Can't Wait to Get Rid of This Stomach! - Miami Beach, FL

I'm scheduled for surgery with Dr. Alvarez on 4/6! Im getting implants, tummy tuck, lipo in arms and flanks. I got a bbl done in October and I have to say my experience with Dr. Alvarez personal practice is a totally different experience. I wish I would've known about him back then! Lena is my coordinator and she is hands down the best! Very personable, friendly, and always responds to any questions you may have promptly. I had a phone consultation with Dr. Alvarez which that alone (being able to talk to the doctor) was a plus because no other surgeons will really speak with you directly in Miami when you're coming from out of town.

Dr. Alvarez really seems to care about his patients and I am nothing short of confident that he will do his best to make sure everything is done perfectly.

Soooo... Dr. Alvarez requires you to have a BMI of 35 or less to operate, and I'm like 2 pounds shy of being under 35. Lena said they'll have to cancel my surgery if I'm over 35 at all :( I've been doing my best the past couple of days to eat clean. I had a BBL with dr. Ortega last October and I had this same issue then. Smh I told myself I wouldn't go through this again this time around but if everything didn't go wrong this last two weeks smh. I've been sooo stressed. The lady I booked my accomodations with cancelled on me last minute because she was hospitalized and about to get surgery herself to have some cysts removed. But get this, she already spent the money I gave her for the rental smh. So now I have to wait until she can pay me back. This happened literally two days ago. I had to shell out $200 from my Miami money because my car needed the o2 sensors replaced, I'm in class full time this semester, so I've been just carelessly eating. Y'all pray for me that I lose this weight or I'll be in the hole over $3000 plus my surgery cost. :(

I flew into Miami on the 4th, saw Dr. Alvarez on the same day I flew in. Over the phone Dr. Alvarez said I didn't need a BL w/ implants because if we went with a big enough implant it would lift my breast to where I didn't need a lift. I was quoted $7500 for tt, mr, bl, and implants to begin with. When I had my consult over the phone and I was told I wouldn't need a lift, I asked Lena would that make the price come down any she said no. So I added arm lipo as well which added another $600 on to my total price. Well, when I had my pre-op when I got to Miami, Dr. Alvarez decided that I did in fact need a lift. So after my pre-op Lena said that the lift would be an extra $1000. I don't know about anyone else, but I planned months in advanced to be able to pay for the surgery and save up for my accomodations. car rental, spending money, flight, etc. I didn't have an extra $1000 to just give for a lift, esp because my quoted price was supposed to come with the lift to begin with. I was actually kind of pissed at the whole situation because there was no point in me getting my boobs done if I needed a lift but couldn't even afford to pay for one. Lena said she had to charge me for it because it wasn't in my contract. Make sure you get everything in writing Ladies! This has to be the only complaint I have about my whole experience. So after going back and forth with Lena, and texting Dr. Alvarez about how I had concerns about the pricing.. she called me and said instead of silicone implants I could get saline, and I was supposed to get lipo in my axillary area, she said I couldn't get that anymore either and it would stay the same price. Even though I did want silicone and everything to stay the same and her to just add the lift in like it was originally supposed to be anyways, I was at their mercy because it was literally a day before my surgery and I didn't have the extra money. :(

My surgery was scheduled for 7am Wednesday morning and everything went well. The operating room Dr. Alvarez uses is beautiful. The anesthesiologist was really nice and definitely made me feel comfortable. He talked to me and joked around for a couple of minutes and before you know it I was out! When I woke up, I was in terrible, terrible pain. The nurse kept trying to get me to eat crackers so I could take my meds. I was so out of it. All I can really remember is having a hard time moving and being really hot. She put a warming blanket on me after surgery which is why I was hot. Moving from the hospital bed to the wheelchair was a real struggle as well.

The first 2 days were the absolute worst for me. I feel much better now, still in pain but not as much as 1-2 days post op. I literally felt disabled. Getting out of the bed was so hard. I bought a wedge pillow and everything but it didn't help much. It was still very uncomfortable. My boobs made my chest feel so tight and under my armpits hurt so bad it made the use of my arms almost non-existent. The muscle repair in my stomach made it hard to get up and walk around, it didn't hurt as bad my boobs though. I've been having some phlegm in my throat probably due to being intubated, and I had a few uncontrollable coughing episodes... (coughing hurts so bad) I felt like I was going to die. Last night, I started getting really gassy. My whole stomach feels like a big balloon full of air. Its been hurting today, and I felt like I needed to go #2 earlier, but I can't push it out bc of the MR. :/ I really didn't think that recovery was going to be this hard, but now that I am on day 3 post op, I think it gets easier and easier every day that passes. I've actually been awake the whole day today which is surprising. The past 2 days I would just be sitting there dozing off. Probably because of being on 2 percs every 4 hours faithfully. Today I've been taking one perc and two advils because I haven't been feeling all that miserable today. My left breast feels like its dropping and getting softer, my right one does too but slowly. My right breast still hurts and it hurts under the armpit but its definitely more bearable than the past couple of days. As far as in my arms, one arm is a lot more bruised than the other, and both have been leaking blood mixed with fluids when I take my bandages off. My arms don't hurt all that much but are still very swollen.

Overall, even after the whole thing with the lift I am still happy with my decision to go with Dr. Alvarez and his private practice. From what I understand, he's filling in for Osak Omulepu at Spectrum right now as well, but if you want an office that actually cares about your health use his PRIVATE PRACTICE!! I dealt with Spectrum for BBL with Dr. Ortega and never spoke with Dr. Ortega, only the day of surgery and my post op visit. When I had an issue afterwards, Dr. Ortega never even called me or anything. Who knows if he was even aware of my problem? At the end of the day, my health and well being during and after surgery is my #1 concern and I'd rather pay a little extra to be able to have that assurance that I can contact the doctor when I need to. Dr. Alvarez is also very good at answering texts and the day after surgery I told him I was in excruciating pain, and he told me he wanted to see me that afternoon to make sure everything was ok. That for me, spoke large volumes and showed he actually cares about his patients and they are just another name on his calendar. I also still love that I had Lena as my coordinator as well! She is really great and she doesn't disappear after she gets your money (like the coordinators at Spectrum lol). She is a real sweetheart :)

Sorry my review seems like it was all over the place! I haven't really been able to concentrate too much on anything.. Bare with me!