. It started off pretty rocky, but got better as the day progressed. I forgot how prepared I had to be, but I don't necessarily like pre-planning my meals and snacks. I tried to write down what I would eat the day before, but think I will be more successful if I just bring several snacks to choose from and eat what I feel. The diet gives you a long list of snacks. I also dragged myself to the gym for a Hi/lo cardio class. I dreaded going there, but enjoyed the class and loved the way I felt after it was over. I really need to get back into enjoying the gym. I've just been so turned off lately. But I'm motivated to get this 10-15 lbs off by my sx date. My supply list is almost complete. I bought my melatonin (natural sleep aid) and itch spray using points from Walgreens. I also received my ab board within 2 days of ordering. I'm going to consider ordering my 2nd stage garment from the same place. They are reasonable and offer free shipping. All that's left on my list is granny panties. I need to hit Walmart for those. I don't want to spend to much money on something on only plan to use once. Well I'm off to gather my meals for Day 2. Hopefully it's easier than today.

So I'm buying the last few items for my trip and I've been trying to figure out how to carry all the cash over to DR. Looked at a couple of bra clips and money belts, but neither seemed large enough to hold all the cash. I finally founded this cute little pocket tank top on amazon. You can layer it under another tank out clothes and it's large enough to carry a passport. If they weren't so pricey I would have purchased 2, but I will just have to wear it two days in a row:-( I'm planning to sleep in it the first night too. This should really come in handy for a few other trips I have planned. Luckily I received an amazon gift card for my bday so it only cost $2 out of pocket. I will let you know how it works out.

I'm 30 days away from my sx date and I thought I would be super excited. But with all the drama going on in DR, I'm just nervous and anxious. I just want to get it over with at this point. I'm having to rethink my budget. I originally wasn't planning to get insurance, but feel that it's an absolute necessity now. Can anyone tell me what Yily's insurance includes? I'm also researching private companies. i googled medical tourism insurance and a bunch of companies came up. I just need to get time to research them. Also I may have to pay a little more for the RH if my sx buddy decides not go. I was looking forward to us recovering together, but understand her concern. I have all my supplies thus far. I'm also rethinking getting a breast lift. I don't want to risk my hemo dropping due to getting too much work done. I'm going to play it by ear. I have several trips to take this month for work so I know time is going to fly. I just hope I can eat right and get down to 175 before my sx date. I decided to take a little trip with my fam this week. I didn't want to spend the money, but I'm glad I went. We had such a good time and with everything going on in DR, I wanted to spend some quality time with them before leaving. Well I'm off to do more research. I'm really trying to understand complications that can occur after surgery and the best way to prevent them. I know it's all in God hands at this point so I'm not going to worry. I just want to informed and prepared.

Hello Ladies, Was just doing some research and came across this article regarding a death at Vanity in Miami. I'm not trying to bash the doctor, but I just want us to be informed. A lot of people are jumping ship from DR because of the recent deaths, but complications can occur with any doctor. Plastic surgery is risky regardless of what country you get it done in. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2594248/Mother-five-51-died-following-Brazilian-buttock-implant-surgery-went-clinic-refused-return-4-000-payment.html

Yea! My sx buddy finally bought her tix! Journey2 will officially be in the building. As we were purchasing her flight, I realized that you can add travel insurance. Of course, I'm sure I skipped right through that part when I purchased my ticket trying to save a dime. Anywho, I checked my reservations and still had the option to purchase. So I rushed to give them $35. I will still purchase insurance from Yily, but more is better. The travel insurance through Delta includes the normal lost baggage and trip cancellation or delay. But it also includes medical evacuation up to $50,000, medical repatriation to ship your body back in the unlikely event that you die and they pay for the round trip flight for a family member to sit my your bedside if you should get sick or need to stay longer. I'm not speaking any of those things, but would prefer to be safe than sorry. It makes me feel a lot more secure. Anyway, I'm visiting my doctor again today. I wanted to get a mammogram and ultrasound of my breast to ensure they are in tip top shape. I have a history of breast tumors and cysts and try to get them checked every couple of years. I realized that if I plan to get a lift it would be a good idea to have them checked beforehand. I'm also going to try to get my last few prescriptions. I was nervous the last time I visited my doctor and didn't ask, but this time just going to get to the point. The worst they can say is no. Well alright current and future dolls. I'm off to my appointment. I will let you know how it went.

