Nurseamy's tummy tuck/Lipo/Mastopexy

[I'm still here 0]

Hi again Amy~ YAY! I am excited for you, I will be following this like a hawk! :-)

I haven't heard anything about Dr. Adam, just his name. I have two friends who have had TT's and they used different doctors - one used Dr. Garcia in Webster and the other (actually her mom and dad, not her) used Dr. Cohen at St. Joseph's downtown.

I called today and made two appointments for consultations. I am going tomorrow (I hope I don't freak out and cancel) to see Dr. John Lo Monaco in Houston and then next week to see Dr. Lior Heller (who I have heard Dr. Spivak likes). My original appt with Dr. Lo Monaco was mid-March, but I called back and asked for one sooner and he had just had a cancellation for tomorrow. It is a little bit soon, but I may as well jump right in! As it is now, I have no idea what is in store for me, so I am anxious to find out what will be recommended.

I haven't even discussed PS with Dr. Spivak and I feel like I need to before I do anything. I am terrifed it is going to mess up my restriction (that it took a full YEAR to get right) and am also totally freaked out about the drains - no idea why, just the thought of them I think. I am the patient who begs and tries to bribe the nurses into taking out my IV even before the doctor says it is okay . . . I hate the thought of something being connected to me!

My friend who had her TT in November had her drains for 2 weeks and then had to go back and have Fluid removed several times after. She looks great though and says it was worth it. She said the Fluid removal didn't really hurt because the area was still numb from the surgery. I had a c-section 9 1/2 years ago and the feeling never returned completely, so my fat-roll is sort of numb.

Another name I hear alot around here is Dr. Polsen. I don't know anything about him personally, but have heard his name in conversation many times - probably because he is in my neighborhood. I actually live in League City.

Have you attended any of Dr. Spivak's support groups? I went one night when Dr. John Long, a Plastic Surgeon was there and he shared some good information. I actually called his office today to schedule a consultation, but the lady who answered the phone did not impress me, so I didn't make an appt.

I will post again after my appt tomorrow.

[I'm still here 0]

Does anybody on here know anything personally about either Dr. Lo Monaco or Dr. Heller in Houston ???

Thanks.

[nurseamy 2]

I have not discussed my PS with Dr Spivak either.Actually I have not seen him since surgery:wink2: I went to the surgery center to have my fills and never requested him because I never had any problems,and being a nurse I try and stay away from the Doctors:rolleyes2:I will go see him in March because I want my free year of fills for reaching goal just incase I may need them down the road. I live near Beaumont so I am not familiar with vey many Houston Docs.Good luck tommorrow!

[chiqui 0]

hi... good luck to u with your ps... if u dont mind me asking..... how much does a tt go for??????

[Hazelbunny 0]

Does anybody on here know anything personally about either Dr. Lo Monaco or Dr. Heller in Houston ???

Thanks.

A friend of mine has had a breast lift with Dr. Heller and then she went back and had the TT and thigh lift. And another friend had her arms done with Dr. Heller.

They both look great!! What I find shocking is how faint the scars are in such a short time. I plan on using him when I am at goal.

[ann77 0]

Amy,

You are going to look so good! I am excited to see your results because my tummy looks a lot like yours.

[I'm still here 0]

Hi Ladies ~

Well, I went on Thursday for my consultation with Dr. Lo Monaco and am now really excited about the possibility of actually doing this! I have another appointment this coming Friday with Dr. Heller and then I'll probably move into the planning stage. I think I would like to have the surgery in early May so that I will be fully-functional again by the time school is out - I have two very active kids.

Amy, will you be spending the night in the hospital? Dr. Lo Monaco keeps his patients in the hospital for one night and then you go home with a pain pump for three days. The only thing that really freaks me out are the drains! I can't wrap my head around having those things in me considering how much I hate IV's . . . I am sure it will be fine, just not enjoyable. I am also a little worried about the compression garment. I don't really like things tight on my stomach since I was banded . . . But, those things are tolerable and I am sure in the long run, will end up being no big deal.

