hope4change2012
21 Days Post Op - Don't like something, wait 30 minutes....
Dec 12, 2012
I can't believe that I'm post op and that 20 days have passed. My recovery is pretty text book: happy, sad, grateful, bummed. Thank God for pre op photos. I also took a video because I know myself. I have a tendency to look at what isn't right instead of what is.
It's amazing to me how quickly the body heals, yet at the same time, amazes me how numb my body is. That's the weirdest feeling of all. Thank God Paty was there to tend to my wounds or I couldn't have done it. The first time I actually touched my wound, it was the strangest feeling ever. Still feels pretty damn weird. I'm numb on both sides of my face, my outer thighs where I had lipo and my belly. At 20 days I'm still using the ointment they used at the clinic. It may be time to go into the next realm of healing, but to be honest, I haven't decided what course of action to take. My RN friend said that "it won't hurt" to use that ointment, plus in the Dr. S handout, it says 4 weeks (I think, don't have it front of me, but I think that's what it said). So, that's what I've done. I had family helping me when I got home, amen to that! So this is my first full day alone to figure my next plan of action. With Amazon Prime, 2nd day air, I'll have what I need in no time (I love that!).
I said I wouldn't weigh myself, but, well, I couldn't help it. I did at the hotel and I was super bummed. I was up a few pounds and had been quite careful about my food. Then when I got home and monitored a day, just for fun, I went up literally 5-6 pounds in the course of a day, so as I've always known, don't trust the scale. The lowest I've been in a day is 2 pounds under my set point. I always let the lowest number ring as the "true reading."
Body - I might as well talk about that for a minute. I cried when I had my friend take my 20 day post op pic. My ass and thighs looked exactly the same to me. Yet, as I said, thank God for pre op pics because it is not the same. There is a significant improvement. I read somewhere (you know how we are...pre op obsessive studiers), that an excellent plastics results would be 75% improvement. That's excellent at 75%. Well, I believe I have an excellent result and that I do have 75% improvement. I do wish my ass and thighs looked better, but as I've written before, it's time to make peace with my thighs. If you're a pre op, I would say: get to goal, which I didn't (I tried, but hit a plateau that I couldn't get unstuck from), and be grateful if you have nice legs. Your results will be outstanding and exceptional. Dr. S can work magic from the "lucy" up, but without surgery and scars on the legs, you will have pretty much what you went in there with. Improved? You bet. Awesome? No. My friend who took the pics did say that the one ass shot I was looking at had bad lighting (translation: great friend). She may be sort of right when you compare my panties back shot with the other one, it looks much better. But, that's my thoughts on that. I will continue to watch my diet and today I'm starting my first "20 minute brisk walk" as mentioned on Dr. S's recovery form. When able, I will continue to work on my weight and hope and pray for the best. I'm also hoping that there is a lot of swelling that is altering my perception of the final result. I'm fully aware that final results aren't presenting until 6 months out. I had also read that you have about 17 pounds to play with after an LBL without negating your surgery. That is however, you can lose 17 pounds and results won't be compromised. However, that is absolutely weight loss, not weight gain.
Face - I'm really glad I did the face. I find it so refreshing that I didn't have to pre pay. I was recovering from my LBL/BL and it was zero hour and I had to decide on my face. I had reservations. As I've said, I mean...it's our FACE! Dr. S did say he has complications with patients, 2%. I was helped so much by other Dr S patients who looked fabulous. I read posts and was given a window into what recovery world through a wonderful surgery sister who let me Skype and see the hotel room and how she was recovering. I was quite sure I wanted it, but still restless. At zero hour, I made the decision. I had walked, barely...1 day post op from body work...next door to say hi to my surgery sister Ginger who was recovering from face surgery. She was sitting there looking comfortable, great and reading her laptop. I knew right then that I was ready for take off, so to speak. I couldn't believe how great she looked just a couple hours out of surgery.
