This month of October 2025 is jam-packed with game releases, both AAA and indie titles. I’ve been looking forward to five games in particular that I wanted to share.

Ghost of Yotei

Release: October 2

Action adventure game developed by Sucker Punch Productions. It serves as a standalone sequel to Ghost of Tsushima (2020). I really enjoyed Ghost of Tsushima and am looking forward to playing this.

I started playing this yesterday during release day. I’ve been enjoying it so far. The game mechanics are very similar to Ghost of Tsushima but it brings new additions in how we interact with the environment, along with weapons that make these changes very welcome.

Keeper

Release: October 17

Atmospheric puzzle adventure game developed by Double Fine Productions. You play as a lighthouse, joined by a seabird, and embark on a journey where you traverse different realms to get to the center of the island.

I love puzzle games, and between the art style, premise and gameplay mechanics, I was instantly interested in playing this. The game will be available on Xbox Game Pass (which I’m subscribed to), so it’s even more incentive to play it since I don’t have to pay separately for the game.

Vampire – The Masquerade: Bloodlines 2

Release: October 21

This game’s development has been through tough times. This game was initially set to release in 2020, but they had game director and staff changes, among other things that caused further delays. I had initially pre-ordered the game back when it was announced.

I am planning on getting the game and trying it out. Games that involve vampires are some of my favorites. I’m hoping it doesn’t end up being a dissapointment.

Plants vs Zombies Replanted

Release: October 23

I absolutely love Plants vs. Zombies. I think I’ve played almost every version of the game (for different devices and consoles). It’s mindless fun for me, and there are moments where that’s exactly what I need to get my gaming fix.

I am very excited that they’re releasing a remastered version.

The Outer Worlds 2

Release: October 29

From the makers of Fallout: New Vegas, this is the second installment of the franchises and it looks to expand on everything the first one offered, and then some.

Action RPGs are one of my favorite game genres because it provides a lot of freedom in how you approach the game. You can choose stealth to complete the objectives (which is usually my approach), go head-on and guns blazing through the mission, or a combination of both.

I am looking forward to this. This is another title that will be available day one with Game Pass Ultimate.

Any games releasing in October that you’re planning on playing?

Last month, we spent two weeks traveling in California, U.S. We visited Sacramento, Napa/Sonoma County, and San Francisco. It was one of the best trips we’ve had, and food wise we never had a miss.

Sacramento

Our first leg of the trip was three days in Sacramento. It’s a very charming city. It reminds me of Seattle, WA. We spent most of the time walking, exploring some landmarks like Old Sacramento, the State Capitol, and visiting some great places to eat.

Napa / Sonoma

We primarily went to Sonoma to participate in the Napa to Sonoma Wine Country Rosé 5k, but decided to take advantage and go to some vineyards and experience the area.

We visited Domain Carneros which was a beautiful property. I purchased the red wine flight which consisted of Pinot Noir tastings. While we had a good time during our time in Napa / Sonoma, we struggled with transportation. Uber and Lyft were expensive, even for relatively short rides. That’s something to keep in mind if we ever return, I think it’s best to rent a car, since it’s not as easy to get around from place to place compared to a major city.

The Rosé 5K was a great experience. There were around four thousand people if I’m not mistaken. I had very bad knee pain so I took it easy. After the race there were vendors and other experiences in the finish area and some free wine tastings. I’ve completed three 5Ks so far, and all in 2025.

San Francisco

This was the city I was looking forward to the most from our trip. I had watched so many videos about restaurants and experiences to try, and it all clicked in terms of my preferences. I loved this city, it has a charm about it that I really can’t explain.

Surprisingly, we visited during San Francisco’s coldest summer since 1982. Temperatures wouldn’t go beyond 62-63 degrees Fahrenheit. We tried to visit all the must-see spots like the Painted Ladies, Palace of Fine Arts, Alcatraz Island (we did the night tour!) and the Golden Gate Bridge. But we also went to some of the more hidden-gem places, particularly restaurants that are not overly advertised on social media.

In terms of food, San Francisco had the best food. We were only there for five full days but we tried a little bit of everything. Everything from mochi donuts to handmade fresh pasta. I could definitely make a separate post just about the food (and honestly, I think I will).

Overall, these vacations were much needed, and I had a great time. I’d definitely love to visit San Francisco again in the future.

This past Sunday February 2 I completed La Mamba Run Club’s La Mamba Challenge 5K: Yo Soy Boricua.

I did a combination of running and walking. My bad knee was hurting so I decided to take it easy. Being my first 5K, my main goal was to complete it. I didn’t really care about pacing or time.

It was such a good experience. Seeing people from all ages participating, the good energy and people cheering each other on… It felt wonderful. This experience motivates me to keep participating in other races and improving.

We signed up for another 5K near our home on February 23. Looking forward to see if there’s any improvement in my stamina.

I downloaded the Runna app (I also have the Nike Club) and am following a beginner running plan so I can gain stamina and improve over time. Hoping to share progress here as I keep participating in other races and share anything I learn along the way.

Do you run? Have you participated from a running event (5K, 10K, Half Marathon or Marathon)?

Every year, I spend time reflecting during the first few weeks to establish my goals and hopes to achieve during the year. I like having them documented somewhere so I can hold myself accountable.

Work

• I’m hoping to keep improving processes for my team and optimizing our workflow. We spent the last quarter of 2024 making some changes that gets us near to that goal.

Finance

• Investing: Started to invest in 2024, which I regret not doing sooner. Want to consistently invest every month and see how it goes.
• Pay off debt: This is one of my more important goals. I want to pay off all my lower debts: credit card bills and student loans.
  • I have a debt tracker in Google Sheets where I have a plan to pay off all of this debt, hopefully this year.
  • I would still have my mortgage and car payments, but those are ones that I also want to pay off early.
  • Our house mortgage is for 30 years. We have been paying for 4 years and for two of those years we have been making an extra payment every month that goes towards lowering the principal. If everything goes well, we should be able to pay off our mortgage in 15 years or less.
• Have a year salary in savings: Having money in savings is very important to me. Most of my savings went towards my breast reduction surgery in October 2023, so I’ve been working on building my savings account again. The goal is to have at least a year’s salary saved. I have a high-yield savings account the interest is always an extra help in increasing the amount. My plan is to set aside an amount each month from my paycheck that will go towards savings.

