Flat stomach, perfect boobs - worth all the pain, frustration

I heard about CG on Instagram and had been following them for a couple of years before finally deciding to go through with getting a new body. I scheduled and paid for the surgery a few months in advance because I had just had a baby and they said I had to wait at least 6 months from giving birth to get it done. I flew into Miami two dats before my scheduled pre-op appointment. The night before my appointment I received a group text message asking to confirm that I would be at my appointment the next day. There wasn’t a time listed and I had never been given a time, so I spent the day trying to contact my coordinator and also calling the office. I never got through to anyone so I figured I would just go at 9 when their office opened (according to Google). I arrived at 8:40am (on a Tuesday) for the pre-op appointment. The door was locked but a security guard opened it and asked my name. I told him and he let me in. There were 4 ladies waiting in the lobby. I went to the desk and was given a clipboard that had paperwork like a regular Dr appt would and then I was given a list of items you may need and how much they cost. You then have to show them the actual card that you used to pay for surgery, which sucked for me because I used 3 different cards (one for my mommy makeover, one for my bbl that will be done in Aug, and one for the extra $1500 I paid to get Dr. Loessin because I liked his results the best out of all the drs at CG). I no longer have two of the cards (I paid last year) but I brought the bank statements from the month that I paid for the surgeries. They accepted them with no problem, even put the bbl one on file so I don't have to worry about bringing it next time. I signed several forms and then went in for my Covid test and blood pressure. They also took height and weight. The Covid test is a blood test so they pricked my finger. I was then called in to take my before pics and go over my medical clearance. The lady then gave me my instructions for surgery. I was finished and leaving CG by 10:45 am. Someone from CG called me at 3pm said that my surgery will be at 9 am so I was not to eat or drink anything after 9pm that night. I arrived with my companion at 8:20, and was told to go to the side of the building to a different door. (*Side note: Parking is hard to find and they charge a $300 late fee if you aren’t at least 30 min early.) They gave my husband my prescription and took down his phone number. (He needed my ID to pick up the prescription.) I was brought inside (they keep it VERY cold) and they took me to a room with a bed, nightstand and chair. I changed into a paper gown with the front open and was given a small styrofoam cup. The nurse led me to the bathroom to pee in the cup for a drug test. I returned to room and she poured the urine into the testing cup. I put my belongings in a plastic hospital bag with my name on it. Another nurse came in at 9:05 to start my iv fluids (in my hand, very uncomfortable). The dr came in at 9:15 and marked me up. He asked about medical issues and what size implants I would like. He suggested 450 cc so I went with that. He said I will have two drains in when I leave and they will be removed after a week. He was in and out in about 5 minutes but was friendly and willing to answer any questions. The anesthesiologist came in around 9:55 and asked about my medical history/smoking etc. He said it would be 20-30 minutes before they start the surgery. I accidentally ripped my gown but luckily there was more in the second drawer of the nightstand so I didn’t have to call a nurse for a new one. I was taken back for surgery around 10:15am. I layed down on the table and had my arms out so he could hook up the iv to the medication and take my blood pressure on the other arm. He put an oxygen mask on me and told me to take slow deep breaths. The medicine burned pretty bad when it started coming through the iv, but I was asleep in less than 15 seconds. I woke up in the recovery area just outside the operating room door and was covered up with a warm blanket. The clock said 1:20. I was still very groggy but not in much pain at all. About ten minutes later they asked if I thought I could get up because my companion (husband) was waiting outside. I said yes and they put me in a wheel chair and took me to the car. They give you prescriptions for antibiotics, pain meds (Percocet 5/325 acetaminophen), muscle relaxers (cyclobenzaprine) and nausea meds (ondansetron). I was in pretty bad pain (a 15 on a scale from 1-10) so I took a pain pill. It didn't seem to work so I took another one like 20 minutes later. I couldn’t stand all the way up so when I would walk it had to be slow and hunched over. I had been doing little things here and there but I couldn’t bend over and had a hard time getting up and down when I would sit. I didn’t really want to eat much, but I made sure I was taking my meds and drinking water. (Side note: I had gotten the tummy tuck and implants at the same time, but I had very little pain from the implants. I’m not sure if it’s because the other pain was so bad but they never really hurt throughout my entire recovery.) Anyway, they told me before surgery that I would have a follow up appointment the next day (Thursday) and they would call me later to let me know what time. They never called and I tried to call them several times before they closed and no matter which option I chose, no one answered. I got a phone call and a text simultaneously the next morning around 8. They said my appointment would be at 9 am. I arrived at 8:50, with just barely enough time to get to the office because they failed to inform me that this appointment would be in a different suite on the 7th floor. Again, there was a security guard outside the door checking names before letting you in. The waiting room was tiny with 11 chairs spread around and nine people were waiting. When I was finally called back (after about an hour) they had me open my shirt and pull my pants down. They took a quick photo for their records and then emptied my drains. They said my drains would be looked at next Wednesday and if they were ready they would be removed. They recommended that I get an iv therapy treatment that costs $160. I bought the three pack of massages for $150 (1 massage is $70) and I had the first one right then. I waited about 25 more minutes before being called to the back for the massage. They then sat me in