Kris

Congrats on both! I sure you will be a gorgeous bride!!!!

Overall I was satisfied; on a scale of A - F, I'd rate him a B+. Major good things - his phone consult was excellent, and the pre-op meeting the day of surgery was good. The surgery went off without a hitch and I had no complications of any sort, which was the most important thing to me. It's still early to say what the final results are going to look like, but I could immediately see my abdomen and butt were much tighter and firmer than prior to surgery, and he and his staff were very happy with the results and said I would be once I healed up. The incisions around my pelvis and the vertical fleur de lis incision are not perfectly symmetrical but they aren't horrendously asymmetrical, and appear to be acceptably in line with results I've seen with other LBL patients from other surgeons. Dr. Quiroz did either come visit me or have me come up to see him almost every day I stayed there (I think there were only 2 days out of 7 I didn't see him). He answered any questions I had and did what I expected him to do. I can tell you, the man is BUSY! Every time I saw him he was either just finishing his surgeries for the day or was between surgery. The cosmed clinic is a bustling place. During the original consult I was told I'd be having a brazilian butt lift with Lipo injection. The lipo injection was not done since my butt didn't need it (I only needed the lift, not extra padding), but I wasn't told of this (I only figured it out on my own because my butt was one of the rare parts of my body that didn't hurt, and had lipo been done it probably would have hurt immensely.) During the final consult prior to surgery, Dr. Quiroz did change up the game plan a bit; based on his actual hands-on evaluation of my body he recommended I get a fleur-de-lis procedure since I had a lot of laxity in the skin in my upper abdomen and he thought I would not be satisfied with the results otherwise. I was also originally supposed to get lipo injection in my butt along with the butt lift, but I didn't need that after all. The total price of the surgery did not change although I"m sure it was more expensive to do the fleur de lis than to not do the lipo butt injection, so that was nice. I stayed in the recovery hotel boutique for 7 days after surgery. I'd rate them a B or B- overall (the longer I stayed, the lower the grade). Had I only stayed 3 or 4 nights I am sure I would have rated them an A. The room I had was good, private only for my use, very spacious, and the bathroom was huge. I had free wifi and DVD and cable TV to entertain myself. The treatment I got from the staff the first days was absolutely wonderful, but as I was able to do more on my own, I felt like they started to neglect me a little in favor of the newer patients going in (which is pretty understandable, you've got to prioritize the work). The nurses did constantly ask me how I was doing, and told me to call the front desk if I needed anything (and in all but one case they responded immediately). There were a couple of instances towards the end of the visit when the nurse was supposed to come wake me at midnight to take a pain pill, but didn't come (and boy that hurt after the pain med wore off!). I did get a lovely Shampoo and sponge bath over the weekend, which I desperately needed, but I kind of had to ask for it (I don't know if it would have been offered had I said how desperate I was to have a shower, which I wasn't allowed to have). The food was decent, again especially the first few days, but after a while I was getting fed up with it. I think I was just becoming a very cranky patient, wanting to be back in a familiar place with the comforts of home. So I might be being a little harsh in my rating of the clinic ... during the time when I needed help the most, I got outstanding help. The staff was always polite and helpful. They all speak English at least passably and several are totally fluent.
The worst thing I experienced was actually my discharge -- I was supposed to have a driver come pick me up at 10 am on my release day, so I could be at the airport by noon, and I spoke to no less than 3 of the staff in the Cosmed clinic to confirm this, and all confirmed. But then on my discharge day I was told very apologetically that there had been a mixup and my driver would not come until noon -- there was a lot of finger pointing and I never did really figure out what went wrong (the driver told me she had originally been scheduled for a 10 am pickup but then was called and told to come at noon instead). This was not an earth shaking crisis (I didn't miss a flight or anything) but it was an annoying inconvenience, and had I missed a flight I would have been extremely upset. The head nurse at the recovery boutique told me this sort of thing happened before, which surprised me (not in a good way). So I would definitely advise if you stay at the recovery boutique, make sure they know exactly when you need to leave, and build in some extra time for unexpected issues like what I experienced. Oh - one really cool thing -- there is a special exit lane at the border for medical patients. The driver presented paperwork from the clinic to the guard and was allowed to use that lane. We were able to zip through the border really quickly; it was 30 minutes from the time I left the clinic to the time I crossed the border, and at least half that time was getting from the clinic to the border area, and as well we stopped at a pharmacy to get some additional meds. Tthe regular lines at the border were absolutely horrendous; probably would have taken 3+ hours to cross the border, so that medical lane is super cool! I totally felt like a VIP.
After I was released from the clinic, I did experience a complication (leaking Fluid from my incision, which opened up the incision a couple of inches). When it happened I totally freaked out and contacted Dr. Quroz by email (sent a picture of the open incision and explained what had happened). Even though it was the day after Christmas and he was on vacation, he called me very quickly and was very reassuring and helpful and told me how to treat it (it turns out this is a fairly common occurrence). It eased my mind tremendously. I contacted him about a week later with an update and again got a very quick call back and good information. I was very pleased with how responsive he was and fortunately this problem is not major and I am healing up.

I am having surgery with him on December 9th (LBL with brazilian butt lift and Lipo on arms). I will let you know how it goes!

