My Tummy Tuck & 360 Body Lift Experience in Istanbul Turkey - VLOG #bodycontouring - video Dailymotion

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My Tummy Tuck & 360 Body Lift Experience in Istanbul Turkey - All the DETAILS!  💕PRODUCTS MENTIONED IN THIS VIDEO💕 My Surgeon is Dr. B at Estetik International Istanbul, Turkey - www.estetikinternational.com  Use WhatsApp to chat with my amazing medical advisor Onur. He’s become my Turkish Bestie 💕  Onur on WhatsApp +90 541 411 50 29  Or search Estetik International in WhatsApp! He’s very quick to reply! 💕  Mention Gorgeously Aging when you chat with Onur, for 30% discount. There are other surgeons at lower price points as well. Dr. B is quite renowned and has 30 years experience!   Get pricing info at GorgeouslyAging.com/Pricing  Thank you so much for watching! Be a part of the Gorgeously Aging community by subscribing below! xo Stacy   Everything in ONE SPOT here: https://www.direct.me/GorgeouslyAging 💋 Note: You can subscribe to my Direct Me page at the link above to stay updated on the newest products, educational videos, and discounts!  🛍️SHOP MY LTK  https://www.shopltk.com/explore/gorgeouslyaging  ☀️ Find my makeup, fashion, and general skincare videos at:  https://www.youtube.com/@GorgeouslyAgingTV  💋FIND ME ON ALL SOCIALS  @gorgeouslyaging  LET'S STAY CONNECTED! Sign up for the Gorgeously Aging Email Blast for EXCLUSIVE content: https://tinyurl.com/3nuv7fms  For PR Inquiries: Send an email to stacy@gorgeouslyaging.com.  ——— MY AMAZON SHOP ——— https://tinyurl.com/5n8nt9uh  ☕FUEL THE CONTENT! Buy me a coffee here:  https://www.buymeacoffee.com/GorgeouslyAging  For more information about effective skincare treatments, discounts, and products I love, please go to https://www.GorgeouslyAging.com for details.  $$$$ DISCOUNT CODES TO SAVE $$$$ 👄Find more discount codes and favorite products at  https://www.gorgeouslyaging.com/vendors-discount-codes/  Books 📚📖 Tox Journal & Education - https://amzn.to/3SHpBht  Credentials: Cosmetology Degree 1991, Advanced Aesthetics Training 2001-2003, Salon & Spa Owner 1991-2011, Permanent Cosmetics Certification 2006, Owner Madison Permanent Cosmetics 2012-2022, Fibroblast Certification 2022, Master and Medical Aesthetician 2023  * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * Gorgeously Aging is an affiliate of Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. Many links are affiliate links, which provide content creators with a small percentage of each purchase. I appreciate the support of my channel and the ability to offset expenses through affiliate links. *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *  #BodyContouring #Lipo #BBL #BrazilianButtLift #TummyTuck #TummyTuckSurgery #TummyTuckBeforeAndAfter #BestTummyTuckSurgeons #TummyTuckHealing #TummyTuckRecovery #TummyTuckVLOG #BodyLift #BodyLiftSurgery #BodyLiftBeforeAndAfter #360BodyLift #TummyTuckRecoveryTime #BBLVLOG #BBLSurgery #BBLBeforeAndAfter #Liposuction #LiposuctionBeforeAndAfter #LiposuctionRecovery #LiposuctionVLOG #TummyTuckInTurkey #TummyTuckInTurkeyVLOG #TummyTuckCostInTurkey #TummyTuckInTurkeyReview #BeautyOver40 #BeautyOver50 #GorgeouslyAging

Transcript

00:00Hey friends, I'm Stacey and this is Gorgeously Aging and today we're going to talk all about

00:09my experience in Turkey getting body contouring surgery. Today I'm 25 days post tummy tuck with

00:17muscle repair, body lift, liposuction, and a tiny bit of BVL or fat transfer into my backside.

00:25This is a major surgery that took six and a half hours and I'm going to share in this video all

00:32the details about my trip to Turkey along with a bunch of video captured of my time in Turkey. I

00:38want to share with you guys so many details that I think are really important before you decide to

00:43have a tummy tuck or body lift or lipo or BVL surgery. So first of all I'll start by just

00:49reiterating the surgeries that I had. I had a full tummy tuck with muscle repair, a body lift,

00:55which is basically a 360 incision pulling, it's like pulling up pants but it's with your skin.

