MistyD

Hey all, had plastic surgery in Monterrey Mexico in March with Dr. Sauceda. I am now 6 weeks post op from brachioplasty, breast lift, breast augmentation with silicone implants, tummy tuck, lipo of top part of tummy and back and brazilian butt lift with lipoed fat injected in rear to "plump" it! YOu are welcome to view my before/after pics and pictures through this process over the last 6 weeks. I still have some swelling in the tummy, but the rest is mostly all gone. I also posted my surgery blog, my personal story, and a good links section. Hubby was kind enough to do the website for me!! You can view it at: My Mexico Plastic Surgery Journey! Thanks!! Misty

I have never heard of such a thing. Fine then, just fib your date 6 weeks. He won't know the difference. I will see him next week and ask him about this. He does us Mexico patients every day. I was told 6 weeks after surgery you can get a small first fill. don't see why he would have changed it. His uncle, Dr. Sanchez in Monterrey (Murdered 2 years ago) was the one who brought the band to North America in the 1990's. Maese knows more about fills and does more of them than anyone. Misty www.mymexicopsjourney.com Plastics after weight loss--Blog and pictures!

Hi, I am a very satisfied patient of Dr. Maese and have been for over a year. Thanks to him and having restriction, I have lost 90 lbs that wont' be coming back to stay. That being said, if I had the choice to do it over again, I would without a doubt have gotten the sleeve. No way on the bypass. The sleeve is so easy, its not even funny. My husband got the sleeve 10 months ago. He lost 100 lbs in 3 months. He eats 4-5 ounces of food at a meal. His stomach cannot stretch because Dr. Alvarez took out the fundus which is the stretchy part of the stomach when he did the surgery. There is no dumping or malabsorption, no weight gain because you can only eat 4-5 ounces of food forever. The rates of weight loss are similar to the bypass without the complications and mortality rate. It will become the "GOLD STANDARD OF WEIGHT LOSS" and surpass the bypass in this country within 3 years. We are the only country that toots bypass as the way for weight loss surgery. Europe and Australia use the band and sleeve. I have major acid reflux with the band, things get stuck and no matter what or when I eat, I have to get up and walk around to get things to start moving. Its very frustrating. There are some things I can and can't eat. I have restriction one day and none the next. And no, I am not too tight and no, I did not have any problems with reflux before getting the band. Just know that there is another alternative. Don't get another band and deal with this b.s. all over again. And please, don't get the bypass. Research the sleeve. Misty www.mymexicopsjourney.com My blog and pictures from getting plastic surgery after weight loss.

He doesn't make you wait 3 months, only 6-8 weeks. Any credible doctor wants the stomach to heal before restricting it. I use Maese all the time and I also had surgery in Mexico. His office is very quick and efficient and it doesn't hurt that he is really HOT! Misty www.mymexicopsjourney.com Plastic surgery after weight loss photos!

Hey Tracy, Thanks. I am excited to begin my teaching career and can't wait to get into the classroom. It's nice to start this new chapter with a new body and being 95 lbs lighter while closing the old one with the old body. It's amazing to me how just something like making the choice to change your life and choosing things like going to back to college, getting weight loss surgery, then plastics, and now a masters degree and a teaching career. This momentum that builds up effects all parts of our life and the lives of our family members. Guess its better than going backwards though.

Hey to all my fellow bandsters: :tt1: Just posted updated plastics pics. I am now 3 1/2 months out from breast lift, breast augmentation, brachioplasty (armlift: bye bye bat wings!), lipo of abdomen, tummy tuck, and brazilian butt lift. All done by Dr. Sauceda in Monterrey, Mexico in March, 08. YOu can see the updated pics on my website hubby did for me: My Mexico Plastic Surgery Journey! Have a productive day!! Misty

gOOD luck to you!! Misty

Oh yes...the one for arms/breasts was easy to wear and fairly comfortable. The other one was horrible but I wore it for 6 weeks as instructed. I am 5'11" and way too long of a torso for them. They would dig into my privates and crawl up my rear. I was constantly trying to discreetly "dig it out". I still have them. I bought two sets. I plan on burning them in the fireplace as soon as it cools down here in TEXAS!! :thumbup::thumbs_down:

Hi there, Although you would have to consult a PS to answer that for you, my first inclination is to say no, loose the majority of your weight before doing any PS. You might find out you don't need any lipo after getting your weight off! Good luck to you and congrats on getting your band and making the choice to change your life and your health! Misty

The breasts were the least painful, arms were second, tummy tuck was third painful, suprisingly, the lipo and the butt were the worst! My arm scars are doing good! I keep 50 SPF sunblock on them while outside in the sun, the rest of me is tan for the first time in 20 years. I wouldn't be caught dead in a bathing suit before!! I need to have hubby take some more pics and update the website. Right now I am very bloated from PMS so it will have to be next week. I am sure I don't look any different, but I certainly feel different this time of the month...blah!

