Im not where I was... But still not where I NEED to be

Back in 2010 I received gastric bypass surgery. My highest weight was 290 pounds. I am currently 5'4" tall my weight is 207 pounds. I've already made my mind up on what Dr. I want. On June 16th I attended a webinar with Dr. Jimmerson. In Atlanta Georgia. I sent these pictures to this staff want almost one week before the webinar. On June 17 I spoke with Shelly(The patient Coordinator) about my photos. She told me that it will be a good idea to get down to 145 and 150 pounds in order to achieve the look I am going for. I need tt, bra roll lipo, bbl and more was quoted close to 17,000. I put down my $500 deposit. And got an surgery date of May 9, 2014. Follow me as I make this transformation.

Hey ladies. I've been gone for a couple days actually, not really gone but I just stalking RS, Gathering information, &getting to know the site a little bit. Well after reading Robbed story, About Her experience with Dr. Andrew Jimerson I decided to change surgeons, I've been looking more into Dr Baez. (IN D.R). Being that I a.m. on the heavier side, I don't really want a surgeon operating on me that has most of his experience handling smaller framed women. Although I plan on losing about 30 more pounds oh yeah, I'm down to 201 pounds so down 6 pounds from about a week ago...(heyyy) I'LL DEFINITELY NEED AGGRESSIVE lipo And a surgeon that specialize in lipo sculpture. I just emailed Dr. BAEZ pictures of myself yesterday, so hopefully she gets back to me soon so that she can let me know about the next steps. Oh yeah, does anyone know how to change my surgeon on here?

Okay so after sending numerous messages to my top Docs which are Dr. Duran and Dr. Baez, I finally received some messages back.

And when I say numerous, I do mean numerous, I sent about five messages to each of their email addresses as well as contacted them on Facebook. I guess you can say I started to get antsy. I pretty much wanted a quote, and reassurance, I wanted to know how much weight should I be aiming to lose in order to get the surgery that I wanted with the results that I had in mind. So, in my last desperate attempt I decided that I will call them. So I spoke with them, they asked me for my email address, and then wahlaii What do you know within the next two hours I was received emails from both of them.
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Dr. Baez
los presupuesto para los procedimientos que solicitas rondan los 3,600- 3,800 dolares, si es posible enviame mas fotos pues solo veo una foto de tu espalda, deberias perder unas 20-30 libras antes de tu cirugia, necesitas realizarte pruebas de laboratorio antes de venir al pais para asegurar que estas sana y que no tienes anemia, no es obligatorio hacer un deposito par asegurar tu fecha de cirugia.
Besos,

English
the budget you request procedures are around 3.600 to 3.800 dollars, if you can send me more pictures because I only see a picture of your back, you should lose about 20-30 pounds before your surgery, you need lab do tests before coming to country to ensure that these healthy and do not have anemia, it is obligatory to secure your pair deposit surgery date.

XOXO.
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Dr. Duran
No puedo hacerlo el 19 de agosto y honestamente creo que es muy poco tiempo para alcanzar el peso de 175 libras
También pienso que es mucho trabajo para ti, creo que puedes hacer te la liposuccion de espalda y TT, los senos no pueden ser trabajados en el mismo acto quirúrgico por tu bien.
Mi precio us5,000
Debes llamar a Elizabeth cuando estés acercándote al peso indicado para que le diga la disponibilidad que tenemos. Aún quedan algunos días en agosto pero no ese que quieres y si decides venir conmigo debes tener espectativas realistas con el procedimiento
English-
I can not do it on August 19 and I honestly believe that there is little time to reach the weight of 175 pounds
I also think that a lot of work for you, you think you can do back liposuction and TT, breasts can not be worked in the same surgery for your sake.
My price us5, 000
You should call when you're getting close to Elizabeth indicated weight to tell you that we have availability. There are still a few days in August but not that you want and if you decide to come with me you must have realistic expectations with the procedure.
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So, yeah, Im looking to lost at least 25 pounds and im looking to travel to the D.R mid September so please, if anyone is interested in a buddy let me know. I got my hemo taken last week and was a 12.8. I would like to get it up to at least 13.5 because I keep hearing about how Baez don't play about that so I began taking iron, Vitamin C and LAXATIVES. Lol. Im still working on loosing this weight. Oh yeah, I bought a measuring tape to take my measurements and realized that I dont even know how to measure myself(been shaped crazy all my life). -_-... Helpppppp. Lol

Today, I woke up and tried to find every excuse in the world NOT to go to the GYM! So, I got on RS and looked at a few nice round @ssez and flat tummy and THAT WAS MY MOTIVATION! I made it! and stepped on the scale and almost passed out IM DOWN TO 199.9 (LOL). Im finally back in the "1s" soooo Dr. Baez got back to me again. She told me that she will be attending a conference during the time I wanted in Sept but offered me Sept 17, I took it. She also told me that I didn't need to send a deposit -_•??? I understand, however, Im going to put in the whole $3,800 on Friday cause there is absolutely NO WAY that Im traveling to a foreign country with that kind of cash. I requested to have her account number. I applied for my passport 2 days ago, so now its time to look for flights, Hotels, OH AND A BUDDY!

