flyingwind66

I guess my post went up several days ago! lol it cut out and I couldn't find it so I rolled over and tried to sleep.
Day 1 post op
This was the most painful, I had to keep elevated but lying on my back all day was not comfy
My ankles are super swollen and I'm trying hard to ration my painkillers. Stretching was super difficult and I'm a dancer so I'm used to stretching but it has never hurt this much. I managed to straighten my legs by the end of the day but could bring myself to push myself against the wall so I dodn't

Day 2 post op
I went to the clinic today for my first post op checkup. I felt like I was walking almost normal just really REALLY slow in my wedges.
When I showed Dr. Park my stretching he said it wasn't good enough and pushed me to really lean into the wall... seriously I didn't know the stretching was supposed to be this painful, I litterally felt popping and shift under my skin.
They showed me another stretch and told me it's more frequency of stretching than length of time stretching so a little bit every 15 minutes is better than a longer session every hour. I promised to be more dilligent in my stretching and they changed my bandages, telling me to take them off for showed and rewrap tightly after.

Day 3 post op
I definitely upped my stretching game and visited a bakery for something more than just congee and apples. Still spent most of the day inside, my gait is improving lots and standing gets easier and easier!

 

Alright guys! Here's my story thus far (because I actually am having a hard time staying asleep tonight)! I'm by myself on this trip because the other girl had to cancel

Pre-op friday
I arrived in Seoul and used the instructions on Dr. Park's website and caught the 6009 bus to Sinsa (the website tells you which bus stop but I just went to the tickets sales booths and they actually gave me a different stop)
When I got off the bus I got super lost like 2 blocks from the clinic... I didn't walk far enough :x I actually caught a taxi the last 2 blocks and the main floor store is called "Olive & Young", you see "Oz [Korean words]" in big letters on the side of the building along with the other businesses in the building. I actually walked into Olive &Young and asked the cashier how to get upstairs... I didn't have wifi so my translation app wasn't working and I kinda pointed upwards and she pointed around the corner... the entrance to the upper businesses are on the side of the building.

I finally made it in for my bloodwork and consultation. Now, I actually collect blood for a living so the next few observations are probably some stuff other people may not take note of.

She didn't wear gloves (and neither did the nurse that put in my iv but the anesthesiologist did) wearing gloves while taking blood is actually a fairly recent manditory requirement... my teachers and older coworkers remember when it wasn't manditory and some of them actually still don't wear gloves or will do things like rip the index finger off to feel for a particularly difficult vein. They also smacked at the vein to make it pop up which is also something we don't do anymore.
I also want to note that wearing gloves while collecting blood is actually meant to protect the person holding the needle from anything that the person being poked might have in their blood. The nurse not wearing gloves is their risk.
All the equipment was in sealed packages when she collected and I noticed that she collected from a single piece syringe then put it into the vails. I have only ever used needle-holster or syringes where the needle is attached separate... this makes it safer for me because the separate needle also has it's own needle-guard apart from the needlecap. I want to reiterate, this is all safe for you, the patient, just not what is used anymore (in Canadian, bigger, non-rural areas... I have heard some smaller hospitals may still use these equipment) and medical technology moves fast. A lot of the equipment advances in blood collection is normally to make it safer for the person collecting... as long as the needle-site is sanitized and the needle is sterile, you're good to go as a patient

My consult with Dr. Park went well, he looked at my calves from different angles standing falt and on my toes. He asked what kind of athletics I do, I told him I dance ballet and do contortion now ... nobody really knows what contortion is... you usually have to demonstrate or show pictures. He asked if I did it professionally because he normally does not recommend this procedure to professionals because removing the muscle makes the calf weaker. I reassured him that I had done my research and that I only perform semi-professionally because it is not my livelihood.
I also asked about liposuction in the legs, he said I did not have fat in my calves for lipo. So I asked about thigh lipo, he took a look at my thighs and told me where it was possible. He gave me quotes and the thigh lipo was given a 20% discount because I was combining it with calf resection. They would give me a receipt for a tax refund at the airport. I know Dr.Park posts all his prices online because they are non negotiable so I didn't bother to try to get a further discount.
We booked my appointment for 10am the next day and I got a taxi to my airbnb.

I made sure to make some congee (rice soup... kinda the consistancy of porridge) before going to bed.

Day of Op saturday
I found my way to the clinic with no issues this time. All the train stations have English under the Korean on the signs There are lots of signs and arrows at the train stations and free wifi so my googlemaps and translator app were good to go!
Buying a ticket was easy! There's an English language button and an option where you can buy tickets depending on which stop you want to exit.
The voice on the PA says everything in Korean, English, Mandarin and Japanese (aw man, in Canada, we just get English and French lol) All the maps of the routes are in Korean and English.

