POSTED UNDER Tummy Tuck Reviews
46 Year Old Mom of 3...Let's Do This TT... - Wake Forest, NC
Replies (4)
DorothySmith
November 27, 2014
Your belly button looks great! Looks like the healing is looking amazing, take it easy
November 27, 2014
How are you feeling...how you look...how it feels...recovery? I ask because we are similar size and you are a little farther in your journey. My surgery is scheduled for Dec 11. Please do keep in touch. Blessings.
December 5, 2014
Hi, sorry for the delay in responding. I didn't see this post. I'm actually feeling GREAT!! Today is exactly 14 days PO. I showered & washed my hair by myself. I actually have a pair of jeans that fit (with compression garment on and all). For me the worst part of this process was the drains. And that was because I accidentally tugged on the left one twice so it was more painful than usual. The right one didn't bother me at all so I believe had I not tugged that left one the drains wouldn't have bothered me. The other issue I had was I got a really bad yeast infection resulting from the anti-biotics 2 days PO. and to top it off, I got my period the same day. I didn't have any pain that I couldn't handle from the incision, just tightness. If I had to cough that was hard. And the initial standing up or sitting down was hard, but once I got moving it wasn't so bad. I stopped pain meds & anti-biotics on day 4. By day 4 I was also walking without a walker. Before I did this I researched everything online, I read every article, I even watched a video on the procedure. I was terrified. Actually I think that helped me because I went into this expecting something so unbearable that what I actually ended up feeling and going through PO paled in comparison to what I was imagining. I do have to say, my surgeons were AMAZING!!! I love them!!! Dr Lindsey Wong & Dr Adam Purzicky!! They rock!!! And I believe their technique is what helped my recovery be so smooth. It's not a walk in the park, but it's not anything you can't handle & the first 2 weeks PO go by so fast. Hope this helps. Good luck! God be with you! You'll do AWESOME!!!
December 9, 2014
I just found your review from the Nov. 2014 TT forum. Thanks for your encouragement there. You're so right! I hope you're recovering well and having a positive attitude. Best wishes!
December 9, 2014
You're welcome. I'm waiting for my Dr to email me the "after" pics. They gave me pics of the before ones. I also uploaded my own "before" ones, but I like theirs better. Once I have those I'll upload everything including pics of me after my first FULL shower (that I took by myself btw lol!) last Friday. Wishing you speedy healing/recovery!
January 16, 2015
How are you feeling? Thanks for sharing your journey with us. I just made my consultation with Wake Forest and I'm excited. I was wondering how your tummy is healing? Are you happy with the results? They would be doing my tt and I'm nervous :/ Also, did you get to meet with them at your consultation? and then do you wait for phone call on price quote before scheduling surgery? Sorry for all the questions, I'm just happy I found someone who went to the same doctors :)
January 17, 2015
Hi Mommas, no worries about the questions, I'm glad to help if I can. The surgeons that performed my surgery were Dr's Lindsey Wong & Adam Purzicky. They're 6th year residents right now but they graduate in June. If you're having your surgery before June, then they'll perform it. If it's after June, then the next 6th year residents will perform it. Dr Marks is the Chief Surgeon over the resident clinic & has been practicing for 30+ years. I met my surgeons the day of my initial consultation. They checked me out, determined if I was a candidate or not & what exactly they would do. They also took pics. I can't remember how long after that appt they called me. I think they said 2 weeks, but I called actually about a week later 'cuz I was impatient. Margie Hauser is the person you'd speak to. She told me how much it would be & broke it down by anesthesia & surgeons. The residents only perform surgeries on Fridays. Dr Marks also does procedures, but he's more expensive. I met Dr Marks for all of 5 minutes the morning of my surgery & it was really him coming in to make sure the markings the residents made on my belly were correct. As far as my results, I'll be 47 in May & considering what I looked like going in, I'm pleased. I didn't expect to go in with a 46 year old 3 times pregnant body & come out with a 25 year old's body. I think if people go in with unrealistic expectations, they'll be disappointed. I have a little bit of a "pooch" in my upper torso (under my boobs) & they told me I might the day of my initial consultation, but they said they couldn't do anything because of where it was. When I start working out my abs, that should help reduce it, but it's not really noticeable under my clothes. I do have some little "dog ears" at the tips of the incision on each hip, but Dr Purzicky said let's watch it & see if they go down. If not, they can do a surgical revision under local anesthesia. I did my blood work at Labor which was way cheaper than going to a Dr office. Hope this helps. Feel free to ask any other questions. Good luck!
January 17, 2015
Thanks so much for replying. I appreciate all the info, it's really helpful to me :) Im happy you are recovering nicely! I'll let you know how my consultation goes.
