Brazilian Butt Lift Part 1: Just Checking - Dominican Republic

My shopping and med lists so far... Some of the things on here I get for free, others i have to go out and buy. i've been snooping around other people's reviews to get some ideas... all suggestions welcome.

Colace -stool softener : Must start taking it 2-3 days before surgery if you are concerned about constipation b/c it doesn’t work overnight. It’s not a stimulant laxative

Cyclobenzapine-muscle relaxer/ sleep aid (you will wake up extra groggy and in certain individuals it can be habit forming)

Ondansetron-nausea/vomitting

Hydrocodone/ Morphine/ Percocet-pain med

Heparin SQ -prevents blood clots
Chlorhexidine body wash 4% (pre and post- surgical daily no rinse body way.. antiseptic)
9-18mg of Iron twice a day (prevents some forms of anemia but you must take it for weeks b4 surgery)
1mg/ 1000mcg of folic acid once a day
Complex B once a day
Vitamin A once a day
Vitamin C once/day (tissue healing)
Citrulline once/day (helps with angiogenesis.. long shot, but it won’t kill me)


halls candy $2.29/ bag
Cepacol sore throat spray
wedge pillow (prevent sleeping on my butt)
chucks $10-15 (prevent drainage from getting on bed)
large cup/medium jug w/ spout (I must wash up!)
female urinal
baby wipes
chlorhexidine gluconate no rinse body wash
cheap wash cloths that can be thrown away (walmart)
compression socks 20-30mmHg $10-20
abdominal binder $17.77 allegro medical
compression garment from lipoexpress.com
lidocaine gel (possible for where drains are stitched in.. this could be overkill as I certainly don’t put this on my patients, lol)
neosporin/bacitracin $6.99
alcohol pads (cleansing insertion sites)
Surgilube/ aquasonic gel - cheaper (for massages)
Purell
Two flat sheets for bed (I’ve seen too much, lol, but this is at ALL hospitals, not just DR)
gloves
adult underwear/pull ups (for drainage not peeing!! Lol): 10.99 walgreens (18 count)
safety pins for drains $1 (99cents store)
paper tape $2.99 (walgreens)

large ace bandages (4 rolls)
Basic Toiletries (no powder)
Flat Shoes
2 front hooking bras
5 Summer dresses
Black long summer dress for plane ride home (hides any drainage spot)
Loose Cardigan/ shoulder shrug for plane ride home
3 Beach cover up dresses (basic pull ups/halter)
7 Cotton tank tops

Just updated my before pictures. My diet starts tomorrow. I want the best possible results which will require me losing weight. I started this year off at 188lbs, and I am currently 160lbs. I've had my last cookies and pizza and chinese today. it was a massacre, lol

45 DAYS TILL SURGERY!!

Before surgery I want to get to 145lbs (15lb weight loss). I'm 5'7"

Strictly 1000-1200 calories a day
- incorporating protein drinks, lean meats
5 days/ week 45 minutes elliptical
Daily: ab workout and crunches.
Daily butt exercises: will ask the doctors first if butt exercises will help or hurt.

I want to have at least a semi tight stomach after surgery so hopefully the stomach workout will help. I will be doing crunches, leg lifts, planks. I'll update my weight every week on here :)

Plane tickets. Mine were extrememly expensive because i just bought them and i am going around christmas time. Those who are traveling during non holiday times should be a lot less... so consider that when you choose your dates.

My one tip for those travelling from another country is to make sure you get a direct flight and look into a first class/ business class ticket coming back. Many of you are spending thousands on this surgery,..whats an extra 100-200 dollars to make sure that you don't ruin your results?? dont be afraid to look at the business/first class tickets. The cost of my business class ticket coming back from DR to the USA was LESS than how much it cost me for an economy ticket leaving the USA to go to DR. Prices are very variable according to dates and what day you leave/come. so check it out. In the business class its more privacy and on Delta you can get those seats that flatten all the way out so that you can lay down. Some even have privacy screens. that whole boppy pillow, standing up for four hours... not me,.. lol. I would have to wait till i could scrape up the extra cash.

Good luck ladies!

44 DAYS TILL SURGERY

Today was the first day of the diet and it didn't go too bad. Easing into it I suppose:

Breakfast: PBJ sandwich, yogurt, water
Snack: Crackers
Dinner: rigatoni and turkey meatballs, water

I haven't exercised yet,.. the hard part. I will get my ass up and on that elliptical machine and do my abs and arms. The hard part is getting started.,, i know i'll feel good when i'm done.

43 Days TILL SURGERY

(initially wrote this in the comment box by accident)

I just bought all my vitamins,.. figured two months is better than one :) Walgreens is having a sale, buy one, get the other 50% off. For now i bought the iron pills, B complex + which has all the B vitamins, Folic Acid, and Vitamin C as well. Yesterday I didn't exercise. I had a whirlwind of a night, so unexpected, and I didn't get to it. Today I shoveled snow, did 45 minutes on the elliptical and did an ab work out on my Bosu Ball. Will do some squats and leg lifts next. Will get on that scale Wednesday morning to see how i've done. Diet: Yogurt, crackers with spicy herring, very small serving oxtail and less than a serving of brown rice, cereal with 2% milk. Any advice on body garments? Also, I started looking at Dr. Mendieta's befores and afters. Wow. Very nice. I wish my doctor had more for me to see. Already getting nervous, but at the same time so very excited!!

42 DAYS TILL SURGERY!!

OMG... in a few days i'll have less than a month. I have to be really prepared because my flight is the day after my grad classes end so i have to be packed and ready. The two weeks prior to my date will be finals crunch time so preparing then wont be useful either.

