rawdude Posted March 6, 2011 Share Posted March 6, 2011 yes u can. mine worked. and there is a travel adapter in officetel, unless u need more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rawdude Posted March 6, 2011 Share Posted March 6, 2011 had read uzaru , or wait uzuru , no wait uzara? oh watever, her detailed email.. coming from an experienced medical background.. we all r learning alot from her, whether u d done it or not, after surgery or not. i d learnt some from her. some of her experiences and how she was treated seem alittle different from mine.. for eg. i was explained clearly which drug is for from joanne and how to use them.( u get anti biotics, pills for reduce swelling, pills for runny nose, pain killer, and 1 i cant remb. i think its for nausea? or stomach cant remb. additionally, i requested for diarrhoea, indigestion and muscle relaxant. (free) the IV pain pump was taken out once i complaint that it d gone bad.. about the 3/4th day. i was given extra medication pills free from VIP for indigestions and more muscle relaxant ( when i told them about extreme pain on my rib wounds especially during sleeping n waking) i was given a recovery room all by myself maybe cuz im a guy. so no cray cray roomie but it was lonely n bored. i didnt know protein bars help and i have alot at home. but i did brought over energy gel which help a little.. i didnt feel nausea at all i dunt know why. i did walk around ALOT especially after a week..mostly all the shopping district.. i wish i have more time there to shop. shopping heaven. and YEs; dunt bring too much clothes BUT it was winter when we visited korea, dry so our clothes didnt stink. but if u visit korea at hotter times... its different story. as for drug allergies, i was asked by the nurse... it didnt happen to uzura maybe they forgotten.. but i thought the med test we went thru was also to test drug allergies? i think during your trip, they got more busy than my trip.. sorry to hear that they rushed u.. mine was pretty much relax and explained thoroughly.. i didnt have bleeding episode but u will get to swallow some at times. yes u need to breathe thru your mouth few couple of days like id told many of u.. i think VIP is getting more n more busy these days especially after CNY season and with their fame hyping up. so guys be well prepared..i dunt know wot id missed. best if u have a companion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rawdude Posted March 6, 2011 Share Posted March 6, 2011 guys:they made me buy a protection tape which is costly but im only using 5% of the tape.. such a waste. lol I SUGGEST U SHARE THE COST, ONE BOX OF THE TAPE CAN BE USED BY AT LEAST 10 person? or 8? more than enough. u use it only after the scabbing. and only for 1-2 weeks to protect the wound thereafter i m applying scar cream.. . im left with alot ofthe tapes. the tapes r very high quality n very good ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angelfern Posted March 6, 2011 Share Posted March 6, 2011 Ha ha, think sunday is the time he cleared his email. There was once i waited one week then i email to remind him again, he replied immediately, on a sunday of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rawdude Posted March 6, 2011 Share Posted March 6, 2011 updated: the journey from airport to clinic took 45mins-1hr..hmm. yes, do your toilet biz before the trip. also: for the medication tests, remb to use your midstream pee for the urine test. ;p for those afraid of nausea; im not sure nausea bands work.. they were sold at some pharmacies;sg(guardian;watsons) ..wear them on your wrist ;not sure it work tho. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angelfern Posted March 6, 2011 Share Posted March 6, 2011 yep, i like it too, definitely much better than the previous silicon, urrgh. I like my bridge to be higher but any higher will have to start from the eyebrows & may look fake for asian. Hope the tip will deswell further at the one year mark, but please, bridge don't go down any further. Very often, it depends on our existing nose, like my sis, her tip can be extended long & pointy, so nice, envy. (coz she has a big nose & excess skin to begin with, so Dr Kao can put more cartilage to extend it!) She has been receiving compliments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbgurly Posted March 6, 2011 Share Posted March 6, 2011 Yes, she did ptosis correction and double lids. After 3 days of swelling, she realized that one side was much more uneven, like the skin was over-tucked and wasn't very pleased with it. She was told he did more work on her right eye thus the uneven swelling. During her last day morning, she was still unpleased with the result, saying that it needs to be corrected because her concern was the skin overly-tucked instead of swelling. JoAnn manage to slot her in a last minute revision and she manage to catch her flight back. I saw her earlier on and her eyes are pretty amazing. They look