WELCOME TO THE FLAT SIDE

hello ladies,
i am a 5'3" 205lb woman. I am so excited the closer i get to this surgery. I paid my down payment a couple months ago to go to robles. I want to get Tummy Tuck, Lipo on back, waist and arms. I have a decent size booty so I'm just trying to work out and do home remedies for this terrible cellulite. I will post pics later but as of right now Im wrapped up in coffee mixed with olive oil and plastic wrap. (cellulite home remedy). I just recently had a beautiful baby boy in August, and now its time for me to get this belly off of me. I have a 9 year old daughter, 5 year old son and now my 3 month old baby boy. Unfortunately while i was pregnant my boyfriend of 6 years decided he wanted to cheat on me again and he got tired of me not trusting him so he left. Smh. So now Im on here just so that i can find a way to occupy my time and stop crying and stressing out everyday over someone who doesn't want to be with me right now. So i guess I'm just on here for people to give me advise on what i need to prepare for my surgery, what i need to worry about, things i need to have to actually get to the Dominican Republic. Heres a list of things that i have, please feel free to add any comments i am open to everything thank you
List:
Granny panties
wife beaters
t shirts
bromelain and arnica
passport
vitamin c
vitamin b-12
pajama pants
sundresses
nonskid socks

so i haven't been up here in a while. i have been lazy with my journey. I honestly wasn't sure if i was even coming because i have been having bad luck when it comes down to actually getting here. been planning this trip for 4 years now. first year i moved, the second year i got a new job, the third year i had my baby and hear i am now in santo Domingo. Im going to try and give a much detail a possible, who knows it may help some people who might be just as lost as i was once i arrive.

September 2016 i sent my $300 deposit to secure March 15, 2017. February 2017 the second week of february i went ahead and got my CBC test done at my doctors office to check my hemo which was 13.4!!!! So that was awesome to find out. So i took a pic of my results and sent them to laura and she said that it was a great hemo.
got my plane ticket in february. i didn't get the plane ticket until february because i wanted to be sure nothing would pop up or stop me from going, but when i got my ticket i screenshot it and sent laura the pic to confirm what time i would arrive at the airport. she said ok someone would be there at 1:05 which is the time my flight was going to arrive.

I have been taking vitamin C, Folic Acid, Iron and vitamin b complex, a month before. i pretty much followed the packet that she sends you when you first do your consult.

March 13, 2017
My Ex BF dropped me off @ the RDU airport around 4:30am. My flight was at 6:10 so we got there at a reasonable time the airport was not packed so that help speed things up. And yes i went alone, i wasn't scared i was more ready than anything. but let me Speeding through to when i get to New jersey and board my next flight to santo domingo. first of all i felt like an immigrant (insider) because i was about to be. but of course no one speaks english, so i board my flight and i hear this girl behind me say "they done changed my seat about three times from when i first purchased my ticket" i was so relieve to hear that voice i turned around and there was another Doll behind me, how convientant. so as we got about 30 minutes away from landing they passed out the immigration papers. make sure you say US when he asked i didn't know what he was asking me. lol but yea he's asking if you are from the US and they will give you this extra green paper and youll have 3 papers not 2. fill those three out and take them with you when you get off your flight. make sure you know the address of where youre going, your passport number and bring a pen. when you get off the flight you will just follow the crown to where you get your tourist card. all he needs to see is your passport and give him $10. he doesn't take those forms he will send you to the next line where they take your info and one of those papers that you have and get your finger prints. once you leave man #1 youll come up to another man #@ sitting by the entrance who takes the green paper you filled out, and he will let you in. Then you head to get your luggage. once you get your luggage you go to Man #3 you will probably see a long line of people on the other side of those poles waiting to get through and you give him your last paper and go into the pickup area. Here is where i got frustrated. once you go through those doors you can't get back in. (get any pesos you may need BEFORE GOING TO MAN #3. THEY DO NOT HAVE WIFI SO MAKE SURE YOUR PHONE COMPANY COVERS SANTO DOMININGO.) so i go through those doors and there are so many people waiting on family it looked like a famous person was a bout to come through because people had all these signs with names on it. but guess what? No one had my name, I had no service, I had no wifi. everyone kept coming up to me and asking me who i was and if i wanted a taxi. I was just annoyed that my ride was not even there. So i walked around for an hour with the other Doll that was on my flight. She wasn't going to Robles she was going to princess recovery house. But Raul came up to me with a phone and showed me a text message and asked me if my name was on the list he had and it was. so he told me to sit in the pizza area we were waiting for more girls, then a very nice lady named lily came and sat down beside me and so we had one more girl to wait for. so we ate pizza because we were so hungry and they took american money and then found out an hour later that the girl wasn't coming so we finally left.

