No one tells you that you need this much aftercare

No one tells you that you need this much aftercare. I've purchased 4 fajas in one month, Fajate, AnnCherie, Merena and Isavela. I've visited almost every spa and "masseuse" Washington Heights has to offer and its only been a month. I am going broke!

First let me state that my review is not persuade or dissuade anyone from med-travel but rather to give an account of my personal experience in hopes you can learn from it.
The Decision Process:
I had Smart Lipo in 2011 but never reached a flat stomach so for the better part of two years I considered taking the leap for full lipo. After several consultations in NY (where I live) I was quoted prices closer to a car payment than elective procedures. I finally decided to begin exploring medical travel and registered for Real Self. Through the site and a lot of google searching I narrowed my choices to Dra. Agustina Hilario Duran and Dr. Yila De Los Santos. My final decision was made when I spoke with a local plastic surgeon and he told me I did not need a TT because of the condition of my skin. So I took Yily’s quote as I did not need a TT or BBL.
Obtaining a quote/surgery date
Contacting Yily took almost as long as making the decision to have surgery but via trial and error I realized that I received a response faster if I translated my emails. I sent photos and was quoted $3,000 about 3 days later. I quickly finalized a date and became preparing for my trip in March.
My friend, who’d also been frustrated with her waist line decided to request a quote for lipo as well.
We informed Yily that we’d be flying in and arriving no later than March 25th at 9AM. She said this would be fine, despite online statements you need to be at the lab at 7AM on the date of surgery.
Getting Off Work
FMLA proved difficult as Yily charges $300 to complete the paperwork and you have to follow-up with her daily if you have a deadline for submission, as I did with my job. When the paperwork was finally sent it was incomplete and illegible. I had to piece together portions of documents and email her questions to complete the forms but once done and approved we were finally able to begin saving and preparing.
Packing (what you actually will use)
I purchased most of the medicines recommended except the Diclofenac and Ronex as it's known to cause bleeding. I purchased the Heparin there as the US doesn't provide the 40mg and my dr wouldn't provide me the script. I only used 6 of the 8 shots. I took some homeopathic options instead of some of the medical options: Here is what I took:
Make Me Heal Pre and Post Op Vitamins
Heparin (40g) 1 shot a day - took 6 of the 8 prescribed. Subbed for Arnica Montana
(Note- Arnica Montana shouldn't be taken with the Heparin at the same time bc both are blood thinners. It is an a herb AWESOME, it works instantly to relieve soreness and pain, Heparin does not).
Augmentin (antibiotic) instead of the Clauvlin
Curcumin BCM-9H (natural herb in tablets) instead of Diclofenac and Ronex
IRON (which is Ferrous Sulfate) 325mg 1 tablet a day
Vitamin C - 500mg 1 tablet a day
Omperazole (generic brand) 1 tablet a day
Arnica Gel (rather than Thrombocid Cream)
Clux (blue pads) I brought 50 and used maybe 10 - it depends on your drainage
Baby Wipes - A MUST
Soap- you only need hand soap and facial soap unless you are staying until drain is removed and stiches are removed and than you can take a shower.
Tampons/Maxi pads- for your personal use and pads help with faja.
Tylenol (head aches)
Maxi dresses (they wash them so don't bring too many)
Extra Faja- Get measured prior to get a size or two down. It helps to have two otherwise you have to lay down while they wash it.
CASH - you will have unexpected things to purchase.
Travel & Checkin In to the Recovery House
Online reviews of recovery houses near CIPLA lead us to choose Real Recovery Armonia. From the photos it looked like a slice of Miami in Santo Domingo. I booked a weeklong stay for both of us- a double room with my husband and my friend a single alone.
Concerned we’d be stranded I emailed over 3x to make sure our ride was there. He was, Fernando was nice. He took our luggage and lead us to his car. About 20 minutes later we pulled up to a residential home with gates. I was immediately confused. I’d hear rumors that Armonia has obtained a 2nd home but I never received word throughout our conversations that we were confirmed for this house. I was unhappy, for a minute, because once the owner Mirna greeted us we were at home.
Mirna gave me a tour of the home showing me my room to be shared with my husband for 3 days and the room my friend would be in. I was immediately disappointed that my friend was going to have to stay in what could only be compared to a field infirmary (think M.A.S.H). Though clean, there were beds made with thin sheets on homemade platforms behind portable tri-fold screens. I wanted to tell Mirna this wouldn’t work but we didn’t have time to get settled in as we needed to head to CIPLA so we dropped our items and left.