Diet is going well. i actually did a little extra on the elliptical last night making it to a full hour. Today i already went for a brisk walk and I'll do 30-45 minutes elliptical and some arm exercises.. I've dropped 2.5lbs already so i have 13ish pounds to go. I was reading someone elses sight and they said that they spoke to a doctor that advised them not to try to lose weight too close to the surgery date or else the fat that is left may not be the best quality. That makes sense becuase when you are burning fat your body sends out a lot of cytokines and hormones that tells the fat to release fatty acids (break apart basically) and when you workout alot you are constantly bathing your tissue in lactid acid. So i'll ask my doctor about that as well and my goal will be to lose as much as I can by December 7th and then take it easy for the next two weeks drinking tons of fluid.

Todays food journal:
Raisin Bran Cereal, Sardines and crackers ( i love sardines and fish, lol), 6 oz juice, turkey meatballs with a half serving pasta.

42 DAYS TILL SURGERY

(just posted pics of the overall body type that i'm looking for)

Copied this from a comment below because this is what i've been thinking for a while. Cele warned me of losing too much weight and the thought has been worrying me too, but i just dont know :
I'm more into a thin and shapely look than the sexy voluptuous look, but i need the fat for my booty so i've been really confused as to how much i should really lose. I've wanted this for sooo long (honest to god over 10years!!) and i've had battles with my body for sooo long that i'm just scared that i'll get the surgery done and still wont be happy. Even at my heaviest of all time, 195lbs and shorter, by butt was still flat. I just want to be proportional for once!

I think what i'll do is I'll get down to 153lbs and then email the doctor new detailed pictures of myself with all my measurements, maybe even draw on myself so that she can clearly see the concave sides of my butt, pinch my stomach and back, etc. Then hopefully she can give me a real good estimate of how much i should lose (or not lose) to get the results that I want. I'll also post them on the doctor forum page so that i can get multiple opinions.

Honestly, since i've always disliked by shape i always think that i'm fat or flabby so i'm the worst judge. I remember being in college at 143lbs and thinking that i was huge. I looked at those pictures this year and i wanna die.. i would kill to be back there... with an ass, lol

So for today I'm doing a really good ab work out and arm workout out, and 30 minutes elliptical (i'm not 153 yet) I work tonight so i'll be snacking through the night and i'll bring some healthy stuff.

HOW MUCH MONEY DO YOU GUYS THINK YOU SPENT FOR THIS SURGERY NOT including surgery cost, hospital stay, or plane tickets. Like how much extra for supplies, hospital clothes, transportation, nick nacks, tipping in foreign country, etc. I'm trying to get my budget together. I already have my plane tickets and surgery money and supply money, and money for bills while not working,.. but i dont like my account getting so low so i want to "replete" my funds by doing some extra shifts so that i wont feel broke. How much extra money should i bring or does DR take cards for most everything?

40 DAYS TILL SURGERY!!

I've done a lil more shopping and just searching for stuff that I already had:

Walgreens had the depends like undies that i'll be using to prevent too much drainage from getting on my garment. This type you can pull them up and down like regular undies or you can use the tabs to put it on standing up like a diaper, lol. I wont have much help once I go home so I'm trying to make everything as easy as possible for myself. On sale, $11 for a pack of 20. And they dont look thick so I'm sure it wont show through my clothing or the garment.

I also bought travel size everything, and was given supplies from work: Ace bandages, wound cleanser solution, suture removal kit (if i have to go home with drains), Sani-wipes, no rinse body wash/shampoo, compression stockings.

I've been talking to another member on here, cele (see comment box for her full name), and she's been giving me some real good tips since she lives in DR and I think use to live in the US too. Its so comforting knowing that she has already seen the facility and has met with everyone and feels like this is a good choice. I've also seen more Robles patients popping up and they've been very happy with her work. A few more should be having their surgery dates before me so I can't wait to see their results as well.

Passing on the wealth of knowledge that you ladies have been giving me:
- DR doesn't widely accept american dollars like some other islands so for things outside the clinic you should get your money canged over in Pesos. Do this at the airport or a Western Union for the best exchange rate. BTW?.. does anyone know if the clinic accepts Debit or only cash?

- Dont drink the tap water in DR or any water that you didn't see come out of the bottle. Buy bottled water down there, stick to known brands. Why? Every country has certain bacteria/protozoa/ect that is endemic to them and b/c their body is accustomed to it and is well prepped to fight it, they wont get sick.. but you will! And/or it will taste different.

- If you plan on doing any shopping the day before surgery there are malls located 15ish minutes away from the facility and a taxi cab cost around $6. they are not metered so ask for pricing before you get in.

- My spanish is bad so I'll try to learn some key phrases for when in town or wherever: Where is the bathroom, How much is this, I would like/ May i have (then point, lol), Nauseous, I have pain (then point), dizzy, their version of 911/ambulance for when in town (you never know people, lol), its hard to breathe, thank you, and my numbers. :D

Oh and there is a great I phone App that i have called I-translate. You can type in what you want to say and it will translate it into spanish, or you can speak into it and it translates into spanish and will speak the spanish for you. My coworker who is Colombian tried it out with me and she says that the translation was good. You can't speak a novel into it, but it will help with those little tiny important things when gestures are hard. I live in a part of New York City where this app is just invaluable. At some point i'm really going to try and learn the language though because I need it at work so often.

-And just in case you are in town post surgery I would bring the doctors card with me and put it in my pocket like a medalert bracelet. Can you tell i'm anxious people?? Surgery is surgery and there are things that are 100% out of the doctors hands that just happen. Not frequently, but I'd rather give myself the best shot that i can, lol.

- Pack extremely light especially if your getting a boob job or work on your arms. I'm bringing just the basics and travel size everything that i can throw out there . I am brining one of those little long strapped satchels just big enough to hold tickets, passport, phone, and money.

