17 Years of Wishing, It's Almost Time!! Yay!! Thailand, scrap that .....Let's make it Gladstone with Dr Andrew Broardhurst :D

Woo hoo!! My surgery dates are locked and loaded!! ???????? It is all systems go. June 9th breast lift and augmentation and June 12th Tummy tuck and Vaser liposuction to my thighs and buttocks. It will all be happening at PIAC in Phuket in Thailand. Dr Thanakom is my Surgeon. And Lotus Medical International are the amazing agency behind helping all of this happen for me ?????? I hope my story can help just one woman navigate the mine field that is organising surgery in Thailand.

I am a 36 year old Mum of 2 gorgeous girls. Being a single Mum for almost 18years, breast feeding and losing over 40 kgs has taken it's till on my body, my want for surgery has just increased as the years have gone by. It is time to give myself a gift and make my long time dream a reality. And with the love and support of my amazing partner Dave by my side, it is all FINALLY becoming a reality!! ????

We started looking into agencies, surgeons and hospitals etc almost 2 months ago. I started sending away my photos to companies to get recommendations from surgeons. We were sort of flying blind. They all seemed SO eager to help and to get me booked in ASAP. Not ever being one to have done things the right way round lol, I realised that I needed to find a surgeon 1st!! So I started researching surgeons on the net. I stumbled upon 2 plastic surgery forums plasticsurgeryforum.com and realself.com they have been invaluable!!! After I thought I had found a surgeon and in turn an agency he did work for the forums helped me dodge a massive bullet!! The agency I had chosen and the surgeon I thought was good had done some "horrible" things to some poor women, and the bad stories just kept popping up the more I dug. So I cancelled and researched some more and found my surgeon Dr Thanakom who I have heard Great things about, and my agency Lotus Medical for whom he does work for. I had started to wonder if it would be cheaper for me to go directly through the hospital and to book everything ourselves as Dave and I were looking into prices for everything from, surgery costs, hotels, air fairs to the use of a hyperbaric chamber as treatment to help me heal faster after surgery. But decided, just incase things didn't go right ( touch wood) that having an agency behind us would be the smarter option. So we chose Lotus. Grainne from Lotus has been outstanding with helping answer my million questions. We will Do the touristy thing first. We will stay in Patong before hand, Not sure of our hotel yet, still researching. Have surgery (Dave is allowed to stay with me at the hospital , yay ????) and then spend 2 weeks recovering at Kata beach. We are looking into the Aspasia at the moment. Hopefully more good news about hotel prices and hyperbaric prices to come tomorrow. So excited that my surgery is booked that I can't sleep!!! I Can only imagine how I will be the night before surgery!! ???? Lol I will post some before pics a bit closer to surgery. Thank you to all you ladies that have already gone through this and posted reviews! You have and continue to inspire me and help me feel at ease about everything. I hope you are all healing well Xo

I am totally shattered. After months of research and copious amounts of e-mails with my medical company, and my dates having been confirmed, Dr Thanakom at PIAC has refused my case I was booked for a breast lift with implants, a full tummy tuck and vaser lipo on my thighs and buttocks. I was totally up front and told them that I had a Deep Vein Thrombosis almost 12 years ago, I was very sick towards the end of my pregnancy and my veins kept shutting down with the amount of antibiotics they were giving me so a pic line was put in. Due to pregnancy hormones trying to reject the pic line (a long canular that goes from your elbow to close to your heart) when they took it out a DVT formed. I was on warfrin and daily self administered injections in the belly for 6 months until all was good. I have since had surgery on my sinuses with no problem at all. The hospital put stockings on me and a machine that massaged my calves during and after surgery. I have told Lotus all this and they have told the Dr but the Dr has said no. I am totally devastated!! I am not sure what to do or were to go from here. My agency said they are consulting a second opinion ( I don't want a second rate doctor) and she is going to speak to the hospital management team about my case. But I am not feeling confidant at all. Has anyone has a DVT before and gone through surgery? Someone please tell me yes! My 18 year dream in the making has just been ripped away and I just want to cry.

Well, after being knocked back for my surgery in Thailand ???? and crying into my porridge, being shattered for a bit. I have not given up lol. I decided to look into surgeons and prices here in Australia. After sending many e-mails asking for prices, I was really surprised at the amount who replied and how long they took to get back to me! I guess not many value good old fashioned customer service like I was looking for. I did however find two surgeons in Brisbane Qld with rave reviews and who's staff did e-mail me straight back and who were fantastic and helpful!! Dr Paul Belt and Dr Andrew Broardhurst ???? Both just up the road in Brissy. So yesterday, I went to my GP (Dr Anne Arlott an awesome Dr for anyone in the Rockhampton area ????) and got a referral to see both surgeons and get prices for both my Tummy Tuck and Breast lift with implants. So in about 3 hours, Dave and I are jumping on a plane to see if one of these awesome surgeons will take on my case. Unfortunately because prices in Australia are so much more than Thailand, I doubt I can afford to get both procedures done, and being realistic I won't be able to. Then I choose to get my Tummy Tuck first. Well let's not get ahead of ourselves. I need to see if one of these guys will do my surgery with me having had a DVT (deep vein thrombosis) before. I am so excited but sooooo nervous!! Wish me luck......and please keep your fingers crossed!! ????