Kris

The answer is yes, Dr. Quiroz takes care of that during the belt lipectomy surgery. And it is a very nice benefit of the surgery.

No muffin top is the BEST thing about this surgery! Since you are currently a size 4-6 you are going to be super tiny after the surgery. I still wear my spanx camis for support (Dr. Quiroz only had me wear a binder for weeks after surgery, but I like the support I get from the spanx). So you might find yourself still using yours for a few months after surgery, but only because it makes your incisions feel more protected. Your tummy will be flat as a board when Dr. Quiroz is done with you!

Hey there Suzie! I am doing really well, thanks for asking! My leaking incision finally closed up and stopped leaking on my six week surgiversary, which was a great day. I'm now a bit over seven weeks out and doing better each day .... little things I took for granted before surgery, and then couldn't do for weeks after surgery, are possible again, like being able to stand up really straight, sleep on my side, do a really big stretch when I wake up, and bend over with ease while not being terrified of damaging the incisions. Most of the scabs have fallen off, and while the incisions are still bright red, they aren't nearly as scary looking as they were. My energy level is back to pretty much normal. Really, at six weeks it was as if my body turned a corner. Definitely the hardest part is well behind me, and hopefully from here on out all is going to be great. I am wearing a size 8 pant now (down a full size from before surgery) and it is SO cool to be wearing the single digits again! - I haven't worn a size 8 since I was in my 20's -- that was 20 years ago! I went clothes shopping this past weekend and got some great bargains at Macy's (clearance sale). I am also able to wear a size small in tops ... the size small really shows off my smaller waist. I wore one of the new size smalll tops to work yesterday and had lots of people come up and remark on how small/good I looked. At some point I'll have to post before and after pics. (however I'm really not photogenic, sad to say). So, that's my latest update. You know I vividly remember how tough my first few weeks after surgery were, but already it feels like a distant memory, even though it's been less than 2 months since surgery. If you asked me the first few weeks afteer surgery if the surgery worth it I would have said I'm not sure, but now at the 7 week mark I'm like Heck Yeah it was worth it! I hope you are doing well too! Best, Kris

Hi, I went to Tijuana alone. I flew down to San Diego on a Sunday and spent the night in the Hyatt Manchester Grand (I highly recommend that hotel if you stay in San Diego!). On Monday morning I took a cab to the airport and was met by a driver from the Cosmed Clinic who drove me down to the clinic (free of charge, and she wasn't allowed to take a tip), crossing over the border from the US to Mexico. When I arrived at the clinic I was immediately taken up to the operating room floor. My impression in driving to the clinic was that the clinic was in a good area of Tijuana. I was in Tijuana for a week but never stepped foot outside the CosMed clinic until the day I left (and that was only to get into the car for the ride back to the airport in San Diego -- once again, someone from the clinic drove me up at no charge). So, I never had the opportunity to check the area out (however there is a mall a few blocks away and I understand that patients can walk over there if they want, and it's a safe area). So, safety was definitely not a problem for me. I had a few moments of being scared/apprehensive about being there alone, especially right before the surgery (I wanted the emotional support). However, those were ffleeting moments. After surgery I was taken such excellent care of by the recovery boutique staff that I felt fine being alone. It would have been comforting to have someone there with me, it wasn't really necessary. After about four days I was starting to feel a little homesick though, and by the time I left a week later I was definitely ready to get back home (wanted to be in familiar surroundings with my family). From what I could gather at the recovery boutique, it seemed that about half the patients had someone with them (family or friend) and half were there by themselves; it's very common for people to go there alone, and I think the staff really makes sure to take good care of the ones who come alone. I made the decision to go alone because I knew I would still need several weeks of recovery time at home and didn't want my husband to take his (fairly limited) vacation time to stay with me in Mexico when I knew I would be needing his help after I got home. My husband and I talked on the phone every evening and I got lots of emails and calls from friends and relatives while I was there, which helped me not be too lonely. One thing I did was to bring a bunch of my favorite DVDs to watch, and spent a fair amount of time watching DVDs ... they made the days pass faster and took my mind off the post-op recovery discomfort. So if you go stay there, bring some DVDs to watch. Bottom line, I was fine going alone, and although it would have been nice to have my husband or mom with me, I did just fine without them, and I was really well taken care of by the Cosmed Clinic staff and the recovery boutique hotel staff. If I had to do it all over again, I would be fine going alone again. I hope this helps Kris