- If you dont have a suitcase yet, when you do buy one get the one that has the swiveling 4 wheels. They are much much easier to travel with! just discovered that this summer. (no suitcase falling over, glides effortlessly, you dont have to tilt and pull it behind you)

- Check your cell phone roaming plan before you go. Sometimes the cost to expand it is just $5 and you can take if off again the next month. This way you can talk on the phone w/o worrying that your bill is gonna be a G when you get home.

Lord i've been slacking! I don't even wanna know what the scale says... I can see it on my face. Gotta get it together. Also I'm falling behind on the surgery plan. I still have to get my bloodwork done and I haven't gotten all of my supplies. I need to catch up with Laura to get some questions answered. And take my vitamins!! I'm so awful with that. I have problems taking prescription meds too.

Also haven't told my fam, but I will tomorrow. I have seen seeing such great results that nothing could change my mind anyway. So many things to do.

School has been stressful too. Ugh.

Well I'll update again later with better news. I'll start packing to motivate myself.

APOLOGY AND UPDATE

Apology: Sometimes I'm a nervous paranoid hypochondriac wreck,.. I'm programmed to think the worst,.. I even get paid to do that. But I was looking over some of my comments on you girls sites and I was like DAMN,.. EASE UP!! I always have something scary to say. Sorry ladies!

Update:
Just told my mother today that I was having this surgery done. She was NOT happy, but this isn't the first time I brought it up (talked about it for years) so she basically just said that there was nothing that she could do and would pray for me. I'll be there during christmas so that was also a huge bomb, but she already knows that this is my ONLY chance to do it or else i'll have to wait 2 more years. So happy that is off my chest so now I can just focus worry free about my surgery. I did tell a little white lie though... she thinks I'm having it done in Florida,... when I was about to tell her DR I could tell from the look on her face that she COULD NOT handle that,.. lol. Not a huge lie right.. I mean how far is DR from Florida, lol. I'll tell her when i get there :p

Happy thanksgiving to all the Americans out there! I put on some pounds so now i'm working to get them off, but not too much. I'll be juicing, and using meal replacement shakes for two meals out of the day, making the last meal high protein with good carbs as well as exercising DAILY. If i can't keep it together now,.. how will i after surgery? :( I just gotta keep trying!

I've also been researching breast implants more. I want small ones, moderate profile, silicone, dual plan/behind muscle. Waiting for a quote,..more Before and Afters,.. and word from Dr. Robles if she thinks its a good idea to get it done.

Plane ticket: I bout a business class seat back to the US thinking that it would have the seat that reclines all the way flat (180 degrees)... turns out that the plane that i'll be on only has seats that recline 150 degrees! thats still a good recline (i hope) and I could still position myself off my butt and on my side with my legs up. So far no one has bought the seat next to me... hope it stays that way lol.

Oh ... and for anyone who finds it hard to get more reviews of out of the county doctors,.. go to google, click on search tools, then click the all results tab and then scroll down to "Translated Foreign Pages".. click on that and then do your seach. You'll get more hits of spanish websites and forums that google will translate for you. I got a few more reviews of Dr. Robles,..but it might be a greater help with other doctors based in Latin countries.



Good luck ladies!!

Laura and Dr. Robles sent me their Plastic Surgery Guide Book. Not sure if anyone already posted this. Its very informative and goes into detail what you should and should not be doing before surgery (it breaks it down week by week) and it gives you some pointers on after care. Its a 14 page pdf so I couldn't copy and paste but if you private message me your email address then I can send it to you. Its better to message me than comment cuz although i dont get much traffic on here I dont want to not notice it.

Major pointers in the guide:
-Process from consultation to quote to plane ticket, to details about the airport and how to meet up with the driver, to final consultation and payment, preop, ect.
-Stop smoking at least a month before your surgery date.
- No aspirin or Ibuprophen 2 weeks before surgery,.. only acetaminophen (very important because certain medications like aspirin cause irreversible platelet inhibition so basically you are at a higher risk of bleeding until your body makes new platelets... so no cheating on this one... if you take it for a heart condition or something else then you must tell Robles and she will decide how to adjust your plan)
-Stop all unprescribed medications and herbs/supplements 2-4 weeks before surgery
- What to do about your prescribed medications
- Stop all diet pills prescribed and prescribed 2 weeks before surgery
- List of all medications/herbs that you can't take unless given a specific OK by her.
-Patients with chronic diseases such as pulmonary (lung) disease, diabetes, hypertension may need special preop clearance before even getting there. So if you have diabetes and heart failure the simple CBC test isn't enough to clear you.
- What to bring.

GTG,.. will write more later

I can't believe that I only have 20 more days to go!!! I'm so excited and I know the days are just going to fly by!! Yesterday I started packing the basics,.. Today I'll do a little more. I still have to buy a few things, dresses, but that's about it. I'm packing as light as I can.

Now I'm just waiting to here if a BA is possible and how much it will cost as well as what it will do to my healing time. Hopefully it's not too much more.

I'm determined to thin out my face some b4 this surgery, and my arms too. I have loads of extra fat on my thighs and back so I don't think it will be a problem.

Nothing else for now...

I can't believe that its only 17days away!! Yesterday I started packing and it all felt so real. I'm trying to pack very light,.. most of the space in my suitcase is taken up by chucks (absorbent bed covering), baby wipes, and a bag of adult undies. I'm ordering 2-3 maxi/sun dresses online and that'll be it for me. To limit cost I packed mostly clothes that i already had since i'll just be lounging in the recovery center anyways.

I've been very good with my diet game and started to up my workout game. I most definitely wont be too thin for the surgery because i was slacking so much earlier. My arms, face, and thighs are thick and those areas wont be touched during the surgery so I want to slim them down.

