Tummy tuck, lipo to back and sides, fat grafting to butt/BBL

I have surgery scheduled with Dr. Fatima Almonte in the Dominican Republic, on January 18th. I will be going there with my cousin. I will arrive in DR on January 17th and will stay for 11 days. I am hoping to get a tummy tuck, lipo (stomach, side, lower back), Brazilian butt lift and a breast lift with augmentation. I have not had a consult yet with Dr. Almonte so I'm not sure if I can get all of these surgeries at once, but her assistant had told me that since I didn't have too much fat, they can do it at once. However, I have read reviews online saying that until Dr. Almonte sees you in person and checks your hemo levels, you may not get all of the procedures that you want done. She is a good doctor and will send you away and refund you, if she doesn't think you are healthy or strong enough for the surgery.

I have 39 days until my surgery and am taking blood builder iron pills to raise my hemo levels. I am planning on documenting my experience on Real Self so that it can help other people make choices.

My history: I am in my late 20s, no children, have lost over 120 lbs over the years, and have kept it off, but was left with sagging skin and really flabby jello-like fat right underneath my skin, that just never seemed to ever go away. I am planning on getting my TT, BBL, lipo and breast lift & augmentation with Dr. Almonte, and have plans a few months later, to get an arm lift and possibly also a thigh lift, probably with another doctor in Mexico that specializes in reconstructive surgeries for post weight loss patients. It is a LOT of surgery and I am trying to mentally prepare myself for the journey. Honestly, for the amount of weight that I lost, I don't have that much sagging skin, and underneath clothes no one even knows that I have problems. But I feel so self-conscious when I am naked or when I'm not wearing enough clothes, plus I hate how my body feels (how saggy and jiggly I am).

Currently I am in Europe and will be flying back home to the States in a week, and once I get there I will get some blood work done. I am nervous about that and am hoping my hemo is at a good level, since I don't have that much time to bring up my hemo count. I have been taking blood builder pills for 3 weeks, but I haven't been too consistent with it. I'm planning on taking 2 of them per day now, up until surgery.

My first pic was not very clear, so here are 2 clearer ones. The 2nd one is pretty graphic, but I personally like to see clear photos in different angles etc on reviews here, so I thought I'd post it.

I want to mention something: Some people think you can get rid of this without surgery, but you can't. Which drives me nuts! I need surgery to remove the skin and the hanging fat. It's not a matter of diet and exercise. I've been there and done that. I have lost 100+ lbs without surgery, so I know. I also HATE IT when people tell me I should be satisfied with the body I have, and that I don't need surgery. 1st of all you are not in my body, so 1) how do you know how I feel or should feel? and 2) it's my body, so I can do what I want. And not just that, but I lost so much weight with hard work, I deserve to have surgery if I want it. THE WORST ONE is when people tell me to wait until I have kids before getting surgery... Seriously how is this ANY of your business? People's opinions about plastic surgery are so annoying. And don't even get me started with how they think it is dangerous just because it is overseas. I don't even bother to tell people where I'm getting it done. Sorry, but I don't want to and can't afford to pay over $20k for surgery in the US, when they do great work overseas, even better than US surgeons in many cases. I have done my research for over a year, so I know. Research is your best friend. Do your research, and by that I mean spend MONTHS on research, not days or weeks.

I am in no way endorsed by this company (I wish! lol), but I wanted to mention it, because I discovered this new scar therapy treatment while researching silicone sheets a few days ago. Basically, Embrace is a new type of silicone sheet, that relieves tension in scars. This is really important, because tension is what causes the scar to widen, get raised and to heal badly. Regular silicone sheets, silicone cream, BioCorneum, massages, etc don't do anything for tension. Embrace is the only scar therapy that helps with tension.

There aren't many reviews or before and after photos online, but the ones that I found, looked really promising. The scars heal pencil thin, are flat and some even fade so much you can barely see them! The science behind this is also solid. If you guys are interested, please take the time to research Embrace therapy for yourself. It is expensive, for a large area, such as your stomach after a TT, it will cost about $300 per month for the sheets, and you should do the therapy for at least 2 months for the best results. I'm definitely planning on using Embrace after I get my surgery.