Overall I was satisfied; on a scale of A - F, I'd rate him a B+. Major good things - his phone consult was excellent, and the pre-op meeting the day of surgery was good. The surgery went off without a hitch and I had no complications of any sort, which was the most important thing to me. It's still early to say what the final results are going to look like, but I could immediately see my abdomen and butt were much tighter and firmer than prior to surgery, and he and his staff were very happy with the results and said I would be once I healed up. The incisions around my pelvis and the vertical fleur de lis incision are not perfectly symmetrical but they aren't horrendously asymmetrical, and appear to be acceptably in line with results I've seen with other LBL patients from other surgeons. Dr. Quiroz did either come visit me or have me come up to see him almost every day I stayed there (I think there were only 2 days out of 7 I didn't see him). He answered any questions I had and did what I expected him to do. I can tell you, the man is BUSY! Every time I saw him he was either just finishing his surgeries for the day or was between surgery. The cosmed clinic is a bustling place. During the original consult I was told I'd be having a brazilian butt lift with Lipo injection. The lipo injection was not done since my butt didn't need it (I only needed the lift, not extra padding), but I wasn't told of this (I only figured it out on my own because my butt was one of the rare parts of my body that didn't hurt, and had lipo been done it probably would have hurt immensely.) During the final consult prior to surgery, Dr. Quiroz did change up the game plan a bit; based on his actual hands-on evaluation of my body he recommended I get a fleur-de-lis procedure since I had a lot of laxity in the skin in my upper abdomen and he thought I would not be satisfied with the results otherwise. I was also originally supposed to get lipo injection in my butt along with the butt lift, but I didn't need that after all. The total price of the surgery did not change although I"m sure it was more expensive to do the fleur de lis than to not do the lipo butt injection, so that was nice. I stayed in the recovery hotel boutique for 7 days after surgery. I'd rate them a B or B- overall (the longer I stayed, the lower the grade). Had I only stayed 3 or 4 nights I am sure I would have rated them an A. The room I had was good, private only for my use, very spacious, and the bathroom was huge. I had free wifi and DVD and cable TV to entertain myself. The treatment I got from the staff the first days was absolutely wonderful, but as I was able to do more on my own, I felt like they started to neglect me a little in favor of the newer patients going in (which is pretty understandable, you've got to prioritize the work). The nurses did constantly ask me how I was doing, and told me to call the front desk if I needed anything (and in all but one case they responded immediately). There were a couple of instances towards the end of the visit when the nurse was supposed to come wake me at midnight to take a pain pill, but didn't come (and boy that hurt after the pain med wore off!). I did get a lovely Shampoo and sponge bath over the weekend, which I desperately needed, but I kind of had to ask for it (I don't know if it would have been offered had I said how desperate I was to have a shower, which I wasn't allowed to have). The food was decent, again especially the first few days, but after a while I was getting fed up with it. I think I was just becoming a very cranky patient, wanting to be back in a familiar place with the comforts of home. So I might be being a little harsh in my rating of the clinic ... during the time when I needed help the most, I got outstanding help. The staff was always polite and helpful. They all speak English at least passably and several are totally fluent.
The worst thing I experienced was actually my discharge -- I was supposed to have a driver come pick me up at 10 am on my release day, so I could be at the airport by noon, and I spoke to no less than 3 of the staff in the Cosmed clinic to confirm this, and all confirmed. But then on my discharge day I was told very apologetically that there had been a mixup and my driver would not come until noon -- there was a lot of finger pointing and I never did really figure out what went wrong (the driver told me she had originally been scheduled for a 10 am pickup but then was called and told to come at noon instead). This was not an earth shaking crisis (I didn't miss a flight or anything) but it was an annoying inconvenience, and had I missed a flight I would have been extremely upset. The head nurse at the recovery boutique told me this sort of thing happened before, which surprised me (not in a good way). So I would definitely advise if you stay at the recovery boutique, make sure they know exactly when you need to leave, and build in some extra time for unexpected issues like what I experienced. Oh - one really cool thing -- there is a special exit lane at the border for medical patients. The driver presented paperwork from the clinic to the guard and was allowed to use that lane. We were able to zip through the border really quickly; it was 30 minutes from the time I left the clinic to the time I crossed the border, and at least half that time was getting from the clinic to the border area, and as well we stopped at a pharmacy to get some additional meds. Tthe regular lines at the border were absolutely horrendous; probably would have taken 3+ hours to cross the border, so that medical lane is super cool! I totally felt like a VIP.
After I was released from the clinic, I did experience a complication (leaking Fluid from my incision, which opened up the incision a couple of inches). When it happened I totally freaked out and contacted Dr. Quroz by email (sent a picture of the open incision and explained what had happened). Even though it was the day after Christmas and he was on vacation, he called me very quickly and was very reassuring and helpful and told me how to treat it (it turns out this is a fairly common occurrence). It eased my mind tremendously. I contacted him about a week later with an update and again got a very quick call back and good information. I was very pleased with how responsive he was and fortunately this problem is not major and I am healing up.

