Day 1

I arrived in San Jose two days before my surgery. That gave me time to settle in, get some laser hair removal done on my legs, get my blood tests done (I had my ekg done in LA) and to say hi and visit with the Lev family before Dr. Lev put me out of commission for a couple of weeks. I checked into room 9 at the Villa Plenitud recovery facility and it really felt strange to be here as a patient, not just a visitor.

As I was putting my things away in the room, I started feeling those butterflies all the patients tell me about all the time. The feeling that overwhelms you before any surgery....the feeling that is then followed by fear and doubt which then leads to thoughts like "It's not too late to turn around and go home...or hey..I can just call Raul (the driver I recommend to the patients) and have him come pick me up and take me somewhere fun and just forget the whole thing." "I could just move into the Corobici (the hotel where I usually stay when I come to San Jose with a group) and hang out with my friends here and just call it a vacation".

Like everyone else, I soon got over the feelings of doubt and fear and realized that no matter how doubtful, how fearful, ultimately Vanity will have her way with me and I will go through with my second facelift in ten years.

I didn't really NEED another facelift persay, but my jawline was starting to break down after ten years post-first facelift, and my neck was starting to sag again. Dr. Lev said he'd do a lower facelift and freshen up my face. My eyes were still good after ten years, except for a couple of little fatty bumps that developed over the years in the corners of my upper lids. So he said he'd just "suck those out".....and that would be all he'd do on the eyes. The rest of the eyes still looked awesome from facelift #1.

That's one thing about Dr. Lev that is undeniable. His work lasts. That's because he uses the tried and true methods..doesn't subscribe to the "newfangled" methods that, while they are less invasive in some cases, or take less time to perform, haven't stood the test of time. He sticks to what he knows best and what he does best and what he knows for sure works and lasts.

The night before my surgery date (June 20, 2007) I had a beautiful dinner at the Villa Plenitud, lovingly prepared for me by Ron, the owner/operator of the recovery facility we use for all of Dr. Lev's US patients....and afterward I was taken by Dr. Lev (because we are dear friends and he insisted on accompanying me) to the Cima Hospital where we checked me into room 1044.

It was so odd to be there as a patient, not just showing up there to tend to someone else. All my buddies where there to welcome me. The admissions people, the nurses, the head of public relations, the pharmacy people. I saw many hospital workers who know me as the Gringa who comes to take care of US patients on occasion and then goes away for a few months and then returns to take care of more patients. To them I'm an enigma of sorts but they know me and accept me as part of the hospital "family" (at least that's how it feels to me).

The Administration sees me as the person who brings them a lot of business each year from the states and so my opinions are valued and respected and each time I come to San Jose (three times a year for two weeks at a time) I have a lunch date with the Hospital Administrator, just so we can catch up on things. Mostly I share comments/feedback I get from the patients in an effort to do my part in keeping the hospital up to its high standards.

But I digress. Back to the issue at hand, which is, sharing my "Second Facelift" experience with people to give them a personal and intimate look into one person's day to day experience the first twenty-one days postop.

It's important to note that everyone heals differently and my experience may be very different from yours, but if you are considering doing this thing...I'm hoping that a look into one person's experience might help you to better prepare for your own experience.

For those of you who HAVE to know as much as possible before you throw yourself into something like major surgery....I'm hoping my three week post-op pictorial journal will help you in some way

I'm the type, personally, who'd rather not know anything. Just put me out and wake me up when it's over. Once I put my faith and trust in the doctor.I let him take it from there. That's how it is for me with Drs. Lev and the anesthesiologist. I trust them both with my life. I wouldn't let any other plastic surgeon or anesthesiologist touch me. Most of Dr. Lev's patients say the same exact thing.

So....Getting back to Day One.

I had a relatively sleepless night at the hospital, even with the 2 mg. of Lorazapam that I took to relax me (finally at about 3 a.m.). I found myself, "potchkeying" around, tweezing my eyebrows, taking a shower, filing my nails, washing my hair, making phone calls, walking the halls, reading, playing Scrabble on my Treo 650, etc. etc. I even gave myself a Fleet enema. I know that constipation is a big issue for many patients postop because of all the medication and, of course the anesthesia. Dr. Lev always recommends people bring stool softeners with them when they come down for surgery to take postop. And of course, it's most important to drink tons of water in the days and weeks following surgery.

