Mommy Makeover Polytech 295cc Nordesthetics Dr Ghassan Said

Today I'm 6 weeks PO! It honestly feels so good having reached this milestone in my recovery. So I'm almost standing completely straight now although my tummy is still super tight and my routine is more or less back to normal. My swelling has reduced dramatically since 5.5 weeks PO I can finally see my shape and results forming, it puts a big smile on my face lol! My boobies are softening up nicely and I love them so much!

It's been a couple of weeks since my last update. I'm going to give as much honest and useful information as I can and it will hopefully help some of you on your journey. Grab a cuppa here goes....

Clinic:
This review is based on my recovery and healing so far but I'll briefly touch on the clinic as I wouldn't be here without them. I'll write a detailed clinic review on Trustpilot.

Nord Clinic (Nordesthetics) was recommended to me by a friend. After stalking their Facebook community page (women only) for 2 years, I decided that this was the clinic for me. I travelled from the UK to Lithuania, and my experience was fantastic. The clinic is SPOTLESS I stayed for 2 nights and the white slippers provided were still as white 2 days later. The nurses were incredible, the food was tasty, and pain was managed so well. I highly recommend this clinic to anyone considering travelling abroad for surgery.

Surgeon:
The Nord Clinic have amazing surgeons however I chose my surgeon Dr Ghassan Said. I am very pleased with my choice of surgeon, Dr Said is professional, knowledgeable, and I felt very safe in his care. We had good discussions and jokes over my boob and belly button expectations and he completely understood what I wanted to achieve and so far judging by my results has exceeded my expectations. He has excellent bedside manner and visited me both days whilst in the clinic hospital . Dr Said has been incredibly supportive with my aftercare and requests frequent updates on my recovery. No worry or issue has been any problem for him as he always responds promptly on the same day. Do I recommend Dr Ghassan Said? 100% YES!

Pain:
I will give my experience on the pain and how I've managed in the past few weeks. My general pain threshold is ok although I will not suffer pain without popping some pain meds. During my hospital stay I initially had morphine amongst other painkilling meds, muscle relaxants (amazing!), and anti-inflammatories. The nurses were excellent with the pain control, constantly topped up, and offered alternatives if needed. I was up walking within an hour of coming out of anaesthetic and had my catheter removed within another hour of that meaning I had to get moving every time I needed the toilet which was alot from the amount of water I kept guzzling. I left the hospital 2 days PO with my bag of meds and instructions and got back to my apartment. Well....it wasn't long before I started to feel pain. I have to say the 2 days in hospital were luxury with the pain control as I really struggled after that. I would say for sure days 3, 4, and 5 were tough I will not lie. From what I can recall there was alot of discomfort, tightness, and pain from incisions. However, it wasn't a constant pain it would come and go and then be replaced by new pain/sensations somewhere else. Anyway of all the pain combined from my boobs and tummy nothing and I mean nothing touched on the back pain that I experienced. I truly regretted not carrying my crutches/walking stick with me.

My back pain topped the pain of all my surgical sites. I suffer with chronic back pain anyway and I knew that this would possibly be a potential problem from being hunched over however, hand on heart this was the worst pain I've experienced where it reduced me to tears and pain meds barely relieved it. This pain continued until 3 weeks PO, my posture is slowly straightening and I'm no longer taking any pain meds (stopped around 15 days PO) and have finally given my hot water bottle a break.

I have experienced minimal pain from my boobs. They were sore at most although I believe that was due to the garment rubbing my skin. I have had shooting pains, and tingly pins and needles sensations, a dull ache mostly in my left boob (assuming it's the muscle stretching) and that's about it. My boobs were swollen for about 2 weeks however, swelling has now drastically reduced if not completely. They were rock hard and have begun to start softening up in the past 3 days (I can see a little jiggle). In the mornings my boobs are hard, tight, and stiff (I guess this is morning boob), however once I'm up and about they soon settle again. I haven't got any pain atm, they are still tender and I get occasional zings and nerve sensations but nothing that isn't manageable. They're starting to get fuller and rounder, as they looked like two rock cones before and I'm super excited to see the changes and to see my final results.

