Thoughts on travelling for PS

[canadagirl33 0]

Hi everyone

I have a couple of questions for those of you who have already had tummy tucks and lower body lifts.

I have been researching and looking into possible surgeons for PS and one of my options is to travel to Mexico. However for me this is a pretty long trip.... I live a couple of hours out of Vancouver BC.

The things I need to know are how difficult it would be to travel home after surgery. There would be no problem with me staying down there up to a week post-op altho I would prefer to travel home on day 4 or 5. It's a long journey....about a 4 hour flight, then making my way thru the Van airport, and then an almost 3 hour drive home. Keep in mind I wouldn't be travelling alone and if I had to stay in Vancouver for a night rather than flying and driving in the same day, I could.

When I had my band surgery I healed really quickly and had very little pain. I travelled hom from WA state (a 6 hour drive) 24 hours after surgery. Sure, it was uncomfortable to sit that long, but with pain meds it was definitely managable. I was driving and shopping on day 3 and pushing my moms wheel chair day 4.

So....is the pain managable for decent travel on day 4....or day 7?? Can I sit comfortably enough on a plane for 4 hours?? Anything else I haven't thought about regarding travelling that I should know??

Any and all input is hugely appreciated !!!!

Patricia

[Michee 2]

Something to consider:

I had a TT 7 weeks ago, when I went for my 5 week post op check the doc said that my stomach looked a little puffy, and that my belly button looked a little tight. (this was news to me, cause as far as I am concerned my stomach is flat).

Anyway, he figures it is just post op swelling but I am scheduled to see him in December and if I am still puffy and bb is still tight, he will do a little Lipo, and fix the BB. This is all included in the initial price of the surgery.

If I had to travel to get the lipo and the bb fixed, it would cost me airfare, hotel plus some vacation time.

I considered my options carefully. I had considered going to Malta for my TT. It is ranked well above Canada, the US and Mexico by the World Health Organization, so I was not concerned about "quality".

In the end I chose a local doc, as I figured it may end up costing less in the end.

Good luck with your research..........you are gonna LOVE having flat stomach.

This is the first time in my life I have had one. Even when I have been thin (briefly) I have always had to purchase clothes that hide my stomach.

When I got the surgery, I thought hmmmm. I wonder what clothing styles look good with a flat stomach?

answer........absolutely EVERYTHING lol!!

[jjsmiles 3]

What you also need to consider is that you may have drains after the surgery or extra Fluid build up and how that will be managed. How is after care managed?

I just had a major surgery that included a panniculectomy - I had three drains. When I left hospital (I was in for 10 days) I still had one drain, and it ended up coming out early by accident. Ironically, I had incredible Fluid build up on the other side and I just had to have 2 drains reinserted last week (3 weeks post original surgery). Now I had mega surgery and about 4 procedures done so I don't know what is actually plastics related, but I understand it is very common to have drains.

You need to know if your surgeon uses drains, how they will be managed and what to do if you have fluid build up. In about 6 days I had almost a 1 1/2 litres drained manually (that kind of retention also ends up being very uncomfortable)- and this was 2 weeks plus after the actual surgery. I don't know where you live in BC (I am in Calgary), but I am pretty sure that your docs are not going to be happy in dealing with any complications - although I think they have to see you). As well, can your local area even help you if you have complications? Would you need to travel to Vancouver regardless?

I know that Dr. Schulman has said that he requires people to stay in the New York area until the drains are removed and I know Frangi (both have current threads in this section) has had to go back to Florida on several occasions because of fluid and wound issues).

Travelling itself may or may not be an issue. I actually felt better earlier after the surgery and feel much worse now. I think I was so drugged up early on that I felt pretty good. I don't think you should be travelling alone (the drugs really impaired my ability to think and judge) and you need to be careful about blood clots from sitting on one position for any length of time).

Does your surgery include muscle repair or just skin removal? Muscle repair opens you up to a whole world of pain that you wouldn't have experienced with the lap band surgery.

Good luck with your decision!

Jacquie

[KD8888 0]

For me, the band surgery was nothing compared to the LBL surgery. I was in a good bit of pain for close to 2 weeks after the LBL. I had a hard time getting in the car and traveling 15 minutes to see the doctor during the first couple weeks. I'm not sure if my experience is typical, but I can't imagine major travel at that stage.

