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What To Bring
Hi there!
I started thinking about some things you might want to make sure you bring with you when you go to Costa Rica for your surgery.
But first, a little about the weather......It is warmer in June than in January, although the weather never changes drastically from one season to another. Basically they say there are only two seasons....wet and dry. December-May is considered "dry" season, June-Nov. is wet season.
Actually it's quite beautiful when it rains in Costa Rica. It's misty and magical and particularly exciting when you view the "scenery show" as you relax in one of the little outdoor nooks or crannies of your recovery retreat. The view is quite calming and peaceful and a wonderful backdrop to the healing process after your surgery.
Ok, on to the things I'd like to suggest you bring with you when you go to Costa Rica for your surgery.
First of all, you will need a passport to go to Costa Rica.....so..... you may want to look at your passport and see if it has expired or will expire by the time you go. Don't wait till the last minute to renew your passport. This is important.
Okie dokie.......now....here's a list of things you might want to bring with you. I know this list goes on forever....but hey....that's just me. Now remember, these are just my suggestions. Look them over and bring whatever you think would help you survive two weeks at the recovery retreat....away from phones, computers, business, work, chores, kids, husbands, the outside world as you know it, etc. Ok, here goes.....
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(May-August Patients) - A spray bottle with built in fan (you know those things? They carry them at stores like Wal-Mart, Sav-On and Longs.) This is great when you feel more warm than you'd like. Between the shpritz and the fan, you're cool and wonderful. (by the way, the evenings are gorgeous during both seasons and the sunsets are breathtaking. You won't need anything to keep you cool in the evenings...as a matter of fact, bring something warm as sometimes the evenings get a little chilly). |
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Mosquito repellent. Avon makes a great product called Skin So Soft. It smells good and works. It's like an oil, so I mixed it in with my bath oil and after my showers I would put the mixture on my damp skin. I never had a problem with mosquito bites. Pay attention to the ankles and wrists. If mosquitoes are going to bug you at all, those seem to be the places where they like to hang out.
P.S. Mosquitoes come around only between June and October. And Ron says he never gets them at the Villa. So, it's your call. If it were me, I'd bring some repellent along, just in case. |
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Bring warm socks for the hospital. Your tootsies get very cold right after surgery. Bring the socks to the hospital with you and I'll take them down to the recovery room (if I'm on your trip with you) so they will put them on you as soon as you get out of surgery. |
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If you like music, bring a walkman with earphones and your favorite cassettes or cd. I like to make places feel like home as much as sensibly possible (I say "sensibly" because, well, I wouldn't schlep my huge stereo sound system with me even though I'd like to...so a tiny Walkman will have to do....and it does!) You might even consider buying those tiny external speakers that plug into your walkman and then you don't need earphones which can be uncomfortable on your head after your surgery. |
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Take your pillow from home. I always take my pillow. It's my sleeping buddy (second only to my husband, who is definitely too large to fit into my suitcase) Again, this makes me feel like "home" when I'm away (and it will bring even more comfort to you when you are away for the purpose of having surgery, which, no matter where you're having it, is a scary thing.)
P.S. If your comfort-giving pillow is a king sized monster, leave it home. It'll take up too much space in your suitcase. My pillow is 32 years old. It started out as a king sized down pillow and now it's a flattened out, limp thing that I can literally fold in half and stick in my carry-on. I'm like a baby with her binky. It's a little sick, but hey, nobody's perfect.
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One of those sound soother thingys. Sharper Image, when it was in business, used to carry a great one with a radio, alarm and cd player. Now you can find them on line (you can go to Ask.com and write in "travel sound soother" or something like that and see what you can find. Many companies make these little treasures now. Pick a sound that will lull you to sleep when you're feeling rotten and uncomfortable those first few days after surgery. |
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Bring snacks you like....comfort food for those middle-of-the-night cravings. Make sure the snacks are individually wrapped. You definitely do not want to have open snacks in your room....unless, of course you'd like little "creepy crawly" visitors. Whatever you open, store in your room fridge afterward. Also...you may want to bring one of those hot coils and tea bags. You can't access the dining area after 10 pm so if you wake up in the middle of the night and crave a cup of tea, you'll have it! Also...one of our recent patients recommends bringing those Crystal Light flavored tubes and an empty bottle to mix it in if you want a quick and refreshing drink after hours. Some of the patients have a rough time waiting from 10 pm till 8 the next morning to get a snack or drink. These things will help take the "edge" off. By the way, the water is completely potable in Costa Rica so just tap water will do. The Crystal Light powder tubes help bigtime with the taste of the tap water. |
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Are you a reader? Do you love to read but never have two minutes to rub together to sit and relax with your favorite book? Well, this is going to be the best two weeks of your life, never mind the surgery. You will have tons of time to sit and relax and read. Bring all the books on your nightstand that you swore you'd eventually get to.....but didn't. Bring some magazines and Enquirers and whatever else you never have time for. This is the time for indulgent reading. IMPORTANT NOTE: Some of the rooms at the Villa Plenitud do not have sufficient lighting for reading. Bring one of those booklights with you to assure you will have good lighting for when you read at night in your room. |
