PLASTIC SURGERY DISASTER?
3 months ago, I had plastic surgery. I had the intention to write this article weeks ago. But to be honest I just could not bring myself to write it. I was in so much pain. And had so much regret about it. I kept looking at the girls on Instagram and their progress. And I would be astonished by their fast results. Some of them would post photos only a week after surgery. And my swelling was still very bad after the first week. I thought I would never see the results I wanted and why the hell did I put myself through so much pain?
I woke up from the surgery in the worst pain of my life. I was thinking surely I will die here in Turkey. I can laugh about it now but I told my partner I had been stupid for not leaving my last will and testimony in place before I went into surgery. I needed to tell people my pass codes for my banking and who should raise my children and I had not done so. While lying in the hospital I honestly started to make those plans. I had flown to Istanbul Turkey with Alex to the most amazing luxury Villa to die.
PLASTIC SURGERY ABROAD. A GOOD IDEA?
I found this company on Instagram. The photos of the villas and all the amenities along with some of the women who had gone there for surgery were so immaculate. I loved the reviews. They were so great. Obviously, someone had complained about the service because there will always be naysayers. But after extensive research and inboxing some other celebrities and models I chose www.comfortzonesurgery.com
I contacted them and sent them photos of what I wanted. We spoke extensively about my desires and goals. I wanted to have breast reduction surgery. For years my breast had given me back, neck and shoulder pain. My bras would always leave massive marks on my shoulders. I never could wear clothes that were comfortable without underwear that felt so uncomfortable. I never could wear a strapless dress. Or backless. Others would always tell me I looked amazing in my clothes but to be honest I was hiding so much of the effort it took to achieve a look that would make me happy on stage. My upper body was always so big, it made me look bigger than I was. I always had this dream after children to have them reduced and lifted. I also wanted a flatter tummy and a nicer butt. But I was not sure if I should go so far.
After a few months of communication between me and the doctor it was now time go to Turkey. I know that some people feel it is so dangerous to go out of the country for surgery but I just feel this is fear at its worse. And people not being willing to leave their comfortzone (pardon the pun).
So here are the perks of going out of the country to an amazing resort and villa like Comfortzone. The surgery was less than half the price of what it would have been had I done it in the United States. You get to see a country you have never seen before. The adventure of getting a passport and traveling out the country to get a new body can be so exciting. The company picks you up from the airport in a luxury vehicle. You can stay at the Villa up to 10 days if needed with a full service staff. Nurses on call 24 hours a day. Meals prepared and constant care. You can also request a massage if you need it.
The weather is amazing and warm. Its sunny and one can lay out by the pool sun bathing or simply relaxing in the house. Honestly, after surgery it can be so uncomfortable you just need an aesthetic environment to relax in.
COMMUNICATION
I found that getting as much information from the company was so important to my mental well being. Surgery can be very stressful. And looking online can be so detrimental. There are horror stories everywhere. Even when one is reading reviews you can see bitter takes on the experience of the writer that can scare the hell out of you and completely deter you from getting your dream body. For example, there is a young lady on instagram who is so critical of this company but she was treated like a queen. She got an infection and blamed the doctor and the hospital. But to be honest the hospital was so clean. So much cleaner than hospitals in the USA and the UK. This young lady was not having her bandages cleaned. She stayed in the same bloody pajamas for days and she sat on her butt when she was advised not to. She was sent back to the hospital demanding that the doctor redo the surgery and because of the infection and recent surgery he refused. Instead, he told her to stay in the hospital to get help and to remove the butt implants. She yelled at him and behaved so inappropriately then she ran off and blamed Comfortzone. So be sure to get all the facts before listening to bitter reviews. For me I followed the page of Comfortzone and then I inboxed some of the celebrities I admired for their personal take on their experience. I also asked the company who was my surgeon so I could write to him to get as many details as possible. I even found some negative articles that were written about the company and became afraid. But again instead of listening to the media I went to the source. The person in the article to get the details. On one occasion I contacted the person in the article and found out that Comfortzone was actually the company that had fixed her botched surgery not the originator as reported. So be sure to communicate a lot! It will ease your mind.