I can't believe I leave in 2 weeks. It's surreal and I'm getting more and more anxious. I'm just so ready to get this over with. I'm not looking forward to the recovery. I've been so busy at work that I haven't had time to do much. I'm so bombed that I have to travel for work the week of surgery. I will only have one day with my family before leaving for DR. I just hate to be away from them for so long and feel so guilty. I just want to get surgery and recovery over so that I can get back to them. My bags are all packed and I started taking more vitamins. I normally take Prenatal, Magnesium, B12 and Iron. But today I added the B Complex, Pur Absorb Iron, Folic Acid and Vitamin C. I had a business trip this week so my eating has been all over the place. I'm hoping that I don't gain any additional weight. I lost 7lbs, gained 5 back and I'm just tired of going back and forth. I'm so ready for my transformation.

I can't believe how time has flown. The past week has been so stressful I haven't had time to think about DR. Started with death in the family, to having to suddenly move my mom with me, to her having a minor stroke. This is all in one week. I just thank God that everything worked out and she is fine. Drove 8 hours over the weekend to pack up her house and move her things within a day in a half, attended the funeral and made it back home in time to catch my flight for work the next day. Leave here tomorrow and have one day at home with my fam before DR. I felt like I haven't seen my husband in days. When I arrived from moving my mom, he was sleep. He left for work the next morning and I was sleep. By the time he arrived home from work, I was on my flight. Now I have one day with him before DR. I'm just so ready to get this all over. I did book the economy comfort on my return flight today. I just need to get home and finish packing. I'm hoping my hemo is good. It was 12.8 several months ago. I've been asking iron since then so hopefully it is working. My cycle came last week so luckily I don't have to worry with that when I arrive. I received my confirmation email from Yily over the weekend. Just had to provide name, procedures, quote price and surgery date. DR here I come!!!

At CIPLA now getting all our tests done. My buddy journey2 and lovlibre are here. There were 2 cancellations today so we may get done today. Yay! The sooner the better. Everyone has been so nice thus far. Our driver Angel is so cool. Yira is so sweet! I will keep you guys updated!

I'm hoping they will get to me this evening, but Isnt guaranteed based in how long it takes my sx buddy to get domed. I would definitely prefer today, but ok with tomorrow . When Yily walked in to mark us up she was some warm and Pleasant. She asked what I wanted and I showed her a wish pic. Sunuf

We buddy and I (journey2) had surgery yesterday. The day of arrival. She had to cancellations and we were ready. Last night and today were difficult at CIPLA, but we made it through with our hired nurse from Upscale. Yily and her staff are some of the sweetest people I have met. They were so attentive and always wanted to know if we had questions. We made it to Upscale earlier today and they were waiting for us at the door, treating us like queens. I will post a full review and pics when I feel a little less stiff. Sending prayers up for our girl, lovlibre and the other sweet girls I have met along the way. Keep us all in your prayers.

Recovery has been tough, but each day gets better. The stiffness and inability to move is the worse. Getting out of bed is like a small feat and walking 12 steps feels like 12 miles. In my honest opinion, I wouldn't wish this feeling on my worst enemy. But beauty is pain. This is definitely at the top of my list with regard to pain. Getting drains unclogged is the worse. Luckily it's only happened 2-3 times since I've been here. I'm just ready to get back to my family, but realize I'm not much help to them in this condition. My focus right now is getting stronger. Anyway, i am loving my results thus far. Still swollen and need massages, but they can only get better. Here are a couple pics.

I'm 7 days post op now and feeling about 50% better. I just saw Yily for a follow-up visit and she is very happy with the results. I will get my drain out Saturday before my flight and she told me to move to my 2nd stage garment. Recovery has been pretty rough, but I've had 2 massages thus far and they make you feel a hundred times better. I will have 3 more before I leave on saturday. I will start to write a full review from airport arrival to now when I get back home. There are so many tips to share. But I'm loving my results. Here are a couple of pics to show my progress.

I'm 11 days post op and so far so good. I'm loving my results and can't wait to start re-doing my wardrobe. I had an interview yesterday and had a really hard time finding an outfit. My skirt would not zip over my butt and my pants barely fit in the butt, but fit in the waist. I guess I now have big booty problems. Lol! Recovery has been an uphill battle. More so because I've pushed myself way much. I've had to go into the office everyday this week due toy interview yesterday and a big project due this week. My back is super swollen and so stiff. The longer I sit at my desk, the stiffer I get. I basically bring my lunch to keep from having to walk to the cafe and sit at my desk all day because I'm walking like an old, bent over lady. My feet are super swollen, but I plan to take my water pills this evening when I get home to help with the swelling. I also have a massage scheduled for this evening so hopefully I will feel better. It seems like my faja is getting smaller due to the swelling. I haven't been able to move to the 2nd or 3rd hook bc it feels way to tight. But I'm going to move it tonight after my massage and use my lipo foam for cushion. It doesn't help that I can't sleep through the night. I toss and turn due to the stiffness and swelling in my back. Last night I just sat up in the bed and cried bc I was so uncomfortable. I know it's my fault bc I've been doing way to much, but I just need to make it through this week. Hopefully by the end of the week, I will have my project finished and submitted and new promotion!!! I definitely deserve it after this week. Here are a few new pics.