once we left the airport we headed to the get blood work done, X-ray and EKG. yes the stuff is old as hell but it works so thats all that matters. After doing that we headed out to go to Virginia recovery but we stopped by the office first just to find out that i wasn't going to Virginias because they were full and the girl that was with me was the only one going. so they sent me to Paradise recovery, i was a little upset because i started to get a little attached to lily because she translated everything and she was super nice to me. but it was nice while it lasted. So i get to Paradise and i must admit i was very please with the house, they took me upstairs where i met two other ladies who had their surgery already done. one lady was really cool and quiet the other one was just too damn nasty for me to tolerate for the remainder of my stay. She had pads all on the floor, used pads that is. She talked on her damn phone talking mad loud as hell, then the tv was turned up like her ass was 90 years old and couldn't find her hearing aid. she had the remote to the AC and the TV. She used the damn bathroom with no damn tissue, didn't flush the toilet and whatever what on her "Lucy" was on the toilet. i couldn't use the bathroom, yes i used other people bathroom or i used the outside one by the bar and tv area. The hot water didn't work in the room so i had to used another rooms bathroom. which honestly wasn't bad the first night. after that night was over i told Maria the nurse i needed another room, but she had said that she would try but she wasn't sure. i was fine with it but that girl in my room was going to drive me nuts.

ok I'm sorry if I feel like I'm skipping over so much because this is going over the 3rd week. this recovery is a B**ch. i don't think that i want to go through this ever again. ok now lets get started.

The communication is probably lack to none there. i was so lost i was just ready to go.
Monday- i arrived and waited for the driver for an hour with no way of knowing if he was even coming or not.
Tuesday- i waited around until about 5pm to go and get my paperwork and consent signed. to find out my iron was a 12.5 and was sent home with 2 iron shots that i gave myself because the lady said i should do one that day and the next one in the morning
Wednesday (the day of my surgery)- i found out after they told me to get ready at 5:30am and at 5:45am was told i wasn't having my surgery :( then end up getting a transfusion at the recovery house, then went that evening to have my hemo rechecked........

Thursday- got woke up at 5:30am by the recovery house nurse to find out that i was finally having my surgery. I took my last shower and washed off with hibiclens and got ready. Driver arrived right at 6:00am then we went to pick up my airport friend lily and headed to the Plastica center. (The only bad part about going first thing in the morning is if your not first then you have to wait until its your turn.) so we arrived there at 6:30am. there was another girl in from of us so we had to wait in the lobby. a few hours later about 8ish we saw Dr. Robles (who is much taller than i imagined and very nice). she did my mark up and told me what all she thought would be appropriate for my surgery. i just wanted a tummy tuck and lipo but no BBL. she circled my butt and hips too and said she wanted to add a little to shape it. so i just thought she would add just some to this little cellulite dimple i have in my butt. She didn't weigh me though which i thought was odd. but either way after they did the next lady mark up and then they told me and her that we could sit in robles office until it was time for our surgery. So long story short at 11:30am they came and got me. took me upstairs and had me put on a gown. got my IV started with my fluids, i spoke with anesthesia and went over a few things and signed a few more consent forms(gives them permission to do epidural and whatever else for your surgery). He explained that i would be already sleep when they do my epidural and that i could wake up during the procedure and that they would just knock me out again if i just so happen to wake up . (Im looking like "well alrighty then".....LOL) In walks The nurse and gives me a pill with a bottle of water to sip. The last time i remember looking at the clock it was about 12:25pm. Guess what??? during my surgery I WOKE UP!!! My eyes were covered so i couldn't see anything all i could hear was a man talking. i couldn't feel anything of course but honestly i was trying to see if i could hear dr. robles, i never did. I started clearing my throat and next thing i know the next time i woke up, woke up in the hospital bed. LOL so they knocked me back out when they figured i was awake. I can honestly tell you i do not remember anything else about that day when i came out of surgery.

