Ugly scarring after lipoabdominoplasty, BA & thigh lipo

So it's been over a year since my surgery. Overall I'm ok with how it turned out. I should've opted for a bigger breast size, my tummy tuck scars are crazy ugly and I have an ugly belly button too… but I was never planning on wearing a swimsuit or to run around naked. All I wanted was to look good wearing clothes… so I'm fine with all the ugly scarring.

Anyway, so Im here again in Makati but to work on my face. Just had my laser done this afternoon and of course I look crazy, but in the end, I know that all the pain and money spent will be worth it. I'll be back in the clinic on Friday to do my fillers. I loved my consultation with the Drs at BHMG!! They are awesome! I've decided not to go back to Dr. Lorenzo for treatment because my healing process did not go well. I had to see another Dr. after my surgery to fix what was going on. It turns out that he used a cheap suture that doesn't work well with just anyone's skin… and to make things worse, Dr. Lorenzo had the nerve to talk to me like a little kid and blame me for what was going on. So insulting! I understand that there are many risks with doing unnecessary surgical procedures and that [RS bleep] can happen, but I expected my operating PS to help with the situation, but he didn't.

So while I was in town, I never expected to find out what I learned. It turns out that Dr. Rino Lorenzo was suspended from the Plastic Surgery society in the Philippines because of numerous complaints and even DEATHS!!! OMG!! I could've died!! I am still stunned about it and can't believe I didn't find anything on the web doing all my research on this Dr. Thinking back, it's no wonder the operation had to take place at Lourdes, which I was completely against having it there.. It was super dirty and in the middle of a slummy area! I am not a stranger to the Philippines and I've been visiting this country almost twice every year. I know which facilities have safety standards and which are more budget based. After questioning the Dr. if we could have the procedure done at Makati Med instead, he mentioned that it'll cost more than triple the amount that was quoted and said that no matter where he does the procedure, the results will be the same. So I agreed to have it done there. But that's not even the reason why it couldn't take place there! It turns out that since he's suspended from the society, he is not allowed to do surgeries in all major hospitals! Since he is a board certified, the society cannot stop him from practicing but can give him limitations with their partnering associations and hospitals. So shady! Ugh! I can't believe I trusted this guy… but still I'm happy the worst didn't happen to me.

Today marks the 6th day after my surgery. Since then, I still can't figure out which part of the surgery hurt the most. Some days it's my stomach area... then it's my legs.. then it's my breasts! I don't know if having all these done at the same time and having this "one pain" idea was a good one.. And to think, I even wanted to lipo my arms too! LOL! Good thing my PS didn't recommend it!
For the past few days, I've been coughing a lot! I think coughing caused my stomach to swell even more. Coughing really really hurts even with the pillow pushed down onto your stomach to counter the pressure. I swear... when I feel a cough coming, I freak out, grab the firmest pillow on my bed and just brace myself! Sometimes I hold on to the pillow and try to contain the cough for more than ten minutes! I start sweating profusely, then my stomach starts convulsing and finally I cough. It feels like Im being split in half! I can't take the pain! Told my PS about it, but he says that coughing is good for healing and it gets better day by day. Even still, because of this cough, I'm afraid of walking around when it happens. What if I fall or what if there's nothing to hold onto? I think I've caused my back to hurt by just staying in bed all day because of this stupid cough! Today I told myself that I need to help myself heal! I did my best to walk around and actually had dinner at the table. I even had my hair washed at the salon. A lot of walking, but when I feel a cough coming, I go as fast as I can back to my bed and lay there until it happens. The "splitting" feeling is now a burning feeling... not so bad.. it lingers for a couple minutes then goes away. When the pain fades, I get up again and try to do something, even if it's just to sit up straight. Hopefully I can stand straight soon!

Finally! After 12 years of saving money and debating whether I should have the surgery or not, I had it done just 3 days ago! I was super nervous on the day of and woke up afterwards in a whole world of pain. I stayed in the recovery room for two hours and was begging for more pain meds. They made me eat ice cream then had me take the pill. It never worked! I still felt the same since I left the operating room. The hospital didn't want to release me until I wasn't feeling anymore pain, but i had to suck it up and say I was ok since I had like 5 people waiting for me in the lobby. I went into surgery at 1pm and left the hospital at midnight. When I got back to the hotel, I had my nurse place me into bed and slept until the sun came up. I asked for the nurse to hand me my meds, took a look at them and found that what was prescribed to me was Ibuprofen 400. I was like what?! Where Im from, Drs prescribe you that for a toothache! I told my PS when he paid me a visit at the hotel room the following morning. He says that he didn't want prescribe me anything stronger since it'll make me feel dizzy. Didn't want to go against the Dr, so just continued with the med schedule and stayed in bed most of the time since the surgery. I still don't know if it's worth it since I don't have the energy to take my clothes off and inspect my results. Will keep you posted.