Here it is surgery day!!

If you're not certain what surgery I'm having and want to catch up catch all the other parts here - 1, 2, 3 & 4.

Ready? Let's go....

Last night we arrived in London late and straight away I went to bed ready for the morning. I normally get up early to go to work so I was up at 5.30. To kill a bit of time have a good old gossip with my cousin who lives in London, watch some TV for a few hours & do a bit of blogging before heading out.

I'm staying in Farringdon so its about 4ish stops and a short walk to MYA Fitzroy - so even though I didn't know where I was going it was super easy to find.

Oh My I'm So Excited!!

My admission time was at 10 a.m and they pre-warn you that this is not your surgery time - you could have up to a 6 hour wait. Not an issue, got my ipad (free WiFi on site), magazine and I'm sure they'll be a few girls there to have a good old gossip with whilst I'm waiting.

Entering the waiting room there was just one lady waiting and she looks like she might be waiting for someone as she has no bag with her - so no-one to gossip with yet! I'm just about to sit down and a nurse calls my name and asks me to follow her upstairs.

All Alone At MYA Fitzroy

We arrive on the hospital floor & I'm surprised to see my name is on the door as well as well my Dr's name - Dr Joffily. The room is nicely made up with a TV, wardrobe, sink & bathroom. The room is a double but I appear to be the only one in the room as the other bed is not made up. The nurse let's me know there is a hospital gown to get changed into, I need to be measured for compression sock, blood pressure/temperature taken and a pregnancy test needs to be done. This is all done in a matter of 10-20 minutes - it's not rushed but there was no hanging about.

My Legs Are Getting Surgery Ready

After lying down for about for 10 minutes Dr Joffily came in and we signed some paperwork and re-confirmed some details. Dr Joffily asked me if it was OK if they used general anaesethetic instead of local. I was okay with this as I think this would be better for me and my 'Band C' fat. Dr Joffily marked me up, left and then the anaesthetist came in to confirm some details and then I had to sign some more paperwork.

I sat back on the bed sent a couple of texts and then a nurse popped her head round the door and said they were going to take me up to surgery shortly.

WOW!

Really it was not even 11 a.m yet. I couldn't believe me luck. Every time I was about to whip out my phone to take some pictures - more stuff was happening.

Gotta Love The No Make-Up Rule :(

Heading to the theatre I wasn't nervous more like surprised that I was going up so quickly. Once in theatre more details were reconfirmed again and then with a 1, 2, 3 I was out.

I woke up then at about 3.10 in my garment and back in my room!

Waking up I felt groggy but in no pain, going to the bathroom was difficult as I was stiff but I managed to hobble about. After about 3 hours the nurse said I could be released. At this stage I was leaking a lot from the tumescent fluids which is the norm so they gave me some extra compression sock & some protective plastic sheets.

Chilling After Surgery With My Gammy Foot

Around 6.45 my cousin came to pick me up, I was pleased to see him - it's really important to have someone to lean on after having surgery as getting about is awkward. When we drove down we took the Range Rover and getting in and out was no problem but after surgery it was pure hell as they are so high! My cousin had to lift me in out and out of the car as I couldn't bend my knee's but not before I put some towels down just in case of leakage.

Getting back to the apartment was straight forward enough, I was fearful we'd get stuck in traffic but the roads were surprisingly clear & it took just 20 minutes to get back.

So glad I was staying so close by.

Overall I feel okay tonight, just chilled out had some dinner but found it difficult to sleep mainly because I had drunk so much water. I was up and down to the toilet every 30 minutes!

In the morning we packed up and headed back home.

Today is 2 day's after surgery and I'm at home. I'm in no pain it's just uncomfortable walking, getting up and getting down so going to the ladies room is a event but gets easier every time. Getting used to the garment is also a little tricky, very hard to sleep properly all trussed up. Glad I did food prep as this is massive weight of my mind. For the first 3-4 days at least I can just chill

Right time to rest up and recuperate. My next update will cover the 6 week post surgery period.

*These events have already taken place but were written at the time.

In April one sunny morning I headed off to my local Debenhams for the Elle Beauty School event.

I've got a golden ticket

This was a tour which introduces you to the latest trends in make-up and show's you how to do it yourself with help from YSL Beaute's make-up artists. These events were initially launched to celebrate the advanced version of YSL's Touch Eclat Foundation.

Arriving at Debenhams finding the YSL set up was easy and there was about 12 area's set up with make-up trays already assembled.

A couple of the staff came round with make-up remover for us to remove our make-up and a make-up artist came round to help us find the right shade of foundation for me which was B80. Mine took little longer to do which I took on the chin but knew it was because my skin shade as they had to find the right one.

After waiting for a few minutes we were all there and Sophie introduced herself and told us what the next hour would bring. iPad's were set up showing the latest trends and all we had to do was follow the video using the colors in front of us.

A bit of guidance by Elle

This was relatively simple but of course all of the shades in my tray were not complimentary to any skin tone which was not 'fair'. So every time I had to apply a eye shadow/blusher/highlighter I had to ask for a different shade to compliment my tone. Initially this wasn't an issue but by the end I was a little ticked off with having to constantly ask for things.