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You may want to bring your favorite toiletries, makeup, lotion, cream, razor, hair stuff, etc. Or maybe not. Maybe you'll decide to forget all that stuff and just let it all hang out....au natural. Besides, after a facelift, you look like you've been run over by a cement truck. All the toiletries in the world can't do a damned thing for ya, girls and boys! So, just forget about it and understand that you're going to look like S___ for at least the first week after your surgery and that's that! Now, with that said, we have found that conditioner and shampoo are a MUST. Conditioner left in the hair after the first shampoo postop and then washed out the next day with the next shampoo helps loosen some of the dried blood and fluids that have matted into your hair from the surgery. So do bring plenty of conditioner. And bring plenty of shampoo. Also, bring a box of tissues with you. You'll need it. |
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As for clothes, bring light, cotton, airy, easy, loose, button-down, robey-type, caftany-type, flowy things. Sarongs work really well, too. Shorts and skirts and stuff like that work well, too. Bring a pair of slippers or thongs to wear on your feet as you shuffle around the Villa Plenitud like an old lady in a home. I brought moccasins which were great. They served as slippers and shoes when I needed them. Bring light t-shirty things, cotton camisoles and for cooler evenings, bring a sweater. Also light sweats is good for cooler evenings and the day you go to the hospital. Sweats usually have a zip down front and the day you go to the hospital, don't wear anything under it. It'll be easy to get in and out of when you go to and return from the hospital. Bring one or two extra cover-ups for cooler weather at night. And it will get cool at night. Don't bring five sweaters in five different colors. Just bring one or two. This isn't a fashion show and nobody cares what you wear, believe me. COMFORTABLE- LOUNGY- EASY- COOL- LIGHT- these are the words of the day. Oh, and did I mention BUTTON DOWN? (also zipper fronts work well). Also, it has been suggested that people bring scarves, which is a really good idea. A scarf can be used to cover your hair, or around your neck when you leave for home to cover any residual bruising. Whatever you do, don't forget your sunglasses......but bring BIG ones...not little stylish ones...you want big Lana Turner sunglasses.....covers a multitude of sin!!
Oh yes, and if you can fit it into your suitcase, bring a throw or shawl or small cozy "blankee" to wrap around you on those extra cool nights. |
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| 11) |
Bring extra batteries for all your battery operated things. How awful would it be for the energizer Bunny to die on you while you're enjoying your, let's say for instance, vibrator, just as an example of something you might take with you that uses batteries. Wouldn't you just hate for that thing to go out on you while you're massaging the tension out of your neck? |
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| 12) |
You might want to bring stool softener with you in case of constipation after surgery. I had a terrible case of it after my surgery and have noticed that many of the patients I've looked after over the years become constipated following surgery.
In addition to stool softeners, Dr. Lev highly recommends that you also bring along one of those little Fleet enema thingies. If you end up having trouble going to the bathroom, even with taking the stool softeners, the Fleet enema will definitely help "get the ball rolling".
Also, regarding bringing your own meds to Costa Rica. Dr. Lev would like you to give whatever pain meds, tranquilizers or sleeping pills you bring with you to Ron, the owner/operator of the Villa Plenitud Recovery facility upon arrival. He doesn't want patients self-medicating without either his or your recovery facility staff's supervision. Self medicating can be extremely dangerous and create postop complications. Dr. Lev says it's okay to bring your own meds, but it's not okay to take them without supervision by either him or your caregivers at the V.P. If you can't get prescriptions for the meds you want to bring, don't worry. Dr. Lev can prescribe the Costa Rican versions of the pills you take at home when you're down there. He'll prescribe something for pain and sleep and relaxation, or for whatever else you happen to need, if need be. |
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| 13) |
And just for the hell of it, bring along a sleeping mask to allow you to sleep in past the first morning light (if you are so inclined) and bring a set or two or three of earplugs to block out unwanted sounds (there are a couple of dogs in the neighborhood who love to hear themselves bark.) |
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Bring a brimmed hat to block the sun from your face. Baseball caps and wide brimmed hats work fine. |
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For breast surgery patients, it has been recommended by Dr. Lev to bring a sports bra that zips up the front in the size you want to be after your surgery. |
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You might want to throw a bathing suit in your suitcase....there is a pool and a Jacuzzi there in case you might want to take in a swim or a relaxing dip in the Jacuzzi (probably most likely to happen the day you arrive, since you no doubt, won't be in the mood for much of anything other than resting the first week after your surgery). |
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I was looking through an American Airlines catalogue recently and came across a cool looking travel pillow that allows you to "sleep sitting up." It's specifically designed to go all the way around your neck and close in the front with velcro. I thought it would be great for facelift patients who have to sleep on their back with their head elevated for two weeks after surgery. More Info |
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Recent past patient Hope Morris had a few great suggestions. She recommends bringing the Crystal Light tubes and shaker/mixer bottle as I mentioned earlier, and also the following: Neosporin pain relief gel for after the stitches are removed leaving the area a bit tender to the touch, a book light for reading, a gel eye mask that you can re-cool right in your room fridge and use to bring relief to the swollen areas around your face postop, sucking candies and cough drops, an inflatable bed wedge (she says you can look it up on the internet where they sell them for $49), a small makeup mirror and lastly, a really good sense of humor, "You will need it on this amazing roller coaster ride of your life! Just sit back and enjoy the ride!!" |
Now go and have yourself the most amazing experience of your life....have fun....travel safely...and come home with a beautiful new refreshed look and lots of great stories to tell your skeptical family and friends!
And Dr. Lev and I are here for you if you have any questions between now and your trip. Please feel free to email me or call me anytime. I'm happy to help you any way I can. And if you have any medical questions, either I can ask Dr. Lev on your behalf, or you can call him directly from the states at 011-506-2232-5515.
Love, Didi
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