Hi, I am not putting anything on the scars right now. At first I put neosporin on them but my clothes would get all oily and yuck. I do put 50 SPF sunblock on the arm scars anytime I am going outside for more than just 2-3 minutes as it is important to keep them protected from the sun. It's funny because where the scars are there is a very white area surrounding the scars. The arm scars are darker than the tummy tuck scar which is fading very well. The breast incision scars are completely gone now because he cut around the nipple. I will be adding more pictures shortly. I just ordered a new bikini from Victorias Secret that will be here by Monday!! Take care, Misty

Hi, I had surgery in Monterrey in March with Dr. Sauceda. I had tt, bl, ba, butt lift and lipo of top part of tummy and abdomen. He does a lot of weight loss surgery patients and was very experienced in protecting the port. You can see my pics and read my story if you are interested at: My Mexico Plastic Surgery Journey! I have a lot of information about surgery in Mexico (this was my second time using Mexican surgeons with great success!!) including my blog of my trip while I was there and the recovery process on a day to day basis. I also included a frequently asked questions section that I get asked a lot of questions as well as information about Dr. Sauceda who is a board certified plastic surgeon. There is a link to his webpage that has a general price list as guidelines but everybody's situation and circumstances are different. HE WILL PAY YOUR AIRFARE AND HOTEL IF YOU SPEND MORE THAN $4,000!!! :tongue:Good luck to you!!

Hi there, You will get there! Just don't give up! Thanks so much for looking at my website that my husband made for me!! Misty

LOL, you make it sound like getting a fill is rocket scientry. When in fact, any nurse or medical assistant able to give a shot could figure it out. But thats fine, you go to your "band surgeon" for a fill. I will choose to go to a doctor with THE MOST EXPERIENCE OF ANYONE IN THE USA WHO HAS DONE THE MOST LAP BAND FILLS. He has done them WAY BEFORE the Lap band was even approved in the USA by the FDA. He has been doing fills for 12 years. I will take experience, and no one can argue that he isn't experienced in working with the band and doing fills. You all have a nice evening!!

I never said anything about you suing him. I said that he can sue you. I understand you want your band to work. I understand the frustration with the band. I get frustrated with it on a daily basis. Oh, and we do agree on this: Hilliary Clinton is an idiot! Go Obama!

First of all, its MISTY. Secondly, ALL SUCCESSFUL Doctors have a lawyer on retainer. I know doctors, they are my clients. He doesn't have to have a lawyer on retainer to search such sites. I bet there is already one of patients who have called and informed him about this already. I don't know anything about your band surgeon doing 20/30 fills a day. I have no idea who your band surgeon is. I can tell you and you are more than able to verify it that Dr. Maese DOES DO 20/30 FILLS A DAY. He isn't a band surgeon. He is a cardiologist who does Lap Band fills. He does 20/30 daily. He has never been a surgeon and no one on here implied or said that he is one. You don't even know he isn't a surgeon, so what the heck are you spouting out things you know nothing about?

A barium swallow won't show anything about the port. Contrast can be injected into the port and then look on an x-ray to see if it leaks out. This is the only way and he uses contrast so go to him and ask him. As for him not hitting the port, are you kidding me? He does more lap band fills than anyone else in North America. His uncle is Dr. Sanchez who brought the lap band to North America in the first place. Tell me how a man who is not getting into a port can do 20-30 band fills daily if he is screwing up and not hitting the port. Why did you get it unfilled in the first place?

thank you for the clarification on the legal jargon. That should have been "libel" instead of "slander", but my guess is this poster is probably "slandering" Dr. Maese as well as the written version "libel". Like I said before, this doctor does 20-30 lap band fills A DAY, 5 days a week. That is 100-150 fills a week or for you non-Math majors: 400-600 a month. I pay $200 each fill I receive by him. You can do the rest of the math if you like. Obviously, this is a large part of his business revenue. It wouldn't be that difficult to contact his attorney that he keeps ON RETAINER to write a simple cease and desist order to the website who in turn can release a posters personal information and get served in a civil suit. Since I have gotten to know Dr. Maese, I don't think he would be the kind of person that would just roll over while someone, obviously a disgruntled patient playing the blame game, insinuates on a public forum that he was liable. We knew the risks of getting the Lap Band. Heck, I went to Mexico for mine and assumed ALL LIABILITY. Things go wrong with the band. If I could get mine removed tomorrow and get a sleeve, I would do so in a heartbeat. I have seen way too many people, more than the 2-5% that Allergan claims for complications get theirs out because of erosion, slips and infections. He runs a business, and judging by his numbers does a good job doing it or he wouldn't have so much business. Is his bedside manner a little brash because he doesn't hold your hand the moment you walk into his office? He's arrogant and guess what? Most of the doctors out there are too. Not sure how he can be responsible for an infection when he uses disposable, sterile needle and syringe every time and does an alcohol swab of the port area before inserting the needle. This is standard protocol and he follows it. If my port gets infected, I am not going to go boohooing about Dr. Maese and blaming him. I am self-pay, I knew the liability, I signed a release form at his office stating he wouldn't be liable so I accept my losses and move on. My advice to this poster is to do some research into converting to a gastric sleeve. There are no complications and it is permanent and extremely effective in both losing weight and keeping it off. It's not fickle from one day to the next whether you have restriction or reflux choking you at night. Again, this is just my opinion but I have personally known of other posters on other forums publicly criticize and spread malicious lies about another and have gotten sued in civil court. It's not worth it to me.

