The PS countdown has begun!

Nine days until plastics in Mexico!

About me: 53 year old female, VSG in August, 2015, highest recorded weight 289.5, weight at time of VSG 256, currrent weight 166 (BMI 27.5).

I certainly feel like I've done my research on plastic surgeons! I did a ton of research online (BariatricPal, ObesityHelp, RealSelf among other sites) and consulted with two plastic surgeons in the US and two in Mexico.

I have decided to get plastics with Dr. Francisco Sauceda in Monterrey, MX. I met with him in person in November. He spent two hours with me talking about his approach, the process, what he felt was realistic for me and what was not. I stayed in the hotel where his patients stay once discharged from the clinic so I could get a feel of what it will be like to recover there. I was fortunate enough to meet three of his American patients who were each about one week post plastics. They all raved about him, the quality of care, the already visible cosmetic improvement. I marveled at how ambulatory they were just one week out.

The approach that Dr. Sauceda uses is in many ways quite different from that of other surgeons. They don't use general anesthesia and instead use epidural nerve blocks, Versed type medication for sedation - I think it's called twilight sedation - and this allows them to perform longer surgeries. He and his partner work on the patient simultaneously so they can complete more procedures in less time. So where other plastic surgeons had said I'd need multiple surgeries spaced out over a few months, with this technique most of the procedures can be done at once. I'll have brachioplasty (arm lift), breast lift (haven't decided on implants yet; don't want big boobs anymore but want perky ones), lower body lift including abdominoplasty (not sure if regular or fleur de lys), pubic lift and inner thigh lift all in one day, and then 3-4 days later will have a neck lift and lower face lift. It's going to be BRUTAL but I'd rather get this over and done with and move on with my life!

They keep you in the clinic for as long as you're on narcotic pain meds, typically 3-4 days, and then get transferred to the Hampton Inn for continued recovery where for another 10-14 days you get daily visits from the nurse who will help with bathing, cleaning incisions, helping take off/put on the compression garments. Dr. Sauceda apparently comes by and visits very frequently too, not sure if it's daily.

Many of you will ask about the price for this. All inclusive, I was quoted $21,500. This includes all the procedures, the stay in the clinic, the stay in the hotel, surgeon and hospital fees, nursing care, compression garment, meds and bandages. A driver will meet me at the airport and bring me to the hotel, and up to $600 of my airfare will be reimbursed.

I didn't bother going through insurance and will pay out of pocket.

I am really fortunate: I do speak Spanish although you can apparently get by fine if you dont. Also, my work is computer based so I can work from anywhere. I've decided that I'll stay in Mexico a full six weeks (if I can stand the boredom). The reason I chose six weeks is that in my consultation with Dr. Sauceda, he said that I could resume normal activities and exercise after six weeks. He said the danger for his patients is between weeks 3 and 6 when they start to feel better and have more energy and then overdo it. His fear is that at this point, the resorbable sutures are at 50% of their strength and the incisions are still healing so the risk of complications when overdoing it is very high and incisions can open up. I also think that if the drains come out and I somehow develop a seroma, I'd rather still be under the care of my original PS team. So I'll be in Mexico til the end of March.

I'll post some before pictures soon. I hope these posts will be helpful to all of you. I'll do my best to answer any of your questions!

Lastly, one of the wonderful patients I met in Monterrey vlogged about her experience there:

She also interviewed Dr. Sauceda: