Let’s face it – ‘surgery’ is a scary word. It’s not something we casually throw around in daily conversation. For the longest time, I too was hesitant of the idea. The decision to get these extra layers of fat off my body was certainly a tough one. However, deep down in my heart, I knew I was doing something wonderful for my body.

Battling through my weight loss has been nothing short of an emotional, physical, and mental turmoil. It has been a constant struggle every single day. Nevertheless, the journey has been worth it. I have learned so much about myself, found strengths inside me I never thought I had, and of course, garnered the courage to go for a surgery.

And so here I am.

With a whirlwind of emotions cooking up inside of me, I have finally decided to fly to Mexico for plastic surgery!

The Night Before Surgery in Mexico

I won’t lie, the experience of reaching here was nerve-racking. But time and again I was told by my colleagues that it’s going to be the best plastic surgery abroad. Not only that, Mexico is one of the cheapest country for plastic surgery, which was also a huge plus for me. There is so much going on in my head. I am both scared and psyched up. On the one hand, I can’t wait to get all the excess skin off of my body for good. It is something I have yearned for so long. Then again, the unknown scares me. What happens after the surgery? How much pain will I have to endure? I hope I don’t face any complications.

I’m just a few days shy of turning 34 years old and I’ve lost over two hundred and twenty two pounds. Now I am in a country that I’ve never been to before, and I am about to undergo the biggest surgery of my life. It’s a little scary – travelling from Canada all the way to Mexico – too, because I don’t speak their language.

Part of me wonders – how did I let myself get this big that I have to lose all this weight by having a life-changing surgery? But I have firm faith that every situation is a blessing in disguise.

I have found renewed assurance in myself, my body, and that’s precisely why I want to undertake this major surgery. I needed to learn everything that I learnt in order to gain the experience that was required. And, now with just a few hours away from the greatest decision of my life – I have slowly begun to feel confident.

I simply cannot regret weighing 400 pounds. I don’t regret any step of this journey because it turned me into the person that I am today. I am grateful for who I am and love myself unconditionally. In one way or the other, I have learnt to transform my weight into one of the greatest strengths of my life.

Whenever I get scared or ponder over all the harsh experiences I’ve been through–I realize that it all happened for a reason. There is nothing to be gained from regretting the past. I don’t regret a minute of it. Instead, I am choosing to embrace my journey and use it to build a better life for myself. And, I’m certain that it will help me become the person I’ve always wanted to be.

My struggle with weight has been an incredibly tough one. There have been moments when I’ve felt utterly defeated, yet there have been days when I’ve found unimaginable positivity to transform my circumstances.

I will admit that I do cry about it sometimes, but at the end of the day – I tell myself that this is a part of the process and I should be grateful for it.

One person who has proven to be a great support in this journey has been my boyfriend. We met a little over nine months back. I wasted no time in telling him the truth about my weight loss and of course, the decision to go for this surgery.

To my surprise, he actually flew down to Mexico with me to support me while I got this surgery. It’s funny because nine months ago – who would’ve thought that we would be catching a flight to another country to undergo a major surgery like this?

He’s been so supportive throughout this whole journey. We met a doctor for a consultation today and even though, he’s not comfortable at all times, I think it was such a great moment for us. I know that he’s looking forward to the surgery being over. He might be more nervous than I am. He hasn’t slept in a day because of the overnight flight and is waiting at the hotel.

To be honest, it has been a crazy day, full of hospital stuff, and I’m going to share this experience with you. Tonight is the last night where I have all this excess skin. The next time I write this, my surgery will be over.

The Day of My Surgical Procedure in Mexico

The day started smoothly. The staff came in and gave me a bath. Now I’m waiting for the surgeon to come in and chalk out parts of my body where I will be needing surgery. They will also be performing some tests to make sure my vitals are normal.

I think I am surprising everybody with how calm and collected I am about the whole process. Last night, I slept like a log— I don’t even know if they came in to bother me during the night. I’m definitely nervous and not looking forward to the pain, but I keep telling myself, “Mind Over Matter”. I know with all my heart that this surgery is the best decision for me— it’s going to be okay and in the end, it’s going to be worth it.

Post Plastic Surgery in Mexico– Day 1

The plastic surgery went well. It took around five and a half hours and so far, everything has been quite smooth. There’s a lot of drainage coming out, which is another new experience for me. They gave me narcotics right after the surgery, so the pain isn’t as excruciating as I expected it to be.

During the day, I was also given another non-narcotic painkiller to ease the bouts. And, honestly, it wasn’t so bad.

