I was going to get these done stateside, but that would have cost me dang near $20K! Yeah...NO! Besides, with the results I want, it's clear that I need to get the DR treatment! I reached out to a few surgeons via this site and WhatsApp. I get that the docs are busy (although they have staff, right?), so I wasn't stressing too much the reply time if they replied within a few days, but I was kind of put off by how some only wanted to use WhatsApp. I figured it was because of the language barrier, which is understandable. So, I asked dear husband (he's a native Spanish speaker) to call them up and talk to them, in hopes that it would make the process a little easier. Nope! That is, until he called Dr. Belen. I am not fluent in Spanish, but I understand a good bit. Their conversation was great! He was so professional. He didn't try to rush us off of the phone. He answered all of our questions. What can I say? He was awesome! There wasn't a doubt in my mind at the end of the conversation that he's the one! (Turns out he and his staff are fluent in English, so that wasn't even necessary Lol) So, I sent the deposit. Now, I just have to buy the tickets and get the blood test done. Oh, and choose a recovery house. Hopefully my hemoglobin levels are where they should be. Fingers crossed!
32 Y/o, 2 Kids, BBL/TT/Liposculpture...future Belen Doll! - Dominican Republic
I was going to get these done stateside, but that...
Catching up since last post
In August, I took the hemoglobin test and it came back as 10.8. At the time I was on my period and bleeding heavily, which can cause a decrease in hemo levels. I increased my iron intake just to be on the safe side. I take a prenatal vitamin along with an iron and vitamin C supplement in the morning, then in the afternoon I take another Vitamin C and iron supplement. I make sure that I take the pills one hour before or two hours after eating for maximum absorption. I took another hemo test last week and I am at 12.2! So, yay! I'm gonna keep doing that until my sx date (Nov 11).
Dr. Belen is wonderful and has been keeping in touch with us regularly. He and my husband spoke yesterday for over an hour! Pretty sure they weren't just talking about surgery. Lol. My husband really likes him. I have been on Amazon buying all the things I need for my trip, and as the boxes come in, it feels like Christmas! Lol. I booked my stay with Sweetheart recovery house and I am just soooooo excited to get this done!
One of the things that Dr. Belen suggested is that I am good at the weight I am now (I'm 5'6", 185 lbs) and to take it easy on working out. I have my PT test today, so once that's over with I can relax a bit. I was going hard in the gym to make sure I'm in good shape for the test. In doing my research, I read that it is important to stop taking vitamin E at least 2 weeks before surgery. My prenatal vitamins (not pregnant. I just take them because they have folic acid in them, which helps with iron levels) have vitamin E, so I bought Vitamedica's clinical support vitamins and Megafood Blood Builder to take 2 week pre- and post-op.
Between this site and all the IG sx sites that I stalk (@bella__barbies is my fave), I am too ready for this transformation. New Year, new me!
Dr. Belen is wonderful and has been keeping in touch with us regularly. He and my husband spoke yesterday for over an hour! Pretty sure they weren't just talking about surgery. Lol. My husband really likes him. I have been on Amazon buying all the things I need for my trip, and as the boxes come in, it feels like Christmas! Lol. I booked my stay with Sweetheart recovery house and I am just soooooo excited to get this done!
One of the things that Dr. Belen suggested is that I am good at the weight I am now (I'm 5'6", 185 lbs) and to take it easy on working out. I have my PT test today, so once that's over with I can relax a bit. I was going hard in the gym to make sure I'm in good shape for the test. In doing my research, I read that it is important to stop taking vitamin E at least 2 weeks before surgery. My prenatal vitamins (not pregnant. I just take them because they have folic acid in them, which helps with iron levels) have vitamin E, so I bought Vitamedica's clinical support vitamins and Megafood Blood Builder to take 2 week pre- and post-op.
Between this site and all the IG sx sites that I stalk (@bella__barbies is my fave), I am too ready for this transformation. New Year, new me!
3 days post-op
We arrived on Wednesday afternoon. I was so excited that I didn't eat anything the entire day, which actually turned out to be a good thing because Dr. Belén wanted me to fast prior to seeing him. It was around 4 p.m. when I saw him. He did an assessment and I got my blood drawn and was good to go. We got settled into our recovery house and I wolfed down a plate of food.
Thursday night I couldn't sleep. Made sure my overnight bag was good to go. I wasn't the least bit nervous, but I was sooo excited about surgery in the morning!