BEING HEALTHY
After researching people who had died during surgery. I had found that some women had prior heart conditions and other ailments that actually led to their deaths. Many of them especially women over 50 had died of heart disease. Like the case of the sad passing of the mom of Kanye West. It had been reported by The Los Angeles Coroner who stated, “there was no evidence of a surgical procedure problem” leading to Ms. West’s death.
Ok. So one would say she did not die of surgical procedure problems but I can tell you this and I have to be honest. The impact that it can have on the body can cause so much weakness. And shortness of breathe. The heart needs to work harder and it can be so difficult. The night after the surgery in the hospital for me was the toughest night of my life. I could hardly move without help. I definitely could not use the toilet. I had a urine bag attached to my body. I could not pull myself up at all. Any time I needed to move I had to call a nurse. I needed the remote of the bed to elevate myself up and down. But not too far down because I felt like I would die if I were to lie flat. Some women overdosed from too many painkillers after surgery. I do not drink or smoke. I never used drugs in my life. I am a very healthy person. I am very strong. And I had a tough time! I also refused the heavier pain killers. And I definitely refused to take the sleeping pills I was offered at the Villa. I will write more on that below. So be sure to eat healthy and get a physical BEFORE going in for extensive plastic surgery. I had breast reduction, a mini tummy tuck and lipo suction nearly the same surgery as Ms. West. Quite a lot of work. I felt like I had a really hard work out. But as if I had trained for 3 days straight with no sleep. Pretty intense.
After surgery I saw girls eating fast food. I just could not understand why someone would put themselves through so much pain and then eat food that does not serve their weight loss goals. So just be ready to change your life style. Because the pain is not worth all the effort and money to only go and throw it all away by eating fried and/or processed foods.
THINGS YOU NEED TO TAKE WITH YOU
I found that there were items that I needed that I was not made aware of.
So here are some tips on what to take with you.
- A giant bathrobe, a large shirt or big pajamas. I found that I did not have the proper clothing. After the surgery you will have drains hanging from your body so its hard to put on normal clothing. I had upwards of 8 or 9 drains so I needed clothing that would help me cover them. The drains help to take away some of the fluid. Many of the girls were desperate to remove them for vanity purposes. But I kept mine in for 5 days for as long as I could as to lose as much of the fluid that my body needed to excrete.
This photo is an example of what the drains look like. When they are removed you will feel so much better. But the removal of them can also be very painful.
2. I think that having a bag to carry the drains in while they are attached to your body can help. In this picture the drains are attached but some of the ladies used a duffel bag or a carry bag to put the drains in for more comfort.
3. I was very grateful that Alex had protein powder to make shakes. Although the food at the Villa can be great I found that some of the meals were too high in Carbs and I needed extra iron supplements or proteins supplements. So be sure to bring protein powder and a shaker to make it and drink it from. This will help you regain strength. I also did not have an appetite the first few days after surgery so this was very helpful for me.
4. I slept so much for the 10 days at Comfortzone. But towards the last few days I became bored. The body is obviously still healing and needs rest so you cannot do much. So bring your ipad or a great book. There is no television at Comfortzone. So bring your laptop or Ipad to help you with Netflix or movie watching.
5. I was so grateful to have Alex with me. OMG!! I needed help to literally get up from the bed, to go to the bathroom. I needed him to tie my shoes. I needed help putting on my pants. I was a mess. I did not need this but some people after a tummy tuck especially will need help sitting and getting up from the toilet. I needed him to run downstairs to get me water. So, BRING A FRIEND! Do not come alone. I am urging you to please bring someone who can help you. Not just physically but also for as much moral support as you can get. You will need someone to remind you that you did not a make a mistake! And the pain will subside and you ARE beautiful.