At 20 days post op, I can say I'm happy. The improvements are slight, but exactly what I wanted. The double chin is gone. My neckline looks nice...not perfect, but it never was, but the waddle is gone. I do have a bruise/bump thing on both cheeks and it's numb and feels weird to the touch. The scar on my chin is practically invisible and that is still numb too. I don't have the "bonnet" feeling that some described on other sites. I was afraid of that. They said it's so tight you feel like you have a bonnet on. The numbness is weird, but I know that will come back in time. The only time I notice it is when I touch it. The scar in front of my ear is invisible and the scars behind my ears are healing and scabbing up nicely. Bruising gets better every day. I can go out, and have gone out, and looked pretty normal. I had the upper eye lift and same thing there: scar nearly invisible and the improvement subtle, but what I had wanted. I'm so very glad I did this. Dr. S had originally said he'd do a TCA peel at the same time, but I decided that I didn't want to compromise my healing. Once he saw me, he agreed and wouldn't change his mind on that. In fact, a couple of times I'd say: TCA Peel and he'd say no and we'd laugh because it wasn't happening.
Dr. S Ethics - I'm so impressed by Dr. Sauceda. I, and many of us I'm sure, show up in a rather vulnerable state. We want improvement. I know for me, I wanted to shed some previous pain with a complete change. I would ask him about this or that or the other thing. He would not say yes or no. On my arms he said that most people know 100 percent they want their arms done when they show up to mark up. Mine are big, but not horrible so I went there thinking I'll just accept them, but while with him I wondered if maybe I should. I'm glad I didn't. I am okay with how they look and it was just more recovery and scarring, etc. I asked about my thighs and options there and again, he was honest about the results and same with implants. I was sitting there giving him a blank check and he was a professional about all of it. Granted, that's how you build a business, but I appreciated it. I really feel he under-promised and over-delivered. I am not wealthy, but would have found the money on a credit card or something if my legs would have benefited from lifts. They just wouldn't have since I wasn't at goal and he was honest with me. I really really appreciated that. As I mentioned in a previous post, he said that whatever you rate yourself as, on a scale of 1-10, your improvement from surgery will take you up the scale a few notches. I believe I went from a 4 to a 6. That was an accurate and realistic way to look at things. He's dealing with skin that has been stretched and deflated a number of times and in my case, I'm 52, so I had that in the mix.
Clinic - My clinic experience was a little scarier than I thought. I have previously posted that I didn't have the contact info for Dr S with me so when he took things from to store for safe keeping (Best to say not where ladies...), I forgot to grab the phone number. It's terrible, but I didn't know my sister's number by heart (I just hit dial and she's there). I guessed at the email it kept bouncing back. I caused added stress to his and my sister's day. Clinic was kind of stressful. To be honest, I'm editing this entry for about the 5th time. I'm hungry and need to eat a shake. I've reviewed clinic else where. Here's the short version: bring the translation form form the sticky sheet. I would show the nurse what I needed and that worked. They had apps on their phones, but the signal isn't the greatest. I tried to be a patient patient, but proactive about what I needed. I'm glad I brought protein bars to tide me over. Meals took awhile, but as I recall, my last US hospital stay was the same thing. Nurses were nice enough, some better than others, just like any where. They were instructed to contact Dr. S if we needed ANYTHING. So rest assured, all is not lost. I had frustrating moments, but overall the care I needed was there: they checked on me often, were there in an instant if I pushed the bell. They helped me shower and bandage back properly. I was fed, though not great food nor in a timely manner, but you're only there for a couple of days. Overall, it was fine. I was a little scared going into surgery the first time, but Dr. Mrs. Sauceda has a kind and commanding presence, just like Dr. S., and I felt comforted when she took over to prepare me for surgery. It' not fun or comfortable, or at least it wasn't for me: I was out of my comfort zone in MX, not speaking the language, sacred about all I was doing, but well aware of what was going to happen thanks to the other posters. You'll be fine, but have your contact number and protein bars.
Recovery in general - I am way better off than I thought I would be. I had visions of being basically crippled and just coping with the pain. I had zero pain and I as I have written, I mean zero. I have had discomfort and still do. The worst I felt was the day after my flight. OMG, that was way harder on my body than I had anticipated and I was so so grateful that someone had posted about getting wheel chair assistance at the airport. I didn't think I needed it and was in fact sort of embarrassed when I arrived in Houston. The assistant was super sweet. I whispered "I had plastic surgery in Mexico. I don't know if I need this, but I ordered it." She said, get in! She was a middle-aged woman curious about what I had done, etc. She was so helpful and it such a huge airport that by the time we got my luggage, went through customs and security (which you zip right through when you are in a wheel chair), my 2 hour layover left me with an hour for lunch which I really needed. I was feeling SO depleted. All I had was a 20 and I tipped her with it. It was well worth it. Felt like the right thing to do. I had gotten up at 4 am and breakfast and snack was a protein bar. I was dehydrated, over-tried and spent. I was so grateful for the assistance or I don't think I would have made it. I had a big salad at chili's and was able to make my flight home w/o incident. However, by the time I got home, I was almost in tears because I was so tired and couldn't sleep. Maybe because I had a sleeping pill every night in MX or maybe I was over-tired. I don't know why, but I as I laid down I cried. I was grateful to be home and grateful to my sister for staying with me. I was kind of scared actually and I am one tough broad. I don't get scared.
