Brazilian Butt Lift - Dominican Republic, DO

A little over two weeks before my surgery, I got my hemo checked out and I was 12.9. That was good news to hear because I was about to start taking my Mega Blood Builder tablets and thought that would raise my hemoglobin even more. The cardiologist didn't want me to get both procedures done although everything checked out fine. Baez also seemed a little confused by this and asked what the problem was. He agreed to allow both procedures if my hemo came out to be 13 and lo and behold, it was a whopping 12.5.

Needless to say, I couldn't get both procedures done and it was extremely disheartening. Baez tried to sway me towards choosing a BBL instead of my breasts but that wasn't what drew me to her initially. I chose her because I thought she did decent breasts for more than a third of the cost less and with all of the money I'd be saving, why not throw in some booty and reduce my waistline while I'm at it?

She insisted on doing an anchor lift and I wasn't feeling it for one second. I'm in my early twenties and haven't had children yet so that scar I'd have seemed too extreme. I've also had consultations prior to her that said my degree of ptosis wasn't very significant and I'd be able to receive a periareolar lift. It also annoyed me that when I sent her pictures for a quote and told her what I was looking for, she only addressed my implants. I had to remind her that I wanted a lift and she seemed unconcerned.

I digress. I considered returning home but got upset that all my time and money spent on everything would go to waste. I settled on a BBL because when in Rome, do as the Dominicans do.

Surgery was okay. I was awake most of the time, not as scary as people made it out to be. It wasn't painful for me, just weird. I saw a man performing liposuction for, what I believe to be, the majority of the time. I addressed my concern to Baez in a later consultation and she assured me she was the only one working on my body, while her normal team of 4 or 5 worked around her. So I was either completely delusional or Baez might have stretched the truth a little. It wasn't that big of a deal to me either way; she was present in the room the entire time so I didn't feel completely abandoned.

I regret gaining additional weight for this procedure. I weighed in a pound or two over 130 day of surgery. I'm 5'2" and got 1300 cc's in each cheek and 500 in each hip, I think she said. I'm confident she could've given me a little less and I would look a lot better than I do now. I have fat all over and I'm told I can't lose any weight for several months but I've already been cleared for exercise. This greatly confuses me. I'm instructed to eat healthy foods for a speedy recovery and am encouraged to exercise 3 weeks later for optimal results, yet losing weight is forbidden? Please someone, explain this to me.

I'm not too worried about any of this. I don't believe I've been taking this recovery seriously. I feel as though it was all downhill from the plane ride. So sad, I know. I constantly eat junk food. I've yet to measure myself. I wear my compression garment on and off that is too large for me in the belly and too small in the hips and butt. I've been sitting since after a week. I don't get massages beside the occasional boyfriend rubdown. I don't apply or do anything special to my incision marks. I stopped taking my supplements. I have rough sex. It's all bad.

As far as pain, it hasn't been bad at all. Day after surgery, I was up and about. I was able to get myself up and move around with mild discomfort. Nothing hurt too bad but I believe I have a high tolerance for pain. I'm 3 weeks out and my skin still bothers me. I wish it was smooth and I wasn't swollen but I know it's a part of the process. My bruises have all finally disappeared except for a little one on my butt. I'm started to feel a little concerned about these incision marks just because they're so dark. I'm wondering if they'll fade over time or if I'm stuck with a bunch of purple spots.

In spite of everything, I truly enjoyed my time in the Dominican Republic. I think it's a beautiful country with beautiful people. It wasn't as scary or sketchy as I was told it'd be. I don't know if growing up in Los Angeles influenced my opinion, but I really liked it. The people all seemed very kind and sweet and caring for the most part.

My recovery house was definitely the best experience I could've asked for. I stayed at Daisy's because I didn't really feel like researching all the homes and doing comparisons. I saw that they had a Summer special and saw a few pictures and went for it. I can't sing her praises enough. Daisy is a young woman of Dominican decent that grew up in New York and moved to the DR a few years ago so naturally, she's fluent in english. She rents out the second floor of a hotel for her recovery home, which I wasn't aware of but didn't bother me at all. The nurses that assisted me are some of the sweetest girls I ever met. The food was delicious and everything went without error. My room was big, I had my own bathroom, and the AC on the entire time. I mostly watched TV the whole time, which was kind of my least favorite part. I think if you girls have someone to go with or buddy up with, do it cause it gets boring.

As far as Baez goes, my feelings are lukewarm. I chose her because most of her reviews said she was so caring and nice and amazing and attentive but I didn't really get that. I never felt connected to her on a personal level; it was all business. That doesn't bother me in the least, it was just unexpected. I don't like that whenever I asked her multiple questions in an e-mail or message, she only answered one or two at most. It didn't seem thorough and felt rushed. I can't speak on her work yet because I'm still healing so it's unclear at this point.

That about sums it up for now. All in all, I don't regret getting this procedure done. It was full of surprises, some not so good and some excellent. I'd recommend doing it if any of you guys are the fence about it. If you have the time and resources to do so, go for it. I'll post pics later on because I know that's what most people are interested in the most. I can't blame you, I was like that for a while. I now realize pictures aren't that important because everyone heals differently and no one's results will be the same. They are still fun to look at, though :)

Feel free to ask me any questions you might have. I'm here to help just like so many others that have helped me!

I've decided to continue with the lovely Baez. I moved my appointment up to the 3rd of July so I can save a day off of work (I get the 4th off). I've been searching for flights and I'm starting to compile my list of needs. I'm excited! ^_^

I'm starting to feel a little hesitant about going to the Dominican Republic for a few reasons. I haven't really bought anything I need yet and I know the list is long. I'm afraid that things will get too real once I do. I would have to go alone and that scares me because I know nothing about the country except for the cosmetic surgery I've read countless reviews of. I know emergency Spanish but that's about it, I fear the language barrier might propose some problems. My main concern is the amount of fat that will die from the extremely long plane ride (CA to DR), having to sleep on my back because of my breast augmentation, and having to return to a desk job so quickly. I've received a quote from Dr. Fisher in Miami for a BBL only and am wondering if it would be a better idea to separate the procedures and stay in the US. It would definitely be more costly and there would be a great deal of waiting, which I'm not certain I'd like to compromise. I'm so torn! Any suggestions and similar experiences would be greatly appreciated!