Anyway, I did doze off a little about 5 a.m. and then at 6:30 the anesthesiologist (the anesthesiologist and also a dear friend) walked in, came over and gave me a welcoming/reassuring hug and kiss and immediately ordered my shot of Dormicum.

I love the anesthesiologist. He's an awesome doctor, a brilliant man, a sweet and kind soul and he knows without a doubt that I am the worst patient that has ever lived. He knows that before we can even approach the subject of surgery, he must order a shot of Dormicum for me. He won't even entertain the thought of inserting the IV until ten to fifteen minutes after the shot of Dormicum has been administered.

Ah yes. Dormicum. The world's greatest drug. It's unbelievable to me that you can get a simple shot and then every single thing that happens after that is completely gone from your memory until you are finished with your surgery, out of Recovery and back in your hospital room. Frankly, I can't remember anything at all from five minutes after the Dormicum shot until the next day after surgery! I vaguely remember Anabelle (the nurse who organizes our private duty nurses, who took care of me that night) in my room telling me to stop moving around so much. I vaguely remember hearing her on the phone with Dr. Lev telling him that she doesn't know what to do with me because I'm moving around too much...talking on the phone, etc.

It was like she was talking about someone else! Not me.

Dr. Lev told me that he came over to see me and I was on the cellphone with my mother. I said, "You're joshin' me, man"....he said..."No...I'm not. You are by far, the absolutely WORST patient of my career. And the anesthesiologist's career, too!"

It's a little embarrassing because I'm the one who's a complete maniac about keeping people quiet and still after surgery. I'm with people (in the groups that go when I'm there) in their rooms for the four hours between getting back to their room from Recovery and when the private duty english speaking nurse arrives to care for them overnight. So I'm the one putting the ice pads on their eyes and ice chips in their mouths, rubbing their feet, calling their family for them, etc. etc.

Now, here I am doing every "no-no" in the book and because I'm not there to stop me from doing it.....poor Anabelle is there unable to stop me from moving around too much. The problem is...she doesn't say the magic wordies that work oh, so well for me with the patients.

I tell them..."Stop moving your neck around and also stop talking...or you'll get a hematoma and then I have to call Dr. Lev in and he'll have to take you right back into surgery!!"

No matter how out of it the patients are...somehow they hear my words and settle down. Hey, I'm from the Bronx. I'm not beyond threatening people for their own good! Of course Anabelle is a Costa Rican, gentle soul who would never issue a threat like that to a poor helpless patient.

Anyway, I forgot to mention that in the morning of my surgery I gave my camera to Dr. Lev and asked him to please take pictures as he saw fit so I could include them on the website. I asked him to just take pics in the O.R. and in Recovery, etc.

A few days later after Dr. Lev removed my head bandage (those are the worst three days ever since the bandage is very tightly wound around your head and you feel like you're being choked) I decided to just take a look at the photos Dr. Lev took the day of my surgery.

OMIGOD.

I'm going to post some of the photos he took, HOWEVER, I want you to remember that even though I'm monkeying around for the camera...I have absolutely no recollection of any of it. After all, would I really want to be goofing around in the O.R.? I don't even want to KNOW I'm in the O.R. much less pose for shots.

He also took some pics in Recovery. I know because Jackie the Recovery nurse is in the shots. But again, it feels like I'm looking at someone else's experience...someone else that has my silly mug.

I don't know how much to share with you on the site although my first instinct is to bare it all. No holds barred. However, my husband feels the pictures are too "much" (he gets weak in the knees at the mere discussion about surgery!)

But I'm thinking that if it's something you want to see, it will give you a nice glimpse into the inner sanctum of surgery at the Cima Hospital in Escazu, the "Beverly Hills of Costa Rica".

So, here are the pics beginning the night before surgery till the morning of the day after. We'll call these "Day One"......