01:02This is really helpful if you've had a lot of weight loss or if you're aging and your skin is

01:06really getting loose and saggy. For those of you brand new, I'm 53 years old and I have had a

01:11significant weight loss. Although most of my life I was very lean, tall and thin, I was very athletic,

01:19I have gone through some depression and life changes that have caused me to gain weight. I had

01:25four children and after my last baby who is now almost 20 years old, I've always wanted a tummy tuck

01:30but definitely after losing 75 pounds, I started thinking more seriously about having this surgery.

01:36Originally when I reached out to Aesthetic International, I really just was thinking about

01:41the tummy tuck and after having a video consultation with Dr. B, he really said,

01:46to best achieve my goals, I needed to do the body lift. It really wouldn't have made sense to do a

01:52tummy tuck and muscle repair and had the loose hip and butt skin kind of sagging behind where the

01:58abdomen was tightened. So I didn't really want to have a bigger butt but I did want it to be lifted,

02:04which was achieved with the body lift. However, my butt had gotten really flat and didn't have any shape

02:12after the weight loss. So I was hoping for a little bit of fat transfer there just to give it a little

02:17more shape. It becomes more complicated to do a BVL when you're doing a 360 body lift because you have

02:23an incision all the way around your torso. Because of this it makes doing BVL a little more complicated

02:30and given that I was already having a pretty major surgery that was six and a half hours long and the

02:35fact that I was a little nervous about getting too much fat transferred into my backside,

02:39there was only a tiny bit of fat transfer done into my glute area. I'm very happy with everything

02:47that's been done so far and each day it looks better and better as the swelling goes down.

02:52If you're curious about pricing, I'm going to do a blog post on my website. You can go to

02:57www.gorgeouslyaging.com slash pricing. So before we get into the nitty-gritty about surgery and the

03:05recovery I want to go through just start from finish everything leading up to having surgery.

03:11First I did a ton of research not only researching surgeons in Turkey but also local surgeons and

03:17pricing. My concerns weren't just the best price but the best result and safety. Safety was probably

03:25my biggest concern. Obviously pricing is important but I'm not going to sacrifice my safety for the best

03:32price. In any country around the world there are surgeons who do botched jobs and sometimes those

03:38are the ones who offer the cheapest price so I definitely took safety as the biggest factor in

03:45making my decision. Second was results and reputation and experience of surgeon. When I stumbled across

03:51Dr. B, he has an absolutely outstanding reputation. He is a renowned surgeon around the world and probably

03:59the number one body contouring surgeon in Turkey. Now I've had people make funny comments saying,

04:05did you come home with both of your kidneys and things like that. Now Istanbul is a beautiful

04:10metropolitan city known for its body contouring. In fact, Istanbul is Europe's number one destination

04:18for cosmetic surgery. After a ton of research, I decided on Dr. B at Aesthetic International to do my

04:26surgery. The price was great for everything I was having done. I felt very confident in Dr. B as a

04:32surgeon and the package itself included hotel stay, VIP transfer from the airport, and also transfer from

04:40the hotel to the clinic anytime I needed to go. It included my three-day hospital stay, the nursing,

04:47the food that was provided in the hospital, any medications that I needed. It was a complete package.

04:53The only thing that I had to pay for was the flight to and from. We opted for a regular basic fare price

05:00on the way there and we splurged for first class on the way back so that I could lay down and sleep

05:06on the 12 and a half hour flight. This was a super huge splurge for us and it's something we always

05:10wanted to try. Turkish Airlines is incredible and their first class is really unique with the lay down

05:17cabins. I felt like this would be the most comfortable option on the return home. I could

05:22have easily done a regular fair economy flight home, however it would have been really important

05:28to get up very frequently like every hour and move around to keep blood circulating. Although I was in

05:35first class and was able to lay down, I still got up every hour or so and moved around just so that I

05:40didn't have any stagnancy in the blood or pooling of blood in my legs. I didn't want to increase the risk of

05:46blood clotting. So we were fortunate enough that there was a direct flight from Denver to Istanbul