Health, Wellness and Fitness

• Running: I started running towards the end of 2024. In a move to push myself and keep improving I signed up for a half marathon in July (in Napa/Sonoma County, California!!) and some 5Ks during the first half of 2025. I am doing this mostly to have fun, with no goals towards pacing or race times. I couldn’t run before my operation due to the pain, so being able to do it now is an accomplishment in itself.
• Exercise regularly: This is a continuation from 2024. My goal is to stay consistent with exercise, at least 3 or 4 times a week.
• Take care of my health: Before my operation, I was extremely scared of going to the doctor and getting my yearly checkups. I’m not getting any younger, and if I want to lead a healthy life, I need to take care of myself. I want to do my regular checkups and make sure there’s nothing to worry about in my health.
  • This includes my mental health. I’ve been going to therapy consistently and it’s my plan to continue.

Hobbies & Fun

• Reading: I’ve neglected reading for a while. I want to get back to it and read at least one book a month. Really hoping I can make this happen.
• Writing/Blogging: This is something I always regret not doing more of. Don’t want to set a specific number of blog posts I need to do, but it’s definitely something I want to do more of. Document things I do this year. Go back to basics.

What are some of your goals for 2025?

On October 12, 2023, exactly one year ago, I had my breast reduction surgery. Yesterday, I had my one year post-op appointment and it made me reflect on my recovery and the improvements my life has gained after going through this process.

Surgery day

We had to be at the hospital at 6:30am. The anxiety was so high that I wanted to make it there earlier. We got there at around 6am.

Check-in commenced and they gave me the hospital gown, hospital cap and shoes to change into. When I went to the bathroom to change, that’s when it really kicked in that I was actually doing this. There were many things going through my head at the moment. This was my first major surgery and had no idea of what to expect. Going under general anesthesia was probably what worried me the most.

Once I changed, I went to one of the beds so the nurse could set up my line. This is when I had to say goodbye to Juan and they told him he would be notified via phone or text message about my surgery progress.

A while later, the anesthesiologist came in and explained the process, then proceeded to wheel me to the entrance of the operating room. Once I was in the operating room, I remember when the anesthesiologist was administering the anesthesia. I felt a little sting, and then… I remember nothing.

Waking up after the surgery

While I was waking up, I could hear murmurs that I couldn’t make out. After a while, I could hear the nurses talking about how my blood pressure was low. Apparently, I took longer to wake up than normal because of this.

Once I woke up, the nurses gave me a Sprite and something with sugar and helped me get dressed. I felt like a stone and could barely move. Everything from my torso, shoulders and neck felt super tight and it was very difficult to move my arms particularly.

The nurses got me into a wheelchair and we went to the hospital wing where Juan was waiting for me so they could take me to the car. All the hospital staff took great care of me and I’m really grateful because I was still so out of it due to the anesthesia.

Recovery

The recovery was smooth (in my case it was 6 weeks). I would say the hardest period of time was the first week, particularly because I had drains and I absolutely hated them. I was in a lot of pain (and I refused to take narcotics for the pain), very bloated and movement was difficult. After the first week, everything felt more manageable, and recovery felt faster and more easy-going. It definitely went much better than what I imagined it would be.

I spent most of my recovery in a reclining chair because I needed to have some elevation, and was accompanied by my Jasmine plushie which I could hug or rest on when I needed it.

I used my recovery time to catch up on TV shows, video games and rest.

Physical improvements

My back and neck pain has subsided completely, other than sporadic stress pain. The pain I had before the surgery was debilitating, and it makes me so happy that the pain has gone away.

My posture has greatly improved as well. I used to have a hump on my back from being slouched due to the weight of my breasts.

My confidence has grown exponentially and I’m now able to wear clothing I didn’t think would be possible. I was very limited in my clothing choices due to the size of my breasts. Now, I can buy pretty much anything I want as long as they have it in my size. One thing to note is that I lost a considerable amount of weight (50 pounds) to get ready for the surgery. So that’s something that definitely helped with recovery and clothing options as well.

Physical activity is now much easier. I couldn’t even walk without feeling pain before the surgery. We’ve been able to go on walks, and use exercise equipment I wasn’t able to before.

For physical activity, I’ve been doing rowing on a regular basis (we bought a rowing machine for our home gym). I’m also preparing myself for running, to nudge me in that direction, I will be participating in a 5K race this December. I’m also looking into a 5K and 10K race in California next summer.

One of my best decisions

Overall, I would say that having a breast reduction surgery is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. It has improved my life in all aspects. My mental and physical health are much better because of it. I’m looking forward into doing and experiencing so many things I shied away from or couldn’t be able to do before my surgery.

Have any questions? Please reach out!

On my Instagram profile, I made my surgery process public in hopes of helping other women that might be thinking of going through a breast reduction surgery to have some insight and see the process I went through.

If this is something you may be considering and have any questions, feel free to reach out to me. I’d be happy to help and offer any information I can related to my process.

A few months ago, Juan and I were having a conversation about where to travel next. We had traveled via cruise in April, but wanted to make another trip in 2024, if possible.

One trip we have been wanting to do is to visit multiple places in Europe. This is currently not possible due to various reasons so we started looking into a US state, preferably one we haven’t visited before.

One of our main selling points about a potential travel destination is the food. We enjoy good food and usually look up reviews tied around a place based on the food options and overall enjoyment by people. With this in mind, we researched states with the best food in the United States.

In most of the lists and articles we found, New Orleans, Louisiana was usually at the top spot or within the top five. Juan and I haven’t visited Louisiana before, so the idea appealed to us. We had a bunch of credit card points saved up, and surprisingly, we were able to book our flights and hotel with points and had to pay minimal difference. We’ll be traveling in November during my birthday.