So I'm just going to forward to when i finally woke up. no i don't remember the time i just remembered being hungry. I did had a foley catheter and i was hooked up to 2 drains one in the front at the corner of the Va Jay jay and one right at the crack of my butt. i don't know which one was more annoying. but the one in the back made it hard to sit down at times. they fed me some type of broth and apple juice. and i went to sleep for a bit. woke up and i was more than ready to go because no one was saying anything. dr robles, some other doctors and nurses came in to look at incisions and my bruising. One of the nurses (tavares or whatever her name is that you see most of the time) took off my tape from my tummy tuck i almost wanted to punch her in the face because after she did it, it started bleeding and she just covered it up with my faja, this b**ch didn't even try to bandage me back up until robles told her to put something on it. my nurse came in and gave me a survey to fill out and so i put in the comment section about the lack of communication. lol.. well after that my nurse and nurse assistant came they got me ready, took out my foley, gave me my bag of meds and pads, walked me around for about 2 seconds in the room and had my driver come to get me. before i left the assistant came up and told me that they hooked me up to 2 iron transfusions. YES 2!!! that was $230. i was so pissed because i didn't know that they did two i thought it was only one. then she told me to pay $100 for oxygen therapy because i had an accessive amount of bruising. I said ok, but once i got in the car i was like hell no I'm not doing that, so the driver called robles and robles talked to me and told me not to worry about paying and just go. So i went and did they oxygen therapy which was an hour. it was the longest hour in my life. this assistant comes in and helps you take off all your clothes and put you in a t-shirt, then the boy comes in and puts you in a tank, lock you in, and fill it with oxygen. i had a panic attack. and he wouldn't let me out, he asked me what type of music i liked and played me a little music through the phone thats connected to the tank. i just had to zone out, before i had another panic attack. at first i was creeped out that he was sitting there watching me in this tank. but i must admit once he walked away for that 2 seconds to get his bag, i almost freaked out. I will tell you this, before i got in that tank i couldn't even get my clothes off by myself, once he got me out of there and helped me sit up he left to get the lady to help me get dresses. i felt way better after that treatment and i put my own clothes own before she even got back in the room. then my driver came and took me back to the recovery house. where i walked upstairs and laid down and slept.

i forgot but heres the list to take the morning of surgery.
t-shirt
compression socks
phone
charger
thats about it.. i wore a large sundress so i could wear that back to the room. you will not put on a bra or panties you will leave with the faja that they put you in and i wore flip flops to just slid on. mind you I'm a Large and they put me in a XXL faja i was pretty pissed because basically i wouldn't have had a faja to wear if i didn't already buy a second one. they say they do it on purpose because they are worried about your bruising and swelling so they don't put you in a small faja. So i didn't even wear the thing it was pointless. it only held up my drains that was it.

Got home friday from surgery and i did everything for myself for the most part. I would make sure to bring extra gauze, gloves, alcohol wipes and paper tape, because they wouldnt really change it unless you tell them. i work at the hospital and i am certified to change dressing on wounds after 48 hours. but you can youtube it and see that theres nothing to it. you just have to be very careful and your hands need to be clean or better yet just call the nurse, if you don't know what you're doing.

i walked around and did everything for myself. but make sure that if you see a clot in your drain you let the nurse know so she can unclog it. you don't want anything to slow down that drain. after the first few times i just watched the nurse and then i emptied the drain myself and keep up with how much you drain and what time you empty it. that first night it leaked all over the bed and faja because it was clogged and everything was wet. so the nurse washed the faja. I didn't even get a check up the whole weekend no one changed my bandage or anything until that next tuesday. so basically i just relaxed and walked around until then