very even now and big dolly wollies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbgurly Posted March 6, 2011 Share Posted March 6, 2011 SOme info from my friend for last week at VIP: ( prob thats why they are so busy to reply emails) She mentioned the clinic was so busy that she didn't even have time to have a talk with Dr Lee for the one week. Dr Park ( the other doctor that does eyes) has to help out with the daily dressing for patients, took care of the locals while Dr Lee handled foreigners. During her stay, there was one patient that did almost her entire face and breast. She told my friend her surgery cost around 70,00USD. DR Lee spent 17 hours extracting hard fillers from her face which she has injected herself with over the years, an addiction causing her skincells to be dead and other surgery like breast and nose and whichever that adds up to the amount. I was like "WOW"" seriously she dumped all that cash into the surgery??? There was another lady that had some health issues and cough out blood none stop but it was not related to the surgery. SHe was admitted to the hospital, JoAnn and Dr Lee stayed overnight till 4am with her and she was so touched by them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbgurly Posted March 6, 2011 Share Posted March 6, 2011 Uzura Read your email. I think the lady I was talking about is your cray cray rommie. She was asking my friend to get the fillers from her!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sojunose Posted March 6, 2011 Share Posted March 6, 2011 I love the results on the international VIP website more so than the Korean website. Internationalhttp://vipps-clinic.com/index.php Koreanhttp://vipps.co.kr/vip_eng/index.html I have been looking at the Korean website the whole time last year. hmmm.....I think Dr. Lee has the skills comparable to O&Young (for my taste) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sojunose Posted March 6, 2011 Share Posted March 6, 2011 My old email from Joanne last year that I found (around September of 2010). I just changed my real name to my username. Maybe this will help someone. Hello Sojunose, First of all, I would like to thank you for your interest in VIP International Plastic Surgery Center. Yes, it was very nice talking to you on the phone today VIP's doctor and staff will be more than happy to help you with the concerns and questions about plastic surgeries. For less confusion, I will answer your questions as you've numbered: 1. Dr. Lee has over 20 years of experience in plastic surgery and for rib cartilage graft, he can be the one whom introduced such method in Korea. From 1999 to 2000, Dr. Lee worked and studied thoroughly about aesthetic plastic surgery as an exchange professor in Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas in the United States, where it is an universal pivot of the aesthetic plastic surgery. As an exchange professor, he studied comprehensively about aesthetic plastic surgery with the top surgeons: Dr. Gunter and Dr. Rohrick, whom are the experts of autologous rib cartilage rhinoplasty, Dr. Barton and Dr. Hamra, the creater of High-SMAS face lift, Dr. Tebetts, the master of breast aumentation, and Dr. Byrd, the expert of craniofacial contouring. Though Dr. Lee lacks the fluency he can communicate with you on all surgical methods in English and I will be with you during the whole consultation. So don't worry about language problem during the consultation all your needs will be translated in the right way. Moreover, Dr. Lee's an active member of: *American Society of Plastic Surgeons *The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, Inc. (Only the doctors who are certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery may become members of ASPS and ASAPS) *Executive of Korean rhinoplasty *Korean Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons *Korean Soceity of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons *Korean Association of Plastic Surgeons *International Confederation for Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery 2. Dr. Lee has done countless procedures. He has rib cartilage rhinoplasty or bone surgeries almost everyday. 3. The surgical cost is always individual; it varies by the patient's condition, procedure, and the material used. This is not the exact, but the approximate cost for the rhinoplasty: Nose Method Surgical cost Anesthesia 1 Silicon bridge augmentation US$ 1,500 US$ 300 2 Silicon bridge + nasal tip work US$ 2,500 US$ 300 3 Ear cartilage tip + silicon bridge (sprout) US$ 2,600 US$ 300 4 Septal cartilage tip + silicon bridge US$ 3,700 US$ 500 5 Septal cartilage + ear cartilage + silicon bridge US$ 4,300 US$ 5006 Rib cartilage tip + rib cartilage bridge US$ 7,700 US$ 800 7 Rib cartilage tip + silicon implant bridge US$ 6,000 US$ 700 8 Nose reduction US$ 4,200 US$ 500 9 Nose deviation with septal cartilage US$ 4,200 US$ 500 10 Nose deviation with rib cartilage US$ 8,200 US$ 1,000 11 