In one word: PERFECT! Stress free, and fun. As a former model and Miss Teen Texas, I only seek out the best and most skilled professionals to work on my appearance. However, divorce, loss of a business and the intense stress that came with it, along with steroid use, left me looking at least a decade older than I am. I came back to Dr. Altamira as a returning patient because I trust him, and I’m very thankful I made that decision. I’ve been a patient of Dr. Altamira since I was 22. I’m now 37. What I like most about Dr. Altamira is his perfectionist personality which carries through to the operating room. He’s quiet. He analyzes. He listens. He’s not a narcissist like most surgeons. He really cares. My celebrity friends trust him & his staff too, and they appreciate his and his staff’s discretion and PERFECTIONISM! I began at 22 with lips, nose, breast lift+implants, and ab etching, which gave my already toned runner’s body a perfect 6 pack. I believe in not letting too many hands touch you, and staying with the same expert who knows your body and history. Dr. Altamira embodies what everyone looks for in a surgeon, as his credentials, experience, and results are stellar. Moreover, he’s gentle, kind, a TRUE PERFECTIONIST, and very easy to talk to about the things that you’re insecure about. As I aged, I added Botox and other dermal fillers, and consistently checked in with him to keep my skin and fillers on par. He is an expert at literally every type of aesthetic device/ skill you’d want. At 27, I wanted to see what life was like without implants, so he did a beautiful removal, with seamless, minimal scarring which eventually healed and disappeared. My boobs were like two perky perfect teenager boobs. At 36, I wanted more sex appeal, and needed some lipo. Dr. Altamira came through once again! My abs have never looked better, and my boobs definitely turn heads! I’m feeling like a hot milf after a horrible divorce and loss of a business which had left me feeling and looking very defeated. Well here I am today, at 37, just 6 days after my face and neck lift. The pain lasted for about 2 days, but was minimal, and I’ve been back at the computer at work since day 3. Everyone tells me I look 22! And... I think I do too! Stick with Dr. Altamira. Most people will be surprised that despite his talent, he is a little shy and quiet and humble. He’s *very* sweet and really and truly cares and has a deep conscience about each patient loving their results. His follow-up and his staff’s follow-up are amazing. They make sure you are completely happy. He’s not egotistical or narcissist like most surgeons. He will shoot with you straight and devise a treatment plan that keeps you looking and feeling your best- whether it is a one time surgery, or if you’re interested in maintaining a youthful appearance as you gain years. One thing that speaks volumes about him is that his staff turnover is so low. Every time I go back to visit, I see Sissy, who was already there when I was just 22, so about 13 years ago. He’s he type of doc you stick with! I’m forever grateful to you, Dr. Altamira, for giving me my life back. When I look in the mirror, I don’t see the stress and hardships of the last 7 years, I see myself again, and I feel full of hope and optimism. I’m moved to tears as I write this, and I can’t sing your praises enough! Thank you again to you and your fantastic staff!
I thought about a breast reduction for at least 13-14 years. I researched several Doctor's and visited a few throughout the years. 2015 I decided I was going to have the surgery. I met with a doctor and scheduled my appt for Dec of that year. I ended up going to my family doctor and shared the news with her. My doctor referred me Dr. David Altamaira (Houston), I did my research on him and he had a pretty impressive background. I scheduled my consultation with him once I had my family doctor write a letter stating my surgery was medically necessary; needed if your using insurance. So.....I go in for my consultant and Dr. Altamira was very formative, and down to earth. He made feel so comfortable. When I left his office I was like this is my doc! So I scheduled my appt for April 12. I watched alot of videos on YouTube and read/viewed alot of info on this site; both so very helpful because I am so scared of pain. I don't even like the little needles they prick your finger with, okkkkk! Surgery Day: I had to be at the Surgery Center @ 7:30, my surgery was scheduled at 9:30. The surgery started a lil late because he was still in surgery. I was told by several ppl on different occasions that Dr. Altamira was a "perfectionist" and I was like that's fine by me....even better. So around 10:30 Dr. Altamaira came in to do my markings on my breast. He asked if I had any questions and if I was ready. I told him I was excited and scared. He told me not to worry and talked about the surgery somewhat. I was taken in the surgery room, once I was given the anaesthesia that was it. I work up to a light sting. The nurse was administering some pain medicine. I told her to give me the max amount she could give because my fear of pain. I didn't want to feel anything once I got home. Well, needless to say I have not felt any pain at all! I am 1wk 3days post op. My stomach feels weird at times, and I feel a lil woozy, but that's from the anesthetics. That will soon fade out once all the drugs are out my system. Oh yeah, I was scared to look at my breast at my follow up visit. I thought I was going to see some blood or something gross...lol. I went back a week later to gave a few stitches that weren't dissolveable removed. I looked at my breast and I was like WOW!!!!! Technology and an awesome Doc can work miracles!!!! I am so pleased and grateful. Pain-free and Full C, yaaassss! I see why people get addicted to plastic surgery...lol I would recommend Dr David Altamaira to anybody. I promise you, you will not be disappointed. I will post pics later.