05:53so there were no connections on the way there or the way back. I know not every city offers direct

05:59flights but we were really fortunate. The flight itself was fantastic both there and back and what

06:05I love about these international flights, at least from Denver, is that they leave in the evening

06:10so by the time you board and you have your dinner you can go to sleep and I slept through the night

06:15and woke up in the morning right before breakfast and we were in Istanbul within a couple of hours. So

06:20I slept the majority of the flight on the way there. On the way back sleeping was a little more difficult

06:26just because of the time changes. I slept on and off but I really wasn't super tired most of the flight

06:34home. I think part of that was excitement to get home and see my daughters and I also didn't want to

06:39sleep so long that I'd forget to get up and walk around and get my circulation going. I was able to

06:44take cat naps sleeping a few hours here and there and also watched a movie and enjoyed the incredible

06:50food in the first class area. They literally provide you with the most exquisite beautiful food

06:57and it was just such a great experience. It was like a four or five course meal where they serve

07:02you with your appetizer drinks if you want them. Of course I wasn't drinking because I was recovering

07:07from surgery but my husband enjoyed a cocktail and they serve you with your appetizer. You get beautiful food

07:13and they just coursed it out so nicely including a really gorgeous dessert. I've flown a lot and

07:20traveled a lot and I have to say that it was the most amazing experience. Flying for 12 and a half

07:27hours from Turkey back to Denver and being able to experience that first class was so amazing. I don't

07:33know that we would ever splurge in something like that again but I'm so glad I had the opportunity to

07:38experience it. For those of you who are looking to travel more economically, definitely look at your

07:44credit cards that offer points. Adam and I have been using them for years and accumulate a lot of points.

07:50We try to pay most of our bills on our credit card that has points. You just have to be really

07:55diligent to pay them off so it doesn't accrue a huge balance but our daughters also do that and so

08:02hopefully they'll pick up on those travel tips so they can also travel really inexpensively. So when we

08:08arrived in Istanbul, Adam and I were both excited to be there. We got through security and got our

08:14luggage and the VIP transportation was waiting for us right outside. It was super easy. Before taking

08:22off they had told us through WhatsApp that they were going to be monitoring our flight so they would

08:26know when we arrived. I mean I never had any question that somebody would be there to pick us up.

08:32Part of our package was the Milas Hotel in Istanbul and it is just a two-minute walk from Aesthetic

08:39International. The clinic and hospital itself is absolutely beautiful but we were blown away at the

08:45Milas Hotel. Because this is part of our package you know you'd expect that they would maybe cheap out a

08:50little bit on the hotel accommodations but it was absolutely beautiful and every morning they had this

08:57incredible breakfast that was part of the package and they had so much incredible food. I think that

09:03was the thing Adam and I loved most about our stay was the morning breakfast. We were able to enjoy

09:09that together even after surgery. That was one of the things I looked forward to was getting up and

09:14going down to breakfast and then I'd usually go right back to my room and rest for most of the afternoon.

09:19But the breakfast at the hotel was incredible. I can't say that I've ever had hotel service as good as at the

09:26the Milas. They were just so accommodating both at the front desk and concierge and if we needed

09:32anything all we had to do was ask. And of course the restaurant breakfast area, all of the staff was

09:37so so helpful. They got to know us and even would bring Adam his tea that he liked. They kind of got to

09:44know what he wanted each day and were so attentive to making sure that he got what he wanted. And me too

09:49but I wasn't eating very much so I generally didn't order like bigger foods like an omelet or whatever.

09:54They were so nice and so helpful throughout the entire time we were there. So after we arrived and

09:59got settled in the hotel we had a beautiful dinner that was just a short walk away from the hotel.

10:05It was kind of an outside patio situation. The food was absolutely amazing. You guys are going to hear

10:10that a lot from me. I love trying food in new countries and I have become more open-minded to food

10:17as I've gotten older. If you had asked me this when I was a kid you know I lived off pizza and macaroni and

10:22cheese but I love trying new foods and I actually had liver. If you had told me that I would love

10:28liver I would say you were crazy because it is a food I don't like but this was prepared in such a

10:33way that it was really delicious. So after dinner we went back to the hotel and both Adam and I knew

10:39sleeping was going to be an issue because of jet lag and I had a pre-op appointment at the hospital and

10:44clinic the next day. So I was trying so hard including taking melatonin to get to sleep but

10:50because of jet lag I think we fell asleep at around 4am. So we did have an appointment the next morning.