Paranasal augmentation US$ 1,500 12 Alar base reduction US$ 1,500 13 Cover with fascia US$ 600 14 Cover with dermis US$ 1,000 15 Revision rhinoplasty Extra US$1,000 4. I showed the photos to Dr. Lee and this is what he said: "Sojunose has a low bridge and short nose, which is common for an Asian face. Because of the low nose, her mouth looks protruded. This cannot be fixed just by heightening the nose. When I think of rhinoplasty, I think about the whole harmonious balance of patient's face. For her case, putting a synthetic implant such as silicon will be risky because of higher infection rate for short nose. The best choice for Sojunose's nose will be rib cartilage graft rhinoplasty because not only it's long lasting, but the result will be natural. I will harvest rib #7 to build full structure, bridge, length, and the tip. Ear cartilage might also be used to make a prettier tip if need it. Also as a suggestion, having forehead fat graft procedure will give her more beautiful front and side view." 5. If you reserve both your consultation and surgery date together, we give free pick up service at the airport. Our driver will go pick you up so you can come to our clinic in the most safest way. To show our gratitude for foreign patients, as another service, we provide free accomodation for a week at our clinic provided office-hotel. If you reserve your surgery date ahead of time, I might be able to give you few more days than a week if there is a space If you want to book in a hotel, we will book you at Sunshine Hotel (http://hotelsunshine.co.kr). The original cost per night is US$120, but as a VIP's patient the cost will be US$77 per night. When are you planning to come to Korea? For more questions, always feel free to e-mail me back! Thank you! Sincerely, JoAnn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uzura Posted March 6, 2011 Share Posted March 6, 2011 LOL, it's Uzura oh c'mon don't tell me there aren't more of Princess Tutu anime fans like me on TPF. FYI Uzura is like the most kawaii anime sidekick of all times, she's this magical wooden doll with green hair and is funny/ cute as hell...judge for yourselfhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ungwH5towBY&feature=related Srsly, back to the topic at hand...yes PS the most important thing in life (ha ha). It's good that they explained to you what the meds were for, rawdude....but I think informatively speaking it would be better had they told you (and me) not only what symptoms the meds were treating but most importantly the names of said meds. That way should you develop a reaction, immediate or delayed, you know what to avoid in the future and also what antidotes, if there are those, to take should you require further medical treatment in the U.S.. Also you could look up what side effects the meds can cause. All I got was 'take 3x a day after 1 week' written on paper package containing weeks' worth of meds. Furthermore, I don't think it's a good idea to be on oral steroids (I presume it's what the 'anti-swelling' pills are) for longer than a couple of weeks at most if you are otherwise healthy and don't have any autoimmune disorder. I don't think having undergone PS justifies being on oral steroids. It's certainly not prescribed for this purpose here in the U.S.. I think there's definitely a tendency for Asian countries like S. Korea and Taiwan to overprescribe steroids and antibiotics. This is actually a well-known fact within the medical community. I also don't think it's wise to load up on meds to treat symptoms like "diarrhoea, indigestion and muscle relaxant" during times of bodily stress such as post-op periods unless you absolutely need them. You are only unnecessarily overworking your liver, as the liver has to detox impurities/ toxins/ medication byproducts from your body. Actually liver and kidney both process medication byproducts from our bodies. Why not treat the root cause instead of symptoms? For example diarrhea from antibiotics use stems from the antibiotics killing off our healthy/ immune-boosting gut flora (bacteria). So instead of taking anti-diarrhea meds, why not eat plain, unsweetened yogurt or take probiotic capsules to build up your gut flora again naturally? The IV thing was kinda disappointing for me. I told the nurses and Dr. Lee that my IV wasn't working because it hurt like hell when the nurses flushed it (during IV antibiotic administration). I told them I didn't even mind if they put in another IV should they insist on me having it (even though I didn't even need it). But my words weren't taken seriously. i wasn't *****y or whiney about it either...quite the opposite, it's not my style to be difficult/ nasty to other people, especially my fellow compadres in the medical field. Maybe I was too nice??rawdude did you walk/ shop around the tree-lined street with all the cutesy cafes and boutiques--I think the neighborhood is called Sinsa Dong (?) if I'm not mistaken. That's not a bad spot to