Now that I am feeling better and finally at my computer with a proper keyboard, it seems like an appropriate time to write a full account of my trip to Guadalajara.
We arrived in Mexico roughly on time according to our ticket. We did have trouble finding Vincente, who was looking for a girl with blonde hair (but I had dyed my hair purple of course.) But he eventually found me and we were off to my first appointment. He was very nice and reassuring and I think we became friends quickly.
The first thing I noticed about Mexico is the complete lack of traffic lights and stop signs. There are A LOT of lane mergers. Driving in Mexico is completely different than the US. I would NOT recommend renting a car in another country ever. The driving is so different, you will not have a good time!
The first thing we did was go to get my blood drawn. My results were normal. Then my companion and I had a couple of hours before our meeting with Vincente. We decided to explore the city a little bit. We visited Waldo's Mart (it's like a tiny grocery store) to get some shampoo, because I needed something gentle to avoid washing the purple out of my hair. My American credit card worked just fine, so I did not need to convert any pesos, which was a bonus.
After exploring a bit, we returned to the recovery house and had some of Blanca's cooking. It was great. They also always had donuts, jello, yogurt smoothies, etc. in stock. I mostly drank Apple juice. Blanca is a sweetie. Even though she does not speak English, we managed to understand each other all right. The recovery house was very clean and honestly it felt like a second home. My room included a bathroom, bedroom, and also a little laundry room with a desk with a full length mirror in it.
Off to my appointment. The Innovare hospital is the cleanest and nicest hospital I have ever visited, which makes sense, considering it is fairly new from what I understand. We went straight to see Dr. Cardenas. He asked me if I spoke Spanish, which no, unfortunately, I don't, so he began to speak in English. He grilled me to make sure I was not sick or hiding any illnesses, which seems fair, no surgeon wants to operate on someone in poor health. Everything was fine, so he took me into his consulting room. Here he explained all the surgeries that he was going to do and asked me if I had any questions. I actually had almost no questions, because I had done such extensive research and I knew exactly what I wanted. Notably, he did not challenge or try to change my mind on the type 3, although he recommended type 1 in my initial consult. I appreciated that.
Then we talked about my breast augmentation. We tried on a couple of forms. I felt like the 450cc was far too large for my frame and made me look like I was overweight. The 300cc looked just right, so we settled on that. It was a quick conversation. I knew what I wanted and he was clear on that.
We went home and I went to bed early, very tired from all the traveling. We woke up very early the next morning to go back to the hospital, this time, to be operated upon. The first thing they did was have me strip and put on a gown. I'm really bad with clothes and I had to get a little help putting it on! Then they took me into a hospital room and put these weird garments on my feet, presumably something to prevent blood clots.
I was really nervous and shaking at this point. The anesthesiologist tried to relax me. She was so surprised at my small hands, they were smaller than hers, and she's a tiny lady! She asked me if I knew any Spanish, like the word Mohito, and I was like oh yes, I know Mohito!! Super nice lady, she relaxed me a little, but it's hard to when you're about to go under the knife.
Then they wheeled me into the operating room and moved me onto the operating table. The last thing I remember was they were playing some Spanish music and a bunch of doctors were above me. Then I was sedated. When I woke up, I remember being freezing cold and in a lot of pain. All I could do was say, "Cold! Pain!" It hurt to even talk so I used as little words as possible. They gave me some balloons filled with hot water, which I kept on my hands and breasts. After I woke up, I was in the post-operating room for about an hour or two (or it felt like an hour or two).
Then they wheeled me back to my hospital room and companion. I was very angry at this point. She tried to talk to me, but it hurt too much to talk. Although I had no operations on my throat, I did have a minor injury, presumably from the tube they put down your throat. Two weeks later I still have a little bit of trouble using my female voice, but I think it will heal in time. The only thing I could really say is "pain" at this point.
Roughly two hours after this, I saw Dr. Cardenas. He asked me how I'm feeling. "Pain!" Where does it hurt? "Chest. Head. Stomach." Then he says he will order me some special medication. Thank God. The first couple of hours they didn't give me anything good, and it was AWFUL. After the special medication, I drifted in and out of consciousness. It was hard to tell the difference between reality and dreams.
Around night time, the medication wore off and I was in pain again. They said they could not give me anything more. Whatever. They gave me a small container so I wouldn't have to get up to use the restroom, but I had trouble going if I wasn't standing up. I walked to the restroom three times, although they kept yelling at me that I shouldn't get up. I was rather stubborn. I also had a lot of trouble breathing throughout the night and had to keep my bed elevated. A combination of being unable to use my nose and the heavy weight on my chest, I think, was the cause. But as long as I kept the bed elevated, I was all right.