10:56The aesthetic international transportation picked us up at our hotel although we could have easily

11:01walked because it's so close but we got to the facility and let me just tell you there are no

11:07facilities like this in the United States. This is like a four-story building. It has everything

11:14under the sun in there for aesthetics so hair transfers, botox, fillers, skin treatments, anti-aging

11:22treatments, body contouring, just everything you could imagine you name it they have it there. The facility

11:28itself is stunning so they even have their own surgical suite which is unheard of like all the other

11:36aesthetics facilities. They have their clinics but generally you go to an outside hospital for

11:41surgery. Everything you need is all in the aesthetic international building. They have their own

11:47anesthesiologist, their own nursing staff, their own high-tech surgical suite so it is just state-of-the-art

11:54and it is absolutely beautiful. I think when people think about body contouring surgeries in other

12:00countries especially when it's a reduced price compared to the states they think it's going to be done in

12:05some like garage like setting or some shed somewhere like it is super high class. It is definitely not

12:13something that you would expect. It is beyond my wildest expectations like even seeing the pictures online

12:20when I got there and I was greeted by the greeting staff and escorted from one floor to the next it was

12:27just from point A to point B there was great service. The facility was beautiful and with every step

12:34through the facility and every interaction with the staff I felt more and more at ease. You can tell

12:40that this is a very well organized team of professionals and they want to make sure that you are supported

12:47and well cared for from the minute you step in the door to the minute that you leave. So what I was there

12:53for that day was pre-op blood testing which they did. They also did an EKG and I had a visit with Dr. B.

13:00During that visit he did a full exam and even though I wasn't having any work on my breasts he did a

13:06breast exam because he said in people my age it's important to do that because he has found irregularities

13:13and they have found some breast cancers in people. Now it's been quite a long time since I had a

13:17mammogram because I have terrible insurance so he suggested after finding a kind of divot in my left

13:24breast that it was really important to him that I have a mammogram and also I have very bad varicose

13:31veins in my legs. So I had a breast mammogram, breast ultrasound on both breasts. I had my legs

13:38ultrasounded from ankle all the way up to my groin just to make sure there were no blood clots or there

13:43was nothing dangerous going on before surgery. So they couldn't do those tests right at Aesthetic

13:49International. So they had us jump into the VIP car with Anur, the surgical advisor. He's amazing

13:55and he went with us so we could we had somebody to translate and just somebody to be with us.

14:00We went to a private hospital and all those tests, the mammogram, the breast ultrasound, the leg

14:06ultrasounds, a visit with a cardiologist and reviewing the vein situation in my legs, all of that was $600.

14:13Like incredible. That would have been thousands of dollars in the United States and you could have

14:18never done it the same day. So I felt really relieved because the mammogram, breast ultrasound,

14:23leg ultrasounds, and situation with my veins was all okay. I do have a lot of vascular issues in my

14:30legs and he did suggest that I see a vein specialist here at some point in the next three months. Both Adam

14:36and I were thoroughly impressed with the health care provided and the cost of the health care, kind of

14:42like how Korea has super good health care at really good prices. The same goes for Turkey. It makes me

14:49a little disheartened and sad for the cost of good health care in the United States and how so many

14:54people can't afford to have a mammogram or can't afford to have leg ultrasounds if they have vein

15:00issues because of the incredibly high cost. So after all those tests we were all clear for surgery. We went

15:06back to the clinic, had a brief chat with Dr. B about the test results and then we went out to dinner.