The cost really depends on the procedures you want/need. Dr Quiroz provides free consults and price quotes to prospective clients. You can contact the patient coordinator and describe what you're looking to get done, then what the coordinator would ask you to do is email a pictures of yourself to show the work you want done (in my case a lower body lift, so I took pictures of myself wearing a bra and panties), and then Dr. Quiroz will call you for a phone consult (he called me the day after I sent in my pictures). During the phone consult he will discuss possible options with you, and depending on what you're interested in he will prepare a price quote and the coordinator will email it to you for review. This is all free of charge! If you want to book the surgery you can do so. In my experience, Dr. Quiroz's prices were half of what they would have been had I used a local plastic surgeon. Even with staying in the recovery boutique for a week, I saved thousands of dollars by going to him.

I was not at my goal weight when I had my lower body lift surgery, but my weight had been pretty stable for 2 years (I mostly stayed within a 10 lb. range between high 130s and high 140s; like most people, my weight goes up in the winter and down in the summer). My goal weight when I had my bariatric surgery was 132 and I never got there (closest I got was 137 lbs. which I hit last summer for a few weeks). On the day of my lower body lift surgery on December 9th I weighed 149 (due to bad holiday/stress eating, and not exercising as regularly as I had been over the summer). I knew from other people to not weigh myself in the first few weeks after surgery because you really do have a ton of swelling and trapped Fluid in your body. I weighed myself for the first time after my lower body lift surgery on January 1st, 2014, and I was thrilled to see I weighed 134.4 (I lost 15 lbs in 21 days., holy cow!). I think half of the weight loss was having the extra skin & tissue removed, and the other half was that my appetite had been extremely low following surgery and I hadn't been eating much. My weight notched up to 136 a few days later, and my weight has held steady between 136-137 lbs. for the past couple of weeks. So, now I am very close to my goal weight. I feel confident that once I can start exercising again, I will be able to maintain this weight with no problem and possibly hit my final goal weight. Before surgery I wore a size 10P. At the time of surgery my pants were snug on me (since I was at the high end of my weight range). Now my size 10Ps are all quite loose, and I'm pretty sure I could fit into a size 8 with no problems (just haven't bothered to go clothes shopping). So, that is really exciting!

Susie, you will be thrilled with your results when the work is all done! And June will be here before you know it!

I'm just over four weeks out now, and went back to work this week (half days, as my energy level is still pretty low; when I get home from work I take a long nap). My incisions are healing up pretty well, but I'm still super conscious of them and I move around very slowly and deliberately (I have to constantly remind myself to stand up straight and not walk around stooped over). I really notice the difference in how my clothes fit! My clothes are all really loose in the waist/hip area and I think I could comfortably fit into a lower size (but as my weight and size was very stable for a couple of years prior to surgery, I don't have any clothes in a lower size to confirm this). My tummy looks amazingly flat in profile and that is a thrill. I do still see some areas of swelling but I know that is totally normal and swelling could continue for up to several more months. Basically, at 4 weeks out, I feel like I'm about 65% on the way to normal. I'm seeing improvement every week and that is encouraging. I feel like I am a pretty slow healer overall, so it's possible you could feel much better, much faster than I have. The first month after surgery was really really hard for me, but now that I'm a month out I know the worst is behind me and it's only going to get better! Yay!