My make-up area

At the end of the hour we all had our pics taken in the photo area & my ticket allowed me to choose something from YSL up to £25 so I thought I'd grab the Touche Eclat foundation I was wearing as it seemed pretty good.

I won't give up the day job

When I got to the YSL counter one of the PR girls could not find my shade to which one of her colleagues piped up 'we don't stock unpopular colors'.

Okay, last straw.

I was not impressed by this comment one little bit and told her so. The first PR girl looked liked she wanted the ground to swallow her up and looked horrified and apologized. First of all you have an event which clearly was not designed to cater for all skin shades and then you hire staff who clearly have no tact what-so-ever.

My 'unpopular' shade

We tried to find some way round the foundation issue and asked the manager if I could pick up my 'unpopular shade' in a few days time when one came in but she was in no way interested. Eventually I left with a Touche Eclat only to discover one in the goodie bag... not to worry it wasn't my shade anyway!!

Some of the treats on the day

Lawd, you would of thought the staff would of swapped it for the shade I just picked up and told me to pick something else or Elle/YSL would of put a black mascara in the bag as this would cover everyone.

Overall I really like the idea of an expert showing you how to do the latest looks but feel that consideration has to be put in place that not everyone turning up will have a fair complexion. Setting up an event & having just the 'popular' shades of foundations on hand means you were never really catering to anyone else in the beginning.

Anyway I did pass on my feedback to Elle to which I received no response what-so-ever so I think we know where they stand on the issue!

It's the day before my surgery so if you've missed the other parts then click here for Part 1, 2 & 3.

Yesterday was my last day in work for a little while. I have taken 2 full weeks off and today we are driving down to London ready for the surgery in the morning. (My journey is serialized and surgery would already have taken place by the time this goes online).

I have been given a admission time of 10 a.m so I'm not the first one in but still its the morning which means I don't have that much time to sit around and get nervous.

On the weekend I picked up some bits of pieces that I was told I would need either via MYA or the forums:

Pyjamas, dressing gown, slippers, Hibiscrub (anti bacterial wash) & Arnica

I also bought some joggers and a zip up top as it's recommended to have something easy to pull on after surgery.

To make life easier for myself I've cleaned the house from top to bottom to make sure that I won't need to do anything when I get back.

I've prepped some food beforehand so for the first few days I will have some tasty food to eat.

Some of my food for the upcoming week

I don't see myself as being incapable after the surgery but doing this would definitely take the pressure of me having to worry about what to eat. For my meals I just prepped 2 different types of meals: Chargrilled Salmon, roast veg & springs greens, Chargrilled Lemon & herb chicken, Baby Corn with Shitake Mushroooms & Pak Choi.

Food is ready and waiting for me

 Prepping the meals was super easy and its great knowing that I can grab a meal out the fridge and I'm good to go. I used Meal Prep containers by Meal Heaven a 7 container pack was just £12.95 from Amazon. I've used these containers before - very handy when you're trying to stick to a diet or you just want to make sure that your portions are not out of control.

Get in my belly

Well that's me all prepped and packed up.

Ready for the off!

Thin thighs I'm coming to get you!!

Next time: Surgery Day

Time has now moved on and I'm just a few days away from having my surgery done. Read parts 1 & 2. 

Waiting for my surgery seems to be taking forever but in reality its only been like 3 weeks since I paid - they are really quick with dates! 

At every stage the MYA staff give you loads of info about the procedure and what to expect but reading about other people's experience has really put me in the loop.  I've been obsessed with the MYA forum and Realself for tips/tricks and patient journeys. I would really recommend these sites if you're thinking of having surgery to get the bigger picture even before you go for a consultation

Anyway...

Before you're given the complete go ahead by MYA to have surgery you discuss pre-existing conditions & you have to get a letter from your GP.

Show me the way to heaven please

Since I've been given the go ahead its just a few days before surgery so I popped into my local MYA for a pre-op appointment. This is just a meeting with the nurse, pics were taken, I was weighed and we ran through a list of things to do/not do before surgery.  I was also given lots of printouts with all these details plus info on the hospital, parking etc.

My Vaser surgery is due to take place at MYA Fitzroy, London. After surgery a chaperone has to pick you up, stay with you & you must stay within 1 hour of the hospital that night. You can of course stay at the Fitzroy but it's £400, so I won't be doing that! 

Luckily for me my 2 cousins have come to the rescue - 1 will be my chaperone/driver and the other one is providing digs for us before and after the surgery. It's then back to Wales the day after surgery.

As for the actual surgery I'm booked in for 3 hours under local anaesethetic. On a poster in MYA they say they can remove up to 4 litres of fat in 2 hours using the Power 'X' machine.  So with this in mind I'm assuming that my 3 hour slot includes time to be anaesethized. I'm hoping to lose 3 litres of fat & for the shape of my thighs to improve.