I didn't want huge boobs just a nice handful. I got Polytech 295cc HP under the muscle. They were super high but are now starting to soften and drop so hoping they end up perfect. My left is slightly softer and lower than my right but I'm not worried as my right will catch up soon.

I also had a tummy tuck without lipo (too scared of the pain) my surgeon was happy to leave it out, I had little abdominal fat and my main concern is my flanks but I think I can get those down with exercise and will see how they look once healed.

The pain from TT was mostly due to the muscle repair, I felt as though I'd been in the boxing ring and took a really good beating. Absolutely no core control at all and hunched over like a 95 year old granny. I was pulled so tight that I couldn't stand straight even if I tried. I am still hunched over now although not as much. My surgeon has said that I need to start standing straight and to try straightening a bit day by day. However I am still super tight so will take my time.

I experienced some on and off incisional pain the first 2 weeks which felt like strong stinging and some itching which I fixed with anti-histamines. I also felt one of my internal stitches pop! This was alarming but my surgeon reassured me that all was ok. It did leave me with a deep indentation above my hip but this has now smoothed out. All in all the TT has been manageable apart from the excruciating back pain that has thankfully subsided.

Wound care:

My biggest fear with this surgery was infection. I researched researched and researched until I was satisfied that I'd be able to give myself the best chance of recovery.

I started preparing for my surgery months before. I've always eaten a healthy balanced diet and taken vitamins, I just made sure that my diet was on point 8 weeks before and that my body was strong and healthy. I cut down on refined carbs, salt and sugar, and increased my protein, veg, and water intake. I've always eaten high fibre so maintained this as I was worried about constipation (I have managed to poo naturally since 2 days PO). I did stop taking vitamins 2 weeks before and also stopped eating omega 3 and garlic. I'm an ex-smoker (5 years) and rarely drink alcohol so had my last drink 8 weeks before op.

My recovery has been very smooth, I organised child care for school runs and had family stay at mine to help around the house up until 2.5 weeks PO which I'm very grateful for as I would not have been able to cope otherwise.

I'm taking things as easy as I possibly can but do struggle in the evenings if I've been too active, nothing a good night's sleep doesn't fix! Also the initial exhaustion is unreal, a few steps would really take it out of me, however the more I walked the easier it became.

My first tape change was done in the clinic 5 days PO the day before I flew home, and I was so impressed with my incisions which almost all looked closed! I was instructed to change my tapes every 7 days thereafter. I've done 2 further tape changes and I'm happy to say I've had no major issues. I think I pulled two scabs off with the tape on my 2nd tape change (one on my nipple and one on my tt) my surgeon instructed me to apply medical manuka honey and gauze until healed and I've had no sign of infection whatsoever. My incisions are closed and I have a few remaining scabs, no open spots, no wet spots, and my vertical breast incision is already barely visible.

My belly button dressing was changed in the hospital 2 days PO and I was instructed by Dr Said to clean and change everyday with medical manuka honey and pack with sterile gauze. My belly button hasn't leaked, no scabs, or given me any issues. My BB looks well healed, dry and clean, I'm currently cleaning everyday in the shower, spraying with wound spray, and covering with a clean gauze (no manuka).

Showering:

I have showered everyday since 3 days PO. My tapes get wet and I lightly dab them with a clean dry towel. I then leave them to air dry whilst I dress my two areas where the scabs were removed. I have never used a hair dryer to dry my tapes and have had no problems whatsoever.

5 days Pre Op I started to wash with Octensian Wasch Lotion (a decontaminant wash used in hospitals and much milder than Hibiscrub) I continued to shower with this everyday until 3 weeks PO and I'm now using Dettol soap.

On tape change days I clean my hands and very very gently and slowly remove my tapes. I then shower as normal with my flannel but use my hands to soap over my incisions. I thoroughly rinse and dry with a clean towel, using a separate clean towel to pat my incisions then allowing them to air dry.