At the clinic I got into the their hospital gown and had to take off all my piercings. Dr. Park took my before pictures and then I lay in the recovery room as a nurse inserted my IV. Then I walked with the IV bag on that rolly stand into the OR and I had to lay on my side as the anesthesiologist sanitized my back for the stuff that would paralize my lower body... there was a lot of deep breaths and contained panic about how I might never wake up or would end up paralized forever and fear of a giant needle in my spine like the spinal taps you see on house... The needle felt like a regular needle, not gigantic (whew) and I felt a warm sensation in my leg.
I woke up as they were wrapping my legs in the OR and they moved me to the recovery room where I promtly passed out again.
They gave me a button to press if I needed anything and would check in to make sure my pain was kevel was ok. My legs felt achey but I didn't want more because I didn't want to be hit with a wall of pain once it wore off.
I couldn't fall back asleep so I asked for my bag with my book in it and Dr.Park laughed and asked if I was bored XD
In the evening, he helped me to the bathroom (all the nurses had gone home) took out my IV and gave me a bunch of pills and instructions... tomorrow I have to stretch every 30 minutes and avoid walking as much as possible. I have a followup on monday as sunday is a holiday.
He remarked on how well I am walking (oh good!) and called me a cab.

I got back to my airbnb thirsty, in pain and hungry... I ate the congee I made friday night (thankyou me from friday night!) then tried very hard to sleep... I took one of the painkillers and I've been fitfully trying to

 

Gah, I haven't been on here in forever XD I am going to Soeul in at the end of October and just booked my consultation with Dr. Park for calf reduction. (also plan on getting some facial contouring too but that will likely be its own thread and will be at a different clinic)

I'm going with another girl I met on this forum we booked an airbnb together. (there was going to be 4 of us but the other 2 seem to have bailed)

I will definitely post my impressions, before and afters and reviews when it all happens!

I first used the online consult on the website. The doctor asked for me to email a picture of my calves and my calf circumference along with my height and weight. Emails and answers were prompt and precise

He said that I am a candidate for calf resection and that according to my body stats (154cm tall, 50kg, calf circumference 36.5cm and 37cm or 5'1" tall, 110lbs, calf circumference 14.5 inches) the most ideal circumference is 33cm/13inches.

I am super excited!! gah!

side note, I am a circus artist doing static trapeze, hoop, silks and contortion. I used to be a way serious ballet dancer/student (probably how I got the giant calves in the first place) and I still take a ballet class now and again. I'll be taking 3-4 months off for sure and I will let you all know how the surgery affects my performance.

 

Hey can we get a list of clinics that have dissolvable screws? I'm interested in zygoma but not if there will be permanent screws in my face.

I thought the TLPS and The Line have dissolvable screws but I'm not 100% and I'm wondering about JK Plastic and DAPRS?

 

Er... I have to save money

 

that's great news! much appreciated for the post here to us!

 

wow my name appeared several times in this thread lol people are talking about me lol

back to my point, Meimei, could you send your B&A's? send me a pm and I'll send you my email if you don't want to post!

So glad you have good results and it sounds subtle enough that people don't notice you got surgery!

 

wow I love your nose! You look amazing! I feel even more sure about going to the Line for a consultation now

 

Ok so, because after Zygoma and/or V-line surgery there is less bone underneath to support the skin and incisions have been made so the collagen is compromised, premature sagging is inevitable.

How soon would this sagging occur? I heard that some girls experience it within 6 months, other say a year or more.

 

Yeah I'm reading up on GA a bit... I think if I did do a second surgery it would have to be only under local. I don't want to get too much work done anyways, I'm a little worried about looking unrecognizable.

 

Well it depends on the specific surgery you want.

I also don't want screws or plates and I'm thinking of quick zygoma and maybe a power v... the 2 clinics that offer the quick zygoma are TLPS and the Line ... they used to be affiliated I think. I like my high cheeckbones and just want width reduced which is why I only want quick zygoma and I think my jaw is ok but I might do the power v if I like the line clinic and it's suitable for me... still on the fence a bit.

 

question about how you pay... do you just pull thousands of Korean currency from your home country and take it with you or do you keep just enough for down payments so you can pay cash then pull the Korean currency from a bank when you get there?
Maybe get a Korean preloaded credit card?

 

Hey is anyone here planning on doing a calf reduction and another surgery at another clinic in the same trip? Do you guys think that would be possible? Do you think going under general anesthesia twice within a short time would be ok? What about the stretching exercises while recovering from a different surgery?

 

Probably fall 2016... it's expensive and I plan on staying for 3 weeks. Hoping to find a couple travel buddies on the forums here!

For the people who have had this done, what excuses did you use at work? I considered telling people I got knee surgery if they asked.

 

Also wondering how your surgery went?

I'm thinking of going for 3 weeks in fall 2016 (so far off I know but I need to save money first) I thought I'd consult with Dream and Wannabe for some kind of epicanthoplasty to raise my mongolian folds. Definitely going to Dr. Park at Oz for calf resection (that's why the 3 weeks) if anyone else is wanting to wait that long, I'm so looking for travel buddies

 

So good to hear you are recovering so fast, that makes me feel better about getting the surgery

How's the exercising going now?

 

by jaw surgery you mean the t-osteotomy and bone shaving right?

I didn't know there was guaranteed sagging D: I'm rethinking that v-line now

 

has anyone had neurectomy? if so then what were your before and after measurements and after how many months? how long did you find the recovery?

 

Hello everyone! I am saving up and thinking of going 2 years from now (september 2016) anyone else thinking of waiting so long?

I figure I'd get a (moderate) v-line and epicanthoplasty, definitely don't want a huge change... I want to still be able to fool my mom lol just tell her I lost weight