I couldn't believe my husbands reaction - basically 'do it if you want to' which is the only green light I need. I knew he wasn't going to be happy about it, but I expected more resistance than I got . . . He wasn't happy about the band either, but has seen how much it has helped me so maybe he figures this will end up being a good thing too.

[I'm still here 0]

Hi again Ladies,

I saw Dr. Heller on Friday and really liked him too . . . Now I am faced with having to chose one of them to do my surgery.

Dr. Heller seems a little more conservative than Dr. Lo Monaco as he (Dr. Heller) only wants to do the TT with no Lipo.< /p>

While the idea of less 'down-time' appeals to me, I am worried that if I don't have the lipo done at the same time then I'll wish I had when it is over. But, I am also concerned that I may end up with sagging skin if I have the lipo on my legs and hips, and as it is right now, I don't have saggy skin . . .

Dr. Heller said that he will remove a significant amount of skin and tissue with just the TT and that the difference will be very noticeable.

What do you ladies think? Would you have the lipo done too, or just the TT?

I am looking at doing this much sooner than I had originally planned - maybe like in a couple of weeks with the idea being the sooner I do it, the sooner I am recovered . . . :eek:

Amy - are you getting excited ??? Not much longer - yay for you!!!

[kimmcneely 1]

Just getting back to the forum after months off. I had a baby in June, replacement band surgery in September and a number of other things. I am also a Spivak patient, living north of Beaumont and considering PS with Dr. Ciaravino. He seems excellent. A few of my friends have used him for different surgeries and they were very very pleased with the results. I really want to lose about 20 more lbs but am anxious to get all this belly fat off too. Just wanted to make sure you had check into Ciaravino because he could be a great fit for you. Good luck and keep us updated.

[I'm still here 0]

Kim - I have not heard of that doctor, where is he or she located?

Well - I just got off the phone trying to schedule a second consult with each Dr and was surprised to learn that one of them doesn't do second consults . . . I was like, 'Are you kidding me - I've got more questions now than I did when I first came in.' She reluctantly scheduled an appt for me but the other doctors office was like, 'When would you like to come?' I have a feeling I'll be using him . . . My gut tells me if you have trouble seeing him before the surgery, you will probably have trouble after the surgery too.

Where is AMY ???

[kimmcneely 1]

Dr Ciaravino is in Houston. Here is his website. Houston Plastic Surgeon Michael Ciaravino MD, FACS and his phone number is 713-627-1200.

[I'm still here 0]

Thanks Kim . . .

[nurseamy 2]

Where is AMY ???

I am here:wink2: I have been in bed all weekend with the flu.My oldest daughter was home all week with the flu and my baby had MRSA from a boil on her leg.YUK!Needless to say I am cleaning house today.It feels nice to be able to pick my head up!! I am anxiously counting down the days!! I am trying to get my house organized before surgery so that will pass some time!

Glad you are having surgery sooner than later.It is soooo exciting!!

[I'm still here 0]

Ohhh . . I hope everybody there is feeling better! I am fighting a little sinus-junk right now myself and it is no fun.

I am glad to hear you are staying busy - that is the key for me. I need to work on this house too, the one thing I don't want or need is to get all stressed out about the house right after the surgery. I will admit I am a bit of a 'neat-freak' so I imagine that will be an issue for me.

Amy - you should call me sometimes when you come into town to see Dr. Adam. I live in League City - maybe we could meet for lunch or coffee or something . . .

PM me if you're interested and I'll send you my cell phone #

[icecream 1]

hi Nurseamy,

I can feel your excitement! I'm having the same procedures, my date is March 12th & I can't wait either! I've gone from 300lb to 158lb, I'm trying to loose the last 8lb before the surgery! Good Luck & It's all gonna be fabulous!