I am so excited to have To have found a good buddy, after reading some of the horror stories on here, about crazy buddys lol. Im just about done planning all of the big things...passport ordered, flight tickets booked, bed-and-breakfast booked. I tried to order my Faja, and Foam off of this website that said 70% off. IT WAS A FRAUD! They took almost $400 out of my account. I immediately shut down my card... Now I feel like an idiot for giving them my personal information. I discovered that I should stay away from "MMH", cause some of the photos on there is horrific. Im down to 198.9.IBS. Heyyyy. Lol

I swear that this 199 on the scale loves me. Cant lose a pound to save my life.. Ugh. Although discouraging to not have the scale cooperate, I will continue to make healthier food choices and move around more (I hate the E WORD)...

Thanking God for the opportunity to connect with such a beautiful group of people. All of the people that I've came in contact with is so wonderful. Just when I think that I'm all alone, I receive a text from my one of my RS friends(S/O TO SASHA30 & MROSE73). I realize just how much we lean on and learn from each other. THANKS CHICKZ!!! So, I've put down a deposit with Doc today. I ordered a few items from Amazon, as well as my Epi-Foam (Biodermis), & my Passport finally came. At first, I was kinda scared off by reading about all of the infections and things going on, then it dawned on me... I was diagnosed with an infection (staph) almost 2 years ago, that I got it from a local gym... When I requested more information about how I may have contracted it, I was told that " it leaves in the community, not sure why or how it spreads, it just does"..-_____-. I had a fit!!! I wanted answers, you would have thought that they told me that I was just diagnosed with HIV/ AIDS the way I was wilding out in that hospital... So yeah, my solution to that is to request a stronger antibiotic, and bathe with Hibiclens and Iodine prior to surgery. I've decided not to read into a lot of the negative things that I've ran across on this site, although it can be like a magnet at times, its only human nature to be drawn to the negative (or should I say, less than positive)... Has this weight loss journey has been a struggle? YES.. NO!!! let me rephrase that HELL YEAH, however, I am determined NOT to let it beat me down. The scale hasn't moved in the "right direction" since my last post however, I'm feeling better about my appearance and I have more energy soooo I've since divorce the scale!!! I will have a "one night stand" with it every blue moon (I'll weigh myself twice a month).. Not sure if this is recommended but IM DOING THIS FOR MY OWN SANITY. Oh yeah, I also ditched my American Primary Care Doctor and opted for one that studied medicine in Puerto Rico. Im not sure why American Doctors look down upon doctors in other countries. American Doctors are "BOOK SMART" YES, HOWEVER, I NEED MORE THAN "BOOK SMARTS" to help with this "ISSUE"... So, Ill be going abroad! oh yeah, I gave my new doctor a copy of the email from Dr. Yily and he was totally supportive, he wants to see me at least 3 more times before my trip to insure that im in tip top health...

Today has been rough. I almost had a breakdown. My job screwed up my vacation time sooooo yeah, I was upset to say the least. I've decided to turn this journey over to God and let him work it out, like he always do. I may end up going to the D.R a whole month earlier than planned, im just praying that my buddy will be able to join me- Lawd, I don't know what I would do without her!!!! I joined real-self seeking some answers to my questions however, Ive seem to come up with ALOT more questions than answers!!! Ive read ALOT of things about Dr. Yily on RS. The Good, the bad, and the ugly. I have never did too well receiving 3rd, 4th, and even 5th party information so I sent the Goddess herself a list of questions and she replied 2 days later!!!
Here are a list of Q &A:

Q: How many times have you performed the procedure?
A: I performed in average two a day and I've doing it four about 5 years already!
Q:How long have you performed the procedure?
A: For a long time, but I don't just sit and accept that, I always read and go to small training for new procedures.
Q: Who will assist in the procedure? Their qualifications and training?
A: I have a team composed by my anesthesiologist, two nurses and two assistants, all qualified and certfied by the correct departments in the country!
Q: Are all involved licensed in good standing?
A: Yes, they are.
Q: What is involved in the procedure? How is it performed?
A: I will answer this one tomorrow, so I can sit with time!
Q: Can I get advance copies of all forms I have to complete and sign prior to procedure?
A: The ones I use of course, I need to ask the clinic if they allow me to provide theirs to you!
Q: Are you insured for malpractice? A: Yes, I am
Q: Who will administer and monitor the sedation?
A: My anesthesiologist!
Q: How long will the procedure last? A: That depends on how much needs to be removed.. Usually between 2.5 - 4hours.
Q: How long will the sedation effects last?
A: That depends on each person, I've seen people sleeping two hours after surgery and others that are awake inmedately you take them to the room.
Q: How long will it take to recover in the facility before discharge?
A: If you have surgery today, I will discharge you the next day if all your levels are OK. If not depending on your own conditions this may vary.
Q: Where will the surgery take place? A: On the 3rd floor of the clinic, in the OR.
Q: What are the emergency plans? A: We always have everything set for the worst, although thanks GOD I've had to use it before.
Q: To which hospital would I be taken?
A: In case something happen, we have all kind of doctors at the clinic, there will be noo need to take you anywhere.
Q: Will there be noticeable scarring? A: It's just a line! I try to do it as low as your body allows me to, I usually leave under your underwear line.
Q: What realistic result can I expect? A: That depends on your complexion, but as I am no goddess, I usually say that the way you look will look 85 % - 95% better than before. Always taking in consideration that one side of your body it's totally different from the other.
Q: Will the you perform the procedure from the first cut to the last stitch?
A: Yes, I will. I am just not there when they bathe you and when the anesthesiologiist starts! But inmediately you start being under anesthesia I will be there, till my last stitch, where my assistants will bathe you again and set you up to go the room.
Q: What are the risks associated with this procedure?
A: All the ones related to surgery, if you don't tell us the truth aboout any conditions, it can complicate, there are possibilities of clots, that's why I prescribe Heparin. Sometimes people feel itchiness because of the anesthesia.
Q: What are the warning signs or concerns to watch for?
A: You should not have fever after the 3rd of surgery! You'll feel pain and discomfort, but if it is an unbereable pain, you should let us know!
Q: Do you do revisions and at what cost?
A: What kind of revisions?

Im very confident that she can give me what I want. Just by her taking the time to answer 99.99% of my 60 questions... I feel good...Ive been flip flopping between Yily and Baez for sometime now... It's official.. She has my VOTE!

It seems like I cant win for losing. Unfortunately, my buddy may not be able to accompany me on this trip. It just seems like it's one thing after another. My Sx date is set for Aug 21st. I will be there from 8/20- 8/30. If you are Interested in having a buddy, please PM me. I REALLY dont want to go alone but at this point, Its the only option. I've already spent more than 500 bucks changing and rearranging for this trip. I just cant spend 1 more day then I have to with all of this access skin & belly HELPPPPPPPPP

This is the FIRST BIRTHDAY THAT I EVER SPENT IN THE GYM!!! Im on crunch time now. 1 MONTH PRE TO GO! Oh yeah... Im down to 192! Getting scared...

Not much to update: I got a few things accoplished this week. I paid the full $4300, by depositing it into Yilly's Chase account. The Teller was so damn nosey and even had the Nerves to ask me what was the deposit for -____•... I told him " MY ASS"!!! after a long awkward silence, he decided to laugh it off. Meanwhile I still had my poker face on (LOL)... I went in on the 23rd, and took some labs for my PCP. I was a bit discouraged when I found out that my hemal had actually dropped down to a 12.7. And my white blood count was extremely low, I decided, to look up all of the reasons for extremely low white blood count and everything that pop up in the search engine almost scared the life out of me possibe Leukemia, Cancer, and Lupus, just to name a few. Lupus stuck out like a sore thumb because I have a STRONG family history of it. I sent over all of the lab results to Dr. Yily, and she said everything looked great but for me to double up on the iron 2 weeks prior to me coming. That was a major relief, however, I must redo labs in 10 days to figure out this White Blood Count situation... BE SURE TO CHECK WITH YOUR CELL PHONE PROVIDER ABOUT MAKING INTERNATIONAL CALLS AND TEXT, PLEASE DON'T BE LIKE ME! I HAD TO LEARN THE HARD WAY WHEN I GOT A CELL PHONE BILL FOR $323. I downloaded Whatsapp since then... I even managed to pack on 4 pounds in 2 days... Ugh. Sooooo yeah. 25 MORE DAYS!!!