After being in the house for 5 days post op i finally had a follow up with robles. she said i had way to much bruising and needed to stay longer. Mind you i have told them from day one March 12th up until day 1 after surgery March 17th every time i saw them i told them what day i was going home. she acted as if i didn't say anything about me going home on Wednesday march 22nd. I asked her for my 2nd faja i paid for. she said "when are you leaving?". i told her tomorrow, she then said "no you can't go home you need to stay and change your flight date". I said how? she said someone will help. So now I'm just frustrated and mad because i asked for my faja that i paid for and she wouldn't give it to me. so i get back to the recovery house and tell the nurse what robles said about my bruising. the nurse was just as confused as i was. she said your bruising looks way better than day 1. ( which i thought so to.) mind you i didnt have any way of calling the airport to change my flight and it wouldn't let me do it online. i was so ready to go at this point so i was like "forget it' I'm leaving. i can take care of myself at home just like I've been doing this whole time. so i had my things already packed and i told the nurse that i was leaving and to let my driver know what time my flight was leaving. so she did.

My drainage had finally went down after about 2-3 days it drained less than 50. I was so excited to get them out. I went to the emergency department to get them removed. Honestly i would've done it at home if i knew what all i needed to do. she literally just snipped the stitch that was holding the drain in and then pulled it out. then patched me up and discharge me. i should've had have remove stitches but i though it wasn't time yet which it was and i should have. i tried doing it myself. i think i waited to long because my stitches started to keloid over on my back. i had a stitch under each buttock and took those out from the bottom. and two under my breast and two in my back which i had my friend help. and they were really hard to get out. Oh yea be very mindful, they almost didn't do it because i went to the Dominican republic and not the united states. she told me that they usually do not mess with foreign surgeries. so she said since it looked clean and i wasn't in pain she went ahead and did it. I felt so much better. OMG it feels great not dragging those things around.

ok i am officially 3 WEEKS POST OP. i have been getting lymphatic massages which have helped a little. I've only gotten 3 so far. but i can't afford to keep paying $70 for 10 massages. I didn't get one massage while i was there. i think that is why i have so much bruising and hardness. I will admit the massages feel good in a way but they hurt so bad once he gets to the harden areas. LADIES AND GENTS THE ITCHING IS FREAKING TORTURE. TORTURE TORTURE. I SWEAR I HAVE NEVER FELT SO BAD IN MY LIFE. IT FEELS LIKE YOU HAVE ON A FIBER GLASS VEST AND YOU CANT TAKE IT OFF AND THE CRAWLING FEELING ALSO FEELS LIKE SPIDERS ARE ON YOU AND YOU CAN GET THEM OFF... i had to put that in all caps because I had no idea about the itching. I was literally in tears. i cried myself to sleep. nothing helped not cream, showers, massages, benadryl, Tylenol, arnica gels and creams, arnica tablets, bromelain tablets, absolutely nothing. it relieved it for the moment, but then the itching came right back. Dry brushing did feel good though. so i did that alot. but I will not do this again if i can help it. (the aggressive lipo) I have had 3 c sections and it was cake compared to this itching. the itching started almost day 3 at recovery house but i thought it was because i was hot. but it wasn't toooooo bad. but once i got home everything seemed to make my skin crawl it was so weird. the thought of sleeping on a pillow without a pillow case made my skin crawl, a dirty towel made my skin crawl the toilet seat made my skin crawl, even my friend getting on my nerves make my skin crawl....LOL.. no lie i am so ready for this part to be over. i can't take it. I take xanax at night to sleep or i wouldn't be able to get any rest because i would be up all night itching.

i can't clean or really bend over like i want. but my mobility is 60% better than it was day 1. I am still walking slightly bent over. i try not to sit for longer than an hour or i get stiff and its hard for me to stand up "kind of " straight. I wouldn't say it hurts to stand up straight, but you can feel your nerves and fibers in your back almost like they are pulling apart or something. i don't know how to describe it. And of course the tummy tuck just won't let you stand up straight because she pulled so much skin down. the Faja robles gave me was so small i was pissed. i had ordered another one online and it fits perfect. it was hard to put on put it wasn't impossible like the one robles gave me. i will try to put that one on sometime next week. since my swelling has went down a little and I'm waiting for my lipo foam to come in. I had 1 sheet and cut it in half until the other 2 sheets come in. i think that it really helps with shaping my body and soften the hard lumps