15:14This was our last dinner before surgery the next day. We actually went back to that very same place

15:18we went the first night because it was so close to the hotel. Adam and I were both exhausted and we

15:23loved the food so we thought that was that would be a great place for our dinner before surgery. So

15:29interestingly enough the next day when I went in for surgery I really wasn't that nervous. I think

15:34everything I had gone through the day before meeting the staff having all the tests just being in the

15:40facility put me at ease. So the day of I had those little pre-surgery jitters but I wasn't like super

15:48nervous like I felt very comfortable. Getting there what I was super surprised about is they like

15:54immediately took Adam and I to our hospital room where we could get settled in and then they started

15:59an IV there was like no waiting around. It didn't take a long time. They like got the IV started,

16:05they checked on my vitals, blood pressure, all of that stuff, blood pulse ox with the thing on the

16:11finger and then within a few minutes Dr. B and the anesthesiologist came in they said hello we talked

16:17for a minute and it was like this they wheeled me off to surgery like it was so efficient so they wheeled

16:23me back into the surgical suite which wasn't far from the room we were in and I remember I had a

16:29sedative and so I was feeling relaxed and I remember reaching out to hold Dr. B's hand and I felt his

16:35finger kind of like rubbing the back of my hand and then that's the last thing I remember like I was

16:42out. And the interesting thing about those of you who've been under general anesthetic you know this

16:46it's like no time passes between the time that you you go to sleep and the time you wake up.

16:51It's like that and you're awake even though it was six and a half hours. So I remember waking up very

16:57confused I said is it over I remember my husband saying it's all over it's all done and the weird

17:04thing is I was expecting to feel pain through my abdominal area. I had a 360 degree incision around

17:10my entire torso so I expected to wake up and have that area hurt. This may be just kind of waking up

17:17from six and a half hours it's a lot of anesthetic but what I felt was freezing cold and my knees hurt

17:23and my thighs hurt. That didn't last long but I remember them putting a heavy blanket on me and warm

17:29air was coming in underneath the blanket and I kind of remember a nurse maybe putting a little pressure

17:36on my legs. I think they were actually cramping but I was so groggy that I don't know for sure

17:42what that was but within a short time I was sleeping I was comfortable and relaxed. I think it was just

17:49that like disorientation upon waking up and they were right on top of it in terms of getting me warm

17:55and making me comfortable and then I went to sleep for a while. And so that first 24 hours after surgery

18:01I had a capiter and I had compression on my legs that was intermittently squeezing my legs and letting

18:07it release. I had that when I've had c-sections in the past and it's to help the circulation of the

18:12legs which is really important when you have vein issues but just important in general and that helps

18:18prevent blood clots. But I was in the hospital for three days and I kept that on the whole time.

18:24Although I did start to get up and walk a little bit here and there I wanted to make sure that I had

18:29that circulation in my legs and reducing the risks of blood clots was really important to me.

18:34I was so grateful they were keeping me for three days. I had around the clock nursing care which was

18:40fantastic but this was a big surgery and I didn't want to be pushed out and pushed home or back to

18:45the hotel right away especially in a foreign country. And I think that's one of the differences

18:50between the states and other countries is that in the states they often push you out the same day

18:55or the next day and then you recover at home. And here they gave me three full days of care,

19:00checking my drains, by the next morning my catheter came out, helping me to use the restroom,

19:07taking my blood. I ended up being a little low on my hemoglobin was low and my iron was low so they

19:13were constantly monitoring that and then providing me with whatever I needed through my IV. So I never ever

19:20felt like I wasn't safe and that they weren't doing absolutely everything they could to help me recover

19:26and help me feel better after surgery. My pain medication came through the IV, liquids came through

19:33the IV, antibiotics came through the IV, so I had everything that I needed while I was in the hospital

19:38and Adam was able to sleep right in my room which was so comforting. They had a really comfortable

19:45pull out bed for him and he stayed with me most of the time even though I encouraged him to get out

19:52and take walks. He did go each morning and took a shower and changed his clothes and had some breakfast

19:58at the Milas Hotel because their breakfast is so fantastic. And then there was a local Starbucks which is

20:05so funny to have a Starbucks in Turkey but it was really close to the facility so he would go get coffee

20:11from time to time and he was even able to play ping pong a little bit with Anur the surgical advisor.

20:18He was so great. He took Adam to play a little ping pong while I was taking a nap and it just broke up

20:24that three-day stay for him. He is really protective so he doesn't like to leave my side but I was kind of

20:30like you're gonna go crazy you need to get out and get a walk and he was able to break up the day a little bit.