Hey there Suzie! I am doing really well, thanks for asking! My leaking incision finally closed up and stopped leaking on my six week surgiversary, which was a great day. I'm now a bit over seven weeks out and doing better each day .... little things I took for granted before surgery, and then couldn't do for weeks after surgery, are possible again, like being able to stand up really straight, sleep on my side, do a really big stretch when I wake up, and bend over with ease while not being terrified of damaging the incisions. Most of the scabs have fallen off, and while the incisions are still bright red, they aren't nearly as scary looking as they were. My energy level is back to pretty much normal. Really, at six weeks it was as if my body turned a corner. Definitely the hardest part is well behind me, and hopefully from here on out all is going to be great.
I am wearing a size 8 pant now (down a full size from before surgery) and it is SO cool to be wearing the single digits again! - I haven't worn a size 8 since I was in my 20's -- that was 20 years ago! I went clothes shopping this past weekend and got some great bargains at Macy's (clearance sale). I am also able to wear a size small in tops ... the size small really shows off my smaller waist. I wore one of the new size smalll tops to work yesterday and had lots of people come up and remark on how small/good I looked. At some point I'll have to post before and after pics. (however I'm really not photogenic, sad to say).
So, that's my latest update. You know I vividly remember how tough my first few weeks after surgery were, but already it feels like a distant memory, even though it's been less than 2 months since surgery. If you asked me the first few weeks afteer surgery if the surgery worth it I would have said I'm not sure, but now at the 7 week mark I'm like Heck Yeah it was worth it!
I hope you are doing well too!
Best,
Kris

Hi,
I went to Tijuana alone. I flew down to San Diego on a Sunday and spent the night in the Hyatt Manchester Grand (I highly recommend that hotel if you stay in San Diego!). On Monday morning I took a cab to the airport and was met by a driver from the cosmed Clinic who drove me down to the clinic (free of charge, and she wasn't allowed to take a tip), crossing over the border from the US to Mexico. When I arrived at the clinic I was immediately taken up to the operating room floor. My impression in driving to the clinic was that the clinic was in a good area of Tijuana.
I was in Tijuana for a week but never stepped foot outside the CosMed clinic until the day I left (and that was only to get into the car for the ride back to the airport in San Diego -- once again, someone from the clinic drove me up at no charge). So, I never had the opportunity to check the area out (however there is a mall a few blocks away and I understand that patients can walk over there if they want, and it's a safe area). So, safety was definitely not a problem for me.
I had a few moments of being scared/apprehensive about being there alone, especially right before the surgery (I wanted the emotional support). However, those were ffleeting moments. After surgery I was taken such excellent care of by the recovery boutique staff that I felt fine being alone. It would have been comforting to have someone there with me, it wasn't really necessary. After about four days I was starting to feel a little homesick though, and by the time I left a week later I was definitely ready to get back home (wanted to be in familiar surroundings with my family).
From what I could gather at the recovery boutique, it seemed that about half the patients had someone with them (family or friend) and half were there by themselves; it's very common for people to go there alone, and I think the staff really makes sure to take good care of the ones who come alone. I made the decision to go alone because I knew I would still need several weeks of recovery time at home and didn't want my husband to take his (fairly limited) vacation time to stay with me in Mexico when I knew I would be needing his help after I got home. My husband and I talked on the phone every evening and I got lots of emails and calls from friends and relatives while I was there, which helped me not be too lonely.
One thing I did was to bring a bunch of my favorite DVDs to watch, and spent a fair amount of time watching DVDs ... they made the days pass faster and took my mind off the post-op recovery discomfort. So if you go stay there, bring some DVDs to watch.
Bottom line, I was fine going alone, and although it would have been nice to have my husband or mom with me, I did just fine without them, and I was really well taken care of by the Cosmed Clinic staff and the recovery boutique hotel staff. If I had to do it all over again, I would be fine going alone again.
I hope this helps
Kris

Thanks ladies for the support! I appreciate it so much!!!! Cowgirl Jane, I really appreciate your words of wisdom, and I totally agree this is major, major surgery and not something you just bounce back from in a couple of weeks (as I am learning daily). I was actually pretty good about getting extra Protein prior to surgery, but definitely could have done better with overall fitness. I believe that at least some of the fatigue I've experienced since surgery has been due to the fact that I wasn't in the best shape possible when I went into surgery. I really do wish I had done much more to strengthen my core and arms prior to surgery. So that definitely is another great lesson learned.
Ironically, I woke up today and was thrilled to see the leaking had dramatically slowed since yesterday. Yesterday I did experience a big unexpected gusher of Fluid escape when I laid down to sleep, and while it was extremely unnerving at the time, it may very well have been that was just the last pocket of Fluid that needed to drain out, and from now on thing swill dry up swiftly and the incisions can heal. I'll keep my fingers crossed that is the case.
In retrospect I do believe I removed the second drain at least several days earlier than I should have. Yes it was leaking at the insertion site, yes it pinched me constantly, yes it was a pain in the butt, yes the drainage had slowed down to an acceptable level, but I guess my body still had lots more draining to do, and once the drain was out, the most efficient way for the body to drain was through the weakest spots in the incisions. I have seen anecdotes of people developing leaks 3+ weeks after surgery after the drains are removed .... so leaks can happen even when you leave the drains in a long time. I don't know whether I would have had the leaks if I had left the drain in several more days or if I was just going to leak no matter what.
I hadn't weighed myself since having surgery but decided to do so for the first time today (being that it's a new year and I thought I would document it). I thought that I had lost weight, but since I still have some swelling I was not expecting to see much of a change on the scale. Boy was I wrong. I've lost over 15 lbs. since December 9th. Unbelievable! I never did ask Dr. Q how much skin/fat he removed but I'm guessing it was around 7 lbs., so the other weight has been through the unfortunate lack of eating/appetite (and trust me, I would gladly give those lbs. back in exchange for not having experienced the incision leaks!). I am not dumb enough to think the number on the scale today is what will be in 2-4 weeks or beyond, but it has been an eye opening weight loss. Ironically, the only clothes I feel comfortable wearing are my cozy Hanes sweatpants, t-shirts, and hoodies. So I have no idea what my regular wardrobe fits like!