Plane ticket
Surgery
Tourist card (youll get once you arrive in DR)
Passport
GET PESOS WHEN YOU GET OFF YOUR FLIGHT OR BRING CHANGE. NO ONE HAS CHANGE OR A $20 THEY WILL GIVE YOU PESOS AND SHORT YOU AND BASICALLY STEAL YOUR MONEY BECAUSE THEY KNOW IF YOURE NOT FROM THERE. THE DRIVER TOLD ME YOU GET 47 PESOS FOR EVERY $1US. THEY TOLD A GIRL SHE SHOULD DO AT LEAST $300US WHEN SHE TRADED HER MONEY AT THE AIRPORT AND THEY GAVE HER 39PESOS PER $1. KNOW YOUR STUFF BEFORE THEY TAKE YOUR MONEY.

**Sports bras( button in front) you might not even want to wear it if you have lipo on back, it hurt too bad for me.
**Sundresses (large and stretchy)
**Pads( mostly for drainage not for your cycle, unless your cycle just so happens to come on, but mine did not)
Lotion
**Pee ez (i didn't have one but it helps so you don't have to take off your faja everytime you have to pee)
**Benedryl
**Sandals or flip flops
**Small snacks pop tarts, nabs, fiber bars,
**Ginger candy (for nausea)
**Nausea medicine
**Compression stockings
**Slip free socks
**Hand sanitizer
**Bobby pillow (one to sit on for BBL and neck pillow)
**Stool softner
**Extention cord
** faja (you can purchase there or online) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01C7UEKYC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

**hibiclens soap
**Tums
**Water bottles (Brita filter bottle)
**Chapstick
**Deodorant
**Alcohol pads
**Gloves
**Toothbrush
**Toothpaste
**Gauze/tape
**Dental floss
**Disinfectant wipes
**Antibacterial soap (Dial)
**Surgical tape
**Kleenex
**Baby wipes
**Feminine wipes
**Medicated wipes
**Tylenol 
**Your prescribed pain medications. 
**About 7 pair of cotton granny panties. Don’t spend a ton of money on these because you will most likely toss them after you have healed. They are comfortable and you will be oozing and leaking for a while.  . 
**books
**puzzles
**All of your electronic chargers
**night Gown button up (short sleeve it is so hot over there)
**Tshirts
**Laptop-charger
**Phone-charger
**Halls cough drops
THINGS I NEEDED FOR HOME
** SOMEONE TO WATCH YOU AND YOUR KIDS (i couldn't get out the bed by myself and couldn't pick up my baby)
**multivitamin
**iron
**Vitamin A C D E
**q tips
**alcohol
**peroxide
**rose hip oil
**bio oil
**Neosporin
**paper tape
**lipo foam at least 3-4 sheets
**arnica gel
**arnica cream
**
i may not have listed everything but those are like the main things i felt were needed

SORRY THE PICS ARE SIDEWAYS FOR SOME REASON BUT HERES A FEW. UNTIL I CAN UPLOAD THE ONES FROM MY PHONE

ok these are a few pics that i have taken over the past couple weeks. I am now 3 months post op and i still haven't completely healed yet. what i mean by that is that my skin is still a little bruised from lipo and its a little hard on the sides. but its way better than day one. The itching was unbearable at one time and now i can tolerate it a little. its more like a burning feeling along with the itching. i have to get something for the stretch marks that i have created from scratching. i am now in a small waist trainer but it make me itch so bad just because my nerves aren't completely healed yet, so the compression from the waist trainer aggravates my nerves i guess and i start itching and burning which i also hear is very normal. but who knows. as the days go on things get better than the week before. I am still swollen which i knew would happen because i hate the itching that i get with the compression so i don't wear it 24/7 like i was directed to do. sorry if this seems like its all over the place but i wanted to do a quick update before i head to work. :)