a chair in the hallway for 20 more minutes. I was finally called into the massage room. There were 2 or 3 beds sectioned off with curtains. The massage therapist told me to unbutton my shirt and pull my pants down to my knees then sit in the chair. She put some sort of gel on my stomach and rubbed it around, focusing a lot on the hip area (which really hurt). I recommend taking a pain pill before the massage appointments. She was finished in about 15 minutes and I felt a little better after the massage even though it was painful. She said I could bring Arnica gel to my next appointment and it would help with the pain and bruising. They scheduled me for another massage the next day (Friday) and then on Monday as well. I left about 2 hours after my arrival. I didn’t know to get my parking ticket validated so I ended up paying $30 for parking (its a flat fee no matter how long you stay). I won’t make that mistake again. When I arrived the next day for my second massage, there were already about 12 women waiting in the tiny waiting room. I got there at 12:55 for a 1:00 appointment. I signed in and paid for the iv treatment that they had previously recommended for me. They said the iv takes about 30 min (which was not accurate). They called me to the back at exactly 2:00, and the same lady from the day before did my massage. Her name is Aylin (pronounced like Eileen) and I highly recommend her. She was very gentle but also made sure she was pushing any leftover fluid out. The massage lasts about ten to fifteen minutes. I had brought the Arnica gel and she was right, it helped a lot. I went back to the waiting room to wait for them to call me back for the iv therapy. That was at 2:20. I finally got called back for the IV therapy at 3:55. I was considering rescheduling because I had been waiting so long but I wanted to get it over with. They took me to a room and put the IV in my arm and started the fluids. I asked a few questions while I had the nurse there. She told me to drink pedialyte or Gatorade but preferably pedialyte. I asked her how long it would take to be able to go to the bathroom and if there was anything I could do to help with that. She said keep taking stool softeners daily and to stop taking the Percocet as soon as possible because that is what makes you constipated. She said if possible just take the muscle relaxers with 2 extra strength Tylenols. The IV therapy took about an hour, and I was feeling really good about 2 hours later. I started feeling better over the next few days, mostly because I took the nurse’s advice and stopped taking the pain medicine. When I needed something I took what she had suggested and it worked nearly as well as the narcotic meds. I did go to Walgreens and get some Senokot for constipation just to be proactive. I took two before bed and two more the next morning and by lunch I had been able to use the bathroom. I walked as much as possible and by days 3 and 4 I was able to stand up straighter. That really helped because most of my pain was in my lower back from not standing up straight. I got through the weekend and went back for my third massage on Monday. I had to wait about 45 minutes to an hour, and the waiting room was full the entire time. Me and a few other girls who had mmo’s took turns sitting so that none of us had to stand for too long. There were a lot of complaints during the time in the waiting room. Some girls were unhappy with their breast size and said that they weren’t really given a choice as to how big their implants were. A few of the bbl girls felt like their results were barely noticeable. The bbl ladies seemed to be in a lot more pain that the mmo ladies, which I found surprising and also scary because I have one scheduled for this summer. One other thing I learned during my time in that waiting room was that everyone was not given the same meds. Some were given tramadol or something else for pain, some didn’t get the same muscle relaxer as me and some were not given the nausea meds. My last visit would be Wednesday, exactly one week from my surgery date. I arrived 2 hours early that day hoping to be seen early because my left drainage hole was bothering me. The office was full and I was told that I would have to come back at my appointment time. I came back about 15 minutes before my scheduled appointment time and had to wait an hour and twenty minutes to be seen. The nurse had me undress and began taking off the tape under my breasts. She then removed the tape from my incision. I could see a small area on the incision that was pink and gooey. She said it was a blister from the tape and put antibiotic ointment on it. That entire area had been numb since the surgery so it didn’t hurt. I did notice that I had another blister under my left arm right where the tape started and that one hurt pretty bad. I hadn’t felt it until the tape was removed but it felt like a cut. She cleaned the incision areas and removed all of the stitches except the ones in my belly button. After that she removed the drains. She had me take a deep breath before she pulled each one out. It didn’t hurt too bad but it was definitely an uncomfortable feeling. She suggested I get another massage and I was willing to do so, but they had no availability and I was flying out that night. I scheduled one for first thing the next morning with someone in my city. The trip home was rough. I had to walk a long distance in the airport and change planes once. The holes from the drains were basically left open so they were my main source of pain. The left one is put in farther than the right one for whatever reason so that one gave me a burning sensation and was more painful than the other. The plane rides were fine, but I was nervous about flying so soon after surgery (thanks a lot, Google)… so I made sure I kept moving my legs and feet throughout the flights. I’m happy it’s over and I have to say, my flat stomach and perfect boobs were worth all the pain and frustration. I’ll be going back in August to get my bbl and hopefully that will be a smoother experience now that I know more about what to expect. Since the surgery I’ve not been able to eat too much, especially things that are more starchy like bread and pasta. I don’t know if that’s a result of the surgery or just in my head, but either way I’m not complaining. This was definitely life changing for me and I want my results to be the best ones possible. I hope this super long narrative ends up being helpful to someone!