20:37We were served three meals a day at the hospital even Adam was and crazy enough the food there was

20:43really really good. I have discovered I really love Turkish food and I think Adam does too

20:49but we had some delicious food while we were in the hospital. So during the recovery in the hospital

20:55one of the first symptoms I noticed and likely because I was low blood pressure which is typical

21:00for me I usually have a little bit lower than normal blood pressure but after surgery especially low

21:06and then also being low hemoglobin I was quite dizzy so when they had me get up the next morning

21:13after surgery it was really hard for me to walk because of the dizziness. I was able to get from

21:19my bed to the door and I had two nurses helping me and I just said I can't go any farther it was just

21:25very much like this the room was spinning and I just couldn't walk because of the dizziness. So they

21:32quickly realized that I needed iron and by about six hours later or so I was feeling much better

21:38so they continually came in not too much like if I was sleeping they wouldn't wake me up to have me walk

21:44but they had me walk pretty regularly so they would come in encourage me to walk and each time

21:50I walked a little further they helped me try to use the restroom and just did everything they could to

21:56help my recovery but also keep me comfortable. As far as pain they really kept me quite comfortable

22:02while I was there I was able to sleep on and off a lot in those first three days. I would say the

22:08biggest issues is more like just the discomfort the tightness that you feel in the abdomen and in

22:13the case of a 360 body lift you feel that same tightness all the way around so it's kind of like you

22:20don't want to lean too far forward or too far back you want to make sure you're not putting too much stress

22:26on that suture line and so it's just that awkwardness or uncomfortableness that I was noticing most. It

22:32wasn't that I was in so much pain I actually was comfortable enough to sleep a lot. So on the day that

22:38I was discharged the third day they did take out my drains they checked my sutures and then I was able

22:45to take a shower and they did help me shower there in the hospital and I am one of those that likes to

22:51do everything myself but I was so grateful to have somebody there helping me. It wasn't that I couldn't

22:57do it but I think they want to assess just how well you're healing. There was somebody there that

23:02specifically took care of that so she came in with a shower seat and she helped me shower. She helped me

23:09wash my hair and I wasn't like shy or embarrassed at all because I think at that point three days after

23:15surgery without showering it just felt so wonderful to have a shower and she was so fantastic. She didn't

23:22speak a lot of English but enough to kind of help me get through that shower experience. She offered to

23:27blow dry my hair which I said no that we I could just let it air dry and then after my shower and I was

23:33dry a lady came in who did lymphatic massage and lymphatic massage helps the healing process but also

23:40helps with the swelling and I had two lymphatic massages while I was there. One the day that I

23:45got discharged and one the next day when I came in for a checkup. It's a very gentle massage so it

23:51doesn't hurt at all. It's really just to help with the swelling and move the lymph through the body

23:57just to help decrease the swelling and encourage healing. After we were discharged they drove us back

24:02to the hotel and I found myself having such a hard time getting comfortable in a regular bed because

24:07I had been in a hospital bed where I could adjust the you know head and feet and I had all the care

24:12there with the nursing staff so it took me a little trial and error to get comfortable back at the hotel

24:19but we were pretty much there then for the next five days before we went home. Adam found a local

24:24market where he could pick up yogurts for me which we kept in the fridge in the hotel and each morning we

24:30got up and enjoyed that beautiful breakfast that they provided there at the hotel. That was kind of

24:35something he and I look forward to together and I would get up and just throw on a dress over my

24:40corset or faja. I wouldn't even bother with makeup or hair just throw it up in a bun and go down and

24:45enjoy the breakfast together and then I really slept on and off most of the day for those next days that I

24:53was there. The very last day we were able to get out and just see a few sights but I was very tired and

24:59we did not stay out long but I was feeling well enough that I could walk just a little bit to see

25:04a few things and that kind of made me feel like I got to see Istanbul just a little bit. In hindsight

25:10I would have probably added a few days on to the beginning of the trip and just paid for the extra

25:15hotel nights there and seen Istanbul a little bit more before my pre-op appointment in surgery. Adam and

25:22I watched movies while we were there and he was smart and he brought an Apple TV so we could access

25:28like all of our movie library we can watch Netflix and whatever through our Apple TV so we did that

25:33quite a bit and it was actually really nice. We had time that we could talk and like it's been years