CIPLA
CIPLA looks more like a residential lobby in NYC or a high end spa rather than a medical facility from street level. We arrived with an assigned escort from the recovery house and she brought us in to do our labs and meet the doctor. We were in the waiting room for what seemed an eternity (actually 6 hours) speaking to patients visiting for different follow-up appointments and STARVING since we had not been able to eat since 12midnight the day before. We were sent for our labs, including testing our hemoglobin, an EKG with a cardiologist and a chest x-ray. Running from floor to floor in CIPLA is difficult as there is one elevator and recovering patients need it so it’s faster to take the stairs. Recovery is on floor, Yily is on the 5th, X-ray and blood on the first, BMI measurement is on the 4th.
(Note: During our extensive waiting period my friend was recognized by a friend of ours, and it proved to be a godsend because her ability to speak the language and understand Spanish was invaluable throughout out testing and time at CIPLA. It’s best if you are not a native, of Spanish descent or fluent in the language BRING SOMEONE WHO IS!!!)
After arriving at 9:30AM and waiting until nearly 2PM we were told our blood results were in and we were to report to the 4th floor to have our height/weight measured. This is where our trip took a turn for the worse.
The nurse measured me pretty quickly and my results were barely acceptable but I did not care. The hospital is firm on their max BMI of 35 and I know this because my friend was measured by the nurse and refused surgery. After some persuasion another nurse remeasured her and thought she came up with a different height/weight she was still refused. The odd thing is my friend has been our current height for over 5 years and once in DR she shrunk nearly 2 inches, or my their calculations. We requested to speak with Yily directly which meant even more waiting but
Depressed my friend was about to begin our plans to return home when we visited Yily’s office and overheard another patient requesting her money back and access to her labs. She told us she was going to go to another facility with fewer restrictions on BMI. Of course once she said this staff in Yily’s office became very slow in providing us the lab results, but we received them and headed to Robles.
ROBLES
Due to all the confusion with Yily my friend was referred to a nearby doctor, at another facility. Thanks the owner of our recovery house we were able to secure a consultation on the same day. On arrival we met Robles assistant who quoted a rate of over $500 more than Yily’s rate and attempted to sell the TT rather than just liposculpture. After some discussion my friend elected to move forward with her and was told she would receive a call later that evening to confirm surgery for the next day.
The rate she was quoted was $3,400 which included post surgical garments and meds. All the meds were different than those prescribed by Yily, so in essence purchasing the meds ahead of time was a waste of money for her.
DAY OF SURGERY
I arrived at CIPLA at 7AM, my friend went to Robles at 6AM. We kept in touch all day via text. My friend was not confirmed for surgery as Robles’ assistant neglected to confirm but she took a chance and went anyway and was scheduled for surgery that day. The wait was crazy and I was starving. They placed my husband and I in a waiting room on the 3rd floor with my friends associate (mentioned earlier) and her boyfriend so at least we had someone to speak with. Around 5PM we were given surgical garments and the blue pill. I almost overlooked mine because it was taped to my surgical garment. Yily came nearly an hour later to mark us up. She kept asking questions about my friend and if she’d gotten surgery. I don’t know why because she refused her.
I was instructed to take the blue bill and wait. Over with Robles my friend was on the same timeline. I was unhappy she was somewhere else as the point was for us to do this together.
At 6:45PM I was finally taken into the surgical room, I was UP. The pill did not work. I passed through the surgical hallway and passed trash from past sessions – I was not officially scared. When I went into the room a woman introduced herself as Yily’s assistant. I never say Yily. I woke up ½ way through the surgery with my head against some guy’s chest and the feeling of someone poking me in my back. It hurt but I eventually feel back asleep.
My surgery lasted less than an hour, my husband told me later, but for me it felt like forever. I came out shivering, teeth chattering shivering! And it won’t stop! I kept asking for my husband over and over again in surgery and was brought to the room he was waiting. I felt someone rubbing my arm but couldn’t open my eyes. I eventually just went to sleep.
In the morning I saw a nurse in the room with me – I never hired her but was happy there was someone else there during the night so my husband could rest. CIPLA doesn’t open to 7AM so there was no one to adjust the thermostat so we’d been freezing throughout the night. My nurse tells my husband her rate if $50 (US) for the overnight stay. SO BRING CASH because no one asked for her but I got her and now I had to pay for her.
After breakfast a nurse came to draw my blood and another to take my BP and another to put me in my faja. The first attempt didn’t go well because my bottom (naturally is 49 inches) so I ended up in a XL garment. By 8AM I was ready to go to the recovery house.