THE BIG DAY! Friday morning I woke up and showered real good with Dial soap first then Hibiclens. Got to CIPLA with the biggest grin on my face! Met with the Dr., he marked up all of the areas to work on took pics, then I took the blue pill. Got on the stretcher, got to the OR, got the IV, and next thing I know I was coming to in my hospital bed. It was a rough night because it was impossible to get comfortable. The pain meds were just enough to numb the pain enough for me to sleep.
Saturday morning, the massage therapist came in (her name is Olga and she's awesome!) and did an ultrasound treatment, then massage. Got a good bit of fluids out the drain. I felt a million times better after. Dr. Belen came by, assessed me, gave me the prescription meds and told us to come see him Monday afternoon. The hospital staff put me in a wheelchair and took me out to the car. As soon as we got to the recovery house, I was walking. Well, more like shuffling. I didn't want to sit too much, and if I felt good enough to walk around, then why not? This night has been the worst so far. I couldn't get comfy to save my life, and the pain meds prescribed didn't work. I doubled the dosage to no avail. I think it's because I was prescribed an NSAID, vice the good stuff. At 3 a.m., I was so sleepy that I started crying. I can tolerate pain pretty well. But, lack of sleep and hunger bring out the worst in me.
Sunday morning, the staff brought a recliner into my room. I have 4 words: Hal. Le. Lu. Jah! Lol. I was able to get a decent quality of sleep on that. Once again on this day, I was walking around, not able to sit still. At this point, I was able to use the bathroom (the female urinal is the best thing in the world! Definitely buy one!) and get in an out of bed by myself. I only called the nurses when I was ready to eat. Got a massage from Frederica, who is also awesome.
Monday: check up with the doc. Two accomplishments today: I can stand up straight and I pooped! Didn't happen at the same time, though. Lol. I really think the VitaMedica Clinical Support vitamins and the bromelain helped out quite a bit. And arnica. I take the pills and use the gel. My only gripe at the moment is that I can't sleep. It's 5 a.m. as I type this and I only slept an hour. My sleeping pills aren't working, but then again, I am already taking quite a bit of meds.
That's all I got for now. I'll probably post again when I get my drains removed. I am super happy with my results and hope that I continue to recover quickly.
Thursday night I couldn't sleep. Made sure my overnight bag was good to go. I wasn't the least bit nervous, but I was sooo excited about surgery in the morning!
THE BIG DAY! Friday morning I woke up and showered real good with Dial soap first then Hibiclens. Got to CIPLA with the biggest grin on my face! Met with the Dr., he marked up all of the areas to work on took pics, then I took the blue pill. Got on the stretcher, got to the OR, got the IV, and next thing I know I was coming to in my hospital bed. It was a rough night because it was impossible to get comfortable. The pain meds were just enough to numb the pain enough for me to sleep.
Saturday morning, the massage therapist came in (her name is Olga and she's awesome!) and did an ultrasound treatment, then massage. Got a good bit of fluids out the drain. I felt a million times better after. Dr. Belen came by, assessed me, gave me the prescription meds and told us to come see him Monday afternoon. The hospital staff put me in a wheelchair and took me out to the car. As soon as we got to the recovery house, I was walking. Well, more like shuffling. I didn't want to sit too much, and if I felt good enough to walk around, then why not? This night has been the worst so far. I couldn't get comfy to save my life, and the pain meds prescribed didn't work. I doubled the dosage to no avail. I think it's because I was prescribed an NSAID, vice the good stuff. At 3 a.m., I was so sleepy that I started crying. I can tolerate pain pretty well. But, lack of sleep and hunger bring out the worst in me.
Sunday morning, the staff brought a recliner into my room. I have 4 words: Hal. Le. Lu. Jah! Lol. I was able to get a decent quality of sleep on that. Once again on this day, I was walking around, not able to sit still. At this point, I was able to use the bathroom (the female urinal is the best thing in the world! Definitely buy one!) and get in an out of bed by myself. I only called the nurses when I was ready to eat. Got a massage from Frederica, who is also awesome.
Monday: check up with the doc. Two accomplishments today: I can stand up straight and I pooped! Didn't happen at the same time, though. Lol. I really think the VitaMedica Clinical Support vitamins and the bromelain helped out quite a bit. And arnica. I take the pills and use the gel. My only gripe at the moment is that I can't sleep. It's 5 a.m. as I type this and I only slept an hour. My sleeping pills aren't working, but then again, I am already taking quite a bit of meds.
That's all I got for now. I'll probably post again when I get my drains removed. I am super happy with my results and hope that I continue to recover quickly.
Professional, respectful, knowledgeable.
