Well, I pulled the trigger and scheduled a date for my spiral thigh lift! September 27. I know that's a long way off still (over six months) but my surgeon's calendar is filling up fast and she was already down to a limited number of days in August or September, which was the time frame I was aiming for. Originally I planned on late August/early September, but I was looking at the local running calendar and there is a half marathon here on September 18. I am doing my first half marathon April 24th to kick off my running season and had been contemplating the possibility of doing another to finish out my running season at the end of the summer. Well, I think I want to at least leave myself the opportunity to do the September race. So, if I did that race on the 18th, I would have 9 days to recover from the race before my surgery on the 27th. Hopefully that's enough time for my body to bounce back before the trauma of the surgery.

I feel super excited to have picked a date! Very excited to be going back to Mexico for my surgery and seeing my surgeon again and some other familiar faces. Now to just finish these half marathons....

Woohoo! Congrats! The time will pass quickly and I'm sure you will love your results. I had my last surgery this week last year, and it doesn't feel at all like it has already been a year.

Woohoo! Congrats! The time will pass quickly and I'm sure you will love your results. I had my last surgery this week last year, and it doesn't feel at all like it has already been a year.

It doesn't even really feel that far off. Summer is right around the corner and always goes super fast. I think it's good that I'll be a full two years out from my VSG and will have been below goal for a full year. My skin will have bounced back as much as it's going to on its own by then. Can't wait to not have all this flabby skin on my thighs for 2017's running season!

Omg! I am so excited for you about your upcoming surgery!

Let me tell you, when you reach the finish line in your half marathon, there is nothing like that feeling. For me it was overwhelming! Please keep us posted!

Omg! I am so excited for you about your upcoming surgery!

Let me tell you, when you reach the finish line in your half marathon, there is nothing like that feeling. For me it was overwhelming! Please keep us posted!

I've only ever done 5k races before, so the half marathon is definitely going to feel like a huge accomplishment. Assuming I'm still alive by the end.

I told my mom about my upcoming plastic surgery last night and I could hear the doubt in her voice. You'd think after two successful surgeries in Mexico already, she'd get over her fears. But I guess she's a mom and she's always going to worry about her "baby". Even if that baby is 37 years old....

One thing I will say for her is that she trusts my decision-making. So even if she does have her little hang-ups and some apprehension, she knows that I did my due diligence and didn't make this decision on a whim. She knows how logical and reasonable I am.

what is a spiral thigh lift? and is it the same doctor that did your sleeve? Congratulations on all of your successes?

what is a spiral thigh lift? and is it the same doctor that did your sleeve? Congratulations on all of your successes?

There are some good photos and diagrams of a spiral thigh lift in this PDF:

https://www.elpasoplasticsurgery.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/spiral-lift-3.pdf

And no, definitely not the same surgeon who did my WLS. DO NOT under any circumstances trust any surgeon that claims to specialize in bariatrics and plastics! Plastics are an art form, take years to master, and require a very high level of skill. A surgeon who is doing plastics along with any other "specialty" is a hack. Plain and simple.

I am using the same surgeon I used to do my tummy tuck, breast lift with implants, and lipo back in 2011. She is amazing and I trust her completely.

oh ok thanks. i will check it out. was it expensive probably not i spent 15,000 here in NY for inner and outer thigh lipo, upper and lower stomach and back flanks about 12 years ago. i probably could get that done in Mexico for half the price including more. So Dr. Ariel Ortiz is the cosmetic surgery doc. i will keep that noted after i lose all my weight. thanks again

oh ok thanks. i will check it out. was it expensive probably not i spent 15,000 here in NY for inner and outer thigh lipo, upper and lower stomach and back flanks about 12 years ago. i probably could get that done in Mexico for half the price including more. So Dr. Ariel Ortiz is the cosmetic surgery doc. i will keep that noted after i lose all my weight. thanks again

No no. Ariel Ortiz was my bariatric surgeon. The surgical center he performs at, Obesity Control Center, does have a plastic surgeon on staff, but I am not going through them. My plastic surgeon is Dra. Laura Carmina Cardenas.

I had TT, breast lift w/ implants, and all over lipo (literally ALL OVER) back in 2011. I think I paid about $10,500 all told for that. For the spiral thigh lift and butt lift I'm having in September, it will be about the same cost, including one night pre-op and 11 nights post-op at the Recovery House.

wow wow wow now i am super excited ! i have asking questions re : having surgery in Mexico JUST IN CASE MY INSURANCE ISN"T APPROVED. i contacted a few including the one my girlfriend went to. His name is Dr. Ramos Kelly. He did my girlfriends surgery (lapband) about 8 years ago.. she is still doing great she never had a problem and still doesn't she went to see him only once to get a fill under the floro and have not needed to go back . she lives in California she drove herself there. how much did they charge you for your sleeve surgery was it a revision or first time sleeve.

I actually had to sign a non-disclosure agreement about how much my sleeve cost. I will say that I felt it was a reasonable price considering Dr. Ortiz is a world renowned surgeon. There are cheaper options in Mexico, but I'm not sure major surgery is where you really want to risk it just for a slightly lower price. If you go to the Obesity Control Center Web site, there is a contact form and they will send you current pricing right away if you fill that out. At least that's how I found out about their pricing back in 2014, when I was researching VSG.

I have heard good things about Dr. Kelly as well. If I remember correctly, he does his surgeries at Hospital Angeles, which is the best hospital in Tijuana. So if you prefer to have your surgery in a hospital versus a surgical center, he's an excellent option. Some people prefer hospitals because of the emergency services onsite. I actually preferred a surgical center, because of the lesser exposure to illness and infection. I was confident I wouldn't need emergency services.

I was a new sleeve, btw. Not a revision.

Thank you.

I remember the best advice I got before my thigh lift surgery was to stay off my feet and keep my knees up. I did this for ten days while I stayed in a hotel in Mexico. Then when I got home, I got back in the bed and put my knees up for another 7 days. I just stayed in bed, watched, Netflix, and thank the Lord Dr. Victor Gutierrez is such a skilled plastic surgeon. Everything stayed in place. Nothing went south as many women tend to complain about after their thigh lift.

@@Sweet Pee Thanks for the advice. I will be staying in the clinic for one night Recovery House for 10 nights post-op and they have motorized hospital beds, so you can bet I'll be keeping that thing in the exact position they tell me to! I'll have to invest in a new wedge pillow for when I get home. I threw out the one from my tummy tuck when I moved last fall....

Yeah, you know the thighs are so heavy, sometimes it does not matter how great the surgeon is. The weight of the thighs can make the incision area move down, and it is no longer in that very important crease area.

After my surgery, I could walk. I felt great. I was not in any pain. But, I wanted everything to stay right where Dr. G sutured me, because that is a delicate area. Who want a revision surgery down there! (Smile)

I slept with pillows under my knees for over 6 months. It just felt better.

Pillows under those knees will keep everything up so it can heal in place securely.

@@Sweet Pee Do you run? If so, how long did you wait post-op before you started running again. Dra. Cardenas said I could start out slowly and for short distances at 6 weeks and work my way up from there. But I don't want to risk my healing in any way.