Hi All, I had my lower body lift done on December 9th with Dr. Quiroz at the cosmed Center in Tijuana, which included Lipo on my arms and thighs. All I can say right now is OWWWWW. I was actually not feeling too bad the first few days after surgery, as the anesthesiologist had given me an epidural and it kept the incision pain at bay. The anesthesia is wearing off now in spots, and it hurts really badly when I do any action that pulls on the incisions where the anesthesia has worn off. I missed one of my pain pills last night so this morning was particularly painful ... seriously I almost started to cry. This is by far the worst surgery/pain I've ever experienced. I knew it would be, and I know that things will improve with time, but right now it just really hurts. I am seriously thinking of dipping into my stash of vicodin (that I brought with me, but haven't used yet) to help with some of the pain, as the Mexican meds I'm using (Sinergix) are not up to the task now that the anesthesia is wearing off. I'm going to ask Dr. Q today what to do, as obviously I don't want to combine pain meds without his advice.
Also, the drains are really irritating me ... they pinch so badly where the incision site is. I am expecting Dr. Q to remove one or hopefully both drains today. I discharge from the recovery hotel boutique tomorrow and really don't want to have to deal with any drains when I leave! I am going to be staying with my mom over Christmas (she lives about 2.5 hours' drive from San Diego, a major reason why I chose to have surgery in Tijuana) and then on the 28th I fly home. I took a month off work and hope it's enough (otherwise I'll just have to take more, and hopefully when the first month is up I'll be feeling fine to work at my desk job).
I've been staying in the recovery boutique hotel since my surgery, and the staff has been really lovely. I haven't been cleared to take a shower yet, but yesterday one of the staff washed my hair and gave me a sponge bath,and that made such a huge difference! I was feeling like a skank bomb with greasy hair, betadine smears, and bandage residue. I haven't been eating well, and my appetite is very low ... almost all cooked food repulses me, with the exception of Soup, so my diet lately has mostly been soup, crackers or toast with Peanut Butter, and fruit. I am really excited to be able to make my own green smoothies and Protein Shakes starting tomorrow. I think part of why I've been feeling so yucky is the lack of good nutrition, and my aversion to most food.
I thought I'd show some pics of my abdomen before surgery and what my incisions look like, and the bruising from the lipo. I am still extremely swollen in arms and thighs where the lipo was done, but the soreness from the lipo is pretty manageable with the pain meds. On the plus side -- wow, my abdomen is SO much flatter than it was prior to surgery! And although I have a ton of swelling and bruising on my arms, they are definitely more toned looking than prior to the lipo, which is good. I was thinking getting an arm lift and a thigh lift at some point, but right now that's not remotely something I want to consider! I just have to make it through the next several weeks of healing, and hopefully I will feel much better. Also, by the way, I did have a fleur de lis abdominoplasty due to a lot of lax skin in my upper abdomen. That's why there is a vertical incision.
I'll post some more pictures in the coming weeks as my healing progresses.

Hi Ladies, I didn't want to frighten anyone off of having the surgery, but thought I would be really honest about my experience so folks would have an idea of what it's like. Then if you have the surgery, and you're feeling miserable the first week afterwards, you know that's all normal! The adorable patient coordinator who works here (Crystal) told me the first week after surgery is known as "Regret Week," due to the pain and swelling people experience as a result of the surgery. In my case, I don't think I regret the surgery per se, but I sure do hate the pain/discomfort. I know over time I will continue to heal and feel better, and in a few months this will all be a memory. I had the same experience last July after having a breast reduction, and although the surgery was painful the results are well worth the pain.
I'm really looking forward to January, when I can go back to work -- I know my clothes will fit SO much better than they did before with my huge muffin top. And later this spring my hubby and I are taking a beach vacation and that will be super fun to wear a bathing suit without all the saggy skin I have been dealing with.

Hi Cowgirl Jane, I've been thinking of you this past week and wondering how you ever made it through ALL the work that you had done! OWWW! I wish now though that I had just gone for the arm lift at the same time as everything else, rather than just having lipo. Even after the lipo I still have batwings, although I think my arms will look more toned after they heal up some. Dr. Quiroz remarked that my arms were in much better shape than my thighs and that I would notice the benefit of lipo much more on my arms than thighs. So far that is proving to be the case, although as the swelling is gradually decreasing, I'm also seeing a little extra contouring in my thighs.
The lipo pain for sure was the worst in the first week after surgery, but now that the anesthesia is wearing off my incisions, the lipo pain is just a nuisance compared to the pain of the incisions.
I am wearing a compression garment but keeping it on the loose side, since I can't breathe well when it's tight (with Dr. Q's approval). I have read there is some debate as to the benefits of using a compression garment. Most surgeons recommend & require them, but some don't require them, which is very interesting, and the ones who don't require them are pretty passionate about why they don't. One thing I've learned from having two plastic surgeries, with two different surgeons, is each surgeon has his/her own practices/beliefs but there probably is not any one best way to handle things. Dr. Quiroz told me it's more important to be able to breathe well since pulmonary embolism is always a possibility after surgery and the compression garment is designed to provide support but shouldn't hurt. Makes sense to me.
I am so thankful you have shared your experiences with your surgery because it helps me get through each day!
Oh gosh, one thing I didn't mention was that I was supposed to get a brazilian butt lift w/lipo injection along with the lower body lift. It turned out that I didn't need a lipo injection in my butt, since I actually have plenty of fat left in my booty. I am SO thankful I didn't have a lipo injection in my butt! My butt is one of the few places on my body that doesn't hurt! The lower body lift did lift up my butt and I think it will look just fine and I am glad I didn't have the lipo injection.
Best,
Kris