Breast Augmentation: I had asked Dr. Robles about adding that in but I was told that she doesn't advise it and that final decisions will be made based upon my bloodwork and when she sees me. Objectively, I know that she is right, I dont want to risk my life over some boobs,.. but emotionally,.. I just want em!! lol. I've seen some of her other patients get both done. I'm remaining level headed though because in truth my boobs dont effect me as much as my ass... I can live with them for now and wait till i get pregnant or buy em later. :D And I also haven't seen much of her BA work so in the end I guess its for the better. I'm just getting greedy :p

I'm doing my bloodwork tomorrow and hopefully they'll give me back my results quickly so that i can fax them on time.

Hope you ladies are doing great!

Got the results from my Lab work!!
Hemoglobin 13.5! Sending them off to Laura now.

I must admit that as of late I haven't been liking the communication. It seems like I always get half responses from Laura and not from the doctor. Everyone has said that Dr. robles when you are there is very informative though. So I'll see.

Well I have some new exciting info.. but i'll wait to share until i'm sure :p

I took my measurements the other day and OMG,.. my health insurance should cover this BBL because I am literally FLAT! There is no more than in inch difference in circumference from the top of my butt to where it starts to curve under on the bottom. smh. The rest of me i'm pretty fine with. I've been working out, my waist is defined more,.. my stomach is at most 10lbs away from flat... My two worst areas right now are my arms and butt.

I keep on reminding my fam when I am leaving and they keep on shaking their head,.. but i dont let it bother me. I dont live with them so I dont deal with it much anywayz,.. haha. Just very excited. So excited I waste too many hours looking online at Before and Afters and shopping for supplies and stuff. Later ladies.

There has been sooooo many changes... some I wont be mentioning fully till I get back,.. I'm paranoid like that. But I did switch to Dr. Yily and won't be going to Dr. Robles. It has nothing to do with her work because I've only seen great results from her and all the reviews that I read said that Dr. Robles herself was great and attentive and very nice. I ended up switching for reasons that Dr. Robles had no control over. Also a personal friend of mine recc'ed Dr. Yily and my fam would rather me go to the known rather than the unknown. I'll explain more later. I just dont want anyone to think that I am bashing Dr. Robles. I felt really bad that I had to switch last minute.

My surgery is still on for Dec. 20th and I'll be staying at Jacqueline's Spa. I got soooooooo sick this week,.. went to see the doctor 2 days ago, and I almost wanted to cry thinking that I would have to cancel. I saw some folks on here who got sick right before and I was like DAMN... thats either some bad luck or maybe they chickened out and didn't want to say it. But here I am in the same boat. I have gotten a lot better though these past two days and should be fine by next week.

Havent lost any more weight. Dont think I will. I'm confused.

Now i'm pretty sure that I want to add a small BA,.. 250-275 cc silicone just to get a small boost. After losing a lot of weight the girls are just not the same, lol. I really wish they did fat grafting to the boobs but there is tons of controversy around that so most PS dont.

My plane tickets have me staying there for 7 days, but i'm debating whether or not to extend it to a 10 day stay,.. but that would be around an extra $180 dollars. So I dunno yet. The longer I wait,.. the more expensive it'll be ... what do you think? Good news is that the clinic does accept credit cards for 50% of the payment,.. but there is a 5.6% fee. Depending on my cash flow this might be worth it. I'm paying up all my December and January bills and then seeing how it goes.

Adding Benadryl and some Dominican money on my list of things to bring... I'll get it changed at a bank up here before I go. Thanks again ladies for all of your good advice.

HELP: I live in NYC and I see many people are from the Bronx and Washington Heights. Where can I go for massages or to buy new CG if I need them?

part 2:

JET BLUE IS A FUCKING ASSHOLE!!! I was tryna change my ticket for an earlier flight and found one that was CHEAPER than my original even AFTER paying the change fee. I called their hotline to ask a question and by the time they answered me my session had timed out so I signed back in and the ticket jumped OVER $300 FRIGGIN DOLLARS. Now the CHEAPEST ticket at $328 DOLLARS,... 10 minutes later was $750 dollars!! And that is the ONLY FRIGGIN TICKET THAT JUMPED LIKED THAT! I swear they have programs that monitor what you want to buy and then if you dont buy it fast enough they hike up the price. NO FRIGGIN WAY am i paying that much for a flight!!

Blue Pill Mystery: Everyone is always talking about this blue pill that every doc gives but most,.. including myself doesn't know what it is for sure. After a lil digging my best guess is that everyone is getting Diazepam (Valium) if its a tablet or Flurazepam (Dalmane) if its a capsule. Its a benzodiazepine which is usually given before surgery so that they can get you all prepped while you remain calm. Those two are the only blue benzos that have a onset (when it starts working) fast enough to be beneficial for surgery. Xanax is also blue but it takes longer to work. :/

but anywayz... i think i'm just stalling from doing school work :)
I bought some snacks at the supermarket to bring (crackers, graham crackers, yogurt, applesauce, ect.)

changed all my flights so that i'll have a full 10 days there to recover. It was an extra expense that I didn't want to pay but I dont want to get stuck with questions/complications in the US. Plus i'll get more opportunities for a follow up.

3 DAYS TO GO!! so excited. I was wearing some jeans today that was tight in the thighs, loose and saggy in the ass, and regular fitting in the waist. Didn't let that bother me today cuz i know it'll soon be all OVAH!! My mother is warming up more to the idea since i've been talking to her more about it. Now she's asking questions about post op and the procedure instead of scary death questions.