Decided to share this because, Ive notice a few girlies Experiencing this right now.
I downloaded this post-operative Emotions Reminder List before my Gastric Bypass surgery... It helped me alot, and gave me reassurance.

NOTE TO SELF:
This is a reminder that mild feelings of sadness post-operatively are normal. I realize that this does not happen to all people but the few that it does happen to may include me. I know that I need to be patient and think positive as it promotes better healing and relaxation. I know that I need to wait out my healing period before I pass judgment on my results and follow my surgeon's instructions to increase my chances of a great result. I know that stress and anxiety can only worsen my emotional state and I will try my best to not let it affect me.
I will be:
• sore
• tired
• irritable
• unsure of my decision to have my procedure
• possibly mildly depressed
• bloated
• bored
• anxious
• restless
• unable to sleep at times
During my recovery my treatment area may:
• be swollen
• be asymmetrical
• be bruised
• be tender to the touch
• experience sharp pains or have slight numbness
• be firm or hard
I also realize that even the daily subtle changes or flaws that I may see in the mirror may not be visible to others as I am my own worst critic. I do realize once I heal, my changes can easily be seen with the help of before and after photos. I realize that if after I am healed and I do not like the end result I can always approach my surgeon regarding my dissatisfaction.
I know must not take out my insecurities or other emotions on my significant other, family or friends but I sometimes cannot help it and need to vent my frustration or sadness. I know I need to stay positive and let my body and mind heal because surgery is invasive and can trigger many emotions. I know that I can always get support from my loved ones and friends, be they in person or online. I know this state of disarray and being unsure is only temporary. Today I will smile and remain patient because tomorrow will be another day and will bring me one day closer to being fully healed.

If you, experience symptoms for two weeks or longer, seek a professional assessment.

Its totally normal!

Got My lab results from my PCP. I am so excited, I finally got the green light. Now is becoming oh so real. I am currently back down to 192, not sure if I can lose 10 more pounds in 15 days. But I will try. I read about girls packing unpacking and repackung their suitcases several times before leaving. Looks like I'll be unpacking my suitcase for the third time tomorrow, I decided To wash all of my brand-new clothes before going, Just in case I haven't mentioned it before, I have OCD. Ive been in denial for a while. 16 DAYS TO GOOOO...Excited!!!

Wheels up tomorrow! Ive been gone for awhile because I picked up an extra job, well, not really a job but, I was picked to be the "team mom" of my daughters cheer leading team, so Ive been super busy, which I really don't mind because its been keeping my mind off of the fact that Im having surgery in less than 3 days. So, since my last post Ive fired Dominga and hired Yasmin. Ive packed all of my supplies up for the final time. I ran out and bought some depends (just in case), and Ive made 3 copies of all of my paperwork, Ids, passport, receipts, emails and Contact info for Yasmins RH. 1 for my mama, my husband and a copy for myself. Oh, and NO BUDDY... AGAIN;(...At this point I'm just ready to get this over and come back home to my family.

Okay so, I left my house for the airport at about 12 o'clock noon, The airport which is, SFO is located about 45 minutes from where I stay. My The flight left SFO at about 3:00 PM, followed by a 7 hour layover in Jersey. I boarded the plane in New Jersey headed for Santo Domingo at 7:01 AM and guess what, I had all three seats in my row to myself. Once we landed, I headed straight for the Solaris go to get my visitors card, well it's not really a card but a little piece of paper, After that, I went to customs, gave them my passport along with the receipt for the visitor card. I then located a Currency Exchange booth( right next to the baggage pickup). I exchanged 100 USD in return I they gave me 3,680.80 DOP.(I felt so DUMB, I should of studied DOM PESOS a little bit more/so confusing). I only brought $1000.00 cash with me. I paid Yily, and Yasmin in advance. I figure 500 will be emergency, 150 for Massages, and the rest Ill use for tipping etc. After getting my Pesos I ran over to grab my bags... THIS IS THE SCARRY PART! So, after Retrieving my luggage, I go to customs for the final check out. I was greeted by, what appeared to be an airport worker, He kept asking if I needed a taxi. I told him no, He then told me to let him help me get my things outside, me, being naïve, thought that he was just being nice. Boy was I wrong. So he starts speed walking, pushing my stuff, holding his other hand out saying money money, Im like okay, And reach in my pouch for some change, then he starts saying no paper,paper money, them points at it. I got pissed. I pulled out a 1 dollar bill and a 5 dollar bill (USD). He said NO, DOP (thats when it hit me, he was watching me at the currency booth the whole time), I told him to give me the Cart. He looked at me crazy and I could see in his face that he was thinking of doing something stupid, I said "GIVE IT TOO ME NOW!" And he said 5 dollars! -_•... I guess the look I gave him told it all. He let it go and took off into the crowd! I was secretly thanking God that I didn't have to beat that mans u know what in there! SO LADIES! DONT LET ANYONE DO ANYTHING FOR YOU! Moving on... I called Yasmin to see if she was there yet, and she told me that she was running late do to the weather (it was pouring down, thundering, lightening and 100 degrees all at the same time). So after waiting about 10 more minutes she pulled up and asked me for my name, we greeted each other, and thats when "another guy" came and started putting my luggage in her trunk. I didnt wanna take any chances so I didnt even think about tipping him. Yasmin gave him 2 USD and told me that she usually tips 2 dollars or 80 pesos (that was good to know). So it took us about 30 minutes to get to Yasmins. Shes a real sweet heart. Dominicans drive CRAZYYYYYY. I mean it was unreal, Horns blowing, motorcycles with 3 guys on 1 bike, traffic, going wrong way on "one ways" you name it. I was praying the whole time. Yasmin pulled up at her home and told me that she was going to let her sister Juanita take me over to Cilpa to get labs and x rays done because she had to tend to another girl that just had surgery yesterday. That was fine. So, once we got to CILPA the lab was closed for lunch, we went up to Yilys office, got RX from Dr Ana and headed for the lobby. We waited for 10 minutes before lab techs returned. I got my blood drawn, she burned and put needle in the grinder. Then it was time for the x rays, poor technician, he couldn't understand me, and I could hardly understand him, he tried to Apologize for not being able to speak English. I told him that it was no need for him to apologize, I sorry for not paying attention to my teacher in my 9th grade Spanish class. We both laughed. No cardiologist today, so Ill get my heart stuff done tomorrow. We then went back to Yasmins, thats when she hooked my phone up to her Wifi and we sat and talked for a little while. I went to my room to unpack, take a shower and call my family because they were all so worried sick about me. Yasmins mom fed me twice already, and both meals were great, oh and she made some kind of mango juice... Da BOMB. Well, Ill update again tomorrow, let me get some rest, gotta be up super early...

Been up just about all night, I got out of bed at about 5:30 am, and as soon as I opened my room door, Yasmin was right there asking if I was okay (sucha sweet heart). she showed me how to turn on her hot water as well as brought me some bath towels. I tended to my hygiene duties. Ive been on the phone with my mama and hubby ALL NIGHT. I figured that I better at Whatsapp them at least every few hours cause they damn near put a APB out on me yesterday, service was bad so I couldnt communicate back home, speaking of communication. Be sure to download Magic Jack (Free), Viber (Free) and Whatsapp (Free) I just cant believe Today is the day! Excited, Scared, Nervous, Anxious, and Thankful... All at the same time.

Hemo went from a 12.8 down to an 11.9. I had a blood transfusion today. Will have surgery, first thing in the morning.

I had surgery at about 11:30 am. I think that I made it back to my room at about 3:30. This pain is unreal. Ladies, please bring one of those thick flea market covers, and a pillow with u to the clinic! Dra. Yily is so sweat, I had everything I wanted to say to her mapped out in my head. When she walked in the door, its like I got star struck and FORGOT EVERYTHING! -_-. Yasmin and her mom came in to check on me as ask the nurses for my pain meds. They wouldn't give me meds until 1 hour ago (at 1:30 am)... Oh and the Nurse I wrote about (Susan) is an angel! She was in the operation room with me, I kept yelling for Aqua (water) and here she came with a wet cloth, and sprinkled some in my mouth, since I was awake for the majority of my surgery, she stood over me saying, "your okay mama, I take care of you"... Lol. Oh, and I Whatsapped her for things that I needed such as Air on/off. Food. Etc. she speaks english. Ill list her info again for y'all

I got my first massage today, I'll be the first to admit, it hurts so good. Ive been laying low for the past few days, mainly due to pain and just "gettin my mind right". Here is a few pics

Just got home today. Soooo happy that my uncle was able to get me a first class flight from NY to Cali. I will update a little more indepth later. But im feeling okay, keep getting these shooting pains in my tummy, back is still extremly sore. My hubby didnt realize that he had his work cut out for him

I'm about six weeks post op now and loving my results. My hips have went down just a little but my waist is still looking good. I emailed Dr. Yily with a few questions regarding BB care and she responded to me fairly quickly. I have also been staying in contact with Yasmin, She is such a sweetheart. I dont want to leave ya'll hanging so here is a few pics;)