Hi All, I had my lower body lift done on December 9th with Dr. Quiroz at the Cosmed Center in Tijuana, which included lipo on my arms and thighs. All I can say right now is OWWWWW. I was actually not feeling too bad the first few days after surgery, as the anesthesiologist had given me an epidural and it kept the incision pain at bay. The anesthesia is wearing off now in spots, and it hurts really badly when I do any action that pulls on the incisions where the anesthesia has worn off. I missed one of my pain pills last night so this morning was particularly painful ... seriously I almost started to cry. This is by far the worst surgery/pain I've ever experienced. I knew it would be, and I know that things will improve with time, but right now it just really hurts. I am seriously thinking of dipping into my stash of vicodin (that I brought with me, but haven't used yet) to help with some of the pain, as the Mexican meds I'm using (Sinergix) are not up to the task now that the anesthesia is wearing off. I'm going to ask Dr. Q today what to do, as obviously I don't want to combine pain meds without his advice. Also, the drains are really irritating me ... they pinch so badly where the incision site is. I am expecting Dr. Q to remove one or hopefully both drains today. I discharge from the recovery hotel boutique tomorrow and really don't want to have to deal with any drains when I leave! I am going to be staying with my mom over Christmas (she lives about 2.5 hours' drive from San Diego, a major reason why I chose to have surgery in Tijuana) and then on the 28th I fly home. I took a month off work and hope it's enough (otherwise I'll just have to take more, and hopefully when the first month is up I'll be feeling fine to work at my desk job). I've been staying in the recovery boutique hotel since my surgery, and the staff has been really lovely. I haven't been cleared to take a shower yet, but yesterday one of the staff washed my hair and gave me a sponge bath,and that made such a huge difference! I was feeling like a skank bomb with greasy hair, betadine smears, and bandage residue. I haven't been eating well, and my appetite is very low ... almost all cooked food repulses me, with the exception of Soup,so my diet lately has mostly been soup, crackers or toast with Peanut Butter, and fruit. I am really excited to be able to make my own green smoothies and Protein shakes starting tomorrow. I think part of why I've been feeling so yucky is the lack of good nutrition, and my aversion to most food. I thought I'd show some pics of my abdomen before surgery and what my incisions look like, and the bruising from the lipo. I am still extremely swollen in arms and thighs where the lipo was done, but the soreness from the lipo is pretty manageable with the pain meds. On the plus side -- wow, my abdomen is SO much flatter than it was prior to surgery! And although I have a ton of swelling and bruising on my arms, they are definitely more toned looking than prior to the lipo, which is good. I was thinking getting an arm lift and a thigh lift at some point, but right now that's not remotely something I want to consider! I just have to make it through the next several weeks of healing, and hopefully I will feel much better. Also, by the way, I did have a fleur de lis abdominoplasty due to a lot of lax skin in my upper abdomen. That's why there is a vertical incision. I'll post some more pictures in the coming weeks as my healing progresses.

As one of the folks who had surgery in Mexico and is struggling with recovery, I believe my surgeon did a fine job. For what it's worth, he is board certified in the US and has worked extensively in the US, and his clinic is state of the art, so it's not like he was a quack doing a back alley surgery. I think the major benefit you get from having surgery close to where you life is if you have a complication, your PS is probably more physically accessible. My PS has been very accessible since I discharged, but it's been by phone and email rather than in-office visits. I had breast reduction surgery locally (in the states) last July by a board certified plastic surgeon with a very good reputation, but I still experienced one of the worst complications possible (tissue & fat necrosis following surgery; basically I lost the nipple on my right breast and have a misshapen right breast from extensive fat necrosis). I will need to have to have reconstructive surgery this year on the damaged breast. Maybe the same complication would have happened with any other surgeon, I have no idea. My PS did provide me great support throughout the complication and I visited his office many times for checkups, but the visits didn't really affect the outcome much (the necrosis happened within 24 hours following surgery, and once the tissue died there was not much that could be done). So, I am living proof that major complications can/do happen in the US as well as outside the US. When I decided to have the body lift, I decided to go to Mexico to a PS. who had a lot of surgery with bariatric surgery patients, and due to the major cost savings associated with having surgery in Mexico I could afford to stay in the recovery suite a full week with 24/7 nursing care that I knew I would need following such a major surgery as a lower body lift. The problems I've experienced with leaking incisions happened AFTER I discharged from the recovery suite and I think were mostly due to me having very poor nutrition post op, due to my total lack of appetite & being repulsed by almost all food, and overdoing it on a couple of occasions (neither of these things was my doctor's fault). Unfortunately for me, having had two major plastic surgeries, each with unpleasant complications, I've basically come to the conclusion that I'm not a very good healer. I know Cowgirl Jane just had extensive plastics in Mexico with a different surgeon and had zero complications, so I don't think the location of the surgery has as much to do with the outcome as much as skill of the surgeon, post operative care (both by the dr. and patient), and individual healing. By no means do I think surgery in Mexico is for everyone, but I would be very upset if people thought my problems were due to me having surgery in Mexico. Oh, I should menotion, I got sleeved in Mexico (Dr. Aceves); had zero complications and no problems at all and had outstanding care. I had such a good experience with Dr. Aceves that I wasn't afraid to go to Mexico for plastics, as I know you can get outstanding medical care in Mexico. Just my .02. Kris