My Isavela bra came in the mail today,.. posted pics. Tried it on and I wish I bought that bra from before. It smoothes out and hides back fat like no other while helping out your waist a bit. It has adjustable straps and an adjustable compression band on top that you use to help the implants settle faster. Its front closing hooks (4 rows so that you can adjust it over time). I got a size medium by using their size chart but subtracting 1 or two inches from my underbust measurement since i'll be smaller and its a good fit.


SURGERY AND 10 DAY STAY AT THE SPA

SURGERY: 4700
(BBL with lipo from back/flanks/abdomen, BA, anesthesia, cardiologist, clinic fees, blood work, 1 post op garment, 1 post op bra)
Medication: 250
lipo Thighs: 250 (if possible)
Airport Fee: 10
Jaqueline Spa 90/day: 10 days: 900
Compression garment: 100
TOTAL: 6210
Spending Money/Tip/incidentals: 200
$6410

Other Things
Pre- Surgery Vitamins: 15
Snacks: 10
Gatorade: 3
Arnica Gel: 12
Benadryl : 8
Neosporin: 6
Wipes: 3
Adult undies: 10
4 Dresses: 50
3 pairs of sweat pants: 23
3 packs of “wife beaters”: 18
Surgical Bra: 50
2 Sports bras” 8
Flip Flops: 6
Plane Tickets: 1083 (bought late, change date fees)
Misc Travel size Toiletries: 10
Cab ride home: 35
Free/ already had (Tape, Safety Pins, Chlorhexidine wash, colace, chucks, Larger bed pads, no rinse shampoo, ace bandages, chlorhexidine prep pads, wound wash, wedge pillow, sleep aid, compression socks, gloves)
TOTAL: 1350

Post Care
3 Massages: 180 max
1 compression garment (total of 3): 100
TOTAL: 280

*******GRAND TOTAL: 8,040**********

-Tips to save money: BUY THOSE PLANE TICKETS EARLY.... your ticket will be almost $600 less than mine! Right now a mid-April round trip ticket on jet blue is $440.

- Fly there during off peak times (evening/ eaaarrrly morning, red eye). It could save you $100 or more especially if you are buying your ticket late.

- Fly there or back home on an off peak day. The savings of $100 or more could well cover staying at the recovery house or a close by hotel for an extra day.

- Do an inventory of all that you have (and friends and family) first before you go out and buy things. I didn't have any dresses or decent lounge-wear so I had to buy. Even if you don't want to tell them, asking them if they have any Benadryl wont raise eyebrows.

- Shop at cheapie discount stores like National Liquidator or Deals or Walmart for any clothing that might get ruined or you wont need after. I bought 4 dresses for $50 on Amazon.com and Walmart.com. Free shipping and 3 of them are pretty cute and the material is good. IF they survive,.. GREAT,.. if they get stained with drainage,... who cares.

Decide with the Dr. how long you need to stay. There are pros and cons to shortening your trip. It might be cheaper but you'll get less follow ups with the Dr. and depending on what you get done and your support system at home it may or may not be difficult for you to take care of yourself.

- Check out group on for massages. I didn't buy anything yet but I see some for $ 30-45 each

Later! Next time i post i'll be leaving to DR.

At this time tomorrow I'll be done!!! I'm flying to DR TONIGHT and I cant even talk much because I'm not even fully packed!! Omg! Pray for me, wish me luck!! Today was my last final, I haven't slept in days so I HAD to nap b4 I started everything again.

Later ladies!!

Hey ladies!! I am so sorry that i kept you guys waiting but when i say that i felt like SHIT,... i felt like SHIT!! The first day post op included some tears, major pain/stiffness, I could barely turn in bed much less find my lap top.

Ok lets chronicle this.
Pre-surgery I didn't sleep a wink for two days because i had my finals. the day of my flight (red eye flight) did my finals, napped for 4 hours then finished packing, washed hair, shaved up everywhere and then rushed to the airport to catch my 11;45 pm flight. I almost missed it,.. apparently you have to check in at least an hour ahead of time for international flights. They were about to close the gates so i had to RUN,.. and this is NY so i barely had time to put on back my shoes and button up back my shirt which came undone during the check. Flight in was Ok. DR is one hour ahead btw but my flight took a "short cut" and we got there mad early. anywhoo.

As you all know by know, you have to fill out immigration paperwork on the plane and when it asks you for an address you can put down CIPLA. When you get off the plane before you hit the immigration line there is a ticket booth where you can purchase the 10 dollar visitors pass (its to your right) You need this for the immigration line. After you pass immigration and on your way to claim your baggage there are currency exchange booths there. I think it was only a 3% charge which is good and much less than in the states so I changed over $100. All signs are in English and Spanish but the people generally DO NOT speak English. And why would they or should they? So download a translator (itranslate) to your phone before you come or practice a few phrases. Jacqueline and her driver was there waiting for me with a sign. Jacqueline and everyone at the spa is very very nice.

That morning,.. at around 6am I went straight to CIPLA for my consult. i met with cardiology and filled out some paperwork, got weighed, ect ect, all before meeting with Yily. I was tired as hell at this point. the cardiologist equipment seemed archaic but they did their job, an EKG is an EKG, and the cardiologist was nice. The CIPLA building is nice, but later I'll tell you why I DO NOT like the staff there. Again a translater will be helpful to help you fill out paperwork but the receptionist does speak english and after you fill out what you can she will go through all the forms with you and help you fill it out.

They took me to what was going to be "my room" in CIPLA. I waited there for about an hour for Dr. Yily to arrive at around 8 am (the wait was fine because remember i took an EARLY flight in). Dr. Yily is a no nonense type of doctor. She is very nice but straightforward, doesn't joke around. I pretty much stripped immediately as I explained what I didn't like and what I wanted. Her assistant Marcielle was there to translate. I was nervous so I think I forgot to tell her some stuff. She took pictures, marked me up and then told me that I was going to be her first case! I knew that I would be going today but I half hoped that I would be going later in the day. But I agreed. The usual spiel about what to expect after surgery, risks, ect. was all omitted from our discussion. Half due to language barrier and half because of a time crunch. If I were getting surgery the following day i think things would have been different. But if you guys remember I had begged her just two weeks ago to schedule me in.