[Manatee 3]

As mentioned above, I would be very concerned about Fluid build-up in the area and management of that Fluid. I've already had some 200 cc of fluid pulled off in under 10 days, and I had a very minor tuck and Lipo. It's been only 3 days since the last pull, and I can feel that I'm swollen up again.

Drains mitigate this, but what happens if you have problems with the drains?

In my case, I looked for a surgeon that was very close to me because I fear the complications.

[canadagirl33 0]

I want to thank you all for your input...it's greatly appreciated !!!! :tt2:

I guess I thought that with the almost $2k that I would save by having the surgery in Mexico I could make a return trip a few months later if there was anything needed like belly button or dog ear repair... I do know that it is almost guarenteed that I would have drains, but I figured that there was a possibility that my GP could handle them and remove stitches when the time came. A little naive I guess :thumbup: and when I stop and think it is obviously better for a surgeon that deals with them every day to look after them.

Anouther question... After reading some of your comments, how often did you all see your surgeons after the surgery? I'm a minimum 3 hour drive (1 way) from the surgeon in Vancouver so it is really an all day trip to go down there for an appointment.

As well...all of you mentioned swelling, but none of you mentioned compression garments...did you all wear them?....and for how long? I thought that there was really no option and we HAD to wear them for up to 6 weeks?....Did they not really help with the swelling?

Sorry for all the questions !!! Thanks again !!!

Patricia

[jjsmiles 3]

Drains can be really simple - I mean I took one out myself (by accident I promise - heck staples are also really easy if you have a sterile remover handy - I could do that as well if I had to). To me, the issue is more if there are complications after the drains are out, or if they aren't in the right places for where the fluids build up. I am pretty sure that most family doc's don't have the needles and comfort or expertise to manually drain a pocket of Fluid that is surgery related. My plastic surgeon was sticking these huge needles in my suture line without batting an eye, but he knew what he had done initially. At the very least, you would need to ensure that your family dr is willing to deal with normal drains and staples that are coming out of country before going. It may not be a big issue, but you don't want to get stuck.

The 2 drains that I had re-inserted are nowhere near where the first ones were placed. Remember if you are having a Tummy Tuck, your incision line is across your entire body (my incision line is actually 28 inches long). To get the drains re-inserted, I needed to be in ultrasound to see the pockets of Fluid and they were replaced by radiologists (special dr.'s - not a family physician activity). You need to be frozen, x-rayed and stitched in a sterile envoronment.

I remember reading on another site about a Canadian who got banded in Mexico, had some medical issues (that were most likely not band related) and the horrible time she had being lectured and treated really badly (her impression) because the dr's here felt she had compromised her health.

I have seen my plastic surgeon 4 times in the last 10 days and have another appointment in a week (would have been sooner, but he is out of town). I have complications though - not sure what would be normal. I would think at least twice - once as a follow up in regards to staples and/or drains and then at least once more.

I know there are lots of people who have gone to Mexico for lap band and plastics - maybe you can go trolling in past pages of this thread and get some first hand information? I remember reading from about other folks who absolutely raved about how great their experiences were.

I was told to get a compression garment (horrible beastly thing that cost $157), but didn't end up using it, due to the wound vaccumm being used on me and other surgical procedures. I ended up being in hospital for 10 days and it was rather a moot point to use the garment at that point. I do have some swelling above and below the suture line that does not appear to be fluid related, so I don't know how much difference a compression garment would have made.

Good Luck!!

Jacquie

[Dr. Schulman 2]

I want to thank you all for your input...it's greatly appreciated !!!!

I guess I thought that with the almost $2k that I would save by having the surgery in Mexico I could make a return trip a few months later if there was anything needed like belly button or dog ear repair... I do know that it is almost guarenteed that I would have drains, but I figured that there was a possibility that my GP could handle them and remove stitches when the time came. A little naive I guess :thumbup: and when I stop and think it is obviously better for a surgeon that deals with them every day to look after them.

Anouther question... After reading some of your comments, how often did you all see your surgeons after the surgery? I'm a minimum 3 hour drive (1 way) from the surgeon in Vancouver so it is really an all day trip to go down there for an appointment.

