Liposuction - Day 1

16th May 2016

This is the day that I booked my surgery for.
My flight was scheduled to take off at 7.40am, so I had to be at the airport around 6am.
I checked in online the night before and only had to get my boarding pass and check in my luggage.

My mum cabbed down with me to the airport, and we found the machines that enables self-check-in and printing of boarding passes. It was pretty easy to use, but the boarding pass comes out like a receipt :( Oh, and they also print the check-in baggage tag for you, you just have to input the number of baggage you want to check-in. Attach the baggage tag and then proceed to the counter to drop the bags! :)

Then mum and I went for breakfast at McDonalds. After breakfast, mum sent me off and I went to the boarding gate.

Got a nice window seat (i chose it in advance), and good thing is the seat beside me is unoccupied! So, didn't feel as restricted and cramped up.
I forgot to get Straits Times for Doc (saw on another patient's blog) as planned, but was feeling happy when I saw the flight attendants giving them out! :D Got a copy to pass to doctor.

The flight was delayed a number of times, and I was getting worried about the driver running away :(
As there was a thunderstorm in the city, the flight circled over the ocean for half an hour before heading to the airport. The plane finally touched down around 9.40am (8.40am Medan time), which is almost an hour later than schedule!
Then I faster proceed to the queue at the immigration counter, and I was a little scared after reading the email from Jennifer (about the officers hitting on females), I looked around trying to find a guy to talk to, but didn't dare to either. lol. So I just pray that they will be nice and let me go without any rubbish.
Suddenly, the queue stops moving forward, but more and more people are joining at the back. There seems to be some problems with their system, so again another delay. :/

Then, finally it was my turn and I went to the counter, and the officer asked me where am I staying, how long am I here for, and he even stood up and looked like he was calling his friend, and he asked if I am alone, with some sheepish look -.- I said "my friend is waiting for me outside", and his face became a little pekcek and he chopped my passport and let me go. (phew.. so annoying)

Went through the bag scan, and walked out of the automated doors. The arrival hall definitely does not look like Changi Airport, and people waiting all crowded in front, and I spotted the driver with a paper with my name! :)

Glad that he did not run away, I nodded and smiled at him to let him know I'm here, and he took my luggage for me and I just follow him to the carpark. The car ride to the clinic took 1hour 15minutes, and it was a bumpy ride, and there were no songs playing in the car (unlike what other patients mentioned). It was a quiet ride, and the streets look very much like Malaysia and Batam.
There were many boys and men on the street with guitars, going up to the cars and singing. I don't really understand this, are they trying to get people to give them money for singing? I think it makes more sense if they were selling stuff instead.

Then, we arrived at the clinic, and it looks just like how it looks in the other blogs.
I was greeted by the maid, and was told to sit in the waiting area.
Soon after, the nurse came out with a green file, and asked me if I can sign some of the forms and fill some personal information. She also asked for my passport for scanning (doc will keep it until you are leaving).
Then she asked me if I am getting meds from the clinic, and I said yes, so she brought out this big packet of medicine, and ask me to eat two antibiotics capsule, two panadol? tablets (I can't remember, but it should be panadol). I was like "oh no, the thing I'm most afraid of is here..." (I can't swallow pills and I tasted all the gross meds so I absolutely HATE meds)
I asked the nurse if she can give me a cup and let me smash the tablets and open the capsules, but she said cannot. :( So, I put them one by one in my mouth and chew and spam water. I think I drank 2 cups of water before I finish eating the 4 meds. omg, bloated.. x_x

The nurse also brought this menu out and asked me to order my lunch and dinner for the day.

I was then brought to my temporary room (without bathroom) by the nurse as the other rooms were occupied at that time, and they will be leaving later that day. So, after leaving my stuff, the nurse brought me around the house, telling me where I can get bowls/utensils/water/DVDs and so on.
She showed me the shared bathroom in the corridor that I will have to use for now.

Then I went and took a shower with the Dettol I brought along (but there was no mention that it is needed though), and I also washed my hair thoroughly as I won't be able to bathe for the next few days, and I just hope I can be as fresh as possible for as long as possible. lol.

After my shower, I dried my hair (There's hairdryer! :D so happy). Then I wore the disposable underwear given by the nurse, my own sports bra and the green gown provided. I don't know why, maybe the gown lost its elasticity and it kept slipping down. :(
I didn't know what to do after that, and was worried if they wouldn't know if I'm ready, so I went to the living room to wait.

Later, I was asked to go to the consultation room on level 1, and doc looked at my king kong thighs (as he calls them :/) and discussed about reasonable expectations. I remember doc also asked me "why liposuction? why not exercise?" I feel a little sian when he asked that, cause I was a swimmer since kindergarten (even won a few medals), and then I was in sports CCA in JC, and I ran long distance ever since, going for marathons and all... but my thighs were always bigger than my upper body T_T I hate it so much.. I am just not the kind of girl who has slim body/good genes, not even when I workout a lot. but yes I'm much fatter now compared to when I was running regularly. Work life sucks. :(

Okay, rants aside, but doc, you have to understand everyone coming to you has such concerns for a long long time, it hurts them inside and we are not lazy people who just had too much money to spend. If I had the choice (and a nice body), I rather save my money for other stuff.