I’m very excited for this trip, looking forward to exploring the landmarks and learning about New Orleans’ history, but most of all, to try the delicious food. Beignets, gumbo, po-boys and best of all, banana foster! (I adore banana desserts, and they’re hard to come by here in Puerto Rico)

Have you traveled to New Orleans? Do you have any recommendations of places and/or restaurants to visit?

In this post I’ll be sharing some of my favorite things about the past two months. Anything from books, movies, shows, games, and other things I’ve been enjoying.

Television

During the past few months, Juan and I have made the effort to watch more series. What we usually do is watch something while we eat lunch and dinner. By doing that, we’ve been pretty good at staying consistent with watching series and actually finish them.

Fallout

Having played a few of the Fallout video games (Fallout: New Vegas, Fallout 4 and Fallout 76), I was delighted when I heard they were developing a TV series based on the games. The show premiered while we were traveling so we didn’t have a chance to watch it when it came out. As soon as we returned home, we started playing catch up and ended up watching over the course of two weeks.

This is probably my favorite video game adaptation so far. The show was really good and kept me entertained throughout all the episodes. I think they made an excellent choice with the casting for this project.

This show is available on Amazon Prime.

Severance

At the end of last year, we upgraded our phone plan and later on discovered that Apple TV+ was included as one of the perks. I started searching for series recommendations online because I didn’t know too much about the offering. In most of the lists, Severance was mentioned as a must-watch. When reading the show synopsis and watching the trailer, I was immediately intrigued.

Juan and I were instantly hooked with the show and finished it quickly. I loved the novelty of how they approached the science fiction and psychological aspect of it all. We are looking forward for season two which will premiere in January 2025.

This show is available on Apple TV+.

Bridgerton (Season 3)

I’m a fan of the Bridgerton series and was looking forward to watching season 3. I didn’t like that they divided the season in two parts, but it is what it is. While I enjoyed the season as a whole, I still think I enjoyed the first two seasons more. I may need to have another re-watch and see if that changes my mind.

This show is available on Netflix.

Silo

After we finished watching Severance, we looked into other Apple TV+ series we could watch. I had read about Silo and had Juan watch the trailer to see if he would watch it with me. He was interested so we started watching it. We are halfway done with the series and we really like it.

So far I’m impressed with Apple TV’s offerings of content and will definitely need to look into watching more things available on the platform.

This show is available on Apple TV+.

House of the Dragon (Season 2)

After a two year wait, I was very excited for House of the Dragon to return. So far we’ve had four episodes, my favorite being the fourth one. The season is starting to pick up its pace and I’m intrigued into how they will develop the rest of the episodes of the season.

This show is available on Max/HBO.

Gaming

Little Kitty, Big City

For the past year or so, I’ve been gravitating more towards wholesome and ‘cozy’ games that can offer a relaxing experience amidst the chaos of everyday life.

I saw the trailer for this game when it was announced and I was very excited to play it. When it was released and saw it was available as part of Xbox Game Pass, I immediately downloaded it and started playing.

This game is absolutely adorable. An open world environment where you can find multiple side quests, collectibles and unlock various hats you can wear, it’s definitely a fun time.

Coral Island

I played Coral Island back when it was in Early Access / Game Preview. This game is so cozy and relaxing and it’s something that I enjoy to play for a bit once a day or a few times a week. They released the full version of the game some time ago, so when I decided to revisit it recently, I decided to start the game from scratch (new save).

Reading

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

I’ve read many people rave about the A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas. After watching many reels / tik toks about it, I decided to give it a try and downloaded it for my Kindle.

I’ve read about 10% of the book so far. I’m finding the book to have a slow start and it hasn’t quite captured my complete interest just yet. However, I’m going to commit and read it in its entirety. I’ve read some books in the past that didn’t quite capture me until later on in the reading journey, so I’m not going to judge it just yet as I haven’t read too much of it.

Hoping it captures me as I continue reading it.

Technology

Astro

Astro is a JavaScript web framework that is optimized for building fast and content-driven websites. For the past three years or so, I’ve been building smaller projects on my free time to learn about more technologies. For my job, we mainly manage WordPress for our digital solutions.

I had been playing with React through Next.js and that’s what I used for my technical blog/portfolio for the past two years approximately. Recently, I converted my technical site to Astro, and it has been such a pleasant experience so far. I find Astro to be friendlier to manage and understand.

I’m hoping to keep customizing and expanding my Astro knowledge so I can continue adding cool features to my tech blog and apply it for any future hobby projects I may have.

Question Time

What have been some of your favorite TV shows, movies, games, books, etc. that you’ve been enjoying lately? Let me know in the comments!

Thank you for reading

For the past year, I’ve been going to therapy to address changes, challenges and areas of my life and myself that I can improve. I had neglected therapy for a few years, so getting back to it felt like starting over and re-visiting sensitive topics that I had pushed away for a long time.

Therapy really helped me prepare emotionally for my operation, and all the changes that would come with it, but it wasn’t the most important topic I wanted to tackle. Setting boundaries and letting go are two of the most important challenges that I’ve been working on.

Boundaries

I’ve always struggled with setting boundaries for myself and for others. There has been a constant need in me to please people and solve problems, with little to no thought of how that could possibly impact me. It has happened with all kinds of relationships, and work.

As I’ve gotten older, my body and emotions have given me signals of how not setting certain boundaries have been affecting me. Not sleeping well, being in a constant state of fear, not being able to enjoy things I did in the past, and other feelings that let me know that I was being truly affected by my surroundings and my inability of setting boundaries.

It has taken time, and I still have work to do, but I’ve been establishing limits for myself and trying to find a balance within myself, and how I respond to possible triggers.

Letting go

This goes in hand with the topic of boundaries. I dare to say that letting go has actually been harder than setting boundaries. Letting go of the past, of people that hurt me, of events (that in hindsight were out of my control) and other challenges that have stayed in my heart and soul and have been consuming it slowly, but surely.

