Excited for the New Me! 39/F/plus Size

I have been so busy trying to move that I have been slaking posting here. RL issues makes me forget about real self lol. My original appt with Dr. Manon was on 12/5 but I rescheduled for the end of January. I have booked my flight, recovery house (New Life), and of course made my deposit. So the count down begins!

Hilarious story, I was messaging two of my homegirls who I had not seen since I moved abroad. I was telling them that I plan to be back in the US and trying to coordinate a girls weekend. One of them mentioned that she is hoping to have had lipo done by then and the other mentioned wanted a tummy tuck. Just random in our convo. So I started typing LOL and how much of a coincidence all of it is because I will be coming back from having those surgeries when I see them. Long story short, they are wanting to come to the DR now oppose to going to their stateside doctors. One MAY be coming with me or going before me. She spoke with Dr. Manon personally and said that he was really nice and answered all of her questions honestly (even letting her know that she would not be able to slide with just lipo and should get a tummy tuck for best results). I literally have 12 people waiting on my results so they can book. I must let Dr. Manon know this when I see him so he has to represent LOL

One of the things that suck about living out of the country is trying to make payments via PayPal or WU. My bank wasn't having it (lol). But I got it all cleared up and they said I should be able to make my deposit tomorrow. So I will be notifying Manon's helpful assistant tomorrow and bombard her with about 15 more questions I thought of lol She really seems like a nice lady and is very helpful.

Another thing that sucks is trying to find all of the supplies and supplements listed in these groups. With the language barrier and different med regulations... don't get me started! I will be checking the PO tomorrow to see what all I have ordered off Amazon has been delivered. Yes, there are even restrictions on what can be mailed and that is understandable.

For aftercare, I have decided I will definitely go back stateside and stay with my sister for a month or two. I am not yet fluent in the language yet and I don't want to risk miscommunication in my aftercare. Having accidentally ordered penis instead of penne a few times solidified this for me lol. Plus I have not found a place in my particular area for lymphatic massages and my PCP provider here is not an option. However, my PCP has referred me to someone where my sister lives which is awesome!

The prices of these plane tickets is another big thing for me. Geesh! I promise you round trip to and from VCE to SDQ is just a a little shy of the cost of this surgery! Add to that, it is recommended that you fly first class on the return flight! By flying back into the states from SDQ I am saving about $900 one way. Do you know how many massages I can get for that? Do you know how many fajas I can get for that? LOL Nowadays the value of everything is in faja and massages which is great because it is stopping me from unnecessary shopping.

Okay, I am sleepy and have to work tomorrow. I will try to post wish pics and all of that jazz in future updates. RIP Tommy Ford! I hope you are GTD in heaven LOL

Hello all! I am a 39 yr old female, full figured, residing somewhere in the world (lol), and I am super excited for this journey. I have been full figured since my early 20s, always between a size 12 to 16. Currently I am a size 14. Mind you, I am very comfortable with my size and love being fuller figured, but I want my curves back. I have had several surgeries that involved my abdomen area, to include a c-section, and need work on that area the most. I recently had a vertical hysterectomy and I cannot take that scar. My gyno assured me that a good PS will definitely be able to take a majority of that scar away for me.

I researched liposuction about 15yrs ago, I just never got enough courage to do it. In April I was having a general conversation with a friend and somehow she started talking about her plans for plastic surgery. She mentioned that a friend of hers had done it and gone to DR to get the work done. Her friend was fuller figured and her results were GREAT! I believe her surgeon was Duran. When she told me the prices, I was floored! My research of surgeons in the US 15yrs ago were still way more expensive than what a current surgery in DR is today. This conversation reignited my curiosities and I went hard looking into surgeons in DR.

Ladies (and gentlemen), if you are new to this process, please believe it is exhausting. Again, I did major research 15yrs ago, but still felt like a newbie researching now; especially adding in the new country factor. Mind you I am well traveled so being outside of the country does not bother me. My passport has lots of stamps LOL. It's the narrowing down of a surgeon, reviewing the costs, reviewing the possible risks, understanding that having surgery abroad opens you up to a whole new set of issues like having to locate a doctor who will work with you for aftercare, finding a recovery house... the list goes on and on. I have found IG and facebook groups to be quite helpful. I am basically a lurker in those groups, but I have obtained some serious information that I didn't have before.

One of the things that was important to me was having a doctor that worked on fuller figured women without disdain. What I mean by this is, I have noticed there can be some negative talk on women above the ideal size. I am not trying to be an instagram model or a video vixen. I just want my stomach flat, arms firmed, and the big booty I already have shaped up a bit. I understood perfectly that you should have a BMI of 35 or less and I have that. ***Please understand, there may be doctors out there that work with a BMI above 35, but 35 or less puts you at less risk***. So after joining group, reviewing realself, checking IG, google searching doctors, and much more, I narrowed my search down to the following:

- Dr. Israel Mañon Alcantara
- Dr. Hector Cabral
- Dra. Fatima A. Almonte Rodriguez
- Dra. Walkiris Robles

Please note, these are not the only doctors in the Dominican Republic. I chose them based on my needs.

Long story made shorter, I obtained quotes from them all, stalked them further, and decided on Manon with Cabral as a back up.