Thanks ladies for the support! I appreciate it so much!!!! Cowgirl Jane, I really appreciate your words of wisdom, and I totally agree this is major, major surgery and not something you just bounce back from in a couple of weeks (as I am learning daily). I was actually pretty good about getting extra Protein prior to surgery, but definitely could have done better with overall fitness. I believe that at least some of the fatigue I've experienced since surgery has been due to the fact that I wasn't in the best shape possible when I went into surgery. I really do wish I had done much more to strengthen my core and arms prior to surgery. So that definitely is another great lesson learned. Ironically, I woke up today and was thrilled to see the leaking had dramatically slowed since yesterday. Yesterday I did experience a big unexpected gusher of Fluid escape when I laid down to sleep, and while it was extremely unnerving at the time, it may very well have been that was just the last pocket of fluid that needed to drain out, and from now on thing swill dry up swiftly and the incisions can heal. I'll keep my fingers crossed that is the case. In retrospect I do believe I removed the second drain at least several days earlier than I should have. Yes it was leaking at the insertion site, yes it pinched me constantly, yes it was a pain in the butt, yes the drainage had slowed down to an acceptable level, but I guess my body still had lots more draining to do, and once the drain was out, the most efficient way for the body to drain was through the weakest spots in the incisions. I have seen anecdotes of people developing leaks 3+ weeks after surgery after the drains are removed .... so leaks can happen even when you leave the drains in a long time. I don't know whether I would have had the leaks if I had left the drain in several more days or if I was just going to leak no matter what. I hadn't weighed myself since having surgery but decided to do so for the first time today (being that it's a new year and I thought I would document it). I thought that I had lost weight, but since I still have some swelling I was not expecting to see much of a change on the scale. Boy was I wrong. I've lost over 15 lbs. since December 9th. Unbelievable! I never did ask Dr. Q how much skin/fat he removed but I'm guessing it was around 7 lbs., so the other weight has been through the unfortunate lack of eating/appetite (and trust me, I would gladly give those lbs. back in exchange for not having experienced the incision leaks!). I am not dumb enough to think the number on the scale today is what will be in 2-4 weeks or beyond, but it has been an eye opening weight loss. Ironically, the only clothes I feel comfortable wearing are my cozy Hanes sweatpants, t-shirts, and hoodies. So I have no idea what my regular wardrobe fits like!

I just had a fleur de lis lower body lift done 3 weeks ago (with lipo in arms and thighs) and flew from CA to WA (2.5 hour flight) on day 19 after surgery. The flight was manageable but I had lots of help on both ends of the flight with luggage (didn't even try to pull the suitcase; someone else took care of it for me). You could probably fly but the longer you can wait to fly, the better. I have had a rough time with recovery (I'm in my mid 40s, just FYI). Due to a combination of factors, I unfortunately have experienced leaking incisions, which are pretty awful to look at and deal with. I believe a combination of too-early removal of the drains, poor post-op nutrition, and overdoing it a couple of days contributed to the issue. I am working with my PS to manage the leaks and hopefully they will dry up soon. In the meantime, it is quite an emotional struggle to deal with this issue. I still have pretty extensive swelling and my incisions are still extremely tender. I am still walking over stooped like an old lady and shuffle around the house. I spend most of my time resting, sleep/nap at least 14 hours a day. You really should plan to have tons of downtime for the first several weeks after surgery. My husband has taken over all the chores for me so all I need to do is rest. If you live alone, you definitely need to line up as much help as possible from friends/family/neighbors in your first weeks after surgery. You are not going to have the energy or the physical ability to do most things you currently take for granted. Things like doing laundry, loading/unloading a dishwasher, cleaning, shopping, etc ... someone else will need to do for you. I am scheduled to return to work next week (4 weeks post op) but am 90% sure I will not be able to work a full day and will probably need to work half days for couple of weeks at least (I have a desk job but still, can't imagine doing a whole days' worth of work at this point). I agree with Matahairi that this has been a very debilitating surgery from both a physical and emotional perspective. Ironically, I am more emotionally fragile now after 3 weeks post op than I was the first week post op. I think a major part of it is the first week post op you expect it's going to be tough, but I was expecting to be feeling/doing a lot better by this point and I'm not doing as well as I thought I would. I now realize it is probably going to be several more weeks before I'm feeling anywhere close to normal. Major lessons I learned: 1. You may not want to eat after this surgery but it is absolutely critical that you get adequate nutrition and Protein so your body can heal. For the first couple of weeks after surgery I couldn't stand most food and barely ate anything. That really hurt me, I'm convinced. My appetite has returned somewhat and I am eating as much protein as I can manage each day. 2. Take it super easy. As it was the holidays, I made a couple of stupid mistakes overing doing it (went shopping when I shouldn't have, and helped out my mom in preparing for a Christmas Eve party when I should have spent the day on the couch. I think that hurt me a lot to and contributed to the incision leaks. 3. Expect it to be physically and mentally debilitating, even if you have a perfect recovery. I had a lot of emotional issues the first month after getting sleeved; this has been just as bad emotionally, but the physical trauma has been exponentially worse than the sleeve surgery (which was actually a piece of cake compared to plastic surgery). Many days I want to cry (I don't, but I want to). I totally have had many thoughts of buyer's remorse, but when that happens I just tell myself this will pass and in a few months I'll be happy I did it. 4. Your body is going to go through lots of changes. Even though my belly is now amazingly flat compared to what it was before surgery, I still have tons of swelling. I know it will take many weeks or even months for things to settle down. Just expect lots of swelling and that your body will be doing weird things on a regular basis. 5. Support is good and necessary. I've learned a lot and have gotten great support from folks on this site. They have helped me get through some tough moments! Having said all that, I sure don't want to scare you ... I know if a few months I'll be thrilled with my results. Just expect the first month to suck in a major way and then if it's better than you thought, all to the better (and if it's worse than you thought ... that's pretty normal!) Best, Kris