pass an afternoon actually. For post-op period, we need extra protein and fat, so I found that certain low-sugar whey protein bars were great for that purpose. Fatty fish or full-fat dairy with saturated fats are great for tissue building/ repair, since saturated fatty acids are required for cell transport/ membrane-building etc...after tissue injury. Unfortunately there aren't tests for 'drug allergies' per se. Drug allergies happen when you have reactions to meds....that's when you know you have either mild reaction or full-blown anaphylactic/ life-threatening drug allergy. When it's your health at hand, never presume ANYTHING...I can't stress this enough to patients both abroad and here in U.S.. Luckily I know I don't have any drug allergies that I'm aware of, so I didn't make a fuss when VIP skipped this important check with me prior to surgery. Oh, they also didn't weigh me, they just asked me to write how much I weighed. Again, luckily my weight is pretty stable in the 99-102 range, so I just put down 100 lbs. Worst thing for me was not pain, it was breathing through my mouth. It's takes so much more awareness and energy to breath through your mouth. Normally we don't have to 'think' to breathe, but when you breathe through your mouth, you do have to 'concentrate' to breathe. It can be frustrating. About taking a companion with you to VIP. I think this has more to do with individual preferences and how independent you are IRL. Speaking only for myself, I quite enjoyed my 'alone time' and found that I was able to focus more on my own recovery and ask questions/ be more attentive because I was by myself. It was actually liberating. However, some people may want company and that's perfectly wonderful too. I don't think there's a right/ wrong way of going about it, so don't feel bad if some of you can't find companions to go with you abroad....you may actually find it a blessing having all that downtime by yourself! On my final day in Korea, prior to leaving for the airport, as a gesture of gratitude, I went to a really nice bakery and bought 2 big cakes for the VIP staff. I really love the front office girls/ ladies....they're really the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uzura Posted March 6, 2011 Share Posted March 6, 2011 OMG, yeah that's my cray-cray roomie. She's bats-****, loony insane but kinda in a non-threatening 'are you for real?' way. She told me that she'd brought over $40k with her to VIP. She showed me her vials/ syringes of Placenta which she orders from Germany...they're like $3k a syringe. I was like 'wut?' Even after Dr. Lee told her after her consult that he couldn't possibly guarantee good results, she insisted upon the surgeries. Joann said that Dr. Lee didn't even want to do her case, but that she (Joann) begged him because Mrs. Cray-Cray had travelled far to have the procedures. I later found out the her OR case went past midnight! I saw her being taken for OR at around 1pm....so that's 9 freakin' hours! When Joann told me this, I was like "Umm....so is she still alive?" Joann said that at midnight the nurses were texting her like mad....Joann felt so bad for the nurses and Dr. Lee. I have to say those nurses work hard. To have to stay in OR until well past midnight and come back early the next morning?! They totally should get paid more. Oh yeah, so my cray-cray roomie later told me Dr. Lee had to take skin graft from her lower back/ butt to repair her face. To give you an idea of how insane she is, on my last day in Korea when I went to VIP to give them 2 cakes as thank you gifts, she saw me there and said to me "see you next time, see you soon, I'm going to come back too!" LAWD!!! About the other lady who coughed up blood, that's truly worrisome. Did your friend have close contact with her? I hope they tested the lady for TB because that sounds like a classic TB symptom....but I'm guessing she also had a chest x-ray...puzzling. I'd get tested for TB if I were your friend just to be on the safe side if she came in contact with her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kain Posted March 6, 2011 Share Posted March 6, 2011 Princess Tutu follows Ahiru (meaning 'duck' in Japanese), a duck who was transformed into a young girl who takes ballet at a private school. She becomes enamoured of her mysterious schoolmate Mytho, and transforms into Princess Tutu to restore his shattered heart. [wikipedia]:weird: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
izora Posted March 6, 2011 Share Posted March 6, 2011 Wow, she really is one strange lady. I'm so glad that I only met normal people while I was at VIP. So honestly, how did her results turn out? Was it worth it? LOL I can't believe she insisted on surgery even though Dr. Lee wasn't confident about her results. That seems so desperate and risky. Not to be rude, but this seems rather comical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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