PoodleMum

Holly, Thanks so much. You have answered all of my questions for now. I really appreciate your taking the time to share so much with me/us. I'll check with you latter again when PS gets closer to being a reality for me.

PoodleMum,

I just wanted to update you that the new point of contact for "The Ariel Center" is Daniela. You can email her at daniela@thearielcenter.com to set up an appointment with Dr. Castillo.

For the lower body lift I stayed at the Hotel Real Del Rio. This hotel was nice, updated, and inexpensive, they also had room service which is important. The only down side was your pretty much stuck in your room and there's not alot of channels to watch there. I highly recommend bringing a laptop so you can watch dvd's or netflix. But for the price it was good and safe. You might be able to request a microwave sent up to your room, I didn't ask at the time.

I have also stayed at the Marriott which I would recommend as long as you can access the executive lounge. It does cost more, but you can bring some food with you and they have a microwave there that you can access anytime. Plus they serve some breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Kind of like a sample bar. You also have more channels for the TV. But again the price will be more so it will depend on your budget.

Either way the Van from the OCC can pick you up and drop you off at either location if your not driving.

I had to stay in TJ for about 4 days before I could get the drains removed. Those were a pain especially if you moved silly and got it snagged. You are sort of hunched over and can't really stand up straight I would say for myself at least 2 weeks. You also have to be careful with not lifting anything too heavy, and you get exhausted easily so don't overwork. My thighs and stomach were swollen and it takes at least 2 months for it to go down. You will need help at least down in Tj for the stay, especially getting up and out of bed and putting on your shoes. I would also recommend getting a light robe with a pocket so you can put the drain bag in. and really baggy sweat pants.

It sounds like a lot, and it kind of is since the surgery itself takes about 6hrs. But it was something I needed to do, especially when it came around to my belly button area, and it helped eliminate almost all of a scar I had before from an emergency surgery.

Let me know if you need any more information.

Thanks!

Holly

Holly, I meant to ask you about your recovery. Where did you stay after you were discharged from the OCC? Did you have or need any help and how long would you recommend staying after a lower body lift before traveling home.

PoodleMum,

I did arrange everything with Gloria at the OCC, and even forwarded pictures first. In the end it was easier to just set up a meeting with Dr. Castio and show him my trouble spots. I would recommend setting up an appointment with him instead of just stopping by since he might be out of the office or in surgery. As for myself I waited until a little more then a year before I did my elective surgery, since I wanted to make sure I was at a steady weight. Also I ended up doing the lower belt surgery first since this was major and more recovery time. I then followed up 6 months later with my breast lift and implants. I will be going back in June some time for a follow up visit.

Keep Up the Great Work!

Holly

Holly, thank you so much for the great info. I will make an appointment with Dr. Castio when I know my summer travel dates. If all goes well I will still be about 20lbs from goal by then but, I hope he can give me some idea of what can be done to get rid of the extra skin and, of course, estimated costs. I appreciate your response. Thanks again.

PoodleMum,

I did arrange everything with Gloria at the OCC, and even forwarded pictures first. In the end it was easier to just set up a meeting with Dr. Castio and show him my trouble spots. I would recommend setting up an appointment with him instead of just stopping by since he might be out of the office or in surgery. As for myself I waited until a little more then a year before I did my elective surgery, since I wanted to make sure I was at a steady weight. Also I ended up doing the lower belt surgery first since this was major and more recovery time. I then followed up 6 months later with my breast lift and implants. I will be going back in June some time for a follow up visit.

Keep Up the Great Work!

Holly

Hi Holly,

Does Dr Castio speak pretty good english? I am only a few weeks post-op with 40ish lbs still to lose but, I will be in Tijuana with a friend in August and would like a consult with him--sort of a "feasibility study".

Hi Donna,

I remember for the first couple of months my tummy would make awful bloaty noises, and of course always at the worst time. It's been over 2 years and I still get the grumblies usually in the mid morning, but nothing too dramatic. I don't have the heart burn, but maybe you might want to change something in the food schedule to try help narrow it down, and figure out what sets it off? For example like a food journal with ingredients? Not sure on that end.

As for the loose skin unless you become a marathon runner it will always be there. The Ariel center at the OCC can help out though. I had loose skin on my tummy, buttocks, arms, and breasts. I did elect to have a whole belt tuck which helped flatten my tummy and took some loose skin off my bottom. I really needed to get this done since the folds around my belly button were starting to get infected; plus I had a large scar from an emergency surgery back in 2009. I also elected to have a breast lift and implants. I always had breasts and when I lost the weight they dropped and were flat. For me this was really the last step in getting my life back and being myself again. I decided to not do my arms, and realize I need to be happy with the progress that I made, and be proud of myself. So I have started to wear tank tops and over come my fear.

Dr. Castio does the elective surgery at The Ariel Center (OCC), and is very skilled since he obviously is working with people who have lost a lot of weight and end up with this loose skin. If you cannot set up an appointment to meet at the OCC, he will also let you take pictures and send them to him for more information.

Hopefully this has helped!

Holly

USE THE FORCE!

I will be thinking about you ladies next week! Update when you can!

Thank you. I'l send a short note of progress as soon as I can.

I'm so excited. My daughter and I will be leaving for San Diego on Sunday morning. The pre-op diet is going better than I could have imagined. If your start date is coming up and you are concerned as I was, don't fret. For some reason I have not been hungry at all perhaps, because there is a "light at the end of the tunnel". My recommendation is DON'T FORGET TO DRINK PLENTY OF LIQUIDS every day in addition to your protein drink and vitamins. It doesn't take much to become dehydraded during a busy day and not realize it until you feel horrible and don't know why. This happened to me one day and it took hours of drinking to recover.

Our surgeries are on Monday and Tuesday and we'll return home Saturday. We're staying that long because my surgery is a conversion, my daughter's is not.

Good luck and best wishes to all of us and I look forward to getting to know many of you in the coming months and years.

Will keep you posted.