I am going to be getting more morphine before bed tonight to help me sleep. Nonetheless, I think I will be asleep before that. Overall, here’s a truthful confession: the surgery and the pain, both, were not bad. The staff gave me compression suits to help alleviate the swelling. All of this has really gotten me excited and I’m anxiously looking forward to see the results. But I’m still a little scared to see how it looks on me.

It’s been 24 hours since my plastic surgery in Mexico and now I actually feel good. I was supposed to get up and walk, but it was just not happening. My doctor is going to come back again soon, and we’re going to try to get me out of bed again. He gave me medicine for nausea, which does have drowsy effects.

The fact that I can still sleep despite such a huge surgery is making me feel grateful and happy. This means that the pain is bearable and that I can survive this. The strength I feel makes me feel so elated. Whenever I start getting nervous, I immediately start telling myself that I need to suck it up and get out of bed. And, honestly, sometimes being strict with myself really helps me do what has to be done.

The nausea is too strong right now, but I will overcome this, too.

I finally walked.

Even when I thought it’d be a challenge, it really wasn’t. Knowing that this was the best place for plastic surgery abroad, I was fully confident in the team. Sitting up was fine and so was walking. I have to stay doubled over the whole time because I can’t stand straight yet. And, even when I couldn’t walk too far, I’m just glad I took a few steps. The nausea, however, came rushing back quickly.

It might not sound like a big deal, but this was definitely progress. Besides getting nausea, I also feel lightheaded and am sweating profusely. I will get out of the hospital tomorrow, and I am definitely looking forward to that.

At the same time, I am scared to death because of the pain. Mobility is going to be hard, but my boyfriend will help me. He’s done everything for me while we’ve been here – from scratching my nose to wiping the hair out of my face. I’m just really glad that he’s here and is trying to make things easier for me. He’s really been an angel in my life.

Post Plastic Surgery in Mexico – Day 2

The second day is going much better. Now that I’m in my hotel, the pain is far more tolerable. I’m still taking a few painkillers to ensure that I sleep well. Walking however, will be a challenge. My back is fully hunched  so when I do walk, it feels like I’m taking heavy, deliberate footsteps. I have to walk in public like this for a few weeks, too. But I don’t have any regrets, and I am not dreading it either – it’s going to be fun!

The drainage tubes are still attached to me, which still feels weird. I got to see everything today when they gave me a sponge bath – that wasn’t fun at all. After the bath, they put all the corsets back onto me, and I hope it will look really good in a few months when it’s nicely healed. Honestly, I’ve witnessed a massive improvement and that has kept me from complaining too much.

Post Plastic Surgery in Mexico – Day 3

The third day is even better. And I’m hopeful that the days to come will be far better!

Just walked back from the hospital, which is literally two minutes away from my hotel. I’m so proud of myself for accomplishing this feat. It’s amazing what my body is capable of. From enduring such a colossal surgery, to healing, and now endowing me with full recovery – I think I’ve slowly found self-love again.

I’m across the street and it feels good thinking about the fact that they did laser therapy. I won’t lie the whole process was quite painful and draining, but the medical team was so great about it. I have zero regrets about my choice of surgeon because his team was absolutely fantastic. I cried at some points during the therapy and she wiped my tears away, which made me feel a lot better.

I’m going to see the doctor on the weekend. My boyfriend is not here with me, so I will be enjoying this recovery myself.

The best thing is that it has only been the third day and my recovery has been off the charts. The results are right before my eyes. I cannot still believe that this is me and in a month, it’ll be even better.

Post Plastic Surgery in Mexico – Day 4

The swelling is finally going down. The drains are working impressively well. The pain is great even though I haven’t taken any painkillers at all today. However, I have to be a little tactful while sleeping. The surgery still doesn’t allow me to move much, let alone toss around the bed. So I have to nap with my knees up.

It’s really annoying when I can’t get out of bed on my own because I can’t use my arms or my abs. Going to the bathroom is a whole different hassle of its own. It requires me to unclip and re-clip the corset, which I can’t do without someone’s help.

My boyfriend has to get up every time I need help, but today, I feel great because we’re going for a walk. He has been a wonderful support by my side and I’m so happy to step out for some fresh air with him.

We’re not going too far because I am not sure how long my energy will last. My tubes are coming out. It’s difficult because I’m forgetful. I accidentally tugged on one of the tubes and the pain was excruciating.

Nonetheless, there is only minor discomfort and better days are going to follow soon. I’m both happy and excited to see the doctor on Monday to get the tubes out, which will give me more mobility. I can’t believe I feel so good considering the fact that I have been feeling terrible for the last couple of days. The transformation – both physical and emotional – is real. Not only were the medical procedures in Mexico regarding my surgery were top-notch but the recovery was easy as well.

To view part 2 of this story (click here)