25:39since we just had that kind of down time. Usually when we vacation we're so busy on the go and being

25:45forced to rest in the hotel gave us just a lot of personal time to be together and he was a trooper

25:51just helping me and you know he never complained about being bored. He did go out sometimes and

25:57grab coffee with Anur or get out and take a little bit of a walk. I had to kind of push him and say

26:02like get out a little bit you don't need to be cooped up with me the whole time. So he did he was able

26:07to do a few things while I was recovering in the hotel. I would definitely say it's super nice to have

26:13somebody with you for support after a tummy tuck or especially a tummy tuck and body lift. I think those

26:19first several days after would be difficult all by yourself so definitely consult with somebody at

26:24Aesthetic International or whatever clinic you're going to about the need for assistance because

26:30I just think those first several days I couldn't have done it without Adam. When we left there I

26:35was able to walk through the airport that wasn't a problem certainly if somebody had trouble they

26:39could get a wheelchair they get assistance but I didn't have any trouble at all. I did hold on to Adam

26:44some for support but I got through the airport walking without trouble. When I got home which

26:50was like a week after surgery I definitely could do pretty much everything on my own. I really didn't

26:55need him for support like I could get in and out of bed. I was walking around the house just fine

27:00and it was nice to have him if I needed him like if I got comfortable and I forgot I didn't have water

27:05like I would just text him or holler you know honey can you get me water but I could have like gotten

27:10what I needed. So I think that first several days after surgery it's really nice to have help but

27:15you definitely get more comfortable moving around after that. So once I got home of course my husband

27:20says I'm very stubborn and that I don't like to ask for help so keep that in mind but I do like to get

27:25up and take care of things myself so I don't feel so reliant on other people although my family is

27:31great they all offer to help and bring me things and whatnot but for me I just feel it's important to

27:36get up and move around and try to take care of myself the best that I can. So I think in those

27:41first weeks the thing that I noticed most was swelling and just discomfort moving or twisting

27:46the body. There is some residual dizziness but the biggest thing for me isn't pain and that may not be

27:53true for someone else this is my experience like I was never bothered by pain I thought it was managed

27:58well I only took the narcotics they sent me home with for maybe the first few days once I got home and

28:03then I just moved to Tylenol they sent me home with antibiotics pain medication a stomach kind of

28:09protectant medication kind of like a pepsi I would say an anti-swelling medication kind of like a

28:15supplement a post-op supplement and then I was taking a stool softener and some fiber supplements

28:21because going to the bathroom you definitely don't want to strain it's very painful to strain

28:25and you don't want to rip any internal sutures so getting on something to soften your stool and to

28:31just help you go number two is really important don't let it go and so you get really backed up

28:36because that makes things so much worse like that's something to think about right away so I was taking

28:41that that was stuff I had at home already but they provided me everything that I needed including a

28:46note that I was safe to travel home in case I needed that going through the airport nobody ever asked for

28:51it they did send me just kind of like a surgical note saying I was safe to fly when I got home I just

28:56had everything that I needed and then anytime I had a question I'm still connected to their team

29:01through whatsapp so it's like a texting app that's free and anytime a question popped up I would just

29:06ask and like literally within an hour somebody would reply that's another thing that just doesn't happen

29:11in the states like even if you go through my chart or the messaging it takes sometimes 48 hours or longer

29:16to get a response back or if you call you leave a message and then they call you back like being able to

29:22text whenever I want 24 7 and get a response is fantastic so I mean there's times when it's like

29:28they're sleeping or something I may have to wait a little longer for a response but they are always

29:32on top of responding to my questions and some of my questions have been like is it normal that one day

29:39I feel good and the next day I might feel really really tired and they're like you know healing isn't

29:44linear you might have really good days and then days where you're more tired you know don't be alarmed by

29:49that or when I asked about like my swelling seems to be getting worse today and not better and they

29:55of course again said sometimes the swelling can be worse some days but it'll gradually improve and

30:00get better just any little question that I've had I asked when can I go back to swimming I'd love to

30:05swim for exercise of course they told me you know we really want to wait on that make sure everything's

30:11healed sufficiently and the sutures are healed and to wait about three months so you know they they have

30:16been so incredible about answering any question big or small like I can't even tell you how impressive