Anywayz.. I soon am brought a gown and hat and "the blue pill" which is what i thought it was... Midazolam aka Versed. It makes you sleepy and also causes amnesia so you forget what happens after you took the pill. and thats exactly that. I remember laying down on the regular bed and then i remember waking up back in the room stiff as all hell, nauseous, and in pain. My first day at CIPLA was no joke. It really felt like it would never end. I couldn't sleep,.. the stiffness and pain from Lipo is NO JOKE PEOPLE!! I felt like I was hit by a MAC TRUCK!! I have been hit by a Jeep in real life!!! THIS WAS WORSE. Imagine doing literally a million crunches, literally a million back exercises, literally a million lunges ,.. throw some nausea on to that and that is what i felt. Not exactly pain, but the most frustrating irritating not pain but pain that i ever felt. Regular pain medication doesn't do much for it because they were giving me IV pain medication.

WARNING: for all those thinking that they can get extensive lipo and BBL and then go to a hotel or hire some unknown person to take care of them... DONT... FORGET THE IDEA RIGHT NOW. I could not move,... I am here at Jacquelines spa with three other girls who could not move the first 2 days so I know that its not just me. If someone ran into my room on day 1-3 and tried to steal from me, rape me, ect,... I wouldnt be able to do shit!! so please,.. go to a trusted recovery house. The first night just to turn from side to side took almost 20 minutes by myself. I would inch a little bit against the pain then stop, then inch a little more, rest again, ect. Sometimes its like you want to move quickly just to get over with it but your muscles literally can't. I got a BA and they dont hurt at all. I think she went under muscle and entered through my armpit, but the lipo soreness... oh mah gah!!

CIPLA: Hated them. at one point i was calling out for over an hour and NO ONE CAME. I felt so defenseless, hopeless, stupid, that i just broke down and this is the first time in YEARS that I was really crying,.. i mean BAWLING, and calling out for nurse in Spanish. I told Yily about this when she came and her assistant and it looked like they took me seriously and Marcielle the assistant told the nurses to never close my door. Later she walked by and the door was closed and she looked upset and started asking who closed it. Thank god I only had to stay there for one day.

That afternoon Jacqueline came to get me and I tell yah it was a whole new world. I am the kind of person who DOES NOT like to be the center of attention and I always like to be as independent as possible. So please don't take this as I am a snob and thats why I like Jacqueline's spa and not CIPLA or a hotel. Jacqueline and and Anna helped me with everything. Just walking, getting into bed, all meals, turning, getting out of bed, getting the garment on and off, the bathroom, washing up, getting positioned in bed, saving me when i get stuck in a position in bed and can't get up,.. the list goes on and on.

The spa itself reminds me of a Poconos retreat kind of house. Its decorated very earthily, but not overdone. The bedrooms are on the second floor, all have private bathrooms and you are given a key if you want it. Two beds to a room but everyone here has their own bedroom. It seems like the second bed serves more for the night nurse Diana to room with you on your first night so that she can help you throughout the night. All rooms have a mounted flat screen tv with cable channels, mostly spanish, but there is at least 10 english ones including news and fox, animal planet, lol. I read in one review that the beds were dirty,.. i think,...if so then i'm here to tell you that that is a complete lie! All the rooms are very clean,.. helluvah lot cleaner than my bedroom at home, and when one girl leaves the beds are stripped and Ingrid the housekeeper goes to town on the bedroom and bathroom. Jacqueline and Anna only speak a little English but so far communication has not been huge problem for us. we use the translator and a lot of body language and basic thoughts we get across just fine.

When you leave CIPLA you will get a list of medications and general aftercare instructions. Anna will take the list to the pharmacy to pick up all of your meds. The list will most likely include Coparina (type of heparin), Diclowal (anti inflammatory/ pain reliever), Clavulin (amoxicillin - antibiotic), vitamin C, Folic Acid, Thromboxin cream. The most expensive on the list is Coparina which is about $110, and if the pharmacy is out of that brand the other brand is around $50. Anna will try to explain to you that Coparina is the most expensive and basically that she will go get the meds for you at the pharmacy if you either give her the cash or the credit card.

Ladies,.. i'm exhausted. I'll be back tomorrow to finish the review and tell you how i'm doing. In short i feel like a stuffed swollen sausage. my measurements are BIGGER than what i started it. the swelling is normal but i had no idea that with just lipo you swell this much. People who got a tummy tuck see immediate results because they are cutting off loads of loose skin so even when they swell they look better than their before pic. I most certaintly do NOT look better than my before pic. Dr. Yily says that its normal and a girl that just left said that she looked like me and all her swelling has gone down. Thats just a tid bit. will finish later. night

Ok ladies,.. sorry for taking so long,.. But I spent days tired as heck and just not wanting to think about this. Where shall I start.