I prepare my wound cleaning area before I shower (making sure everything is clean and sterile) so that it's ready when I get out. So I wipe my incisions with sterile saline wound wipes, then spray with antibacterial wound spray leaving to air dry. Once thoroughly dry I double tape my incisions. This has worked really well for me.

I'll be 4 weeks PO on Monday and I'm so thankful and grateful that my incisions are mostly healed and looking really good.

Garment:

I have to say that I hated my garment with a passion. It felt like sandpaper on my skin, my skin was so sensitive and sore as a result of this. My skin was also dry and I had skin flaking off my back (yuck!). My body is short and the garment is too long so I'm constantly fidgeting and adjusting it. My swelling felt at it's worst around 9 days PO and the garment was unbearable. The garment and my back have been the two biggest killers for sure! However, since 15 days PO I'm back on the first hook and now my garment isn't giving me enough abdominal support so I'm now searching for a new garment which is proving difficult as they all seem to be designed for a specific body shape and definitely not for curves or petite women!! So the search continues...I will say that as much as I hated this garment I am now reliant on it and feel like my insides are going to fall out if I have it off for more than an hour. So I really hope I can find a solution as I plan to wear my garment for at least 6 months.

Sleep:

I've been sleeping upright from the start. I purchased a pregnancy pillow and keep myself propped up with this and pillows supporting this. I did purchase a neck pillow to travel with and I have to say it has been the best thing that I've ever purchase I still use it to sleep every night and I'd be lost without it. I highly recommend a neck pillow to anyone having this surgery.

I really miss sleeping on my side but have slept well and feel well rested in the mornings with this set up.

Ever since my op I've had some weird and crazy dreams I thought it was the meds or anaesthesia but wow they're intense, although starting to ease off now.

Swelling:

I kept reading about swelling and 'swell hell' and was dreading it however, I feel my swelling has been minimal and bearable. The worst for me I felt were days 7-11 and currently in the evening if I've done too much. Otherwise it's ok although I'm excited for it to completely go and see my final results!

I think this is about it and all I can remember for now. Any questions please ask and I'll update with some more pics in a couple of weeks xx