RECOVERY
While at the recovery house I had my first lymph massage at the suggestion of the nurses there. I did not want to because my post-op document said 4-5 days but there’s not much to do there and other girls at the house raved about how much better you felt after, so I gave in. For $25 each (I doubled up) I received 2 massages on my 3rd day. They concentrated on my stomach and back and it was painful especially with the drain in.
I spent a total of 4 days in DR. I was scheduled to stay a week but I couldn’t stay that long. 1) My husband left 2 days after my surgery so my room was empty. 2) The construction going on in the house ran from 9AM-5PM daily so sleeping was out of the questions 3) I brought APPLE TV to watch television but there is only so much Law & Order SVU one can take and the internet was knocked out 2 days in a row due to construction. Taking this into consideration and the fact there isn’t much to do except sleep and eat, sitting with the drain is difficult and sometimes painful and you can’t walk anywhere. Sleep deprived, tired, bored and just frustrated - I was crying like a baby so badly the nurses were worried about my BP spiking. My husband SKYP’D me and told me to bring my butt home on the first thing smoking.
I decided to leave on the 3rd day there. My recovery was going well and I was up and walking for the entire day. The only assistance I needed was for my daily heparin shots and I felt I could do that at home. My only concern was travelling with the drain.
FOLLOWUP (Before leaving)
I emailed Yily regarding my drain and how painful it was and received no response. On the 3rd day I was draining 50cc and I thought it was time to come out. Luckily my friend was able to get through to Robles for her post-op visit and I decided to tag along. After she was checked out I asked Robles if she would look at me and she was kind enough to take a look at my stiches and remove the drain.
NOTE** Robles asked me who instructed me to use surgical tape and who told me to use the maxi pads. I told her CIPLA and she was shocked she said the tape can burn my skin. Also, when looking at my drain the connection was so large and there was double tubing she told me I needed to be careful as the drain could burn my skin. She eventually removed the drain because I was 50cc or lower. My friend kept her drain in.
TRAVELLING HOME
After paying nearly $300 to change our flight and get an aisle seat we were scheduled to leave and I couldn’t be happier. I honestly felt my recovery would progress better in NY where I have my doctors and could communicate better. Also staying in recovery house is so different from my normal routine it was like living in a bubble. I wouldn’t have the same type of around the clock care when I was home so I wanted to get back into my routine as soon as possible.
We had to disguise my friends drain in a purse and get wheelchair access. Despite the frequency of these types of surgeries people still looked at us weirdly. My seat was changed from the aisle to the middle seat next to my friend (I was later credited by Jetblue for the change). Throughout the flight I made a point to move my legs often and wear my compression socks to ensure I didn’t get an pulmonary embolism.
When I arrived I had the worst headache ever- nothing made it go away. I later found out this is a side effect of the epidural and caffeine is the solution.
MY RECOVERY – NYC
Since returning to NY post-op care has been a little difficult. Unlike my friend I received NO instruction from Yily on what to do or where to go. I received a one page document when I was released from the hospital but only instructed me to begin massages after 4-5 days.
When I got home I contacted my primary physician and had her check me for seroma and my stitches to ensure I did not have MRSA or another other infections. I than visited Golden Angels Spa in Washington Heights (Robles suggestion) to have my stitches removed and my 2-4th manual drainage massage. Massages cost $60 there. I am now 4 weeks post op and I am still trying to figure out post-op care. I have had some good and some bad experiences. Some people are more experienced than others and no one seems to have the same answers. I am burnt from the lipo and now 4 weeks post op I am cleared to begin Endermologie and have had my first treatment. I hope it makes a difference in the fibroids that have formed around my abs and back.
I am in a size Large Faja now, despite one of my masseuses trying to get me into a medium. My plastic surgeon (I’ve had a BA before) and Endermologist strongly suggested I DO NOT get a compression garment (aka FAJA) that is too tight as that actually slows down recovery and created cellulite in thighs and buttocks from the lack of circulation to those areas. My plastic surgeon also suggested I stop 24/7 use of the faja after 6 weeks (again too much compression) and wear it during the night or as needed for the remaining 6 weeks (Yily said wear it for 3 months). I am going to follow my PS’s suggestion here as I do not want to look unnatural with regard to my waste/hips ratio. If it becomes an issue I can always waist train later.
My doctor finally replied to my email on April 21st regarding the drain removal (sent March 27th). She than emailed me on April 23rd asking me if I was still coming in for surgery? If she's asking who did my surgery on March 26th?