Then doc proceeded to explain about the procedure, the equipment he uses, and advantages and disadvantages of his method.
If you read and research enough on him, you will know all the points he was talking about.
Extra info will be like he said that there were people who get panic attacks at the operation table and ran away, and that got me worried, as you wouldn't know if you will behave like that too right? and I just pray that I will not feel that much pain and won't be a troublesome patient.

Doc then decided that we should have lunch first.
I ordered chicken porridge (burbur Ayam) earlier, it is okay, but you must mix the porridge before eating, if not it will be bland.
As the chicken is at the bottom, I was eating the porridge on top and wondering where is the chicken and taste. lol. After I mixed it up, it tasted better.

Oh ya, before lunch, nurse brought me to the recovery room beside the operation room to take measurements of my thighs, arms, and waist for a record I guess.

After lunch, I was brought to the operation room for the pre-op video taking. Doc was commenting on my horrible fats and drawing on my thighs. It is pretty funny to hear him say those comments, as I've heard them on the numerous youtube videos I've watched. Then I was asked to stand on some paper while doc clean my thighs with iodine.

After that, I went up the operation table.
I was hoping I will just fall asleep and wake up when everything is done, but I did not :(
I felt almost everything, the making of the incisions, the suctioning of fats. ahhhhhhh.
Actually, the cannula going in and out was not painful, doc pinching the fats was more painful..
(Anyway I found out from doc that he only gave me a small dose of sedative cause I looked like I was tahan-ing well.. no wonder I felt everything..)
Sometimes I could feel "electric shock" when my fats were being sucked away.
I just kept grabbing the sides of the arm rest, and I was so so glad for the nurse, who kept offering her hand for me to squeeze, and she would also sayang my forehead to help me ease the pain.
Oh, the area under my eyes started swelling up during the operation, and the nurse even brought me a mirror for me to see. lol.
They told me I could be allergic to one of the meds (can't remember what, I think was the injected painkiller?).
After both thighs were done, I was told to stand up and then lie down again cause doc wanted to do some touch-up. (As doc would explain to you during the consultation, that is because lying down and standing up is different, it might look perfect while lying down but when you stand up there might be holes or bumps here and there.)

Finally, we are done with the surgery. Thighs are definitely smaller than pre-op but sad to say I don't think it will be slim thighs. lol. But, yes realistic expectations, I will not be able to get slim thighs after one session of lipo, as I started with gigantic elephant thunder thighs.. T_T Let's just see where it brings me 6 months later.. (praying hard~)

I was brought to the recovery room to have my vitals monitored, as doc removed a lot of fats (close to 3.5L) I think. I was also asked to eat some meds again. omg x_x I drank 2 big cups of water to down those meds.
My thighs were also wrapped up in the compression bandages with layers of sanitary pads underneath. The pads were pretty comfy hahaha.

Later, I was back in my room (how did I even climb up the stairs, I have no idea).
I kept peeing too, and the real battle has begun.
Surgery was painful, but not that crazy to be honest, and it only lasted a while, but recovery is a long process..

I fell asleep around 6pm and woke up hoping it was the next day, but sadly it was around 9pm.
Was just lying in bed, and doc came to check on me, and told me that he will be leaving the house and be back around midnight, if I need anything I can call the maid. (but apparently the maid does not understand english, and it's pretty frustrating to interact with her during my stay, more about this later). Doc was really nice as he switched on the night lights for me before he left. And I just lie there, hoping that I will drift into dreamland, but I stayed awake till Doc came to check on me after midnight. He asked if I need some sleeping pills, lol. I said no cause I hate pills. Pills, please go away.

I eventually slept, but woke up a number of times as it is pretty uncomfortable to sleep in a dead log position, and I dont have the energy to move my legs too, so it is all just very stiff and sore. :(

Preparing for the trip

It is less than a week to the trip and I am really looking forward to it, but at the same time nervous!
Nervous about what will happen, nervous about the results and everything.
Worried about the medications because I hate taking meds, and I always skip my meds cause it makes me so miserable, I will just sit there for 1 hour or 2 just staring at them and cry. :(

But this is a big surgery, and to make sure that everything will go well, I must take my meds as prescribed and I am trying to brace myself for that.

Also, I made a trip to Chinatown, to get my Arnica Montana from Amber Pharmacy. I just hope that swelling will be minimum for me and I will recover fast and well!

I also wrote down a list of what I plan to bring for the trip just in case I can't remember while packing, and miss out the important items!

As it is also closer to surgery date, Jennifer also sent a few more emails regarding the trip, such as airport officers hitting on women and how to avoid them (which is pretty funny and scary at the same time). I just hope everything will go smoothly, as this is the first time I am going on a trip alone.

Can't wait for the trip and the results! Elephant thunder thighs please disappear from my life!