Smart Lipo! - Miami, FL

First, I want to thank the real self community for all of your reviews and helping me make this decision! All of your stories are inspiring!
I ultimately chose your Dr.
Careaga for his expertise, knowledge and facility.
About me..
I am 5'8 and weight 185 pounds! I have had a tummy tuck procedure with Dr Digeronimo (very happy about 6 years ago)( 40 pound weight gain since then due to heavy stress and dealing with personal and work issues) and a breast lift with silicone implants with Dr. shuster (terrible experience and will redo my implants at a later time)
About my consults and staff..
Fernanda my consultant has been absolutly amazing, love her! She has helped me
With everything and such a nice, caring person! My preop is next week!
About the doctor..Right off the bat I knew he was very knowledgable and gave me great advise, my cousin did her breasts with him and they came out great! I also chose him because the facility is gold-rated which means the have the gold seal (hospital grade facility, equipment and safety measures), I have a small daughter and wanted to ensure the best care ) . He is very caring, gives you his honest opinion and takes him time to work with you.
About the procedure,
I am having smart lipo done in 14 areas, it includes the abdomen, flanks, back rolls, waist, outer thighs, back, you name i got it! Lol
About the pricing..
It includes the surgery, local anethesia, garment and foam board,( first massage you pay for it is extra)
I hired a therapist to come to my house for lymphatic massages, didnt have anyone to drive me
About the supplies..
I ordered the make meheal vitamins for pre/post op care and the arnica gel with pills
Comfy silk robe
Female urinal picked up on amazon
Vs comfy pajamas
Chamomile tea for anxiety after (just in case)
Good book to read during recuperation and so far that's it!
I am very excited, all of the weight gain has really taken a toll on my self esteem and am hoping I can get my old body back. So many people have told me exercise! Run! Find time! But ladies we all know that it is hard and that the Struggle with weight gain is real! So I am very excited to start this new journey with you all and to get back to living life again! I will keep you updated, my preop is next wednesday!

Just had my pre-operative appt. Blood was drawn by Lisandra, she is amazing!! Got it right on the first try!! She explained everything in detail and answered all of my questions and prescriptions! Went to the pharmacy and if the results come back ok, I am ready! So excited!!

Next week is my surgery and I am so excited!! Got my refrigerator stocked, my medicines filled and all of my supplies!!

Today I called the office to confirm but they dont know the exact time, which I was a little upset about, but it's ok. Everything so far is scheduled, they called me to make sure I was having a follow up massage and confirmed my other massages with my in home therapist. I discontinued all preop vitamins (suggested by doctor) and began taking the arnica and stool softeners, I also purchased underpads, these were recommended. I am finally on vacation and looking forward to next week !

Well, Hope do I begin.. I am very disappointed with the follow up I had been calling all day and did not know the time until the night before my time of the surgery. Once i arrived, I did not go in until 11 it ended being 2:30, I went in the or and next thing I knew I was in a compression garment that did not fit me and couldnt sleep due to the tremendous amount of pressure. The next day I went to the office and the lafy that did my massage made me cry and it was by far the most excrucuating pain I have ever felt in my life. I saw the dr peek in to tell me everything was ok, didnt get to ask him any questions, he does his procedure with no drains which is a disgusting bloody mess, thann god I had bought 30 undergarment pads which lasted only 3 hours, the lady that did my msaasage was grumpy and in a bad mood. Worst experience ever! So far I am 3 days post op am eating here and there and havent passed out which is great! The procedure did come out great but didnt not know the massages were the worst pain you will feel in your life, I opted to do them at home. It has been a very slow difficult recovery due to the quick healing of the drains, which I would recommend grtting a dr that does have drains! I am very gratefuk to be alive and that everything went well but I even called the office that day and got no response back from the answering service. I still dont even know when my post op appt is and have not gotten one follow up phone call, I am going to the office on monday personally to get all of this sorted out. Onr last comment, had no clue I needed compression socks all the time so remember not to take them off. Will update soon and post pics, for now I had to use a compression garment a friend let me borrow so I cant even take it off unless its to take a shower.

Today was my 4th massage. Today I passed out and got my period at the same time! I can't say it has gotten any better, I have edemas on my legs due to lack of eating proteins so make sure to include that in your first few days. The pain was intolerable and had to call my uncle who is a doctor, my blood pressure was very low. The lumps are smoothing out but can barely get up from bed. I am discontinuing the pain killers today because the are making me very weak and need vitamins now to speed up this recovery process! Arnica has been my best friend along with blueberries & chia it has helped my hemoglobin levels due to the loss in blood and fat. Remember to stock up on pineapple juice or extract like Bromamein and tylenol. The doctor removed 6.5pints of fat, a very large volume which is why I think I am struggling so much to recover internally. The results look great so far and going to load pics tomorrow and also taking a break from the massages. The pain is insufferable even with pain medication. I will keep you guys posted and going to the dr first thing tomorrow morning to remove hopefully stiches or atleast try and get in contact with someone to clarify many concerns I have. Thanks for your support!

Today I am finally feeling a little better, was able to get up and do a couple of things around the house. I discontinued the lymphatic massages , I've had 6. I am going to try and see the dr on mon to take off my stitches. I am happy so far that I have gotten through the worse and that hopefully as of today I will start to really recover. I am very swollen, have lots of painful liquid and find it hard to get into the compression garment which is my new issue. I was initially given a large then couldnt get it on, next paid another one its 2xl now I was freaking out still didnt fit, so I decided to use one a friend let me borrow that is softer and easier to get into, until my swelling goes down I am disappointed I didnt have one of those awesome recoveries, it really has been a nightmare and lack of information really hasnt helped. It has been different from my other surgeries, I am feeling like just a number if it hadnt been for the nurses that have been so nice the whole way. I will upload pics tomorrow finally before taking a shower, I am starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel.

So far I am happy with my results, the doctor really is gifted. The pain and swelling are still horrible but it is to be expected for this type of surgery. I have had feelings of remorse and a bit depressed but they say that is normal too. I am hoping the liquids will be removed today at the doctors office, it is the most painful part of this process. The nurse I called yesterday was super sweet and told me she would help me put on my garment which has been my biggest challenge especially to sleep at night. Overall, I have about 8 days post op and think the worst has passed. They say about about two weeks things get better. Good luck to all of you on your surgeries. : )

Well as you can see in the pics not much of a difference yet. Have lots and lots of swelling, the biggest difference I've seen so far is the back area, I am going to continue my massages again today as the pain has subdided and am walking about 20 min a day. I'm going to amp up my water intake and start eating healthier, this recovery was much worse than I thought and have gotten a little depressed am going that with the massages the swelling will go down and I can start to see the results : ( The back is where I see the best results