Hi All, Just an update, I am now just over 3 weeks post surgery. I feel like I am the poster child for things that can go wrong after this surgery! I discharged from the CosMed Clinic's recovery suite on December 17th and spent 10 days at my mom's house (finally flew home on Saturday the 28th). When I discharged, everything was going pretty well; I just had some awful nerve pain in my left upper thigh/butt cheek area that resolved within a week, and was having problems with a leaky drain (fluid was leaking out of the area where the drain was inserted.) With my PS's approval I removed my remaining drain on day 10 after surgery,. I was still draining some Fluid at that time, but my antibiotic prescription had run out (and thus there was an increased chance of me getting an infection at the drain insertion site) and I was thoroughly sick of the drain, which has been leaky and was pinching pretty horribly when the drain pulled (which was often). I was unfortunately still not eating well and overdid it a couple of days, and I started springing leaks out of my incisions as well as continued leaking out of the site where the drain had been. At first the leaking was primarily located in one area, but then multiple leaks sprang open on both sides. As of today, there are 4 areas that are actively draining ... the worst by far is a 2" area near my mons pubis that that has basically split open (you could insert the edge of a quarter into it). The leaking fluid has turned the scab into goo and it is completely gross to look at. It doesn't hurt, but it is very scary to look at and annoying to stuff maxi pads in my underpants to absorb the leaking. I freaked out when the leaks started and contacted Dr Q and provided pictures of what was going on; he was very reassuring and said this sort of thing is fairly common with this surgery, and I need to keep the incisions clean and try to give the areas lots of air when possible. I've been really taking it easy, trying to eat more Protein, and keeping the incisions as clean and dry as possible. From what I've found doing research, it will probably take at least another 1-2 weeks before the incisions close up and the leaking is over. I will be SO thankful when the leaks are done! I have a pretty large area of swelling around my butt incisions and hope that the swelling continues to decrease over time. Other than the leaks, I find my recovery to be super slow. My energy level is still very low, and I spend most of my days resting, Lessons I have learned (the very hard way): 1) I really did myself no favors by eating so little food/lacking nutrition my first 2 weeks after surgery. The folks at the CosMed Clinic provided lots of good food; I just had zero appetite and almost all food repulsed me, so most days I was getting less than 700 calories and almost no protein. From what I've read one of the main contributing factors to slow wound healing is inadequate nutrition following surgery (smoking is another major culprit, but I've never been a smoker so that had nothing to do with it). So, if you are going to have surgery, please do your best to get lots of protein and fresh fruits and veggies in the weeks following surgery --- your body really needs it! 2) Don't overdo it if you can at all help it. It can be a fine line between getting out and about and resuming normal activities and overdoing it. I crossed the line on a couple of days and I feel sure that overdoing contributed to the leaking incisions issues. 3) Be patient with the healing process (I am still really struggling with this). I knew before having the surgery it was going to be extensive and tough, but I really have been surprised at how slowly I am healing and how tired I still am most days. I won't lie, there are many days I have despairing thoughts of "why did I do this to myself?" and wishing I could turn back the clock and not have had the surgery. I believe in a few months, once I'm healed up more, I will be happy with the results, but for right now it is just very tough physically and emotionally. Even though I went through this following breast reduction surgery, this surgery is so much more extensive than that (and that was pretty major surgery actually), it has been a major challenge to get through the days. That's it for now ... I feel kind of bad to be reporting healing problems, but possibly other people have experienced these issues too, and so hopefully it will be good for people to know things like leaks form incisions can happen. Have a happy new year! I must admit, I am super super glad to say goodbye to 2013!

