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Before and after in clothes
7-19-2014; 18 days post-op and feeling great!
Bruising better, but still swollen
Provider Review
When I met Dr. Lombardo, he was very friendly and attentive. He asked me what my main concerns were. When I told him about my belly fat, he asked to take a look. As he looked at my body, I felt he was literally sculpting it with his eyes. I could see by the look on his face he was not only a surgeon, but an artist. He assured me that I could have excellent results. That was enough for me! I made the payment arrangements and scheduled the surgery for three weeks from that initial visit. The day of surgery went so well. I felt very secure with my choice of surgeon and I told him this. In recovery, Dr. Lombardo came to see me a few times to check on my progress. He also called me later that evening. I did have a compression garment on after surgery. l had severe bruising from the lipo. At the post op appt. the next morning, Dr. Lombardo checked my drain and my incision. when he saw my bruising and swelling he said,"Take the compression garment off. It isn't helping you." I did what he said. In retrospect, I know this was an expert decision on his part. (More on this later). Three days post op. I had a hiccup in my recovery. During the night I developed chills and a fever of 102. I also had the worst headache of my life. My sister who was caring for me called Dr.Lombardo @ 5:30am. He insisted on seeing me IMMEDIATELY. This WAS July 4th! I give my Dr. utmost credit for being so dedicated and personable. He ended up changing my antibiotic and telling me to get off the Percocet and Valium. I took Tylenol instead. The Doc. also gave me an incentive spirometer for breathing exercises. I went home and followed his directions. I felt better in less than 12 hours. This increased my faith in my surgeon as he is treating me as an individual. I don't feel like "just another routine tummy tuck" at all. I continued to improve after that. At a week post op. I went for an appt. to perhaps get my drain removed. That didn't happen. Still too much fluid. I was disappointed but okay. I set my sights on Day 10. Dr. Lombardo told me to take it easy. I must not have been resting enough. I followed his advice and sat around and did almost nothing for the next 2 days. I prayed I could get the drain out on Friday! I wanted my fluid to go down so badly. You see, my husband was returning from a 3-week trip on Monday and it would be our 25th wedding anniversary! Friday came. My fluids were down. The color was good. Dr. Lombardo looked hesitant about removing the drain. I felt I might go into a new depressive LOW if this drain didn't come out TODAY. He looked at me. He could see my anguish. "Okay," he said. "But, YOU must do what I say." "I'll do anything, Doctor." My instructions were to wear the compression garment 24/7 as tightly as I could stand it. My nurse added that if I could wear Spanx too it would be even better. Dr. Lombardo also said to begin massaging the "hard" areas. I'd have to do all of this religiously until my next appt. in 5 days. So, I got the drain removed, and I was more determined than ever to trust my doctor. Twenty-four hours later I removed the garments to shower. I looked in the mirror. OH MY GOD! I am totally FLAT! The swelling is minimal! I have a waistline! What? Is that definition I see? I feel great! I am seeing results- excellent results. All of this in 24 short hours. It made me wonder why other surgeons choose to make their patients go through compression garment "hell" when they are bruised and in pain. Why? It seems to me that Dr. Lombardo is not only a skilled surgeon, but he is a compassionate man. He did what was best for ME. He made my recovery as gentle and painless as possible. Monday. One day short of 2 weeks post op. I Feel sexy! I look amazing. My husband is returning today and it's our anniversary! ... Long story short... he could NOT believe my physical (and mental) transformation! "You're proud of yourself, aren't you?" he said. "No, I said. I'm just so HAPPY. I'm PROUD of my surgeon, Dr. Lombardo. He is AMAZING." My moral for this story is twofold: 1. Trust in your surgeon, But... if you don't feel right or something you read somewhere (on the net or on this forum) causes you to have questions, ASK your surgeon. Ask him why he chooses to do what he's doing instead of the other alternatives you've read about. Ask if you could try them. Ask Why? and 2. If you can have Dr. Lombardo do your surgery, well, it's a no-brainer!