6. Ok. So remember you are living with other women and men who have had surgery. There are no private bathrooms in the Villas. You have your own private bedroom but on each floor you will share bathrooms. Remember that everyone does not share the same level of hygiene as you. And although the cleaners in the house were amazing. I found myself disgusted at some moments with the lack of care of the toilets by other patients in the house. For example there was a girl who kept leaving bloody tissues on the toilets. YEP! And I would ask the cleaner to come help and she would but I also used my own baby wipes to clean the toilet to take extra measures for myself. So bring your baby wipes.
7. Turkey has European outlets. So do not forget to bring the outlet transformer.
8. The only area where I fully disagreed with Comfortzone was on the fact that they gave each girl sleeping pills each night. The pill they gave out was Xanax. Some of the girls were experiencing dizziness and felt high in the morning. One of the girls felt so sick and it made her recovery even harder.
One should know that the side effects of Xanax are: Addiction, birth defects, seizures, anxiety, panic attacks, insomnia, increased thoughts of suicide, delirium, excessive sweating, memory loss, swelling of hands or feet, dizziness or drowsiness, potentially deadly breathing problems and reckless behavior, just to name a few.
So you get the idea. Bring some Melatonin to the Villa. Melatonin is the natural hormone your body secretes that helps to maintain your wake-sleep cycle. Its a natural sleeping pill one can take to relax so you do not need to take a drug in this case.
9. After the surgery I was full of black and blue marks from the lipo suction. It was quite alarming. But Arnica cream, gel or pills are great for reducing bruising. Arnica is an herb that is most commonly used for pain but can be used for bleeding, bruising and swelling after surgery. So bring some with you to the Villa. I used the cream. I applied it directly on my bruises and they diminished very quickly. Arnica can also act as an antibiotic.
10. You may want to bring some headphones because some girls who are not in as much pain as you might be downstairs loud and partying. And you may want to relax with comforting music.
11. You should download Google Translate. Many of the people in the Villa, even the nurses and chefs do not speak English. I found this so helpful. Because some of the girls would get angry with the staff but only because of a lack of communication. So remember to have patience and use this great tool to get the help you need.
So those are my tips. If I can be of any further assistance to you please feel free to leave comments and questions below and I will be happy to help as much as I can.
I am not a fake. I love to share as much as I can if it will help. If its something I like then I will be sure to talk about it. If I do not like it I will not. I am not a celebrity promoting Comfortzone for publicity for them. I am simply sharing my experience and giving a how to guide, more than a promotional piece. I decided to write this article because thousands of you had the same concerns and asked the same questions over and over again. So, I felt the need to share as much as I could to help solve any concerns and mysteries of the plastic surgery journey.
BEING A TOURIST
Towards the end of my stay I surprisingly started to feel so much better. And Alex wanted to explore Istanbul to get a photo for his Instagram page. Because I felt so grateful for his help during the week I decided to take a chance. He googled the subject matter “where to take memorable photos for the Gram” and he found a spot that we would have to go to find. It was pretty funny. Because we would have to get a taxi into the town which the staff at the Villa helped us with, but the driver spoke no English so we had to use google translate to speak to him. To describe where we needed to go was also very challenging because there was no actual address.
We had a general location and details like drive to this location, see this faded sign it will give more details then walk up this massive hill.. oh then go behind that dumpster, then go up about 50 steps to the top of this building. Remember I had a tummy tuck and new boobs to contend with so walking up a massive hill and steps required some effort especially because I could not even stand up straight! But I am a girl who loves her man! And we are going to get the shot!
So we get to the top of the building and there were actually tons of people up there and a great set up. We had to pay 100 lire to this woman who was actually on the roof managing a photo shoot for tons of people! There was a young man throwing meat up in the air which landed on the ground and so as you see in this photo the birds coming in and the cats eating and… well yes I was the photographer of this great picture. SO!! I made it. I saw all of Istanbul from the greatest spot in the City. And I now I have great boobs! And great memories and feel educated enough to help others! I lived to tell a great tourist story too! LOL!
Great content! Super high-quality! Keep it up! 🙂