Congrats on both! I sure you will be a gorgeous bride!!!!

I think a big part for me as far as pain has been the pain meds I"ve been using. .Since the surgery, I've been using the Mexican Singergix, which is not as powerful as vicodin (not as many side effects, either). With other surgeries I had, I used Vicodin and that was very good at controlling pain, but it really made me woozy, too. After the first few days I only used it at night to help sleep and relied on OTC meds for the daytime. I'm down to my last day's worth of Sinergix; so now I'll find out, can I manage on OTC pain meds or will I finally need to dip into my stash of vicodin to help me control the pain? I always thought of myself as having a pretty high tolerance for pain; on other surgeries I've had, the drs told me that their other patients had a much worse time. But in this case, I have been struggling. Dr. Q did a thorough check of my incisions before I discharged and there's no sign of any problems, so in my case I think it's probably a case of ineffective pain management. Oh, also another thing, I experience my worst pain getting in and out of bed. Because I had lipo in my arms and legs, and the LBL when I get in and out of bed, or up and down off the sofa, that hurts a lot because a lot of sore spots are getting pressure. I try to get help when I can to get in and out of bed, but sometimes I have to do it myself. Anyway i'm glad to hear that the level of pain & discomfort I've described is not typical ... sorry if I worried anyone unduly about what the pain is associated with this surgery!

Overall I was satisfied; on a scale of A - F, I'd rate him a B+. Major good things - his phone consult was excellent, and the pre-op meeting the day of surgery was good. The surgery went off without a hitch and I had no complications of any sort, which was the most important thing to me. It's still early to say what the final results are going to look like, but I could immediately see my abdomen and butt were much tighter and firmer than prior to surgery, and he and his staff were very happy with the results and said I would be once I healed up. The incisions around my pelvis and the vertical fleur de lis incision are not perfectly symmetrical but they aren't horrendously asymmetrical, and appear to be acceptably in line with results I've seen with other LBL patients from other surgeons. Dr. Quiroz did either come visit me or have me come up to see him almost every day I stayed there (I think there were only 2 days out of 7 I didn't see him). He answered any questions I had and did what I expected him to do. I can tell you, the man is BUSY! Every time I saw him he was either just finishing his surgeries for the day or was between surgery. The CosMed clinic is a bustling place. During the original consult I was told I'd be having a brazilian butt lift with lipo injection. The lipo injection was not done since my butt didn't need it (I only needed the lift, not extra padding), but I wasn't told of this (I only figured it out on my own because my butt was one of the rare parts of my body that didn't hurt, and had lipo been done it probably would have hurt immensely.) During the final consult prior to surgery, Dr. Quiroz did change up the game plan a bit; based on his actual hands-on evaluation of my body he recommended I get a fleur-de-lis procedure since I had a lot of laxity in the skin in my upper abdomen and he thought I would not be satisfied with the results otherwise. I was also originally supposed to get lipo injection in my butt along with the butt lift, but I didn't need that after all. The total price of the surgery did not change although I"m sure it was more expensive to do the fleur de lis than to not do the lipo butt injection, so that was nice. I stayed in the recovery hotel boutique for 7 days after surgery. I'd rate them a B or B- overall (the longer I stayed, the lower the grade). Had I only stayed 3 or 4 nights I am sure I would have rated them an A. The room I had was good, private only for my use, very spacious, and the bathroom was huge. I had free wifi and DVD and cable TV to entertain myself. The treatment I got from the staff the first days was absolutely wonderful, but as I was able to do more on my own, I felt like they started to neglect me a little in favor of the newer patients going in (which is pretty understandable, you've got to prioritize the work). The nurses did constantly ask me how I was doing, and told me to call the front desk if I needed anything (and in all but one case they responded immediately). There were a couple of instances towards the end of the visit when the nurse was supposed to come wake me at midnight to take a pain pill, but didn't come (and boy that hurt after the pain med wore off!). I did get a lovely shampoo and sponge bath over the weekend, which I desperately needed, but I kind of had to ask for it (I don't know if it would have been offered had I said how desperate I was to have a shower, which I wasn't allowed to have). The food was decent, again especially the first few days, but after a while I was getting fed up with it. I think I was just becoming a very cranky patient, wanting to be back in a familiar place with the comforts of home. So I might be being a little harsh in my rating of the clinic ... during the time when I needed help the most, I got outstanding help. The staff was always polite and helpful. They all speak English at least passably and several are totally fluent. The worst thing I experienced was actually my discharge -- I was supposed to have a driver come pick me up at 10 am on my release day, so I could be at the airport by noon, and I spoke to no less than 3 of the staff in the Cosmed clinic to confirm this, and all confirmed. But then on my discharge day I was told very apologetically that there had been a mixup and my driver would not come until noon -- there was a lot of finger pointing and I never did really figure out what went wrong (the driver told me she had originally been scheduled for a 10 am pickup but then was called and told to come at noon instead). This was not an earth shaking crisis (I didn't miss a flight or anything) but it was an annoying inconvenience, and had I missed a flight I would have been extremely upset. The head nurse at the recovery boutique told me this sort of thing happened before, which surprised me (not in a good way). So I would definitely advise if you stay at the recovery boutique, make sure they know exactly when you need to leave, and build in some extra time for unexpected issues like what I experienced. Oh - one really cool thing -- there is a special exit lane at the border for medical patients. The driver presented paperwork from the clinic to the guard and was allowed to use that lane. We were able to zip through the border really quickly; it was 30 minutes from the time I left the clinic to the time I crossed the border, and at least half that time was getting from the clinic to the border area, and as well we stopped at a pharmacy to get some additional meds. Tthe regular lines at the border were absolutely horrendous; probably would have taken 3+ hours to cross the border, so that medical lane is super cool! I totally felt like a VIP. After I was released from the clinic, I did experience a complication (leaking Fluid from my incision, which opened up the incision a couple of inches). When it happened I totally freaked out and contacted Dr. Quroz by email (sent a picture of the open incision and explained what had happened). Even though it was the day after Christmas and he was on vacation, he called me very quickly and was very reassuring and helpful and told me how to treat it (it turns out this is a fairly common occurrence). It eased my mind tremendously. I contacted him about a week later with an update and again got a very quick call back and good information. I was very pleased with how responsive he was and fortunately this problem is not major and I am healing up.