I was having some slight chest pains when I would take deep breaths and wanted to make sure I did not a blood clot. I had a blood test and cat scan. The cat scan came back negative for blood clots. Thank God! The pain is most likely due to my faja. They did notice a lot of fluid on my back. I received a massage yesterday and seemed to help slightly, but when I sleep or lay down it comes right back. I have tried to increase my water intake. I also started taking Diurex. I purchased a 1mhz ultrasound massager online today. I'm hoping that I can get the swelling down a little more with that. All of scars are healing nicely and I took a couple of pics of my scars. My only concern is a stitch that is coming out of my breast. I'm not sure if it's supposed to dissolve or what. I plan to visit my doctor in a couple weeks to look at my scars. I got a chance to play dress up a little today with clothes that have been hanging in my closet forever. Most of them are brand new because I never felt comfortable in them. I love they way they look now! Can't wait for the swelling to go down so that they look even better

I had a smooth flight over with my sx buddy. We completed the customs paperwork and paid the $10 tourist card. We then got pesos at the cash exchange. If you get $300 worth you get a 15 % card to use when you cash them back in upon your return. We cleared customs and as we walked out of the airport, Angel, our driver was there waiting with our other sx buddy that arrived hours earlier. Angel was really nice, greeted us a took our bags. A separate car pulled up to carry our bags which was a little nerve wracking. We left in another car off to Cipla. Cipla was about a 20 minute ride away and we were so happy to finally be there. We took a couple of pics in front and proceeded up to the 5th floor to Yily's office. When we arrived we were greeted by Yira and Yily's other assistant. They were super nice and joked with us the whole time. Yira showed us her butt and said that Yily did her butt too. We were so impressed. There was another patient waiting in the waiting room. She was waiting to ave surgery, but wasn't quite cleared due to some tests coming back negatively. She hadn't eaten all day and was patiently waiting. We proceeded down to one of the lower floors to do blood work and chest X-rays. We then came back to Yily's office for the EKG. At that time, Yira asked if 2 of us were willing to have sx that day due to 2 cancellations. By this time it's about 3:30 and we both spoke up. They then sent my sx buddy downstairs to do paperwork and they later called me downstairs to complete paperwork. By the time we finished paperwork, they took us to our room in Cipla. Our room had two beds and was divided by a wall. My room had a small futon and my roommates room had armoire and the bathroom. The room was a little dated, but ok. By this time we are a little panicked because we don't have our bags. They were taking to the recovery house in a separate car. About an hour later, Yira and the beautiful, Yiky walked in. You would have thought we saw a movie star. We couldn't believe it was her in the flesh after obsessing over her work for months. She did not have an attitude at all. She hugged and kissed both of us and started marking up my roommate first. She was very attentive and honest. She always asked if we had questions and made sure we understood her. She speaks almost no English so Yira translated everything. When it came time to mark me up, I showed her my wish pics on my iPad and told her I wanted by breast done. She initially told me that I couldn't get them done because my hemo was 12.4. I was shocked because I had been on an iron regimen for months and it was 12.8 before I started taking iron. I think she saw that I looked disappointed even thoughbi nodded when she gave me the news. She then said that she said would do them if I didn't bleed to much during surgery. That was fair enough for me. My life comes before perky breast. She then apologetically told me that depending on my roommate sx, she may not get to me today. She wanted to ensure I wouldn't be upset. I was fine with that. We hugged and she left the room. After that my roommate