I’m a realist so I’m not expecting to walk in a size 12/14 and leave a size 2. The aim of the procedure is to remove ‘stubborn’ fat & to sculpt areas - it is not a weight loss treatment. Whilst 3 litres of fat would be loads it will be from 2 area's (stomach & thighs) so I doubt I will look different to people who see me day to day. The difference will be when I go shopping and I don't have to buy a size up to cater for my thighs & of course when I'm naked. 

I have booked just over 2 weeks off and I will use that time to recover and get used to to the 2 compression garments that I'll need to wear 24/7 for 6 weeks. 

24/7 & 6 weeks? 

Yep you heard that right. I'm gonna be trussed & bounded up for 6 weeks. The compression garment helps control swelling and aid’s skin shrinking to the new sculptured area. 

I have heard nothing but terrible things about the compression garments, so I'm not looking forward to wearing them but they are essential to getting great results. 

Right time for some last minute buys...

Next time: The day before surgery

*This series on my Vaser journey was written as it happened but has been serialized 

I'm after a bit of sun, jerk and reggae so I head to the Turtle Bay restaurant in Cardiff to put a smile back on my face*.

Turtle Bay is Caribbean based restaurant taking some of the best love dishes from the Caribbean and bringing them to the mainstream.  The restaurants are brightly decorated and feature posters of Caribbean iconography like Red Stripe & Bob Marley.

I literally want all of the posters

The decor is really well done I love reading all the posters & the displays of hot sauces makes me wanted to or try them all out - even though I know this will be a mistake!

Great interior

Once we settled down into our seats we checked out the menu which appeared to be bigger than the one that we found online earlier on in the week. This threw us into a spin being greedy guts we had already pre-selected what we wanted to eat!

Back to the drawing board!!

After perusing the menu for a few minutes I ordered the Jerk Pork Ribs with spicy fries & my friend ordered the Chicken Festival salad. Being greedy guts we also ordered a extra portion of spicy fries (for the salad chick), plantain & fried dumplings

Whilst we waited for the food, we sat back took in the ambience and had a good old gossip. The food only took about 20 minutes to come out & when it arrived it looked gorgeous.  We couldn't wait to get stuck in.

My friends Chicken Festival Salad had mini fillets of jerk chicken laid on top of rocket, baby gem lettuce and was stuffed to the gills with mango, avocado, sugar snaps not just salad leaves.

A festival of flavors

The side dishes were ok. The fries were nicely spiced, dumplings were dumpliney but I like my plantain a little more ripe so it tastes really sweet when fried.

Side chicks

My dish looked tasty - meaty ribs, nicely cooked fries with salad I was just about to tuck in when I noticed the ribs came with the sour orange chutney I asked to be left off (twice) so I sent it back. My friend of course was salivating so I told her to go ahead and tuck in!

Dinner time!

When my dish arrived back from what I could taste of it, it was fine. The ribs were full of flavor, but before I managed to tuck right in I found the ribs with the chutney had been placed underneath the other ribs. I couldn't finish that part of my meal.  Not impressed. But I did speak to Turtle Bay regarding this and the matter was resolved.

Anyway my friend said her Festival Salad was scrummy & it was so huge that she asked to take the rest home with her so she could make room for dessert.

Too bad I dislike raisins :(

My friend ordered Rum & Raisin Bread pudding - it looked and smelt amazing.  My friend really really enjoyed it, great texture, well made but maybe just a touch more rum was needed.

We ordered quite a lot of food for two peeps - 2 mains, 3 sides & a dessert which came to £34. I thought it was good value but £2.50 for a can of Ting is outrageous.

Rainy outside but always sunny inside

If you have never tried Caribbean food this is a great place to have a dabble especially with lunches from £7. But if you're used to the 'real thing' then the food might not be for you but their cocktails are amazing & should not be missed by anyone.

*This review was written in February 2016 but unpublished 

Last month it was my cousin's birthday and to celebrate her fabulousness we descended upon Hale Country Club & Spa for a day of pampering Cheshire style.

Okay so if any of my readers lives up in Hale then you are truly blessed with the best country club in the world!! From the minute you enter to the moment you leave it is full on luxury with great customer service.

There were 6 of us booked into the spa day on the Spa Discovery package which is a full day at the spa, 1 x 60 minute treatment, lunch & refreshments.

Upon hearing his recommendation I was immediately panicked and worried. Not because of Dr Joffilly but concerned that maybe my thighs were soooo huge nothing could be done or that this was a ‘sign’.

I booked the appointment to see Dr Jofilly but after a few days I cancelled it. I was just so worried that I would be wasting both our time but after speaking to Sarah (my PC) she forwarded some pics to Dr Joffilly to get his opinion.

Not too long after sending the pictures over to Dr Joffily, Sarah got back to me and said that Dr Jofilly could do the Vaser Surgery and the appointment was set back up. 

So off I headed back to t’internet to research everything I could about Dr Joffilly and Vaser.... man this is beginning to feel like stalking!

Next time... Part 2: Meeting Dr Joffily

*To effectively blog my journey will be serialized