Hi Ladies, I didn't want to frighten anyone off of having the surgery, but thought I would be really honest about my experience so folks would have an idea of what it's like. Then if you have the surgery, and you're feeling miserable the first week afterwards, you know that's all normal! The adorable patient coordinator who works here (Crystal) told me the first week after surgery is known as "Regret Week," due to the pain and swelling people experience as a result of the surgery. In my case, I don't think I regret the surgery per se, but I sure do hate the pain/discomfort. I know over time I will continue to heal and feel better, and in a few months this will all be a memory. I had the same experience last July after having a breast reduction, and although the surgery was painful the results are well worth the pain.
I'm really looking forward to January, when I can go back to work -- I know my clothes will fit SO much better than they did before with my huge muffin top. And later this spring my hubby and I are taking a beach vacation and that will be super fun to wear a bathing suit without all the saggy skin I have been dealing with.

Hi Cowgirl Jane, I've been thinking of you this past week and wondering how you ever made it through ALL the work that you had done! OWWW! I wish now though that I had just gone for the arm lift at the same time as everything else, rather than just having lipo. Even after the lipo I still have batwings, although I think my arms will look more toned after they heal up some. Dr. Quiroz remarked that my arms were in much better shape than my thighs and that I would notice the benefit of lipo much more on my arms than thighs. So far that is proving to be the case, although as the swelling is gradually decreasing, I'm also seeing a little extra contouring in my thighs.
The lipo pain for sure was the worst in the first week after surgery, but now that the anesthesia is wearing off my incisions, the lipo pain is just a nuisance compared to the pain of the incisions.
I am wearing a compression garment but keeping it on the loose side, since I can't breathe well when it's tight (with Dr. Q's approval). I have read there is some debate as to the benefits of using a compression garment. Most surgeons recommend & require them, but some don't require them, which is very interesting, and the ones who don't require them are pretty passionate about why they don't. One thing I've learned from having two plastic surgeries, with two different surgeons, is each surgeon has his/her own practices/beliefs but there probably is not any one best way to handle things. Dr. Quiroz told me it's more important to be able to breathe well since pulmonary embolism is always a possibility after surgery and the compression garment is designed to provide support but shouldn't hurt. Makes sense to me.
I am so thankful you have shared your experiences with your surgery because it helps me get through each day!
Oh gosh, one thing I didn't mention was that I was supposed to get a brazilian butt lift w/lipo injection along with the lower body lift. It turned out that I didn't need a lipo injection in my butt, since I actually have plenty of fat left in my booty. I am SO thankful I didn't have a lipo injection in my butt! My butt is one of the few places on my body that doesn't hurt! The lower body lift did lift up my butt and I think it will look just fine and I am glad I didn't have the lipo injection.
Best,
Kris

Hi Ladies, I didn't want to frighten anyone off of having the surgery, but thought I would be really honest about my experience so folks would have an idea of what it's like. Then if you have the surgery, and you're feeling miserable the first week afterwards, you know that's all normal! The adorable patient coordinator who works here (Crystal) told me the first week after surgery is known as "Regret Week," due to the pain and swelling people experience as a result of the surgery. In my case, I don't think I regret the surgery per se, but I sure do hate the pain/discomfort. I know over time I will continue to heal and feel better, and in a few months this will all be a memory. I had the same experience last July after having a breast reduction, and although the surgery was painful the results are well worth the pain.
I'm really looking forward to January, when I can go back to work -- I know my clothes will fit SO much better than they did before with my huge muffin top. And later this spring my hubby and I are taking a beach vacation and that will be super fun to wear a bathing suit without all the saggy skin I have been dealing with.