Hi, the thread I started about my surgery is called Lower Body Lift -- One Week Post Op. I'm now 10 days out and still incredibly sore, but I know in a few weeks I will be feeling much improved.

Yes, please do provide an update, I would love to hear the latest!

Hi Cowgirl Jane, I've been thinking of you this past week and wondering how you ever made it through ALL the work that you had done! OWWW! I wish now though that I had just gone for the arm lift at the same time as everything else, rather than just having lipo. Even after the lipo I still have batwings, although I think my arms will look more toned after they heal up some. Dr. Quiroz remarked that my arms were in much better shape than my thighs and that I would notice the benefit of lipo much more on my arms than thighs. So far that is proving to be the case, although as the swelling is gradually decreasing, I'm also seeing a little extra contouring in my thighs. The lipo pain for sure was the worst in the first week after surgery, but now that the anesthesia is wearing off my incisions, the lipo pain is just a nuisance compared to the pain of the incisions. I am wearing a compression garment but keeping it on the loose side, since I can't breathe well when it's tight (with Dr. Q's approval). I have read there is some debate as to the benefits of using a compression garment. Most surgeons recommend & require them, but some don't require them, which is very interesting, and the ones who don't require them are pretty passionate about why they don't. One thing I've learned from having two plastic surgeries, with two different surgeons, is each surgeon has his/her own practices/beliefs but there probably is not any one best way to handle things. Dr. Quiroz told me it's more important to be able to breathe well since pulmonary embolism is always a possibility after surgery and the compression garment is designed to provide support but shouldn't hurt. Makes sense to me. I am so thankful you have shared your experiences with your surgery because it helps me get through each day! Oh gosh, one thing I didn't mention was that I was supposed to get a brazilian butt lift w/lipo injection along with the lower body lift. It turned out that I didn't need a lipo injection in my butt, since I actually have plenty of fat left in my booty. I am SO thankful I didn't have a lipo injection in my butt! My butt is one of the few places on my body that doesn't hurt! The lower body lift did lift up my butt and I think it will look just fine and I am glad I didn't have the lipo injection. Best, Kris