Recovery Part 2 - I believe in paragraphs, so I continue. Once settled from the plane ride, I was busier than I wanted to be. I drove 2 hours in a snow storm and helped shovel my car out of the drive way. I was sure that I was being careful, but you know what? Guess what? I felt almost sick by the time we got there. The drive is normally an hour, but it took 2 because of snow. I think just sitting for 2 hours, plus shoveling (I know...stupid), really took it's toll. I have been humbled by how tired I get. I'll be feeling pretty good and then I hit a wall. I have compassion for the elderly and fellow surgery patients (of all types). This is hard work and it's kind of scary to all of a sudden be overwhelmed with..sigh..exhaustion. After a few days of family events, my sister and I settled in for 1 1/2 days of complete rest and I appreciated it. I took her to the airport yesterday, went to the store, UPS to ship something and was pretty tired when I got home. I have experienced the sudden ZING of a nerve reattaching and am now going through the various swelling stages. I believe I might be entering the tummy and "lucy" feel like a waterbed stage. The scar looks different every single day. Today and for the next few days, I'm not going any where. I'll do some small projects around the house, but am going to enjoy not driving, errands, etc. My left hand where the IV was still sort of hurts. The vein is raised and itches at times and is sore to the touch. I'm a little concerned because I do have a history of blood clots so after I write this, I'll be contacting Dr S to show him my progress and ask about that.
In summary - I have had excellent results from surgery. I'm glad I did it and as my beloved surgery sisters have said, they are glad they did it all at once. Me too. I don't know that I'd go back for more. This is a commitment of time, energy and personal self love. I'm trying to honor those coming behind me with periodical updates as I was gifted with those who went before me as well. I would NOT have been able to afford this or felt comfortable with any thing about going to Dr. Sauceda/Monterrey, Mexico if it wasn't for the posting and pics of my fellow surgery brothers and sisters.
Phone - I was in idiot about this. ATT told me to cut off data, messaging and voicemail so that I wouldn't get charged if when I turned my phone on, they wouldn't push through and I'd get int'l charges. Well, I had an unlimited data plan and they assured me that this would not affect it, I was just putting it on hold. Now they are investigating it saying they don't offer unlimited plans any more and I lost my right to it by changing it. Hopefully it will turn out fine. I should have just left well enough alone. I had an older phone that I could have bought a SIM card for but at the last minute decided to do this. I used my own phone to call. It's only a few bucks more. There's an ATT store right by the HEB. I think it might be Verizon too. I could have done other things. My surgery sisters had better options than I and I can't remember what they did, but don't look to me on that one.
Peso VS Dollars App - I loved the XE currency app for my iphone 5.. I had only US and Pesos on it and it was easy to go back and forth. I liked knowing how much I was spending.
Tipping - This is a personal preference, but I wanted to share what my choices were. I tipped Paty 100 pesos a day and 20 USD on the last day (I tried to stick to pesos but she was fine with the 20 USD for the last day and as I said, gracious and sort of said..no,no, but I'd say for you and Luna (her new baby). She was an integral part of my peace of mind while at the clinic and at the hotel and I was so grateful for her. I tipped the elderly baggers at the HEB about 20 to 40 pesos depending on how my heart felt. I tipped the maid 20 peso a day and the maintenance guy 20 pesos when my fridge was delivered and my toilet fixed. The cab drivers include their tip when going to the Liverpool. Dr. S pays for the cab to the airport and my driver was an elderly man. All I had left, and the desk was out of US Dollars so I couldn't exchange, was 200 and 40 pesos. I felt in my heart to tip the driver 200 pesos. It is best to tip in pesos and I would daily make my exchanges at the front desk as needed. Sometimes I had to come back later, but it's not like I had much else to do.