Once you start letting go, it truly is a liberating feeling. There are certain aspects that I still need to work on with my therapist. I’m grateful that I’ve gotten to the point where I can now hear about topics that would have sent me to a downward spiral of great pain in the past.

Taking care of your mental health is so important. I don’t want to live my life with regret. So getting the help I need, stepping out of my comfort zone and accepting aspects of my life that need changing is something that I’m taking very seriously.

Tomorrow I start I depart from San Juan to Miami to start my vacations. On Sunday, I’ll be boarding the Valiant Lady from Virgin Voyages on a Western Caribbean Charm itinerary.

We’ll be traveling to:

• Costa Maya, Mexico
• Roatán, Honduras
• Bimini, Bahamas

This is a much needed vacation and I’m very excited for it. This past month has been tremendously stressful at work so me having some time to myself was essential.

I’ll be back in about a week and a half so I hope to resume posting here in a more consistent manner after that.

Question Time:
Do you have any vacations planned within the next few months?

The first quarter of 2024 has been both thrilling and uncertain. It has been a challenge to navigate and I’ve been trying to make the best out this situation.

I had promised myself I would be more consistent in blogging, but life had other plans. This little corner of the internet is something I treasure very much so I will always try to keep it running and active. I can’t promise a specific consistency but I’ll try my best to have more updates here.

Walking every weekend

My husband and I have been making the commitment of walking a few miles every weekend. This has given us the opportunity to disconnect, enjoy nature and also build stamina. We challenge ourselves to improve our average pace each time. Walking has truly offered me a new perspective in a few things, and it’s something that I needed in the midst of uncertainty in different parts of my life.

Living in the moment

While this may sound like a given, this is very difficult for me. My mind craves structure and planning, which goes against the concept of living in the moment. I’ve had to expose myself to situations where things are not planned, where there’s not a scheduled defined so I can step out of my ‘over analytical and structured’ personality and enjoy life more.

This is crucial, especially after my operation, I’m now able to do more physical activities without pain or struggles, so it has been a process. But I’m really appreciating this journey of finding myself again after such a significant change.

Creating memories with yourself and loved ones will always be my most important priority. Material things and money, while great, are not my driving force in life.

As we prepare to go on a cruise within the next two weeks, I’m determined to make amazing memories there, even in the midst of uncertainty in parts of my life. I’m also hopeful that I will gain clarity and answers that will guide some of my next steps of my life.

Question time: How has the first quarter of 2024 been for you?

As this years comes to a close, reflection is not far behind. I like to be able to document accomplishments and challenges faced during the year, divided by months. You can read my recaps for 2013, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021.

A summary of my 2023:

January

• Made a list of goals I wanted to accomplish during 2023. There were 4 goals: Have a breast reduction surgery, get to a healthier weight, separate time each week for self-care and have quality time with friends and family in a consistent manner. I’m happy to say that I was able to check off every single one of those goals.
• We purchased a stationary bike (we got a great deal at Sam’s Club) so we could have something to help with cardio exercises at home.
• We started using a meal prep service so we could eat better during the week.

February

• Went to a Whiskey Expo. I had tried Whiskey before but was only an occasional drinker, have always preferred wine. Nowadays, I do enjoy a good old fashioned drink. Probably one of my favorites.

March

• Started to actively research surgeons in Puerto Rico that offer breast reductions as part of their services. Most of my research was done through search engines and Instagram. I was very surprised to see the amount of surgeons that are active on there.
• In the spirit of trying new things, Juan and I participated in a painting class at an ice cream atelier. It was a lot of fun.

April

• Stayed at a beautiful Airbnb property in Aguadilla with friends. The property had a pool so we took advantage of using the pool and some BBQ, plus also going out to some of our favorite places to eat or for recreation.

• The girls I was mentoring for the Codepillars Club had their graduation for the sixth edition of the club.

May

• Had a breaking point emotionally when I had to find a dress to wear for an event. There was almost nothing I could wear because of my breasts. I only found one dress (after trying on about 6), one I didn’t like or think that complimented me, but it was all I found. This is when I knew I needed to get a breast reduction surgery as soon as possible. Coincidentally, this event was on a Saturday, and I had my breast reduction consultation the Tuesday right after.

June

• Scheduled the date of my breast reduction surgery with my surgeon. The surgery date would be on October 12, 2023.
• Traveled to Orlando, FL to accompany Juan to a work event. I took two days off during the trip to be able to enjoy some sightseeing and the rest I worked remotely. Went to Universal Studios for the first time, and we had a great time.
• This was also the first time we were able to visit an airport lounge since we got the Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card that included a Priority Pass membership. The comfort, private bathrooms and food made it worth it.

July

• This month is when I began to notice the weight coming off quickly. We had switched to a keto meal prep service a few months prior and I was exercising regularly (cardio + lifting weights). Since I had the date of my surgery scheduled for October, this was the moment to lose as much weight as I could (but in a safe way).
• Started to document my process of prepping for my breast reduction surgery through social media, Instagram specifically.

August

• Juan and I attended a fresh pasta making class. I’ve always loved pasta and was curious of learning how to make fresh pasta with good ingredients. It was a great time and I’m looking forward to making some fresh pasta at home when possible.’

September

• This month was crunch time for breast reduction surgery prep. I ordered items that would help me during recovery plus new clothing to use after the fact.
• This time was fueled by a lot of emotions: doubts, fear and excitement. I was feeling everything at once, but I let myself feel without needing assurance. And even though there were times where my anxiety would take over, I am proud of the way I handled myself during that time.
• I had a party with my closest friends called Ta-ta to the Ta-tas. I wanted to have a quirky way of saying goodbye to my breasts with the people I love the most. We had food, karaoke, and such a good time. We even had a breast themed cake.