It's been a couple of weeks since my last update. I'm going to give as much honest and useful information as I can and it will hopefully help some of you on your journey. Grab a cuppa here goes....
Clinic:
This review is based on my recovery and healing so far but I'll briefly touch on the clinic as I wouldn't be here without them. I'll write a detailed clinic review on Trustpilot.
Nord Clinic (Nordesthetics) was recommended to me by a friend. After stalking their Facebook community page (women only) for 2 years, I decided that this was the clinic for me. I travelled from the UK to Lithuania, and my experience was fantastic. The clinic is SPOTLESS I stayed for 2 nights and the white slippers provided were still as white 2 days later. The nurses were incredible, the food was tasty, and pain was managed so well. I highly recommend this clinic to anyone considering travelling abroad for surgery.
Surgeon:
The Nord Clinic have amazing surgeons however I chose my surgeon Dr Ghassan Said. I am very pleased with my choice of surgeon, Dr Said is professional, knowledgeable, and I felt very safe in his care. We had good discussions and jokes over my boob and belly button expectations and he completely understood what I wanted to achieve and so far judging by my results has exceeded my expectations. He has excellent bedside manner and visited me both days whilst in the clinic hospital . Dr Said has been incredibly supportive with my aftercare and requests frequent updates on my recovery. No worry or issue has been any problem for him as he always responds promptly on the same day. Do I recommend Dr Ghassan Said? 100% YES!
Pain:
I will give my experience on the pain and how I've managed in the past few weeks. My general pain threshold is ok although I will not suffer pain without popping some pain meds. During my hospital stay I initially had morphine amongst other painkilling meds, muscle relaxants (amazing!), and anti-inflammatories. The nurses were excellent with the pain control, constantly topped up, and offered alternatives if needed. I was up walking within an hour of coming out of anaesthetic and had my catheter removed within another hour of that meaning I had to get moving every time I needed the toilet which was alot from the amount of water I kept guzzling. I left the hospital 2 days PO with my bag of meds and instructions and got back to my apartment. Well....it wasn't long before I started to feel pain. I have to say the 2 days in hospital were luxury with the pain control as I really struggled after that. I would say for sure days 3, 4, and 5 were tough I will not lie. From what I can recall there was alot of discomfort, tightness, and pain from incisions. However, it wasn't a constant pain it would come and go and then be replaced by new pain/sensations somewhere else. Anyway of all the pain combined from my boobs and tummy nothing and I mean nothing touched on the back pain that I experienced. I truly regretted not carrying my crutches/walking stick with me.
My back pain topped the pain of all my surgical sites. I suffer with chronic back pain anyway and I knew that this would possibly be a potential problem from being hunched over however, hand on heart this was the worst pain I've experienced where it reduced me to tears and pain meds barely relieved it. This pain continued until 3 weeks PO, my posture is slowly straightening and I'm no longer taking any pain meds (stopped around 15 days PO) and have finally given my hot water bottle a break.
I have experienced minimal pain from my boobs. They were sore at most although I believe that was due to the garment rubbing my skin. I have had shooting pains, and tingly pins and needles sensations, a dull ache mostly in my left boob (assuming it's the muscle stretching) and that's about it. My boobs were swollen for about 2 weeks however, swelling has now drastically reduced if not completely. They were rock hard and have begun to start softening up in the past 3 days (I can see a little jiggle). In the mornings my boobs are hard, tight, and stiff (I guess this is morning boob), however once I'm up and about they soon settle again. I haven't got any pain atm, they are still tender and I get occasional zings and nerve sensations but nothing that isn't manageable. They're starting to get fuller and rounder, as they looked like two rock cones before and I'm super excited to see the changes and to see my final results.
I didn't want huge boobs just a nice handful. I got Polytech 295cc HP under the muscle. They were super high but are now starting to soften and drop so hoping they end up perfect. My left is slightly softer and lower than my right but I'm not worried as my right will catch up soon.
I also had a tummy tuck without lipo (too scared of the pain) my surgeon was happy to leave it out, I had little abdominal fat and my main concern is my flanks but I think I can get those down with exercise and will see how they look once healed.
The pain from TT was mostly due to the muscle repair, I felt as though I'd been in the boxing ring and took a really good beating. Absolutely no core control at all and hunched over like a 95 year old granny. I was pulled so tight that I couldn't stand straight even if I tried. I am still hunched over now although not as much. My surgeon has said that I need to start standing straight and to try straightening a bit day by day. However I am still super tight so will take my time.
I experienced some on and off incisional pain the first 2 weeks which felt like strong stinging and some itching which I fixed with anti-histamines. I also felt one of my internal stitches pop! This was alarming but my surgeon reassured me that all was ok. It did leave me with a deep indentation above my hip but this has now smoothed out. All in all the TT has been manageable apart from the excruciating back pain that has thankfully subsided.