Hi Ladies, I didn't want to frighten anyone off of having the surgery, but thought I would be really honest about my experience so folks would have an idea of what it's like. Then if you have the surgery, and you're feeling miserable the first week afterwards, you know that's all normal! The adorable patient coordinator who works here (Crystal) told me the first week after surgery is known as "Regret Week," due to the pain and swelling people experience as a result of the surgery. In my case, I don't think I regret the surgery per se, but I sure do hate the pain/discomfort. I know over time I will continue to heal and feel better, and in a few months this will all be a memory. I had the same experience last July after having a breast reduction, and although the surgery was painful the results are well worth the pain. I'm really looking forward to January, when I can go back to work -- I know my clothes will fit SO much better than they did before with my huge muffin top. And later this spring my hubby and I are taking a beach vacation and that will be super fun to wear a bathing suit without all the saggy skin I have been dealing with.

Hi All, Hard to believe it's been almost 3 years since I had my sleeve gastrectomy! My lower body lift surgery is scheduled for Monday, December 9th. I'm going to Cosmed Clinic in Tijuana with Dr. Quiroz as my surgeon. I am having a lower body lift (includes brazilian butt lift) plus lipo in my arms and thighs. I will be staying at the recovery hotel boutique in the Cosmed facility for 8 days following surgery so that I'll be well taken care of by round the clock nursing staff. Part of me is excited and the other part is filled with dread over having to undergo another major surgery (I had a breast reduction done on July 1st, which to tell the truth was WAY more painful and slow recovery than I had anticipated, and as well I had a major post-op complication that will likely require reconstructive surgery next year). I just want to get this procedure over with, though, so the lower half of my torso is in line with my new perky ta-tas. I know I'll need a thigh lift and arm lift in the future as well, but one step at a time.... I did a lot of research and know there were some complaints about Dr Quiroz, but also there are many fans of his, and the Cosmed Clinic is state of the art. I do know he knows how to deal with bariatric patients, and I really liked him during the phone consult. So far his staff has been really great, too. I'll post some pics a few weeks after the surgery. Wish me luck! If anyone has had surgery with Dr. Quiroz or at the Cosmed Clinic and has advice for me, I'm all ears! Best, Kris

Hi Ladies, thanks for the encouragement! Cowgirl Jane, I read about your surgery, and am SO impressed with your weight loss and your plastic surgery outcome! You look fantastic! I am now wishing I had gone ahead and gotten the arm lift along with everything else, but man, that is a LOT of surgery you went through! You must be extremely tough! May I ask, how much weight did you lose after your plastic surgery? Have you lost a clothes size? After my breast reduction I lost 10 lbs (nearly 2 lbs. from the surgery itself, and then 8 lbs. in the month following surgery, due to my appetite being very low, and I craved a lot of healthy foods). I am hoping that happens again. I figure I'm going to lose at least 5 - 6 lbs. from the skin & fat removal, and expect my appetite will be low again after surgery, so it's possible I'll FINALLY hit goal weight at long last as a result of this surgery. That would be a great Christmas present for sure! I am planning to treat myself to a vacation in Cancun at the end of March so I have something to look forward to on those days when I'm wondering why in the H*LL I went through all the pain of the surgery, LOL. Best, Kris

I am having surgery with him on December 9th (LBL with brazilian butt lift and lipo on arms). I will let you know how it goes!

You look really amazing! Congrats on hitting your goal and maintaining it! I am nearing my 3 years surgiversary date too, and boy howdy have I had my ups and downs (but I would do the surgery again in a heartbeat, no question). Time has a way of flying by! In some ways it feels like it just happened, and in other ways like it happened to another person in another life.

Hi, I'm nearly 3 years post surgery. I never did hit my final goal weight, but honestly I am cool with that, as I've lost over 80 lbs. and now wear "normal" size clothes (size 10P). I have had some issues with maintenance. My weight definitely fluctuates over the course of a year; I gain weight in the winter and lose weight in the summer, and it's directly related to eating habits and exercise (in the summer I am much more active and eat much better than in the winter ... like many animals, I just want to fatten up and hibernate in the winter!). This year I started down the road of post-bariatric plastic surgery; I had breast reduction in July and am having a lower body lift on December 9th. I eventually also want to have a neck lift, arm lift, and thigh lift, as my health and pocketbook allow. To those who are thinking about sleeve gastrectomy surgery, honestly I have to say it is the BEST thing I ever did to resolve my obesity. I know I added many years to my life by having the surgery, and my quality of life is vastly better too.