Fresh out the Oven Post- Op Lipo, Fat Transfer & TT - Dominican Republic, DO

My Surgery was yesterday (1/16/2015) )and this is my experience so far.

So It all started when I was on vacation with my hunny for this birthday, he wanted to go to Dominican Republic which is where he's from. Having plastic surgery in DR is something that was on my mind for awhile, longing for that snatched waist and big behind like many of my fellow Realselfers :) After two weeks in the country I decided to go have some consultations and have surgery (if everything falls into place) while I'm already here (kill two birds with one stone right?) I met with a couple surgeons and here's my honest opion of them. I hope this helps those seeking for the right doctor to decide on;

1st- Alejandro Hernandez Pizzoglio He's very honest and tells it like it is but he's really similar to many doctors in the states who refuses to go as dramatic as you'd like (before I went to DR, I had my mind set of him but after meeting him changed my mind.) Quoted me $5600
2nd-Ramon Sabala- His office was empty and his assistant wasn't professional but overall he's a nice guy and agreed with my vision for my surgery but I was not sold. Quoted me 5000

3th-Jose Luis Acosta Collado- I spoke to him on the phone and I asked what time works best- he told me 3pm and I arrived on time- after 45 minutes he was still in surgery and his assitance asked me for a consultation which on one informed me about but she insisted I have to pay in order to see it.
(For the record I do not mind paying a consult fee as long as I'm notified )

4th- Agustina Hilario Duran, MD- FYI to those trying to reach her- she is difficult to reach by email and I asked about this in person as I emailed her and she did not reply to my email. She told me her email is working fine and she receives emails (IDK maybe a problem with her mailbox?) Anyways she offers consultations everyday from 7-9am (before she starts surgery) and it's first come- first serve everyday so no need to make a appointment. She is sweet, honest and professional she doesn't make promises she can't keep but instead keeps it real. Quoted me $4900

5th-Fatima Almonte- I spoke to her personal assistant and made a appointment for 2pm and I waited for her for over two hours since she was in surgery and "running behind". I waited for her because I was very interested in doing my surgery with her. My consultation with her was very rushed (about 5 mins) but she's very sweet and Intelligent. Quoted me $4300

6th- Rafael E. Estevez Hernandez, MD - Gave me a great consultation online based of my photos I sent in but did not meet. Quoted me $3900

7th-Tania Medina de Garcia, MD - Spoke thru emails, she is on maternity leave until the 26- which did not work with my schedule. Quoted me $4600

After talking to these doctors, I was torn between Dr. Almonte & Dr. Duran but I chose Dr. Duran in the end. I went back to Duran's office the same day and asked for the next available date and I was booked for the 15th, about a week from then!


Diary-
It is now my surgery date I've arrived at the hospital and waiting in the office. I'm filled with excitement and nerves and just can't wait to get it over it and onto recovering.
I just took my little blue pill an hour ago it's not 3:30pm and I'm waiting go to next. I've been here and waiting for about 9 hours now. Pretty Nerves-wrecking and I'm not one who enjoys waiting. I believed she's over book for surgeries today. I'm next to go and I'm last up. I can't wait for the anesthesia to hurt in and me waking up with a new belly and improved body!
Talk to you when I get up xoxo
So I didn't get into the surgery room under 4:30pm, I was under the impression that I was going to be under general anesthesia (for a lipo, BBL, and TT) but I was not. I took the blue pill about an hour before, made me a little woozy and when I got into the OR, they made me sit up and injected local anesthesia all into my back and spine. They injected me ALOT of times and it was super painful. I fell asleep and woke up probably half an hour to one hour later during my surgery. That's RIGHT I was up about half of my surgery. I was numb to an extend but defiantly could feel what they were doing. It hurted enough to make me cry and I had to beg the anesthetist for more. I fell under again but woke up at the end of surgery and Dra. Duran told me we were finishing up and just stitched up my stomach. I honestly couldn't believe I was up during my surgery, I've had surgery a few times and never once was I up during surgery so this was something I defiantly was NOT expecting. Also something that shocked me was that another person (Guy) was performing my surgery half of the time!! I was under the impression that she only does 3 patients a day but she was doing me and another patient at the same time. My boyfriend was talking to the other patient's aunt who told him that her niece went into surgery with Dra. Duran 10 mins after me! I understand the level of care is more advanced in the states but I was shocked. So I'm up when my surgery was done and they wheeled me into a recuperation room immediately again surgery so they can monitor my vitals for about an half an hour. There I see my boyfriend and I was just happy to have made it out of there alive.

I was then wheeled back into the room where I was waiting to have surgery and this is where I spend the rest of my stay in the hospital. They brought me a soup, some fruit juices and waters shortly after. The nurses was always on call when I needed them they came right away to assist me ( position me correctly, change my IV, etc) Dra. Duran came to see me probably around 10 and took me she'll come back to see me tomorrow and to just stay still on my hospital bed. She also told my boyfriend( since i am not fluent in Spanish but he's Dominican) that she tried her best but a lot of what of what we thought was fat was actually "fiber"
I'm not sure exactly what she means but I can understand. Being 5'8 and weighing 190 I just thought I would actually have a lot of fat. It is now 3:35am and I'm writing because I can't fell asleep- all I can do is take cat naps. The most painful thing right now is my tummy tuck, it just feels super tight and hurts to laugh, cough or even to inhale too hard. I have to stay extremely still not to cause myself discomfort. And the hospital not having pillows does not help one bit.
As far as results I can't see anything my whole belly is wrapped up and I'm not able to move and instructed not to get up.

