Colombian Chaos

I got taken in by the idea of flying off to Cartagena and coming back as a new man. I was impressed by the results I was PROMISED. The cost was reasonable, and the surgeon came highly recommended. His assistant was highly attentive, although the doctor was elusive and never available. I soon realized that "assistant" meant street hustlers getting paid commission for each patient. The medical conversations we had were meaningless, and the promises made about results were baseless.
I never met with the surgeon until the day before, for about 10 minutes, at which time they requested my cash. No clinical discussion, no mark ups, or exam of any type. He assured me that I would get exactly what I had expected.... but he had no idea of what that actually was. I assumed he was given all my info from his assistant- photos and written material from my research... but not the case at all. Dr Soto was very pleasant and charming, and promised me I would leave a happy and satisfied patient. My major reason for surgery was for pec implants, but I had also requested some high definition lipo and abdominal etching. I had waited for years to do this, and my expectations were high, but very clear to the doctor. When I examined the results, my pec implants were hardly noticeable, and the abdomen had little definition as promised.
Post op follow up was great... as far as massages went, but I never saw the doctor until I was ready to leave. I was given no instructions for post of care, but was promised someone in Miami would call me to arrange. Never happened. After three months, when it was obvious the procedure was inadequate, I agreed to return to Cartagena for a second procedure. This time I had to bring my own implants. Surgery was completed and the pecs looked much better. My abdomen had a horizontal scar from hip to hip, uneven and irregular. I was told to give it 3 months before the results would be noticeable and the swelling went down. When I returned to the States, the swelling increased, and I was diagnosed with a MRSA infection of the pec implants. I had to have one side drained twice, with drains placed, but the doc told me this was routine and will heal fine. After the third time, no doc here would continue to drain it, and eventually I ended up back in the OR and had both implants removed. Doctor Soto had tried to convince me to return to Cartagena a third, but I simply refused. He was well outside the standard of care with his suggestions, and the entire process was below the standard of care as well. My abdomen has no significant improvement, and I actually feel worse about myself now. I spent over 6 months wearing compression garments, abstaining from all social activities, and missing countless days of work. Subsequent care cost more than the procedure, and I have gained nothing except a scarred body and experiencing one of the biggest disappointments of my life. I have tried to contact the doctor since, and he simply will not return my messages. Now I must wait another 6 months if I would attempt another correction. A year of my life has been wasted. Thousands of dollars wasted for no results or gains. Months of anticipation leading to nothing but disappointment.
To make matter worse, the ancillary staff seemed to enjoy harboring negative energy, starting malicious rumors about the patients, and acting in a completely UNPROFESSIONAL manner.
PLEASE LEARN FROM THIS EXPERIENCE. MEDICAL TOURISM IS NOT ALL THAT IT IS PROMISED TO BE, AND YOU ARE LEFT WITH NO RECOURSE WHEN THINGS GO BAD.

I wish I would have realized that when he clearly promised me very specific results. Don’t be afraid to ask very specific questions. If something sounds too good or promises made too lofty, they probably are. The importance of pre-operative counseling cannot be overstated.