Lets start with DR. YILY: I already told you a bit about her. When you first meet her she seems very serious and I guess I do too because she mentioned that like 3 times (through Marcielle), lol. But I gotta say that she is a great doc and she actually is a very warm person. I was there for 10 days and she visited me the day after surgery at CIPLA, probably the day of surgery too but i can't remember :(, and then she made 4 house visits to check up on me and another girl staying at Jacquelines spa. That alone trumps any doctor that I know esp because it was Christmas week!! In two hospitals that I work at surgeons try to discharge all patients before the holidays so that they dont gotta deal with them, and this is if they are sick or well. If they get readmitted after the holidays cuz they were still sick.. oh well. Yily is very accessible,.. the 2nd day after surgery when I looked that the Pillsbury dough boy and freaked out Anna called her for me and she picked up and spoke to me as much as she could and then told Marcielle to call me. Also the other girl in the house had more questions and a few more blips in her recovery than I did and Dr. Yily was always accessible. At one point she was texting her. But dont think you can abuse this because like I said she is a no nonsense woman, lol. I think she use to work for the military. During her visits she told Marcielle to tell me that I should smile more, and I said you first. And that earned me a good bye hug and kiss which was awkward cuz I was still naked, lol. So yah,.. she's warm.

She's also very good looking. She keeps her body looking right. When not in scrubs she wore these haugghhht suits in all red or yellow. She looks 10 times better than her website picture.
Jacky’s Recovery House: I already talked about this in my previous post. But some additional info is that they give you a buzzer so when you press it it sounds like a door bell and someone will come help you. After day 3 or so, as a nurse I really do think people should lay off the buzzer for getting up out of bed. Its in your best interest to start exercising and trying to do these things yourself. The more you move less chance of adverse events. Do be careful in the bathroom or when standing for too long on days 1-6ish. I would get faint and have to hurry back to sit down. I wasn’t weak per se,.. I could do things for myself, but I would tire out VERY easily and get faint if I pushed it. (hope that made sense) Also the rooms are fully air conditioned and they also have big fans. You get a remote control for this too. The food is good but sometimes I like simple food instead of a full out meal so they have a fridge where they stored my applesauce, yogurt, cheese, turkey.

MY RESULTS!! I will post up pics. I am very happy with my results. I got exactly what i wanted which was a moderate more shapely ass since i had NOASSATALL, and moderate sexy boobs that looked natural. The tiny waist and more rounding hips (i had none) was a bonus!!. I love how thick curvy women look, but thats NOT FOR ME. I prefer the thin shapely look and when i can exercis/diet again i hope to get there.

BOOBS: I made a mistake earlier and thought that she went through my armpits. that incision I think was just for lipo because after i took off the bandages I saw the nipple incision. She only did a half moon incision on the lower half of my nipple so the top half of my nipple is completely normal and the the bottom half is healing now. I have one stick in each that I'll take out today. The boobs take 4 weeks to settle in place but right now they are not sitting crazy high, they are not swollen and they actually look normal. 100% natural in clothes, 85% natural looking naked dead on, 70% natural looking from the side. I am very very happy that they look this good so early on. Looking at Yily's B/A pics online I didn't think they would look this natural already. I got 375cc in each. Its silicone, dual plane under muscle. I'll assume smoothe. She gave me the carrier card to take home with me. Compared to the other parts of my body they really didn't hurt much but I will say that I DO NOT RECCOMMEND GETTING A BA AND BBL AT THE SAME TIME. Initially you can't sleep on your side much less your stomach. I still cant sleep on my stomach but now i can carefully sleep on my side with very carefully placed pillows. I think my recovery would have been much less torturous if I could have slept on my stomach or layed on it during the days. Since i got some hips done even the side sleeping aint all that great. With that said everyone is in love with my boobs, lol. I didn't anyone that i was getting it until after i got it and they are all like WOW!! My boobs before had deflated due to weight loss.

ASS ASS ASS: Ok. I had asked for moderate booty, no shelf booty for me. And that is what i got. She filled in my side booty real nice because that ish was CONCAVE before. I got a little protrusion but now that i look i wish I had gotten a little bit more protrusion , just a smidge, but that was my fault cuz i specifically told her not to. Judging from another girl who was here with me at Jackys during Day 3-5, Yily does know how to do big booty!! I was like DAH-AM when i saw her butt and hips. If you look at my before pics from the side you will see that I started with NOTHING. It was like Build-A-Booty in that operating room,.. so overall,.. still very happy.

The fist day I saw almost no booty because my back and stomach from the lipo was sooooo swollen that I just looked flat. As the swelling goes does and continues to go down your butt will look bigger so don't worry. Just to make it a point how puffy you will be post op... I went into surgery at 158lbs,.. two days ago I weighed myself at home and I was 175lbs!!!! I must of been at least 185lbs at Jackys cuz I felt so huge,.. my legs and back were swollen more than they are right now. I think i posted a pic of my cankles! This morning I woke up at 170lbs so as you can see the swelling is dropping fast. My first 5 days I didn't pee alot but now I pee like 10 times or more a day and I am not dieting.
Your butt will be very very sore at first,.. then its medium sore and numb, now mine is a little sore and a tad itchy. It feels soft in some areas and hard in other. When you get masssages done you are not suppose to massage your butt as per Yily and the masseuse. I am wearing a butt in garment but now i want a butt out one. I may just cut this one up.

STOMACH AND BACK: BYE BYE BACK FAT, BYE BYE BACK BOOBS. My entire lower and upper back was done. those back breasts are completely gone. My stomach has very little fat on it but it still swells the most and it has hard areas which is completely NORMAL for at least the first two months. Ladies,.. do your research on extensive lipo before you get it done. I didn't and I was surprised at the swelling and pain. Just a mini lesson... when you do lipo the canula they use to suck out the fat destroys your lymphatic capillaries. These capillaries normally prevent your body from swelling as it takes all the fluid that gets in between your cells and drains it back into your blood vessels. There is no way NOT to destroy these lymphatic capillaries because they are like a network of cobwebs that surrounds your fat cells and tissues. Point: You will be swollen after surgery and you will continue to go through "swell hell bouts" until your lymphatic capillaries regenerates themselves... that can take 6 or more weeks. You wear the compression garments to prevent the fluid from leaking out of your blood vessels and to help push it back it in. So thats why if you take of the compression garment for too long you will get swollen again. Yily recommends not taking it off for more than 45 minutes at a time. This is hard to do if you only have one garment and it needs to be washed when you are at the recovery house. But the ladies there work hard to get you back into it, lol. very hard. I can't stand to be a smelly cat so i had my garment washed 3 times and after day 3 i think I did daily wash ups with the garment off.