Wound care:
My biggest fear with this surgery was infection. I researched researched and researched until I was satisfied that I'd be able to give myself the best chance of recovery.
I started preparing for my surgery months before. I've always eaten a healthy balanced diet and taken vitamins, I just made sure that my diet was on point 8 weeks before and that my body was strong and healthy. I cut down on refined carbs, salt and sugar, and increased my protein, veg, and water intake. I've always eaten high fibre so maintained this as I was worried about constipation (I have managed to poo naturally since 2 days PO). I did stop taking vitamins 2 weeks before and also stopped eating omega 3 and garlic. I'm an ex-smoker (5 years) and rarely drink alcohol so had my last drink 8 weeks before op.
My recovery has been very smooth, I organised child care for school runs and had family stay at mine to help around the house up until 2.5 weeks PO which I'm very grateful for as I would not have been able to cope otherwise.
I'm taking things as easy as I possibly can but do struggle in the evenings if I've been too active, nothing a good night's sleep doesn't fix! Also the initial exhaustion is unreal, a few steps would really take it out of me, however the more I walked the easier it became.
My first tape change was done in the clinic 5 days PO the day before I flew home, and I was so impressed with my incisions which almost all looked closed! I was instructed to change my tapes every 7 days thereafter. I've done 2 further tape changes and I'm happy to say I've had no major issues. I think I pulled two scabs off with the tape on my 2nd tape change (one on my nipple and one on my tt) my surgeon instructed me to apply medical manuka honey and gauze until healed and I've had no sign of infection whatsoever. My incisions are closed and I have a few remaining scabs, no open spots, no wet spots, and my vertical breast incision is already barely visible.
My belly button dressing was changed in the hospital 2 days PO and I was instructed by Dr Said to clean and change everyday with medical manuka honey and pack with sterile gauze. My belly button hasn't leaked, no scabs, or given me any issues. My BB looks well healed, dry and clean, I'm currently cleaning everyday in the shower, spraying with wound spray, and covering with a clean gauze (no manuka).
Showering:
I have showered everyday since 3 days PO. My tapes get wet and I lightly dab them with a clean dry towel. I then leave them to air dry whilst I dress my two areas where the scabs were removed. I have never used a hair dryer to dry my tapes and have had no problems whatsoever.
5 days Pre Op I started to wash with Octensian Wasch Lotion (a decontaminant wash used in hospitals and much milder than Hibiscrub) I continued to shower with this everyday until 3 weeks PO and I'm now using Dettol soap.
On tape change days I clean my hands and very very gently and slowly remove my tapes. I then shower as normal with my flannel but use my hands to soap over my incisions. I thoroughly rinse and dry with a clean towel, using a separate clean towel to pat my incisions then allowing them to air dry.
I prepare my wound cleaning area before I shower (making sure everything is clean and sterile) so that it's ready when I get out. So I wipe my incisions with sterile saline wound wipes, then spray with antibacterial wound spray leaving to air dry. Once thoroughly dry I double tape my incisions. This has worked really well for me.
I'll be 4 weeks PO on Monday and I'm so thankful and grateful that my incisions are mostly healed and looking really good.
Garment:
I have to say that I hated my garment with a passion. It felt like sandpaper on my skin, my skin was so sensitive and sore as a result of this. My skin was also dry and I had skin flaking off my back (yuck!). My body is short and the garment is too long so I'm constantly fidgeting and adjusting it. My swelling felt at it's worst around 9 days PO and the garment was unbearable. The garment and my back have been the two biggest killers for sure! However, since 15 days PO I'm back on the first hook and now my garment isn't giving me enough abdominal support so I'm now searching for a new garment which is proving difficult as they all seem to be designed for a specific body shape and definitely not for curves or petite women!! So the search continues...I will say that as much as I hated this garment I am now reliant on it and feel like my insides are going to fall out if I have it off for more than an hour. So I really hope I can find a solution as I plan to wear my garment for at least 6 months.
Sleep:
I've been sleeping upright from the start. I purchased a pregnancy pillow and keep myself propped up with this and pillows supporting this. I did purchase a neck pillow to travel with and I have to say it has been the best thing that I've ever purchase I still use it to sleep every night and I'd be lost without it. I highly recommend a neck pillow to anyone having this surgery.
I really miss sleeping on my side but have slept well and feel well rested in the mornings with this set up.
Ever since my op I've had some weird and crazy dreams I thought it was the meds or anaesthesia but wow they're intense, although starting to ease off now.
Swelling:
I kept reading about swelling and 'swell hell' and was dreading it however, I feel my swelling has been minimal and bearable. The worst for me I felt were days 7-11 and currently in the evening if I've done too much. Otherwise it's ok although I'm excited for it to completely go and see my final results!
I think this is about it and all I can remember for now. Any questions please ask and I'll update with some more pics in a couple of weeks xx