I will update tomorrow when I get to my recovery house (Paradise)

So this morning I didn't go to bed until 6 am which I finally received my second dose of pain med (In Iv) because of the pain I was having and was woke up around 7am by one of the nurses. She changed my Iv.
Then the lab doctor came in and took my blood to test it to see if I'm all set to be discharged. Shortly after the Faja lady came to wipe me down with baby-wipes, drain me and put my Faja on- I was so dizzy I thought that I'd pass out. It wasn't until about 10am that Dr. Duran seen me and came me some instructions and told me I'm fine to go. My boyfriend has sleep on the couch with me overnight- I don't know what I would've done without him- I wouldn't be able to pick up the phone to call the nurses for help. The driver of Paradise recovery home came and pick me up and 10 minutes later I was at the recovery home. The Lady in charge- Laura sit me down and asked me a few questions (Any allergies, pain. etc) before bringing me to my room. It's only my first day her but she has a wonderful staff and the home is very clean and nice. The wifi is fast, my lunch was delicious even though I was only able to eat a little bit due to no appetite from the tummy tuck. The only thing I was not expecting is the stairs- (they were short so it was not a problem and no TV in my room). My hospital bed is comfy and I can tell that they care for their guests.

FYI- My tummy tuck is the wrong and most painful surgery that I'd ever done!
Ttyl Dolls...

Just to clarify- i made a lot of typos in my previous post due to typing fast ***

I just forgot to add that I met with another surgeon
8th)Luis A. Fernandez Goico- Extremely nice, intelligence, and professional. He's easy to get along with and explained to me every step of the surgery and any concerns that I had. He really educated me on things I didn't know about the surgeries (And I do a lot of research!) I think he's a excellent PS. Quoted me 7200-

I'm here up early in the morning in my recovery house. I'm feeling better than I was yesterday and try to get out of bed every couple of hours. Sleeping is hard since I usually sleep on my side instead of my back. I'm a tough girl that can take pain so I'm hanging in there :)

Prescriptions:
Dr. Duran prescribes a pain pill that I take every 8 hours- I feel like it defiantly wears off before 8 hours.
Also two doses of liquid iron a day
Two antibiotics a day
A little shot that feels like a insulin shot in the skin to prevent blood problems and clotting
Ensures for proteins
etc.
If you want the prescriptions names I will add.. the prescriptions was about $ 200

Extra fees-
If you want surgery insurance (in case you have any complications and need medical help) It is a extra $150
Labs and X-ray is an extra $150
Duran charges $50 for compression socks (needed during surgery) and $135 for a second faja
Most recovery homes charges a $100 transportation fee for transportation to and from clinics, airports, etc
And remember a lot of Surgeons charges a consultation fee !



Some tips:

1) For those traveling to DR (Which never came to my mind beforehand) is to bring all your surgery & trip $$$ in Cash ! It was my first time traveling internationally as a adult and I just didn't think to bring cash because I'm not a person who likes to travel with cash. Every transactions or ATM withdraws will cost you $10-15 dollars- $5 for the ATM & $5-10 for your bank for a international currency conversion fee that you cannot avoid ! I totally wish I knew before traveling.

2) I'm not usually a person with a weak stomach but be careful of what you eat while in DR. Avoid
street food trucks and vendors- A few times I have threw up because of food off the streets. In DR, There's about Latin food and "Chinese" food and that's about it. Don't get me wrong I love latin food but my taste buds are very diverse- I love eating all different cuisines. There's just not as many options in DR and remember there are barely EVER any dishes in Dominican culture that are spicy and I love spicy food.

3) Safety first, I'm sure we all heard of the horror stories of foreigners in DR getting robbed, kidnapped, and even killed so please be careful. Try to blend in as much as possible and avoid being flashy. I mean I've been here for 3 weeks so far and nothing has happened to me but I always try to be cautious. There's a lot of bums and hobos in DR and a lot of them trying to take advantage of tourists.

4) Remember to have bug/mosquito repellent and sun screen- protect yourself :)

If anything else comes to mind I will add

If you're reading this, I hope something good happens to you today :) !

Hi dolls, I know I haven't updated or filled you guys in and it is because of Two reasons...
1) I've been lazy.
2) I develop a burn below my belly button which now is healing great but at first really scared me.
Which I believe is due to liposuction and as I later found out the area under the belly button has the least blood supply (farther away from blood supply) and poor circulation.

So I stayed in DR for two weeks (14 days) following my surgery and been home for two weeks now. The plane ride was not bad and they do assist you with a wheelchair if you need it, which I got up from because I felt it was not needed. I seen Dr. Duran about 4 times after surgery to keep up with my recovery process. I had my faja open for the first week due to my burn and had it closed the second week. Dr. Duran prescribed me a bunch of different ointments and creams to help with my bruise and burn.

Now After a month I honestly feel back to normal and not experiencing any pains except tenderness which lipo was performed on my back. Everything seems to be healing fine. We get what we pay for and beauty is pain. Although I am unhappy with the burn, I believe the procedure was worth it.