and I were elated. We couldn't believe our time had come. Several minutes later they brought in gowns, booties and our blue pill. We got changed and waited patiently. We then decided to hold hands and say a prayer for a successful surgery. Yira came in about 30 minutes later to take care of the financials. She took our money for sx and insurance and brought receipts. By this time my sx buddy had already taken her blue pill so she was groggy and needed help counting her money out. About 20 minutes later they came to wheel her away on a stretcher. She made me take a pic and was off for sx. This was about 6pm. I decided to take a nap to keep from being nervous. Yira came in to check on me about an hour later and realized I hadn't taken my blue pill. She told me to take it and everything after was a blur. I don't remember being rolled back or being given anestithia (sp). I do remember waking during surgery and begging them to let me un stretch my arms. Thy felt so heavy as though I had been holding them up for hours. I guess I was trying to move a remember a woman telling me not to. I went back under. I then remember awaking again and feeling like hot knife on my breast. I just remember repeatedly saying it hurts, it hurts. I was then out again. I remember waking up hours later in my room. I'm not sure of the time, but remember feeling like I couldn't move and like I had been ran over by a truck 5 times. I then see the nurse that we hired to stay with us overnight. My roommate awoke before me and was throwing up. The nurse came over to help. I just remember feeling so uncomfortable, stiff and in pain. The Cipla nurses would come in periodically to give meds, but for the most part I didn't see them too much. I just remember feeling awful and wishing I could move from that position. The bed was uncomfortable and I woke almost every hour or so. We had no other pain meds because our bags were taken to the RH. I just remember looking at the clock and counting down the time to leave. The next morning a nurse came in to take our blood..we then had to wait for results before being cleared for release. Then Yily came in to check on us. She gave me an update and said my sx went beautifully. She kissed me and left out. We were then fed soup, crackers and juice. It was so hard to sit up comfortably and I was so ready to get out if the bed. Our nurse left around 7 and we were on our own after that. The time moved so slowly and must have looked at the clock every hour on the hour. I was in pain, sick of the catheter and ready to move from laying in the same spot. Finally they cleared us to leave after about 3 hours. My hemo was 8.8 and my sx buddy was 8.7. It had to be over 8 for release. Some time later our bags arrived. Our other sx buddy was nice enough to go through our bags and find the items we needed. Maxi pads, baby wipes, maxi dress and compression socks. The faja lady Maria came in to clean us up with wipes and put the faja on padded with maxi pads. It was painful, but they were very careful. About an hour later our driver showed up. We still had to wait what seemed like an hour for the nurse to come to remove our catheter and IV. She finally came and headed towards me. I was so relieved. She then tells me that I have to finish my IV drip. I was so pissed as the bag was completely full. She moved to my roommate and came back 30 minutes later. The catheter removal was slightly painful, but I was relieved to get it out. She then took my IV out and helped me get dressed. Yira came in later to give us release paperwork and prescriptions. She then told us that we needed to pay $10 for a briefing apparatus to practice breathing. We paid and was ready to go around noon. Our driver brought a wheelchair to the room and loaded us up. Each bump was awful and it seemed like it took forever for us to make it up the elevator and out the building. When we made it to the car it was hard to get in and i felt stiff and battered. Every part of my body hurt. The car ride was even more horrible. We got stuck in a traffic jam and it took us an hour to take a normally 20 minute ride. I felt horrible and could feel every bump in the road. It felt like the longest ride ever.