October

• On October 11, the day before my surgery, I had to go to the surgeon’s office to get all the marking done on my body.
• Surgery day was on October 12. I had to be at the hospital at 6am. This day is truly a blur. After I got wheeled in to the operating room I truly don’t remember much about the day. From what the surgeon and Juan told me after, everything went smoothly with the surgery and they were able to remove 6+ pounds of tissue from my breasts.
• Recovery was better than I expected. I would say the first week was the worst in terms of pain, comfort and movement. I required assistance with everything. After the first week (and after I got my drains removed), everything improved drastically. Hoping to cover more of the entire process in future blog posts.
• I am eternally grateful for all the support from Juan during this process. He took care of me and was there for me during the entire process. This is something that will always stay with me as one of my treasures.

November

• Returned to work after taking some time off for surgery recovery.
• Still needed some assistance with a few things but was mostly able to do everything by myself.
• For my first outing after the surgery, we went to the Disney 100 in Concert. It was just what I needed, Disney songs and a good time. I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would.
• Turned 34 years old on November 8. Had a gathering with friends that next weekend to celebrate. This is when my friends were able to see me in person after the surgery, everyone was shocked by the difference.
• Had my one month post-op appointment. Everything is looking good and there have been no complications. I am so grateful.
• Went clothes shopping because everything I had from before the surgery was too big on me. This was a pivotal moment for me because this meant that my hard work on getting into a better shape, saving up for the surgery and going through it was worth it, including all the physical relief from all the back and neck pain I had before.

December

• This month is where I have been feeling completely back to normal. I feel like myself again and am truly grateful about everything that’s happened. The happiness I feel is indescribable.
• Was the main resource for a tech talk called: Diversión y Seguridad en el Ciberespacio (Fun and Safety in Cyberspace), given to teenage girls from C3Tec’s Codepillars Club in Puerto Rico.
• To celebrate our wedding anniversary, we stayed at an Airbnb property at Aguadilla for a weekend. It was a container home with a heated plunge pool. Even though it rained an extensive amount during that weekend, we had a wonderful time. We were able to visit some food places that became one of our favorite places in Aguadilla.
• Had an end of year brunch with friends at a cool food spot named Zajori Gastro Show on December 30. The food was delicious and it was such a great catch up with friends before the year ends.

Highlights

• Deepening friendships and moments spent with them.
• Having my breast reduction surgery and being able to experience all the changes because of it.
• Strengthening my relationship with Juan.

Question

What was the highlight of your 2023? Let me know in the comments!

For the past few months, I’ve been seeing an increase of Neo-Brutalism design and UI implementation in various digital outlets. In web design, Neo-Brutalism brings a distinctive visual language with bold colors and a minimalist aesthetic.

Even though this style may not appease everybody, I find this approach to be a breath of fresh air, bringing fun back to web design by integrating bold colors into websites. I wanted my blog to reflect my own take of Neo-Brutalism so I went ahead and changed up my blog theme structure and colors to match the vision I had contemplated.

To see examples of how to apply this type of style, you can check out the Codepen Neo-Brutalism Style challenge.

There could be some elements that may need more tweaking or responsive fixes. I’ve fixed all the ones I’ve noticed so far but will do another click-through and additional tests and will fix whatever I find.

This post will be explaining my breast reduction consultation process as detailed as possible from what I remember. I hope this helps bring insight to women that may be looking into getting this procedure.

The decision process

This is mostly an emotional process of deciding to get the surgery and accepting everything that may come with it. I’ve been debating on getting a breast reduction for about ten years. There has always been a circumstance that prevented me of pursuing this process. But mostly, in the past I was not emotionally and financially ready as I am today.

I think I’ll dive deeper into all the history in another post or even a video, as I want this post to be focused on the consultation part.

Choosing a surgeon

Once I decided I was going through with the process, I spent a few months researching local plastic surgeons. My primary goal was to find surgeons with ample experience in breast procedures, especially breast reductions.

I found multiple surgeons with good reviews. I spent quite some time extensively reading feedback, reading their social media outlets and/or websites. It was important to me to find surgeons that were active in social media and posting consistently. The surgeon I chose met all of my criteria and was also recommended by a close friend, so I had a more context about my friend’s experience with that doctor, which was very positive.

Booking the consultation

Once the surgeon was chosen, I called their office to schedule a consultation visit. When calling, I was expecting to have a waiting time of minimum a few weeks for the consultation. To my surprise, they had an opening for the following week, and I immediately accepted. The sooner I could start the process, the better. I sent the payment for the consultation electronically and they proceeded to book me the spot.

After the consultation was booked, I received an email confirmation plus an additional email requesting that I sign up to their patient management software.

The patient management platform included all the forms that I needed to fill out prior to the consultation. Things like:

• Basic information
• Medical history
• The type of procedure I want to have
• My desired cup size

I filled everything out quickly and the waiting game began. The appointment was on May 16, 2023 at 10:30am.

The consultation

Consultation day arrived. My appointment was scheduled for 10:30am so I got to the doctor’s office at around 10am. I am very demanding when it comes to punctuality so I always make sure to arrive to places early (more to calm my anxiety than anything else).

I went into the office, checked in and sat down to wait until my appointment. My husband accompanied me so we chatted while we waited, that eased my mind an enormous amount.

A little bit before 10:30am, they call me inside. The first step was to remove my shirt and bra and put a robe on, once that was done I was called to another room to take photos of my breasts. Pictures looking at the camera, facing the sides, and also facing diagonally in each side. I was extremely nervous to take my robe off for the photos but the staff was so friendly and made me feel at ease.

Once the pictures were taken, I was moved back to the room where I changed into the robe to wait for the doctor. My mind was racing at this point, and waiting felt like an eternity. During this moment it felt like time was standing still, yet it had only been like five minutes. The doctor came in, introduced himself and prompted me to tell him what I wanted. I told him the story of the development of my breasts, how much pain I was in and how long I’ve been contemplating having a breast reduction.

He asked me standard questions about my medical history and habits, and proceded to examine my breasts. This was such a nerve-wracking moment because I’m very shy but he was very respectful while he was examining and measuring. When the examination was completed, he told me I was the perfect candidate for a breast reduction, due to the big size and sagging.

I had written in my phone a list with questions beforehand that I went through with him. Things like: time off I would have to take from work, recovery time, limitations, etc. Make sure you go through every question you have.