At this point I took a quick selfie. I looked pretty rough. The next day, they unwrapped the bandage on my breasts... I honestly can't even remember why, but I got to peek at them for a quick second before they put it back on.
The next day, I got to return back to the recovery house and I got to know Vincente a little better. Very kind man, again, he is the best! On the third day, I walked down the street and back. On the fourth day, I felt strong enough to go out to eat at one of the restaurants in town. Unfortunately, it was Sunday, and they were all closed. We could not find a restaurant open anywhere, so we were going to head home. But I felt very thirsty at this point and asked to go to the gas station.
At this point I had a little accident. I told my companion I was going to sit down because I felt very tired. I realized I was about to pass out and got really, really hot, and called for help. I lost consciousness and fell out of the chair -- it was a short fall and nothing was damaged. The store owner called the police and ambulance, because they said I convulsed after I passed out. I kept insisting I was okay, I was just very thirsty. They only let me drink little bits at a time. Eventually we got into contact with Vincente and he returned me to the recovery house. He said I was the first person that fell on him, lol! It really wasn't a big deal, although it was scary at the time. All the people at the store yelled at me for being out so soon after surgery. But honestly, we would have been fine if the restaurants had been open. After I had some food and drink, I felt fine again.
For pretty much the rest of the trip I didn't leave the recovery house because of the accident at the store. But it was all right, because I enjoyed their cooking. At my next doctor's appointment, they had me undergo photolight therapy. It was kind of weird, but apparently it helped my bruising. Then I saw the doctor and he gave me a special bra and a strap to put on top of it. He seemed pleased with the results.
Fast forwarding to my final doctor's visit, he cut off my cast and gave me a nose splint and taught me to put on nose bandages. He said I have to wear nose bandages for one month following the surgery. This seems strange, as I do not find many other doctors recommending this, and it is super uncomfortable. But so far I have done as he asked. Mostly because my nose is so swollen that I think it looks better under the bandages, haha!
After seeing my nose briefly for the only time before it became swollen, I was so impressed. It was so remarkably small and beautiful. The picture didn't really do it justice, since it was taken at such a low angle. It is truly the most beautiful nose I could have hoped for.
The return home: Vincente was planning to drive us to the airport, but something must have happened, because we were taken by a different driver in the morning. It was fine, since he got us to the airport in any case. They had a wheelchair for me, and the person was nice enough to carry my bag and be patient with us. I was still feeling quite weak and scared from my previous fall and did not want to over-exert myself.
Upon arriving in America, everything changed. The kindness of the Mexican people had gotten me used to being taken care of, but when I got to America, I got reminded about how everyone here is in such a rush and met a ton of jerks at the airport. They couldn't be bothered to help me with my bag, despite being in a wheelchair, and so my companion had to carry my luggage as well as hers. And they would not even wait two seconds for my companion to catch up. It was rush, rush, rush! The total opposite of Mexico. Some of the rudest people I have ever met were in the American airport.
I have been home for a week now. My thoughts on my surgery are: Chin work was excellent. Best possible result I could have asked for. It is much shorter and shaped better. I think Cardenas was very aggressive here. The lipfat looks excellent, I was on the fence about this one, but I figured it was only $1,000, so why not? Best decision ever. It looks much better now. My nose right now unfortunately is very swollen and it looks horrible. I can't be seen with it. But I know when it heals it will be perfect, just like I saw for that brief moment when he took the cast off.
My forehead undeniably looks improved. As an added bonus, I had some slight wrinkling which is now gone, which makes me look a bit younger. My eyebrows in a slightly elevated position removed my hooded eyes, which means I can now wear winged eyeliner more easily and my eyes look a little bit more open. I am waiting to give my final opinion on the forehead, as there is still swelling that needs to go down, and I'm told I won't really see the final results until three months after surgery. For now, it looks okay. There is still a slight bulge on my browbone, but I really need to compare it to before pictures before I can say how good the result is.
It is possible I *may* have gotten a flatter forehead with another surgeon, but in all honesty, I think if I had to do it all over again, I would still go to Cardenas. The overall result is quite excellent and I don't think I would have gotten such a perfect nose with anyone else. I think the surgery was a clear success.
My breasts still need to "drop" and thus I reserve judgment here as well.
Given that the results will take quite some time, I will be back in a couple of weeks with pictures. But I hope you enjoyed my detailed recount of my journey to Guadalajara. For those of you thinking of Guadalajara: I would recommend it, but bring your own painkillers. Seriously.