January 18, 2015
I thought of another question, lol. After surgery did you go home or stay overnight? I live about 2 hrs away and was wondering how that would work. If I do go home right after, how many days until I have to go back for follow up? Thanks again for all your help :)
January 22, 2015
Hey, I went home after surgery. My surgery started around 9am & if I remember correctly, I was home anywhere between 2-3pm. Staying overnight meant extra $$$ which I didn't want to pay. If I had some adverse reactions to the anesthesia or any other complications, they would've kept me, but I did fine. My surgery was on 11/21 & by 11/26 I was back for my first follow up. (I pushed for that one trying to get my drains out before Thanksgiving). By 11/25 I had stopped all pain pills & antibiotics & was no longer using the Walker. Well, the drains weren't removed on 11/26 so I went back 2 days later 11/28 which was exactly 7th day PO. I got the drains removed that day. My next follow up was 12/5. I took a full shower that day (minus CG) shaved & washed my hair & I felt fine enough & drove myself. I was able to wear my jeans that day. They were a little uncomfortable because of the incision, but they fit. I felt good enough to go out to dinner with the family that night & on 12/6 I was able to get in/out of a salon chair & sit long enough to get my mani/pedi. My recovery has been very smooth & my Dr's are very pleased with my progress. I personally believe their technique was instrumental in my recovery. Sorry so long hope some of this has helped. Feel free to ask any other questions. I haven't had a chance to post before/after pics, but I have them.
January 22, 2015
Forgot to mention I only live 30mins from the hospital, so coming home was a no-brainer for us.
January 22, 2015
Thanks for replying. All your info helps me :) I can't wait to see your before and after of your belly! Were they able to keep the scar low on you? Glad you are having a smooth recovery!
UPDATED FROM ritzg
17 days pre
Pre-Op Appt? Check!
OK, so I went to my pre-op last Friday. I think it went well. For those of you using the Wake Forest Baptist Resident Clinic, here's some specific info.
The 2 residents doing my surgery are Dr's Lindsey Wong & Adam Purzicky. They are 6 year residents. I asked them how they "won" me in the "patient lottery", instead of another Dr, and they said that in the residency program there are only 2 Dr's at a time, so for 6 year residents, they are it.
They have a good bedside manner. They took time with me, and I didn't feel rushed while asking all my questions. My apt was at 3:30, I got there about 3:20, and within about 10 minutes, I was taken to a room & about 10 minutes after that, they came in to see me. I left around 4:30-4:40 so they were with me for a good hour. They also said if I had any additional questions to contact them & they gave me their emails.
I asked if Dr. Marks does surgeries & they said, yes & the only difference is price. Also, the resident program only performs surgeries on Friday's. I may or may nor get to meet Dr. Marks the day of my surgery, but they did say he would be in the building and would probably be in/out of the OR. I have not met him yet. They assured me they've done a lot of procedures in this program, but couldn't give me a number.
I asked about possibility of staying overnight, since it's an extra expense. They said usually patients don't stay & unless I'm not keeping anything down or extremely nauseous or am not walking around, I should be able to go home. I check in at 7:45am and they said I should be going home around noon-ish.
I asked about revisions if they are necessary. They said I am their patient, and if a revision is necessary, the resident clinic will take care of me. I'm not on my own, even if they're personally finished with their residency program and are gone. I also asked Dr. Purzicky if he specialized in TT's or plastic surgery in general & he said in general, and he's performed all types of procedures.
They measured me for a compression garment & they will provide one for me. I inquired about "pain pumps"; they are an extra expense and they said they don't use them. They didn't make it sound like it was out of the question, more like, because it's so expensive, most people don't request them.
I asked about "Arnica", and Dr. Wong said a lot of patients have asked them about that, and swear it works. Although a lot of people use it, she said there is no conclusive scientific proof it works one way or the other. As a result, she recommended I stay away from it just to be safe.
They gave me my scripts for meds to get filled. Percocet (pain) & Biaxin (antibiotic). They said I can get generics if I want.
I asked if there were any foods I should specifically avoid or eat to help with BM's post-op & they said no. Just take stool softeners (ie: Colace or Miralax).
I asked if working out like a fiend, specifically targeting my abs, would help the recovery process & she said not really. If I'm working out, keep doing it, because obviously being in shape is better than not, but don't go out of my way to kill myself trying to get the abs ready for surgery.
I asked if the pain in recovery was like a C-Section & Dr. Purzicky said no. He drew me a diagram explaining that in a C-Section they cut all the way through the muscle wall & in a TT they stop at the muscle wall.