One thing to note is that I mentioned to the doctor that I was in the process of losing weight so I could be better prepared for the surgery and obtain the best results possible. If you’re planning to lose weight before the surgery, if it’s anything more than 10 pounds you want to lose, make sure to set realistic expectations and talk to your doctor about it, especially timelines. Losing weight changes your skin and elasticity, and for the surgery to be successful, it’s ideal to be at the weight you desire and plan on sticking on. Any drastic change in weight after the surgery can definitely have an impact on your final results.

In my case, I already had lost around 20 pounds when I went in for the consultation, and explained that I wanted to lose about 20-30 more. At the time of writing this post, I have lost about 27 pounds total, so I have around 18 more pounds to go before surgery. If I can lose more than 18, even better.

Process explanation and procedure estimate

After talking to the doctor, we went to another room to talk to another staff member about the process and cost breakdown based on a fee estimate.

This procedure estimate listed associated fees with the procedure, which was divided in three parts:

• Pre-procedure fees
• Procedure fees
• Other fees

Pre-Procedure fees

These fees include the medical evaluation of a doctor at the facilities where your operation during your hospital pre-admission. It also includes the cost for compression socks which will be required for surgery.

Breakdown:

• SCDs (compression socks): $35.00

Procedure fees

These fees include the cost of surgery, and also, the follow-up visits after the operation with the surgeon (1 week post-op, 3 months post-op, 6 months post-op and 1 year post-op). Plus, this includes cost of materials and equipment.

Breakdown:

• Breast reduction with lateral breast liposuction: $6,500.00
• GalaFLEX (Internal breast bra) [Optional]: $1,200.00
  • This is entirely optional, I looked into this before my consultation because I read that my doctor was one of the first to use GalaFLEX in Puerto Rico. I talked to the doctor about this and was very interested in including this during my procedure.
• Garments and Equipment: $200.00

Procedure / Consult Fees (including pre-procedure fees): $7,935.00

Other fees

These are fees associated with the facility and anesthesia. There may be other costs incurred not listed here.

Breakdown:

• Anesthesia fees – Breast reduction: $700.00
• Facility fees – Breast reduction: $1,000.00

Other Fees: $1,700.00

The total for the operation would be $9,635.00. Important to note that this may not include other fees or charges related to the surgery that could happen.

Investment

As you can read from the total price, this is a substantial amount of money and should be looked as an investment. Personally, the positive outcome of this operation outweighs any possible financial burden this procedure may cause. This surgery will change my life in so many ways, and I am hopeful for the future.

Evaluating estimate and booking operation

Usually, fee estimates have an expiration date of having that price guaranteed. In my case, my estimate expired after one month. After the consultation, I evaluated what to do financially to make this happen. I was already saving up some money for the operation but didn’t have the full amount. I had about half saved up.

Some of my family members offered to help me with a portion of the cost, which I’m truly grateful for. For the rest of the money, I created a monthly budget based on my income to be able to save up additional money. I also wanted to save extra because I knew that there would be more costs involved for the recovery process (clothing, medical supplies, food, etc) and be prepared for any unforeseen costs. My goal was not to create debt because of the surgery, and be able to pay it off in full without having a huge credit card bill or similar situation.

About a day before the fee estimate expiration date, I called the doctor’s office to agree to the fee estimate and book my surgery. As I was still in the process of losing weight, I wanted to see if there were dates farther out that would give me enough time to reach my goal before the operation. I called on June 15, 2023, hoping to find something during October 2023. This would give me enough time to reach my desired weight. Thankfully, they had a few openings during October and booked a date for the surgery and my pre-op appointment.

My breast reduction surgery will be on Thursday October 12, 2023. I had to pay a non-refundable deposit for the procedure booking and have until my pre-op appointment (October 2, 2023) to pay off the entire amount of the procedure / consult fees.

How do I feel?

I feel ecstatic, emotional, nervous and terrified – all at the same time -. This surgery will be a tremendous change in my life. Physically AND emotionally. I’m so glad I finally took this step that I’ve been wanting to do for years. I am looking forward to this much-needed change. I’m looking forward to no longer having back and neck pain, to take pictures of myself again without feeling self-conscious, to be able to wear other styles of clothing that I’ve wanted to wear but can’t because of the size of my breasts.

This is an emotionally heavy process, and I recommend you find all the necessary tools to make your journey the emotionally safest it can be. I am seeing a psychologist consistently to make sure I take care of my anxiety and overall mental wellbeing. Another very important part of this process is having the people around you support you and your decision. I can’t even begin to explain how much my husband has helped me through this process. His love, consideration and support has given me even more fuel to keep going. My family and closest friends have also been a huge help, they’re all so happy for me and are giving me tons of support.

I am exercising regularly and eating well. I want to lose the weight to reach my goal, but this has also given me a new perspective around being at your optimal state physically. Exercise is a pivotal part of that. I didn’t appreciate fitness and was too lazy to entertain the idea before this year. I always found an excuse to get out of it. But honestly, being so focused to take the necessary steps to be a better version of myself has caused a huge shift in my mentality this year.

I’m 33 years old. I’m not getting any younger, and I want to be able to enjoy my life the way I want to enjoy it. Not have any limitations that I have the capacity to eliminate.

And this is where I’m at. I feel happy, accomplished and hopeful for what life will bring after October 12, 2023. I know recovery won’t be easy, but it will bring me the life I’ve yearned for.

What’s next?

I am planning of documenting the entire process leading up to the surgery, and after. I’ve been recording some video clips here and there of me exercising, talking about certain things. I purchased a vlogging camera to be able to document more of the process visually, but I also want to accompany videos with written pieces in this blog of every step. If everything goes well, I should keep expanding on this process here at the blog and will let you know any other outlets where I may be documenting this.

Thank you for reading. This was an extremely hard post to write, but I’m hoping to be able to help anyone that’s been thinking about getting a breast reduction surgery or is curious about the process, and give you my insight.

PS. I will be publishing a Spanish version of this post very soon. Will update here when I do.