Hi All, I had my lower body lift done on December 9th with Dr. Quiroz at the cosmed Center in Tijuana, which included Lipo on my arms and thighs. All I can say right now is OWWWWW. I was actually not feeling too bad the first few days after surgery, as the anesthesiologist had given me an epidural and it kept the incision pain at bay. The anesthesia is wearing off now in spots, and it hurts really badly when I do any action that pulls on the incisions where the anesthesia has worn off. I missed one of my pain pills last night so this morning was particularly painful ... seriously I almost started to cry. This is by far the worst surgery/pain I've ever experienced. I knew it would be, and I know that things will improve with time, but right now it just really hurts. I am seriously thinking of dipping into my stash of vicodin (that I brought with me, but haven't used yet) to help with some of the pain, as the Mexican meds I'm using (Sinergix) are not up to the task now that the anesthesia is wearing off. I'm going to ask Dr. Q today what to do, as obviously I don't want to combine pain meds without his advice.
Also, the drains are really irritating me ... they pinch so badly where the incision site is. I am expecting Dr. Q to remove one or hopefully both drains today. I discharge from the recovery hotel boutique tomorrow and really don't want to have to deal with any drains when I leave! I am going to be staying with my mom over Christmas (she lives about 2.5 hours' drive from San Diego, a major reason why I chose to have surgery in Tijuana) and then on the 28th I fly home. I took a month off work and hope it's enough (otherwise I'll just have to take more, and hopefully when the first month is up I'll be feeling fine to work at my desk job).
I've been staying in the recovery boutique hotel since my surgery, and the staff has been really lovely. I haven't been cleared to take a shower yet, but yesterday one of the staff washed my hair and gave me a sponge bath,and that made such a huge difference! I was feeling like a skank bomb with greasy hair, betadine smears, and bandage residue. I haven't been eating well, and my appetite is very low ... almost all cooked food repulses me, with the exception of Soup, so my diet lately has mostly been soup, crackers or toast with Peanut Butter, and fruit. I am really excited to be able to make my own green smoothies and Protein Shakes starting tomorrow. I think part of why I've been feeling so yucky is the lack of good nutrition, and my aversion to most food.
I thought I'd show some pics of my abdomen before surgery and what my incisions look like, and the bruising from the lipo. I am still extremely swollen in arms and thighs where the lipo was done, but the soreness from the lipo is pretty manageable with the pain meds. On the plus side -- wow, my abdomen is SO much flatter than it was prior to surgery! And although I have a ton of swelling and bruising on my arms, they are definitely more toned looking than prior to the lipo, which is good. I was thinking getting an arm lift and a thigh lift at some point, but right now that's not remotely something I want to consider! I just have to make it through the next several weeks of healing, and hopefully I will feel much better. Also, by the way, I did have a fleur de lis abdominoplasty due to a lot of lax skin in my upper abdomen. That's why there is a vertical incision.
I'll post some more pictures in the coming weeks as my healing progresses.

Hi Ladies, I didn't want to frighten anyone off of having the surgery, but thought I would be really honest about my experience so folks would have an idea of what it's like. Then if you have the surgery, and you're feeling miserable the first week afterwards, you know that's all normal! The adorable patient coordinator who works here (Crystal) told me the first week after surgery is known as "Regret Week," due to the pain and swelling people experience as a result of the surgery. In my case, I don't think I regret the surgery per se, but I sure do hate the pain/discomfort. I know over time I will continue to heal and feel better, and in a few months this will all be a memory. I had the same experience last July after having a breast reduction, and although the surgery was painful the results are well worth the pain.
I'm really looking forward to January, when I can go back to work -- I know my clothes will fit SO much better than they did before with my huge muffin top. And later this spring my hubby and I are taking a beach vacation and that will be super fun to wear a bathing suit without all the saggy skin I have been dealing with.

Hi Ladies, I didn't want to frighten anyone off of having the surgery, but thought I would be really honest about my experience so folks would have an idea of what it's like. Then if you have the surgery, and you're feeling miserable the first week afterwards, you know that's all normal! The adorable patient coordinator who works here (Crystal) told me the first week after surgery is known as "Regret Week," due to the pain and swelling people experience as a result of the surgery. In my case, I don't think I regret the surgery per se, but I sure do hate the pain/discomfort. I know over time I will continue to heal and feel better, and in a few months this will all be a memory. I had the same experience last July after having a breast reduction, and although the surgery was painful the results are well worth the pain.
I'm really looking forward to January, when I can go back to work -- I know my clothes will fit SO much better than they did before with my huge muffin top. And later this spring my hubby and I are taking a beach vacation and that will be super fun to wear a bathing suit without all the saggy skin I have been dealing with.

Kris,
My personal experience is that it wasn't the pain so much that gets you down... it's everything else! I have heard that Lipo is kinda painful though.
I now weigh the same as when I had surgery and since I just started exercise, I do have a little swelling. I came home heavier - I gained quite a bit of Water weight. Maybe it is because i lost about 8 pounds in the month before surgery, I am not sure. Everyone is different - many lose, but i didn't. He removed 5.5# of skin but said i didn't have enough fat to lipo.
I think those 5# will show up on the scale once i no longer have swelling.
I also didn't lose my appetite - I was very hungry. I was so glad I brought my Protein drinks. Again, I am an anomoly I guess.
I didn't lose a full clothing size - yet, but my 8 pants (non stretch, standard brand sizing) fit me much better and are loose in the waist now. Before I always had to buy clothes that didn't make my skin spill out and that problem is eliminated everywhere except my side boobs (I didn't have surgery to correct that). My top size is the same, but oddly my bra band is shrunk even though i didn't have any surgery there. Somethings have redistributed and I now have a much more curvy/proportioned figure.
And yes, I had a lot done at once. It is probably a good thing because I don't plan to go back for more anytime soon. I do love my results though.
Good luck!