30:22that is because you would think like a lot of places they take your money they don't care so much about

30:27the preoperative uh testings to make sure you're really in the best shape for surgery or they don't

30:32send you to get a mammogram or they don't send you to check your veins and certainly once you go home and

30:36you're in the states they're not thinking that much about you that you've already paid them they have

30:41your money but these guys are like so good about we're here to support you anytime I even said once

30:46like I'm sorry I'm such a bother they're like you're not a bother we're so happy to support you

30:51in your recovery so these guys are like legit they are the best now I'm not paid by them to

30:57say that and I paid for my surgery like nothing was given to me for free I'm just sharing this with

31:02you because I know how scary it is to research and to think about doing something like this it's like

31:07your life is on the line like you you need to know that your life is in the best hands possible

31:13and I can't say enough good things about Dr. B and the whole team at aesthetic international they're

31:19top-notch fantastic so now at day 25 post-surgery I am moving around much better I'm not hunched over

31:28I take Tylenol once in a while not even every day and I think for me the Tylenol is sometimes after

31:33sleeping in a certain position my lower back is a little bit uncomfortable or a little bit of lower

31:39back pain I don't even know if it's related to surgery I think it's related to my position where

31:44you sleep all night so I'm trying to be more mindful about moving a bit more when I sleep and

31:49not getting into a position that's going to cause me lower back pain I am sleeping on my side I'm

31:54switching from side to side and sometimes on my back at night Dr. B said that that was fine to do I

32:00know not every surgeon agrees with that that's probably when I get the best sleep is when I get

32:04onto one side or the other I do of course sometimes get on my back at night and I try to keep my head

32:09elevated so I have like two pillows so my head is you know a little bit more elevated on the pillow

32:14during the day I am either moving around or in a kind of recliner chair it's actually an outdoor chair

32:20like a zero gravity kind of chair that usually is on your patio I got one for my living room so that I'm

32:26kind of in an ideal position for recovery during the day I do get up and move around the house as

32:31often as I can and sometimes I even go to Target push the cart around the store a couple laps while

32:37I'm getting a few grocery items but I'm not pushing myself too hard I tried walking on the treadmill at

32:42home and I feel like I'm just not quite stable enough to do that as far as like a little concerned

32:49I might fall so soon I'll go walk on the treadmill at the gym you know for short bursts at a zero elevation

32:55and just gradually build up and I'll listen to my body and get as much rest as I can

33:01focusing on nutrition I'm eating a lot of protein complex carbohydrates like vegetables and a little

33:06fruit but I'm not eating processed foods and just doing everything I can to heal maximizing that

33:12healing I'm not smoking I don't drink and drinking plenty of fluids I think doing those things really

33:17does help give your body the fuel and the protein it needs to heal and that's so important I think my

33:24biggest complaint is fatigue and that can last for several months you know this is a really huge

33:30surgery and fatigue is something that comes with healing your body's going through a lot a lot is

33:35happening internally there are internal sutures through the abdomen through the muscle and all of

33:41that has to heal in the process I have to remind myself to be patient and to understand this can take

33:47months to fully heal and so each day it gets a little better each day I have more energy and the

33:53days that I don't I just allow myself the nap or try to stay positive understanding that this in the

33:59grand scheme of things is going to be a short duration of time so thank you so much for being

34:04here for this video you guys if I miss something or if you have questions feel free to ask I will

34:08definitely answer and I'll list my surgeon's name and info down in the description box below this video

34:14if you've been through this type of surgery I'd love to hear from you and I know others would too

34:19let me know your thoughts how you felt when you were healing and if you have any regrets about having

34:25the surgery I'm absolutely thrilled I have no regrets I think this is one of the best things

34:31I've done in a really long time for myself I've been contemplating it since Abby was born almost 20 years

34:36ago and I just never felt it was the right time to spend the money on myself I still have that guilt

34:43about spending on myself but you know my husband encouraged it he felt like it was something that

34:47I deserved to do and that I've been talking about for so long and I'm so glad I finally did it thanks

34:52again for watching be good to yourselves and to others and I'll see you next time

My Tummy Tuck & 360 Body Lift Experience in Istanbul Turkey - VLOG #bodycontouring

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