First, thanks to all for your prayers. I was so nervous about having my eyes covered with Patches for four hours after surgery, but the anesthesioligist kept me nice and sleepy and it was not a problem.

I had my upper and lower lids done and my ears. I hired a private nurse for 24hours to keep ice on my eyes to help the swelling and it helped tremendously. I had NO pain at all!

Today I had the stiches taken out and my lips plumped up a bit, well, acutally, I looked like I had melons for lips, lol. He told me the swelling will go down the next two or three days and it has already gone down considerabaly. My lips looked like Goldie Hawns on "First Wives Club" when she went to her doctor for a lip fill. I could not even talk. It hurt. He gave me two shots above the lips and two under the lips. My nose, lips and chin were numb. The novicane really did hurt, but only for a few seconds. He then filled them with a synthetic collegen I think. I do have some bruising right now.

I also had him give me some botox between my eyebrow and around my crows feet area, that did not hurt hardly at all, especially after the lip ordeal!

I look like a clown. My husband laughed his but off when he picked me up and my kids have had a good hoot too! I can see the end result though.

I took pictures and will try and have my husband help me this week to get them up. I don't look like much right now.

It was a good experience and they were so caring and kind. I am planning on going back in December for a lower face lift (don't need upper) for my 49th birthday and then a tummy tuck in the spring next year.

I was what they call "heavy sedation", but I can tell you I was out like a light! Just the way I like it!

My ears are a little tender and I have to wear a band for a week and get the stiches out Saterday.

Any questions I will be glad to answer you.

Thanks for all the support.

Judy is going down for a complete face lift next week I think.

Glad to know your healing so well- In the next week you will improve dramatically. As soon as you see some yellowing of your skin that means you are almost all done healing. You got a good price for your eyes & ears. Just my upper eyes ran me $2800.00 but he is one of the best in Michigan.. I bet you will be extremley happy with your results, in 9 months you will even look better & a full year from now even better than that. that is one of the bonus to having your face/eyes done.

Congratulations!!!

Okay, I'll be keeping up with this thread. On my short list, Tummy tuck, inner thigh lift. Long list includes breast lift (but not implants, no, I'll have enough silicone in me with my band...small is fine, saggy is not.) And my nose is huge (wide) but I can live with it, and I am chinless but so is DH and, now, so are our children, so we fit in. And then a little botox between the eyebrows, and I need varicose and spider veins removed from my legs...hmmm, I need Penni's bank account!

I'm so glad you are happy with your results. I will eventually show this thread to DH, as he is totally against plastic surgery in MX...I'll let him get over the Band, then discuss it! Actually, he is sold on Dr Kuri simply because of his experience compared to US docs. It would be nice if your Dr there had a website...maybe by the time I go he'll have one, or I'll just PM you. Thanks for filling us in! You are a trooper!

Oh, and pics? yes, you need to post the pics please...

Hi,

I wouold love to get the information to go myself. Can you give me his name, address and phone number? What city did you fly from? Did someone meet you atthe airport and pick you up? What is the name of the hospital? Thanks for all the infomation. How long did you have bruises around the eyes and how long before the stitches were taken out?

I flew in to Monterey from Dallas. I was met at the airport by a driver. alma at Ready 4 a Change arranged it all for me.

My surgery was on Friday and my stitches were removed on Monday. I wore sun glasses home. I still have some redness under my eyes that look like bags, but it is fading daily. One eye still has a bit of swelling that only I notice. I like the results a lot! The bags are gone and I am tighter under the eye and less droop above the eye. You can't see the suture lines, they are in the creases of my eyes. There is a faint scar on the lower lash line, but it just looks normal to everyone else.

The proceedure was done in his office under heavy sedation. I might as well have been under. I absolutely love him and the anesthesioligist! I am going back for a lower face lift and tummy tuck.

They speak great english and he visited me every day in the guest house. I was able to stay at Dr. Sanchez'a guest house for a small fee. Dr. Sanchez banded me. If there had of been many guests I would have stayed at a hotel.

I hired a private nurse for 24hours to keep ice pads on my eyes for swelling for under $200

I highly recommend Dr. Cardenas. He trained under one of the top 25 plastics in the world.

If you have any other questions pm me....

I will get some photos up as soon as my dh does shows me how.

I look re-freshed, nothing drastic.

Hi Alice,

It's been awhile...how do you feel? Look?

Bumping this thread cause I'm doing research. I'm very serious about having Dr. Cardenas do a TT, chin and eyes.

Are you still planning on going down to Monterrey in December?

Any pics you want to share?

Hi... my eyes look fabulous. They seem to look better all the time. People just now comment on how good they look, lol.

Actually I am going to try and contact Dr. C this week. My left ear has a stitch that was sticking out and my husband tried to pull it and it won't come out. My left ear is also sticking back out a tad. I too am thinking of a tt and rest of my face.

I just wonder if I need to wait until I lose more weight. I have lost 20 lbs since my surgery in Jan 2005. I am a bad bandster and I admit it. I have good restriction but my weakness is ice-cream and sweets... I would peel the weight off if I laid off them and I am going to try.

I am 5'7 1/2 and weigh 175... I have been this weight for 3 months now. I get really tight around my period but after I can eat pretty good but not too much... I need to know if a tt will be affected by another 10-15 lb weight loss. Who knows if I am even going to lose it or not. I am a loose size 14 and work out often. I really don't care if I lose more or not to be honest. I like the way I look.

I will try and get some photos on. My husband doesn't like the idea of me posting my face on line..

Have you talked to anyone?

My private e-mail is alice@livinghope.com...

When are you thinking of going? I am seriously thinking of going in a week or so...

Hey, if you ladies are going to go down there in December I'd love to go down for a TT & lipo too! Think we could get a group rate? Or share a nurse and suite or something?

I am defintely up for it!