Hi,



I'm nearly 3 years post surgery. I never did hit my final goal weight, but honestly I am cool with that, as I've lost over 80 lbs. and now wear "normal" size clothes (size 10P). I have had some issues with maintenance. My weight definitely fluctuates over the course of a year; I gain weight in the winter and lose weight in the summer, and it's directly related to eating habits and exercise (in the summer I am much more active and eat much better than in the winter ... like many animals, I just want to fatten up and hibernate in the winter!). This year I started down the road of post-bariatric plastic surgery; I had breast reduction in July and am having a lower body lift on December 9th. I eventually also want to have a neck lift, arm lift, and thigh lift, as my health and pocketbook allow.



To those who are thinking about sleeve gastrectomy surgery, honestly I have to say it is the BEST thing I ever did to resolve my obesity. I know I added many years to my life by having the surgery, and my quality of life is vastly better too.

Hi Ladies, thanks for the encouragement!
Cowgirl Jane, I read about your surgery, and am SO impressed with your weight loss and your plastic surgery outcome! You look fantastic! I am now wishing I had gone ahead and gotten the arm lift along with everything else, but man, that is a LOT of surgery you went through! You must be extremely tough!
May I ask, how much weight did you lose after your plastic surgery? Have you lost a clothes size? After my breast reduction I lost 10 lbs (nearly 2 lbs. from the surgery itself, and then 8 lbs. in the month following surgery, due to my appetite being very low, and I craved a lot of healthy foods). I am hoping that happens again. I figure I'm going to lose at least 5 - 6 lbs. from the skin & fat removal, and expect my appetite will be low again after surgery, so it's possible I'll FINALLY hit goal weight at long last as a result of this surgery. That would be a great Christmas present for sure!
I am planning to treat myself to a vacation in Cancun at the end of March so I have something to look forward to on those days when I'm wondering why in the H*LL I went through all the pain of the surgery, LOL.
Best,
Kris

Hi,
I'm nearly 3 years post surgery. I never did hit my final goal weight, but honestly I am cool with that, as I've lost over 80 lbs. and now wear "normal" size clothes (size 10P). I have had some issues with maintenance. My weight definitely fluctuates over the course of a year; I gain weight in the winter and lose weight in the summer, and it's directly related to eating habits and exercise (in the summer I am much more active and eat much better than in the winter ... like many animals, I just want to fatten up and hibernate in the winter!). This year I started down the road of post-bariatric plastic surgery; I had breast reduction in July and am having a lower body lift on December 9th. I eventually also want to have a neck lift, arm lift, and thigh lift, as my health and pocketbook allow.
To those who are thinking about sleeve gastrectomy surgery, honestly I have to say it is the BEST thing I ever did to resolve my obesity. I know I added many years to my life by having the surgery, and my quality of life is vastly better too.

Hi,
I'm nearly 3 years post surgery. I never did hit my final goal weight, but honestly I am cool with that, as I've lost over 80 lbs. and now wear "normal" size clothes (size 10P). I have had some issues with maintenance. My weight definitely fluctuates over the course of a year; I gain weight in the winter and lose weight in the summer, and it's directly related to eating habits and exercise (in the summer I am much more active and eat much better than in the winter ... like many animals, I just want to fatten up and hibernate in the winter!). This year I started down the road of post-bariatric plastic surgery; I had breast reduction in July and am having a lower body lift on December 9th. I eventually also want to have a neck lift, arm lift, and thigh lift, as my health and pocketbook allow.
To those who are thinking about sleeve gastrectomy surgery, honestly I have to say it is the BEST thing I ever did to resolve my obesity. I know I added many years to my life by having the surgery, and my quality of life is vastly better too.

Hi All,
I had breast reduction surgery on July 1st. I thought I knew enough about the surgery before going into it, but unfortunately I've experienced a rare complication (ischemia, which is loss of blood flow & oxygen to nipple/areola) and it has been a very scary and uncertain time for me the past week as I've tried to educate myself about what my condition is and what will happen next. My plastic surgeon has been very responsive and reassuring, but there's only so much time in a day he can spend answering questions, so I have taken it upon myself to learn as much as I can about this situation.
In my online researching, I found a really useful website, www.breasthealthonline.org, and I've learned tons about the breast reduction procedure on that site. I only wish I had known about this site before having surgery ... I am sure I would have been better prepared for what to expect after surgery, and possibly heal better. The site not only covers breast reduction, but also breast lift and breast augmentation, and even a section on tummy tucks (since many people have a combo breast and Tummy Tuck procedure). They are very big into using a "healing diet" which helps people recover faster (it basically is a very sleeve-friendly diet, lots of greens & fruits & vegetables & lean protein) and share lots of info about nutrition on the site.
There is a section of the site where you can view pictures of people who have had various surgeries. It does cost $25 to access it but I would really recommend it because you can get an accurate view of what your incisions/scars will look like at various points in time following surgery. I paid for the picture access so that I could better understand what happens to women who have the complication I've experienced, but even if I'd had a perfect recovery I still would have liked to see the pictures.
I'm now nearly 3 weeks out of surgery, and honestly my pre-surgery expectations of what the healing process would be like after this surgery were WAY off. In my experience, the VSG procedure was a walk in the park compared to breast reduction surgery. I'm still really babying my incisions, need lots of rest, and my range of motion is still fairly limited. But, this is very typical (I know now) so I don't feel so badly about it.
I just thought I'd share in case you are contemplating having any cosmetic surgery involving your breasts.
Oh, and BTW, even though I'm dealing with a serious complication, I have to say I still love my "new" breasts and know when I'm all healed up I'll be even happier. And I know that eventually I *will* heal up completely; it just may take a bit longer than I had anticipated.
Best,
Kris

I bottomed out around 142 lbs. (90% to goal) in spring 2012 (about 15 months after surgery), but didn't sustain it long, and I ended up stabilizing in the mid 140s for several months. However, since the summer I've gotten very careless with what/how much I eat, and stopped participating in support groups. Now, a bit over 2 years out from surgery, I'm bouncing around between 153 and 155.
Seriously, it is all too easy for me to eat at least 2,000 calories a day, which is several hundred above my maintenance caloric load (1,700 - 1,800). 300 extra calories a day X 30 days = 2.5 lb./month weight gain. I never thought of it that way, but it's just basic math. I learned how to eat around my sleeve, have been eating lots of crap, and am back to some nasty pre-surgery destructive eating behaviors. I feel scared, remorseful, and guilty. I must get some help with emotional eating issues, because clearly I haven't fully dealt with them.
I started a "slow carb" diet last week and lost a bit over 1 lb., which was disappointing considering I really stuck to it. Then I realized I was still eating at least 1,200 calories a day on that diet. Time to get more serious and get below 1,000 calories a day, until I'm back on track, and once I'm back to the low 140s I must stay vigilant about what I eat.
I'm going to take the positive view that this was a necessary (scary) wake up call for me to get back on track before things get further out of control.

I have to support everything that has been said by my fellow sleevers. Dr. Aceves and his team have the process so streamlined and efficient it is amazing. They are pros, and yet they are also very nice and caring. Last year my sister had a mastectomy in a "best in class" hospital in the US and her treatment was nothing near as good as what I experienced with Dr. Aceves and his team (I was with her through it all so saw first hand how US hospitals operate -- even though her surgeon was wonderful, the nurses were lacking, and they booted her out of the hospital the next day even though she was in a lot of pain). With Dr. Aceves you get 3 full days in the hospital and get excellent care the entire time. Plus, he's done more VSG procedures than many US bariatric surgeons, and for him to have the reputation he does with all those surgeries (and very, very rare complaints) I think is very indicative of his expertise. And I saved at least $5K by going to Dr. Aceves than if I had self-paid at my local Bariatric Center of Excellence. I was a bit worried about something going wrong in a foreign country and went with the best surgeon I could find in Mexico. And honestly, I know my husband would never have been on board with me having surgery with the lowest bidder, so to speak. The extra cost for Dr. Aceves was worth the peace of mind to me and my hubby.
If I had to have this surgery all over again, I would go with Dr. Aceves again in a heartbeat. The only other doctor I seriously considered for my surgery was Dr. Alvarez. I went with Dr. Aceves because I live closer to CA than TX, and am very glad I went with Dr. Aceves.
Best of luck to you in your journey!

Hi all,
I created an album of before & after pics of my breast reduction surgery. In order for it to not be open to the entire VSGTalk universe (I'm a bit modest) It's only visible to "friends," so if you would like to see it just request to be my friend and I will accept and then you should be able to view the pics.
Fluid every day and the left breast wasn't; also, the nipple/aureola on my right breast are dark purple and scabby-looking, while the nipple and aureola on my left breast are normal looking (light pink) with only scabbing on the edges where the incisions were done. The plastic surgeon is monitoring this on a regular basis and I'm seeing him again on Monday. From what I understand, a giant scab has formed over the nipple/aureola and nature has to take its course with the scab (i.e., it needs to fall off naturally) and then hopefully at that point it will look like the other nipple/aureola. I also have very limited sensation in that nipple (again, I think due to the scabbing) and I also have had more discomfort in that breast overall. So, for whatever reason, the right breast did not accept the surgery as well as the left. I'm still taking the optimistic view that this will all resolve in the next several weeks. Fortunately, none of my incisions has opened, and I've not had any infections. So, I am hoping the scabbing is the worst of my issues.
So far, even with the issue with the scabbing, I have to say I am really thrilled with the results and am very happy I had the surgery.
I am able to drive my car for short distances now (though mostly my husband drives and I only drive when absolutely necessary) and my range of motion is better, but still limited (I am still babying my incisions). I am still sleeping on the recliner each night, which is actually pretty comfortable. I bought a foam wedge to use to prop myself up in bed, but I find I can only lay in bed for about 30 minutes before my incisions really start hurting, so it's clearly still too soon for me to sleep in bed. I worked about 6 hours a day last week and this week I'll see if I'm able to do a full 8 hour day (if not, my boss is fortunately very understanding and has let me be flexible about when I start/end work).
My energy level is increasing every day, though pretty much every day I am still taking a 1-2 hour nap. I get out for a short (less than 1 mile) walk each day but find that I still have to take it easy and not overdo it. Drats, being middle aged is not fun!
Nice extra bonus from surgery: I lost more weight this week -- over a pound. Yay! I think it's a combo of a lower appetite and my body is no doubt burning up a lot of energy trying to heal. I'm now back down to my lowest post-op weight. I'm going to do my best to keep the weight loss going, and see if I can get into the 130s (3.5 lbs. away -- I think I can do it!). Once I get the green light to start exercising again, I'm going to really focus on strengthening my core and arms, so I am strong for the Tummy Tuck surgery which I plan to have in about 5 months.