Este blog estará explicando el proceso de consulta para una reducción de senos/busto de la manera más detallada que pueda. Espero que esto brinde ayuda a mujeres que estén pensando en hacerse este procedimiento.

El proceso de decisión

El proceso de decidir el hacerse esta operación es uno grandemente emocional, junto con aceptar todo lo que viene con esa decisión. Personalmente, he estado debatiendo con la idea de hacerme una reducción por diez años o más. Siempre ha estado presente alguna circunstancia que me ha prevenido de alguna manera u otra el poder hacerme esto. Pero mayormente, en el pasado, no he estado emocionalmente y financialmente lista como lo estoy hoy día.

Creo que abundaré más sobre mi historia en otro blog o hasta en un video, ya que quiero que este blog sea enfocado en la parte de consulta.

Escoger un cirujano

Once I decided I was going through with the process, I spent a few months researching local plastic surgeons. My primary goal was to find surgeons with ample experience in breast procedures, especially breast reductions.

I found multiple surgeons with good reviews. I spent quite some time extensively reading feedback, reading their social media outlets and/or websites. It was important to me to find surgeons that were active in social media and posting consistently. The surgeon I chose met all of my criteria and was also recommended by a close friend, so I had a more context about my friend’s experience with that doctor, which was very positive.

Agendar la consulta

Once the surgeon was chosen, I called their office to schedule a consultation visit. When calling, I was expecting to have a waiting time of minimum a few weeks for the consultation. To my surprise, they had an opening for the following week, and I immediately accepted. The sooner I could start the process, the better. I sent the payment for the consultation electronically and they proceeded to book me the spot.

After the consultation was booked, I received an email confirmation plus an additional email requesting that I sign up to their patient management software.

The patient management platform included all the forms that I needed to fill out prior to the consultation. Things like:

• Información básica de contacto
• Historial médico
• El tipo de procedimiento que me quiero hacer
• El tamaño de busto deseado

I filled everything out quickly and the waiting game began. The appointment was on May 16, 2023 at 10:30am.

La consulta

Consultation day arrived. My appointment was scheduled for 10:30am so I got to the doctor’s office at around 10am. I am very demanding when it comes to punctuality so I always make sure to arrive to places early (more to calm my anxiety than anything else).

I went into the office, checked in and sat down to wait until my appointment. My husband accompanied me so we chatted while we waited, that eased my mind an enormous amount.

A little bit before 10:30am, they call me inside. The first step was to remove my shirt and bra and put a robe on, once that was done I was called to another room to take photos of my breasts. Pictures looking at the camera, facing the sides, and also facing diagonally in each side. I was extremely nervous to take my robe off for the photos but the staff was so friendly and made me feel at ease.

Once the pictures were taken, I was moved back to the room where I changed into the robe to wait for the doctor. My mind was racing at this point, and waiting felt like an eternity. During this moment it felt like time was standing still, yet it had only been like five minutes. The doctor came in, introduced himself and prompted me to tell him what I wanted. I told him the story of the development of my breasts, how much pain I was in and how long I’ve been contemplating having a breast reduction.

He asked me standard questions about my medical history and habits, and proceded to examine my breasts. This was such a nerve-wracking moment because I’m very shy but he was very respectful while he was examining and measuring. When the examination was completed, he told me I was the perfect candidate for a breast reduction, due to the big size and sagging.

I had written in my phone a list with questions beforehand that I went through with him. Things like: time off I would have to take from work, recovery time, limitations, etc. Make sure you go through every question you have.

One thing to note is that I mentioned to the doctor that I was in the process of losing weight so I could be better prepared for the surgery and obtain the best results possible. If you’re planning to lose weight before the surgery, if it’s anything more than 10 pounds you want to lose, make sure to set realistic expectations and talk to your doctor about it, especially timelines. Losing weight changes your skin and elasticity, and for the surgery to be successful, it’s ideal to be at the weight you desire and plan on sticking on. Any drastic change in weight after the surgery can definitely have an impact on your final results.

In my case, I already had lost around 20 pounds when I went in for the consultation, and explained that I wanted to lose about 20-30 more. At the time of writing this post, I have lost about 27 pounds total, so I have around 18 more pounds to go before surgery. If I can lose more than 18, even better.

Explicación del procedimiento y estimado

After talking to the doctor, we went to another room to talk to another staff member about the process and cost breakdown based on a fee estimate.

This procedure estimate listed associated fees with the procedure, which was divided in three parts:

• Pre-procedure fees
• Procedure fees
• Other fees

Cargos pre-procedimiento

These fees include the medical evaluation of a doctor at the facilities where your operation during your hospital pre-admission. It also includes the cost for compression socks which will be required for surgery.

Breakdown:

• SCDs (compression socks): $35.00

Cargos de procedimiento

These fees include the cost of surgery, and also, the follow-up visits after the operation with the surgeon (1 week post-op, 3 months post-op, 6 months post-op and 1 year post-op). Plus, this includes cost of materials and equipment.

Breakdown:

• Breast reduction with lateral breast liposuction: $6,500.00
• GalaFLEX (Internal breast bra) [Optional]: $1,200.00
  • This is entirely optional, I looked into this before my consultation because I read that my doctor was one of the first to use GalaFLEX in Puerto Rico. I talked to the doctor about this and was very interested in including this during my procedure.
• Garments and Equipment: $200.00

Procedure / Consult Fees (including pre-procedure fees): $7,935.00

Otros cargos

These are fees associated with the facility and anesthesia. There may be other costs incurred not listed here.

Breakdown:

• Anesthesia fees – Breast reduction: $700.00
• Facility fees – Breast reduction: $1,000.00

Other Fees: $1,700.00

The total for the operation would be $9,635.00. Important to note that this may not include other fees or charges related to the surgery that could happen.

Inversión

As you can read from the total price, this is a substantial amount of money and should be looked as an investment. Personally, the positive outcome of this operation outweighs any possible financial burden this procedure may cause. This surgery will change my life in so many ways, and I am hopeful for the future.