If you are getting just Lipo and not a tummy tuck DO NOT EXPECT IMMEDIATE RESULTS. I went into surgery with a 29.5 inch waist,.. on day 3 my waist was 35 inches!!! Thats all completely normal,.. it is not fat,.. it is inflammation and Yily's and Anna's and Jacky's favorite quote is "its normale", lol. And it is. It will go down. I'm at my mothers house so I dont have a tape measurer but I'm sure my waist is less than 29.5 inches now that i'm day 12? post op.

DRAINING: Yily closes your incisions after lipo so most likely you will not be draining like crazy on your garments and bed. There is debate about what is better.. open incisions,.. or closed incisions. Basically an open incision might make you feel initially better because you get rid of the tumescent fluid faster and you get a peak at your true results faster.. but in the end it WILL NOT stop the bouts of swelling. remember.. the extended swelling occurs because of the loss of your lymphatic capillaries so you must wait for them to regenerate. Closed incisions forces you to get rid of the tumescent fluid slower by having it reabsorb into your body naturally and with the help of the compression garments. From what I've read, these incisions heal much better, unlike open incisions which heal like dents/craters. I rather a closed incision with nice/no scars. When Yily checks on you she will decide if you have accumulated too much fluid. If she thinks so then she'll drain you manually with a syringe. The needle isnt very painful,.. it only hurts if she has to massage your back to get the fluid out. The massage hurts like hell,.. but definitely bearable. I didn't scream or moan or anything.

SCARRING: My nipples are healing nicely,.. I doubt there will be any trace of a scar. I have two incisions under my butt cheeks, 1 in each armpit, 1 in my belly button, 1 in my pubic region and 1 in the middle of my back. all healing nicely.. My back incision looks more like a scrape???

I bought pure rose hip oil/ Rosa Mosqueta at Jacky's spa. It comes with a free face cream. It cost 1100 pesos,.. roughly $27 USD. Dont know the selling price of it in America. Dr. Yily said i can use it when i hit 14 days post op and it should help prevent keloid scars.

MASSAGES: Lymphatic massages are a must after Lipo or tummy tuck. Your stomach will get hard and the masseuse works to get out all the knots and help release fluid from your tissues. I got almost daily massages at Jacquelines spa. They used ultrasound and hand massages .. about an hour,.. for $25 USD / 1000 pesos a session. BARGAIN!!! Remember to tip. The first massage hurts the most,.. but its bearable and afterwards you feel good. They know this so the first session they go easy with you and they build up the pressure during the following sessions. Every other day they do a parrafin treatment. I didn't like it cuz my skin was so sensitive and it felt like it was BURNING although when i dipped my hand in it the wax was not hot. Any cooler and it wouldn't spread so...if you want it just deal and know in your heart that your not getting burnt up. The other girl loved the parrafin treatments and she also had back lipo so everyone's sensation is different post op. Jacky took me to her spa which was located in a building right across from the President of DR's house.. white house?? lol. Dr. Robles also does her surgeries in this building. So Jacky's spa is really convenient obviously cuz she takes you there. The waiting room is simple and nice,.. get used to it,.. bring a little sweater cuz you'll be waiting a while some days. don't get mad, this is DR,.. that is the culture,.. everything is slow,.. everyone waits,... but the actual service is good. Read up on DR culture and waiting and you'll get what i mean,.. so don't be a ghetto bird and get mad,.. you will not change a country. If you are getting uncomfortable sitting too long Jacky did open up some other rooms for me and the other girl to lie down until it was our turn.

The actual massage rooms that you are in are small and shabby looking. I suspect this is normal for a DR massage spa not located in a tourist hotel or something, because like I said,.. the building is really nice and her spa seems to be prime property and prime location. so yah,.. this is no Red Door Spa. Bring 1 or 2 Chucks (disposable bed pads) if that makes you feel better. When i was draining a lil i did this. Also bring your own Arnica gel ($10-12 at Walgreens) so that they can put it on you when their done. The Spa is different from the recovery house where you will be living/sleeping... about 5 minutes away. At the recovery house it looks like she has/had a spa there downstairs but now I think she just uses it as an office and her and Dr. Yily were catching up there, lol.

Compression garments: Yily will recommend a schedule for you to make the compression garments tighter and smaller. When at the spa I gave it out twice to be taken in,.. it cost 200-300 pesos,.. around $5 and you get it back before your massage is over.. BARGAIN! The second time when Jacky didn't stay with us I guess they had to taxi it over to the seamstress and we had to pay them taxi money as well.

MAKE SURE TO GET SOME PESOS. ($100 usd should be enough) The spa does take credit cards but not for the hemming because they are not the ones that do it. People generally do take American Dollars (incl the spa) but a few pesos for incidentals is well worth it. Change money at the airport or if you come early you can change it at the mall for a really good rate $40RD/1USD. Also,.. if you plan to use credit card at the spa make sure that you call your credit card company before hand and let them know that you are traveling out of country and will be using the card. Otherwise, some companies will block or limit your transactions.

I will post more info as I remember ... New pics posted

The post above is pretty much my final review with mucho pictures. Compare the before and afters, remember i didn't want huge,.. i just wanted normal. If i were to go back to Yily this summer I would get my arms done :D. And thats it... i'm done with messing with myself. I'll continue to post pics as my swelling goes down. Ask me any questions you like :D

To read part 2 of my BBL journey, please click here.