I asked about shaving or Brazilian wax & they said it wasn't necessary. They'd trim/clip what they needed to. Personally, I'm going in clean shaven just in case (that's just me).
I've heard of some PS' doing "drainless" procedures, but in this program, they definitely use drains.
Finally, if this helps, for the blood work, if you need to pay out of pocket, I went directly to a local Labcorp. The bloodwork itself was less expensive than just an office visit anywhere else.
I think that's all for now. If I think of anything else, I'll revise this post. If you ladies think of anything you want me to ask, just let me know.
The 2 residents doing my surgery are Dr's Lindsey Wong & Adam Purzicky. They are 6 year residents. I asked them how they "won" me in the "patient lottery", instead of another Dr, and they said that in the residency program there are only 2 Dr's at a time, so for 6 year residents, they are it.
They have a good bedside manner. They took time with me, and I didn't feel rushed while asking all my questions. My apt was at 3:30, I got there about 3:20, and within about 10 minutes, I was taken to a room & about 10 minutes after that, they came in to see me. I left around 4:30-4:40 so they were with me for a good hour. They also said if I had any additional questions to contact them & they gave me their emails.
I asked if Dr. Marks does surgeries & they said, yes & the only difference is price. Also, the resident program only performs surgeries on Friday's. I may or may nor get to meet Dr. Marks the day of my surgery, but they did say he would be in the building and would probably be in/out of the OR. I have not met him yet. They assured me they've done a lot of procedures in this program, but couldn't give me a number.
I asked about possibility of staying overnight, since it's an extra expense. They said usually patients don't stay & unless I'm not keeping anything down or extremely nauseous or am not walking around, I should be able to go home. I check in at 7:45am and they said I should be going home around noon-ish.
I asked about revisions if they are necessary. They said I am their patient, and if a revision is necessary, the resident clinic will take care of me. I'm not on my own, even if they're personally finished with their residency program and are gone. I also asked Dr. Purzicky if he specialized in TT's or plastic surgery in general & he said in general, and he's performed all types of procedures.
They measured me for a compression garment & they will provide one for me. I inquired about "pain pumps"; they are an extra expense and they said they don't use them. They didn't make it sound like it was out of the question, more like, because it's so expensive, most people don't request them.
I asked about "Arnica", and Dr. Wong said a lot of patients have asked them about that, and swear it works. Although a lot of people use it, she said there is no conclusive scientific proof it works one way or the other. As a result, she recommended I stay away from it just to be safe.
They gave me my scripts for meds to get filled. Percocet (pain) & Biaxin (antibiotic). They said I can get generics if I want.
I asked if there were any foods I should specifically avoid or eat to help with BM's post-op & they said no. Just take stool softeners (ie: Colace or Miralax).
I asked if working out like a fiend, specifically targeting my abs, would help the recovery process & she said not really. If I'm working out, keep doing it, because obviously being in shape is better than not, but don't go out of my way to kill myself trying to get the abs ready for surgery.
I asked if the pain in recovery was like a C-Section & Dr. Purzicky said no. He drew me a diagram explaining that in a C-Section they cut all the way through the muscle wall & in a TT they stop at the muscle wall.
I asked about shaving or Brazilian wax & they said it wasn't necessary. They'd trim/clip what they needed to. Personally, I'm going in clean shaven just in case (that's just me).
I've heard of some PS' doing "drainless" procedures, but in this program, they definitely use drains.
Finally, if this helps, for the blood work, if you need to pay out of pocket, I went directly to a local Labcorp. The bloodwork itself was less expensive than just an office visit anywhere else.
I think that's all for now. If I think of anything else, I'll revise this post. If you ladies think of anything you want me to ask, just let me know.
Replies (3)
October 28, 2014
A little off topic,but how did you lose the weight. Im a similar height and weight to where you were before weight loss and can't wait to get a TT, but know I need to.
October 28, 2014
Hi dsh! I went to my Dr & got on a weight loss plan. They call it the HCG plan, but on my plan I wasn't limited to 500 calories/day like the other HCG plans I've heard of. The only stipulations I had were: 1) no fried ANYTHING & 2) walk a minimum of 1500 steps/day (or any other cardio). The only extra thing I did, was cut out all starch, sugar, & carbs. I think that plus the exercise is what really made the difference. The biggest battle is the mental aspect. Once you truly "decide" you've had enough, you'll make the change. That's how it was for me. All my husband's encouragement & love & all my complaining didn't do a thing. I hope this helps. If you need more details, please let me know. Good Luck to you! You can do it!! :)
January 5, 2017
I see the date of your post is a while ago but I live in greensboro and would like more information on program if you could...
Replies (0)