As well...all of you mentioned swelling, but none of you mentioned compression garments...did you all wear them?....and for how long? I thought that there was really no option and we HAD to wear them for up to 6 weeks?....Did they not really help with the swelling?

Sorry for all the questions !!! Thanks again !!!

Patricia

Patricia,

I came across your post and wanted to give my advice. I understand the desire/need to have your surgery in Mexico. There are many good surgeons there, and for the most part the surgeries are without complications. The problem is the post-op care. Also, most complications are not obvious until a few weeks later - long after you have returned home.

Regarding drains, they are usually removed before you return home. Because people do not usually stay in Mexico for a long time (a few days to a week), there is a tendency to remove the drains a little early. In my practice, the drains stay anywhere from a few days to 2 weeks (the more weight you have lost, usually the longer the drains need to stay because your body makes more fluid). If the drains are removed too early, you can have problems with Fluid buildup, infections, or wound healing problems.

If you develop a problem when at home, you then have to find a PS who is willing to deal with someone elses complication. Just last month alone, I was called to see 3 people in the emergency room who had complications after TTs in Domincan Republic. I think all 3 problems would have been avoidable with proper follow-up care. A GP may not be willing to provide the post-op care for your surgery - and honestly, I am not sure how qualified they are to do so either.

I guess my advice is to be careful. If you must travel for the surgery, make sure you can stay as long as you need to - do not rush back home, because it may hurt you in the long run. Also, make sure you arrange BEFOREHAND to have a qualified doctor assume post-op care. Do not assume that if you show up to your GP with stitches, he will agree to take them out and provide care.

[Michee 2]

Hi Patricia

To answer some of your questions:

I had my surg on Wed Aug 20th

Went back on Fri the 22 to have drain remove (not pleasant)

Saw doc on the 27th

Doc arranged for me to have lymphatic drainage (2 sessions)

I saw the doc at 5 weeks post op

I do not see doc again until December unless I have issues

I wore the binder garment for 5 weeks

[Michee 2]

PS - In case you didnt know .....................you are gonna LOVE having a flat stomach!!

[Manatee 3]

Patricia -- you can read my tuck journey here: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f12/manatees-turn-plastics-75422/

It's still ongoing. I do have to wear the compression garments.

[canadagirl33 0]

Ok....so after reading all of the posts I've come to the conclusion that the smartest thing to do would be to suck it up, save up another couple thousand bucks and have it done locally. I'm just so darned impatient !!!:eek: I could do it NOW in Mexico...but it's gonna take me at least a few months to save more cash !!! ~~Sigh~~

So I need to thank you all for answering my questions...it's very much appreciated !!! I envy those of you that have gone before me...and can sympathize with those of you waiting with me. 1 day it will be our turn....

Again, thanks to all !!!

Patricia

[Shalee04 7]

For me, I was afraid to travel out of state for my PS. I am having a hard enough time having it done 2 1/2 hours away. But I feel confident knowing I can just jump in the car and see my Dr if I need to. Good luck and it will happen for you.

[Frangipani 1]

Ok....so after reading all of the posts I've come to the conclusion that the smartest thing to do would be to suck it up, save up another couple thousand bucks and have it done locally. I'm just so darned impatient !!!:smile2: I could do it NOW in Mexico...but it's gonna take me at least a few months to save more cash !!! ~~Sigh~~

So I need to thank you all for answering my questions...it's very much appreciated !!! I envy those of you that have gone before me...and can sympathize with those of you waiting with me. 1 day it will be our turn....

Again, thanks to all !!!

Patricia

Hi Patricia,

I know that several on this board have had a positive experience with PS in MX, but I wanted to say that I think you've made the right decision to have your surgery done locally.

I had my Lap Band done in MX and wouldn't hesitate to recommend doing that to anyone, but Lap Band surgery is a much different thing than plastic surgery. A Tummy Tuck or LBL is much more involved. The wound is huge and as such, there is a much higher risk for post-op complications. Most of these complications will be minor and very easily treatable, but the fact remains that your chances of needing follow-up care is pretty high and it's just better to have your PS done as close to home as possible.

Having had post-op complications, I am very glad that I decided to have my surgery done in the States. It just made things so much easier to deal with............

Dr. Schulman also made some very excellent points. I came through my PS with flying colors and did not develop my wound problem until two weeks post-op.