Although I can sympathize with you on your frustration, do you have proof of Dr. Maese damaging your port or are you speculating? I would be very careful of slandering a medical professional on a public forum. There are severe consequences to those kinds of accusations in the form of lawsuits. I have used Maese for fills since Sept, 07. I have had no problems with him whatsoever. Is he brief, yes, but very efficient in managing his practice and his time. He does 20-30 fills a day, 5 days a week. I have also sent many other new Lap Banders to him and they have been very happy as well. Get a second opinion before throwing around words that could get you into some civil legal trouble. Just my opinion. Misty

Wow, I can't believe all the negative publicity on Dr. Maese. Yes, he is aggressive for fills, but when you are self pay like me, that is what I want!! I think he is wonderful and love him dearly. Anyone looking at Maese, do your homework but don't trust the opinion of just a few people. He does 20-30 lap band fills a DAY. One or two of those won't be happy no matter what. Blaming him for an infection is crazy. Check with the Medical Licensing Board for complaints on the doc before going off the word of one person. Misty My Mexico Plastic Surgery Journey! My personal experience with plastic surgery in Mexico after losing 85 lbs!!

Although I had all my work done in Monterrey with Dr. Sauceda, I have heard of lots of people going to a clinic in Tijuana with great success. I am a member of mexicanbandsters which is a yahoo group. You can inquire on there as well as the plastic surgery forum on Obesityhelp. Lots of those people have also gone to Tijuana for plastics. Good luck to you! Misty www.mymexicopsjourney.com A website detailing my experience getting plastic surgery in Monterrey, Mexico!!

Hi, I am glad you have a great experience in Monterrey. I have heard only the best about your band doc! I chose to cross the border last year with Dr. Alvarez just because I could drive there myself. As for Dr. Sauceda, his prices are very competitive and his work is extraordinary. I have a friend who is there right now recovering from a full face lift after losing 80 lbs and she looks absolutely amazing!!! I swear he took 20 years off of her. You won't be disappointed with him and his clinic is very near where your doctor is located. Isn't he by the Galleria in Monterrey?? Good luck in your journey! Misty

I'd be terrified to get p.s. from a dermatologist. By the way, 20 more pounds and I will be that chick at the beach bouncing around with my new double "d"s! Check it out: My Mexico Plastic Surgery Journey! Misty

Hi, I lost 85 lbs in a year. I have 20 more to go to get to goal!! I want to be in the century club!!

I wouldn't say plastic surgery is "dirt cheap" in Mexico, but compared to the US you would save around half. As for surgery in clinics vs. hospitals, there is a very good reason for this that must be considered. Who goes to hospitals? Sick people, that's who. Healthy patients have elective surgery in clinics. Here or Mexico, doesn't matter. How many plastic surgeons do elective procedures in clinics? Plenty of them do. Sick people go to hospitals for treatment. Hospitals are breeding grounds for viruses and bacteria to grow. You can have the hospital with the most stringent cleaning procedures and still walk away with a staph infection. Combined with the fact that plastic surgery scars aren't healed up for about a month, and you are opening yourself up for a serious infection that can be avoided by having your procedure done in a outpatient surgery clinic. The clinic I had my plastic surgery in was wonderful and had 4 hospital rooms for those of us who needed to stay a night or two, same as a hospital yet without the extra cost and risk of serious infection. I would hardly call a LBL major surgery. It's not like its open heart or anything. The doctor is working with your skin and muscle only. As far as the language barrier, my doctor provided me with translation sheets that were more than adequate for communication with my nurses. I had a wonderful experience and doctor that gave me more attention in 10 days than I have ever had in my entire life of 40 years combined. He came to the hotel and saw me EVERY DAY, SOMETIMES twice daily to check on me, my incisions, bring my medication to me, extra gauze and bandages, etc. How many American doctors do you know make housecalls and come see you every day? Not one will. Mexican doctors are in a class of their own. They don't have to deal with the insurance b.s. that American doctors do, nor do they have to deal with the potential of malpractice lawsuits that have gotten way out of hand over the years. I would take my Mexican plastic surgeon over an American one anyday. When you consider the price difference, it is even more reason to go there and have it done. Bottom line is we have choices. You can choose to go to the hospital here or anywhere in the world and open yourself up for getting an antibiotic resistant staph infection or worse. I will choose my quiet modern Mexican surgical center where the healthy people go for outpatient elective surgery. I will choose the Mexican surgeon who came to see me every day for 10 days at my hotel and who called me nightly when I arrived back home in Texas. I will choose my Mexican doctor who personally picked me up at the airport. I will choose the Mexican surgeon who saved me $15,000 that I can put in a college fund for my children instead of giving it to an American plastic surgeon so he can pay his $100,000 a year malpractice insurance policy. We all have choices to make and Mexico is an option if you are dealing with the loose skin issue like I was. You can go to my blog for more information at www.mymexicopsjourney.com Peace out, Misty