• Go to C G Olesen, RN's profile

    posted by  in Costa Rica forum 

    My name is Carol Olesen and I am a Registered Nurse and a very meticulous and choosy person when it comes to picking any surgeon; especially for elective plastic surgery. However, after 2 years of research, talking with Dr Rivera and finally going to a consultation with him in Costa Rica, I am glad to say I am so pleased I chose him for my Tummy Tuck, Liposuction and filler injections. Dr. Rivera owns the patten on VIBROLIPO which is a type of liposuction that uses vibration and gentle rhythm of movement back and forth versus the traditional liposuction that is done very forcefully which causes much more damage to the skin. With the much more gentle Vibrolipo used by Dr. Rivera, I had very little bruising at all which for me is incredible as I bruise very easily to begin with! He is truly a craftsmen in his trade and makes sure every patient has a full medical followup prior to surgery including an extensive panel of lab work as well as a Cardiac workup and a consultation with a nutritionist to assure the patient of the most optimal outcome--one without complications or infections. He also includes in his fees, all follow up care with himself, his wonderful physician assistant and all massages and other post-operative procedures which include constant monitoring of the surgical incisions, all medications: a pain patch, pills for pain management, antibiotics, anti-inflammatory medication, and medication for possible nausea or vomiting which I am happy to say I did not have. I stayed overnight in the Hospital Catolica (where Dr. Rivera's beautiful office is location and where he performed my surgery)l after my surgery. Because he was so well organized and took the extra step of insuring that any possible pain I might encounter after surgery was covered beforehand, I was able to walk out of the hospital with only very mild discomfort and within 1 week was walking over 4 miles--that is an incredible feat to say the least, after such extensive surgery!
    Dr. Rivera even gave me his own personal cell phone number and urged me to call him if I had any questions or concerns at all regardless of time of day or night---I was very impressed with him doing this as in the USA you are hard pressed to be able to get even the doctors answering service number let alone trying to be able to reach the doctor himself!! I did chose to extend my stay to a full 2 weeks post operative because my drains that were placed in my tummy tuck incision were still putting out too much drainage (over 35cc each in a 24 hour period). But I was more than happy to do so at his suggestion, since as a nurse myself, I know how important it is to leave drains in place until it is deemed safe to have them removed. If the drains are pulled too soon, the patient can end up with an abdominal abscess or infection. I just cannot express in words just how pleased I am with my whole surgical experience with Dr. Rivera and his staff--they gave me all the time I needed to have any questions or concerns answered.

    I stayed at Las Cumbres Surgical Recovery Retreat and was thrilled with the nursing care I received--they were always there when I needed them--24/7 and made sure my dressing were clean, dry and intact which again, reduces the chances of infection--continual monitoring of the surgical sites is critical in order to make sure there are no signs of infection.

    I felt very safe staying at Las Cumbres and got to know all the staff including Ms. Elke herself who is a truly wonderful person. The entire staff of Las Cumbres treated me like family and was always available and never treated me like a bothersome customer but instead, like a valued person and family member. Again, I just cannot say enough good things about this wonderful place and all who work there.

    Please feel free to contact me if I can be of help to anyone out there who would like information or who might have additional concerns!

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