When we arrived at Upscale it was nice to see three or four people waiting for our arrival. They helped us out of the car, helped to bring in our things and helped us to our room. Our room was a triple and the only one on the 1st floor. If staying there, I would recommend requesting that room. The stairs to the other rooms are no joke. The beds are twin size beds and not too comfortable. Bring extra pillows. They provide a couple, but believe me you will toss and turn and need extra pillows to prop under legs and butt. They immediately brought dinner which was like a braised chicken with rice and salad. I have to admit the food was not up to par. I was shocked at the types of foods they served after a major surgery. They were foods I wouldn't even eat at home. Spaghetti and tomato sauce with corn kernels. Pasta with Alfredo sauce. Cornflakes for breakfast. No bueno for recovery. I was looking for fresh fruits and vegetables. Chicken breast. I never got that. I did enjoy the chicken soup with noodles that we got after days of begging for it. The fresh pineapple juice and papaya juice were tasty, but a little sweet and not so great after sitting for a day. There were also times that I ventured into the fridge and the food was not covered. There was leftover food from the day before just sitting out in the open. I have to admit it may just be the country because one day we ventured to the grocery store and there seemed to be a lack of fresh fruits and veggies there too. They didn't have spinach or avocado. The lettuce appeared wilted and brown. I was able to buy some grapes, nuts, oatmeal and other snacks to hold us over. As far as care, I started off great and went downhill. Maria hands down is the best person there. Although, she speaks very little English she was sweet, caring and kept a smile on her face at all times. You have to admit it takes a special person to wipe your butt, suck blood clots out of your drains and help wash you up. Maria was awesome and never changed her colors. Johanni was really sweet, but not as thorough as Maria. Patricia was really good, but pissed me off the last couple of days and things went downhill. The biggest issue I saw was just a change in the level of caring. One of our roommates had a miscommunication with paying and it seemed like the level of service just fell off until it was cleared up. No one came to our room for hours and it really was all due to a miscommunication with the owner and the fact that she did not send an invoice when she was supposed to. I couldn't understand why they were taking the issue out on us. We were fully paid the day we arrived. The issue I had with Patricia was a couple days before leaving. My drain was leaking and needed to be replaced, but I didn't want to pay $25 to replace the bulb when the drain was scheduled to be removed the following day so Maria put a glove around it to catch fluid that may have leaked. I was only draining about 50cc a day. On this day we went in for a follow-up with Yily. She requested that we remove our garments before arriving to speed up the process. What a mistake this was!! We ended up being out for hours (my sx buddy decided to get a teeth whitening then we got stuck in traffic) without a faja and I was completely swollen by the time we got back. When we got back I felt awful and just wanted to get back in my faja. Because we were out all day, we were late for our daily massage and needed to get that done before putting the faja back on. We got back to our room, the rooms were a complete mess, the beds were not made and the room looked exactly like we left it.We were rushed to meet Yily. When we arrived everyone was sitting around the table chilling and didn't ask if we needed anything after being out day. The masseuse, Giselle, arrived soon after and I had to rush upstairs for the massage. When I cam back down, of course my drain was overflowing due to me not having a faja on all day and the recent massage. It also had leaked a lot in the glove that was covering it. I rang the recently installed bell (they installed bells to call the nurse two days after our arrival). No one came for some time. I then called out for Patricia to come help me. When she arrived she had the worst attitude and looked at my drain in disgust and told me she wasn't going to change it because I should have replaced it. At this point, I'm tired in pain and frustrated by the day and now you have your nose turned up. I was so shocked at her change in attitude because she had been so sweet up until then. She brings in a the translator and at this point I'm so pissed I'm crying because I couldn't believe how she was acting. I was upset because I paid my money, no. 1, no. 2 I don't expect attitude when I've already had a horrible day, no. 3 the food has been horrible all week and at that point I had had it! I did not appreciate the way i was being treated after i have been nothing but nice, complained about nothing and paid my money. At this point i am cussing and Of course now I'm crying and everyone is trying to explain their case after I threatened to call the owner during my rant. They are saying they are overworked and short handed and I could say is that doesn't have a damn thing to do with me. No one deserves to be treated like shit. Anyway after my rant the food and service definitely got better. We got the soup we had been requesting all week, fresh salad and fruit. The recovery house has only been open for a couple of months so maybe there are kinks to work out. But there is definitely a need to improve in a number of areas. Make sure you watch the meds they give you. There were a couple of times they attempted to give me the heparin shot twice in one day. Bring your own snacks and ensure in cases where you don't like the food. My sx buddies ensures saved me the 1st two days bc I hated the food. Bring gloves and make them wear them. There were a number of times they would change my roommates drain and immediately walk over to me to change mine. I don't think they meant harm, it's just not customary for them. Bring lots of baby wipes ( at least 3 packages) you will go through them during wash ups and while using the bathroom. After surgery it's almost impossible to wipe your butt so you will use like 10 wipes to make sure you're clean. Bring lots of thick maxi pads. Every time you take a dump you have to come completely out of the faja and your pads will all fall to the floor. Make sure you get a massage package with at least 5. They hurt like hell but really help. Giselle came to the house for our massages everyday and she was awesome. Bring lots of pain meds (Percocet or hydrocodone) there were so many girls that I had to give pain meds to bc they didn't bring any. You will need them to sleep and to get massages. Their pain meds are not the same. I went through almost 2.5 bottles of pain meds using them myself and giving them to others. Lastly bring enough money for your trip including tips. These people make very little and even though we had ups and downs during the stay, I still tipped everyone down to the cook and maid. They are there trying to feed their families and make very little. Cleaning up behind grown people and wiping their ass is not the most ideal job. Overall I grade the Upscale RH a C-. The fact that the wifi was upmand down everyday didnt help. They leave alot to be desired and while you are in such a vulnerable state, you want to stay somewhere that genuinely cares about you as a person and your recovery. Not your money.

I'm a little over 3 weeks post op and I'm feeling a little better. Traveling this weekend hasn't been too bad. I was able to get through the airport with tiring out every 5 minutes. But the back swelling and stiffness is still pretty bad. I need to order my 2nd stage garment soon. Still kind of struggling with which one I want to order. I like Marena but can't find one that has shorter legs. I've also been looking at Mariae which has the perfect legs, but reviews said they run real small and I'm scared I'll get the wrong size. I'm also wondering about how comfortable they are. Marena is pretty comfortable. Anyway suggestions? I also ordered an ultrasound massager. I've only used it once so I can tell how great it works yet. Here are some pics 2.5 weeks post op.