Hotel - I found the hotel staff to be awesome. I was careful to be gracious. I loved that I could exchange dollars to pesos daily. I brought 400 cash and used my debit card and credit card at the HEB and when I shopped at the mall. (Do make sure to call your cc company in advance to let them know you are traveling internationally so your transactions go through. There is a small fee, but I was willing to pay that for the ease of not having a lot of cash with me.) I developed a relationship with the maid staff early on with a tipping process. They were on "Mexico Time" as Dr. S says. There was no urgent need to get my room done. They were ususally in my room by about 3 pm. They knew what I liked: 2 waters and extra coffee. Towards the end though, I'd just grab my coffee pot and go fill it up at the coffee center by the front desk so I didn't waste my water on that. A couple of times I called the front desk for a few things and they said they'd get back to me, but didn't. They are really super busy and not only multi-tasking jobs (phones, check ins,etc.), they are speaking a variety of languages. I double checked things I wanted, like the fridge, which took a few days, maybe only 2, but I did get it. I loved my king room with recliner. I loved my room period. I was so very comfortable there. Breakfasts were awesome...lots of protein to choose from and a couple hour window. I enjoyed sitting by the pool as well. It was quiet and warm (and it's freezing where I live) and offered plenty of shade. It helped me feel more like I was on vacation (as did a daily latte at Starbucks and another lap around the HEB. I really enjoyed looking at the different foods, veggies and presentation at the store vs how we do it in the US.)
Safety - And in closing, a comment on safety. You will notice that there are a lot of guards and policia around (at McDonalds, the HEB and the Liverpool Mall). I got used to seeing them and didn't think much about it until I told the front desk that I was going to walk to the Liverpool Mall. They were adamant that it wasn't safe. I said I can see it from here and that I'd just take the bridge over the road by the italian place and walk there. They insisted I didn't: not safe. They offered the shuttle or a cab. I met with Dr. S and then grabbed a cab. Dr. S told me to grab a biz card from the hotel to show the cab driver on my return. I wanted to get Retin A while in Mexico so I headed out. The mall is galleria looking, very nice, but you'll notice armed guards about every 20 feet. I went into the pharmacy (Paty told me about it). It was directly to my left a couple of shops from the mall entrance through a store by the cab drop off place outside). I was out of my element and not comfortable. This was real Mexico and they were not very helpful to someone who could not understand anything. I said Retin A. The pharmacy didn't know. I was determined that after 40 pesos to get there and my level of being uncomfortable, I was going to get the damn Retin A. One clerk asked another clerk and I felt like they were just laughing at me and said no. I kept looking, went to the make up area and she tried to help me, showed me a few products but I didn't see Retin A listed. I knew what I needed was a pharmacy item. I finally wrote RETIN A. The person said...OH...RETIN "Awe" and walked me to the pharmacy where the guy had been sort of short with me. They handed me their variety and I bought all 3, gel, cream and .01/.05/.25 strength (roughly with tax and charge for int'l use on my card 65 USD). If I got in the states, one tube is 60 as a prescription and a doc appointment. It was worth it, but I wanted to get the hell out of there. I was so out of my comfort zone. I walked up to an armed guard and said taxi. He barely knew what I meant, but was young and sweet. Dr. S had said 2 things: take cab from inside the mall and take the green cabs. I did neither. I couldn't communicate enough to say inside (lame of me). The guard walked me to another guard who walked me to a cab. They were alternating who gave rides and when turn came up it was a white cab. I said...here we go... I got in, gave him the card and pointed when I saw the hotel. When I saw HEB, I said HEB. He stopped and let me off. He charged me 30 pesos and I gave him 40. I was glad to be back. So remember that it is not safe to walk around. I know some walk to the clinic and maybe that's fine, but I'd ask Dr. S for sure. It's just not worth it. We look so American (or Canadian) and vulnerable with our gates and bandages. I've come to realize that everything Dr. S does has been set up for our convenience and safety: airport pick up and drop off in his car with his driver, nice hotel near HEB, picking us up for our mark up and surgeries, taking our luggage and purses while in surgery, taking us back to the hotel and paying for the cab to the airport so we don't get ripped off on that trip. I'm so very impressed.
Thank you. Godspeed. I'll keep you posted.
