Brachioplasty and Abdominoplasty in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic was quite the challenge and when I got back, it was definitely an adjustment for me. I no longer have round-the-clock care and the comfort that I had in the other apartment I rented. I am now having to be a full-time mom again and need to get back to work, but my incisions at this point were worrying me. 

I noticed that my stitches all came apart, and some were hanging off my arm. Not to mention my belly button looked infected, and I was worried, so I went to urgent care. The doctor on call cleaned everything up, removed the stitches hanging, and took a culture from my belly button for testing. He put me on oral antibiotics for ten days because he was certain the culture would come back as abnormal and wanted to be safe. I am grateful he did because it did come back abnormal! He also gave me antibiotics cream and told me to use nonadhesive pads and keep my incisions covered. 

A week or so went by, and I was still noticing that my incisions were not healing. Not only that, but they were letting off a mucus substance, and I was worried, so I went to the emergency room. Listen, I was freaking out at this point. I still can’t use my arms, they were super swollen, and I have my three-year-old that wants mommy to hold her. Let’s not forget we are in the middle of a pandemic, and going to an emergency room is not something I want to do, but I know I have to. 

The doctor immediately removes the non-adhesive pads and says that I am keeping the incisions too moist and it needs to heal. He tells me to remove all compressions and let my incision breathe. At this point, I am so over doctors because clearly I have been given a different diagnosis, but this doctor made the most sense. You can’t heal a wound if the moisture is trapped in, it has to be kept as dry as possible, and the compressions don’t help either. I was sent home and given a plastic surgeon to follow up with. 

FINALLY, A SOLUTION IS IN THE WORKS. 

By the time I had my follow-up appointment, the incisions were finally closing up, but I noticed that now they were forming a pulling from the very painful scar. The emergency room referred me to Dr. Christoper Low of Reconstructive and Cosmetic Surgery of South Florida. Dr. Low assessed me and coached me on the importance of doing this procedure in the states. He critiqued the work done and continued to see me for weeks.

My left arm is a size 16, and my right arm a size 14. I still have little to no feeling in my left arm, and my belly button has dead skin around the navel, so I now have a discoloration there, and we still have not come up with a plan of action for this because he wants to see if it adjusts on its own. I have fat pockets in places I didn’t have before, and the top part of my body looks so much bigger than my body, so the solution is I need to have another surgery which will consist of redoing my left arm. Doing liposuction 360 and finishing my breasts.

LESSONS LEARNED

Life is a book of lessons, and with each lesson, we grow and learn. We can’t dwell on the decisions we make, and we simply must learn to keep going the best way we know-how. I am grateful to have found a doctor who will help me clean up the mess made, but I now know I have to prepare myself for another surgery, and as I have mentioned, time and time again. Surgery is not for the weak, and if you don’t the time to really study and research the procedures, you are doing and making sure that the doctor actually has experience in the areas you are looking to work on. We are always looking to cut corners in life, and there are times when we don’t. This is a situation where you should not cut any corners.

For these doctors, you are another surgery on their roster, and they forget for you this is your life, and it’s up to you to find a doctor that truly still sees you and values your life. I am so grateful that I now have a solution and a great doctor to get me back on the path to what started out as a self love journey. For the ladies that are contemplating surgery, I will say this. If it is truly not needed and something you can achieve by working out, please do as this whole experience has been quite the challenge on my mind, body and soul.