Evaluación de estimado y agendar fecha de operación

Usually, fee estimates have an expiration date of having that price guaranteed. In my case, my estimate expired after one month. After the consultation, I evaluated what to do financially to make this happen. I was already saving up some money for the operation but didn’t have the full amount. I had about half saved up.

Some of my family members offered to help me with a portion of the cost, which I’m truly grateful for. For the rest of the money, I created a monthly budget based on my income to be able to save up additional money. I also wanted to save extra because I knew that there would be more costs involved for the recovery process (clothing, medical supplies, food, etc) and be prepared for any unforeseen costs. My goal was not to create debt because of the surgery, and be able to pay it off in full without having a huge credit card bill or similar situation.

About a day before the fee estimate expiration date, I called the doctor’s office to agree to the fee estimate and book my surgery. As I was still in the process of losing weight, I wanted to see if there were dates farther out that would give me enough time to reach my goal before the operation. I called on June 15, 2023, hoping to find something during October 2023. This would give me enough time to reach my desired weight. Thankfully, they had a few openings during October and booked a date for the surgery and my pre-op appointment.

My breast reduction surgery will be on Thursday October 12, 2023. I had to pay a non-refundable deposit for the procedure booking and have until my pre-op appointment (October 2, 2023) to pay off the entire amount of the procedure / consult fees.

¿Cómo me siento?

I feel ecstatic, emotional, nervous and terrified – all at the same time -. This surgery will be a tremendous change in my life. Physically AND emotionally. I’m so glad I finally took this step that I’ve been wanting to do for years. I am looking forward to this much-needed change. I’m looking forward to no longer having back and neck pain, to take pictures of myself again without feeling self-conscious, to be able to wear other styles of clothing that I’ve wanted to wear but can’t because of the size of my breasts.

This is an emotionally heavy process, and I recommend you find all the necessary tools to make your journey the emotionally safest it can be. I am seeing a psychologist consistently to make sure I take care of my anxiety and overall mental wellbeing. Another very important part of this process is having the people around you support you and your decision. I can’t even begin to explain how much my husband has helped me through this process. His love, consideration and support has given me even more fuel to keep going. My family and closest friends have also been a huge help, they’re all so happy for me and are giving me tons of support.

I am exercising regularly and eating well. I want to lose the weight to reach my goal, but this has also given me a new perspective around being at your optimal state physically. Exercise is a pivotal part of that. I didn’t appreciate fitness and was too lazy to entertain the idea before this year. I always found an excuse to get out of it. But honestly, being so focused to take the necessary steps to be a better version of myself has caused a huge shift in my mentality this year.

I’m 33 years old. I’m not getting any younger, and I want to be able to enjoy my life the way I want to enjoy it. Not have any limitations that I have the capacity to eliminate.

And this is where I’m at. I feel happy, accomplished and hopeful for what life will bring after October 12, 2023. I know recovery won’t be easy, but it will bring me the life I’ve yearned for.

¿Qué es lo próximo?

I am planning of documenting the entire process leading up to the surgery, and after. I’ve been recording some video clips here and there of me exercising, talking about certain things. I purchased a vlogging camera to be able to document more of the process visually, but I also want to accompany videos with written pieces in this blog of every step. If everything goes well, I should keep expanding on this process here at the blog and will let you know any other outlets where I may be documenting this.

Thank you for reading. This was an extremely hard post to write, but I’m hoping to be able to help anyone that’s been thinking about getting a breast reduction surgery or is curious about the process, and give you my insight.

PS. I will be publishing a Spanish version of this post very soon. Will update here when I do.

Whenever a new year begins, I don’t tend to set “resolutions”. I prefer to define a word that will guide me through the year based on the things I want to achieve the most, while maintaining a lenient attitude in case I’m not able to check every goal off my list. However, this year, the plan is to have more strict goals in place. Less space for excuses.

So, what do I want to achieve this year?

Have a breast reduction surgery

This is something I’ve contemplated for so long, and I’ve been either too scared or didn’t have the funds to go through with the surgery. Having a breast reduction surgery is something I desperately need to alleviate my back and neck pain, my posture and to feel confident buying clothing I actually want to wear.

I decided that it’s going to happen this year, and I’m saving up the funds for it so I can pay it out of pocket and not have to go through the nightmare of getting it approved by my medical insurance. For this to happen, I need to get to a lower weight, which is the second item on this list.

Get to a healthier weight

In 2019, I changed my eating habits to a low-carb lifestyle and that really helped me lose some weight. I was able to lose 50 pounds in less than a year. Unfortunately, once the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown started, we were getting takeout and eating out constantly (as an escape of the craziness mostly) and I gained most of the weight right back.

I don’t like exercising at all and it has always been a struggle to find the motivation to stay consistent. At the same time, I know that I need to do it to achieve my goal. Also, I’ve lost many loved ones in the past few years due to health issues and it has definitely put in perspective that I need to take care of my body so I can enjoy my life to the fullest.

This goal goes hand-in-hand with the breast reduction surgery, so this is something that I’m already doing so that I’m able to have the surgery at the end of the year (hopefully earlier).

Separate time each week for self-care

I tend to overwork myself to the point of exhaustion, which is something that I worked on last year and I’m getting better at setting boundaries. But I know I can do more to make self-care a priority.

I want to separate a time every week where I do something that feeds my mind, body and soul. Anything from curling up on the sofa to read a book, paint my nails, meditate, go walking around the neighborhood, and more.

Have quality time with friends and family often

This is extremely important to me. We’re in the digital era where most people are glued to their phone or computers and that quality time with your loved ones keeps decreasing.

I want to have more meaningful conversations, be present, listen to what other people have to say. I want to invite friends to my home and have a glass of wine while we catch up. I want to go to my parents’ house with board games and have a nice time reminiscing about our childhood. Those are the kind of things that feed my soul.

I’m excited at the prospect of what this year can bring, and to leave behind all the bad experiences from 2022 and not let them derail my mindset, energy and motivation.

What are some of your goals for 2023?