I'm getting ready to have a TT by Dr. David Altamira in Houston, TX. I have heard great things about him and how wonderful he is. But I haven't seen pics of his work. If anyone has had a TT done by him, if you don't mind please share your pics. Would love to see his work. Thanks everyone! Have a blessed day! Updated on 1 Feb 2016: I had to re-schedule my TT :( due to female issues. But will post pics as soon as and send updates as soon as I have it! :) Updated on 3 Mar 2016: Can't believe today is here! Nervous And excited! It's just too hard to believe! Will post before and after pics in the next day or 2. Keep me in Yalls prayers. See y'all on the flat side! :) Updated on 3 Mar 2016: Well the hardest done! Right now I'm wearing a full body garment haven't seen what my belly looks like yet. I get to take a shower today, I don't have to wait 2/3 days. :) once I see my results definately will share them with y'all. Updated on 10 Mar 2016: Well it's been a week today since I had my TT and back liposuction. My worse days were the 4th & 5th day. People say it gets better after the 2nd or 3rd day but not in my case. Today is my best day!! I really didn't feel any pain on my TT just a burning feeling where my drainage is at. Could be because I had Exparel injected. The back lipo feels like a pulled muscle, I couldn't wash my own hair, that was the most discomfort I felt other than that everything was fine. I have a walker that helped a lot, a plastic chair I use to shower in, it works just fine. no need to spend money on a shower chair. I've been sleeping in a recliner and it's worked perfect. I only need help getting up from the recliner. If they scoot me to the end of the recliner I can get up on my own. I am down to taking tylenol 3 one time a day. Today My legs and ankles are swollen which I've heard it's normal. I did break out in rash on my left leg not sure if it's a reaction to the meds for taking it multiple times a day for a week. Today I feel a lot better, had a nice shower. My husband and daughter have been great! Very attentive and supportive. Every time they change my dressing or bathe me they tell me what a great job Dr. Altamira did. I finally took a real good look at my incision today and it looks great. Here are some before and after pics. Updated on 11 Mar 2016: Today was my first post op appointment, all is well. :) Healing good, back stitches and belly button stitches were removed. I go back Tuesday to have my drainage removed. Thank gif everything is looking good. Happy healing! Updated on 11 Mar 2016: Some prep info I wanted to share. My physician gave me some Arnica and Bromelain to take 3 times a day, a week before my surgery. It was to help with the bruising and swelling. If you've seen my previous pics, you can tell I have very little and bruising. That stuff works. My diet after my surgery was peppermint tea w/lemon, green tea, ginger tea, ensure w/protein, activia yogurt, applesauce, raisins, broth w/low sodium, wheat toast w/eggs no salt or butter, mash potatoes, greens and chicken, salads and soups, Lots of water!!! Attach are pics of the supplements. Updated on 15 Mar 2016: I had my 2nd post op appointment today. It went well, my drain was removed. Which I'm glad bc close to midnight last night my incision started leaking. It all worked out bc I had my doctors appointment this morning. I did have a little meltdown at the doctors office. Bc I'm ready to be 100%!!! I know it's only been a little over a week but I'm ready to get back to my normal self. The long recovery is what brings me down bc my husband has does so much and continues to do a lot for me and the kids. He doesn't mind but I do bc I'm use to being the strong one. I pray multiple times a day for God to give me a speedy recovery so I can get back to my family. I know we all face different challenges with our surgery but I also know we are strong mentally and physically. Praying for you all RS family. Updated on 17 Mar 2016: Well today's 2 weeks since my surgery. I did a little better this week. Hubby took me to the grocery store Tuesday after my drs appt. and he took me out to lunch and a lil shopping today. The walking helps. But my back is so sore I can't stand for too long. The back lipo is no joke, the healing process is longer than I thought. There's really nothing you can do about it. I'm taking Motrin bc Tylenol3 makes me drowsy. The TT has been recovering well. I'm still swollen, itching and burning on my sides and around my belly button. There's nothing I can do for this either. I wear my gurdle day and night bc when I take it off I'm so sore and in pain. I can't win for nothing it's uncomfortable wearing it and it's uncomfortable not wearing it. I wear it for good support on my body, it does help but it's tight and itchy. My rash on my knee is getting better. The doc prescribed some strong cream. Lately I've been feeling spasm going down my legs multiple times a day and it hurts! Not sure whats causing it. The swelling on my legs and feet have gone down. Thought I would be doing a lot more at 2 weeks. Don't know how people go back to work in 2 weeks. Hope 3 weeks is good to me and I'm a lot better than these past 2 weeks. Updated on 18 Mar 2016: These are the tea's that I've been drinking since my surgery. It's for swelling and help use the bathroom. My favorite is Peppermint tea, you're suppose to drink it 3/4 times a day this is to help with your BM's. I tried laxatives Sonokat and it made my stomach cramp really bad I thought I was going to end up in the ER. I then tried Ducolax and that made my stomach cramp a little so I just did away with laxatives bc they made my stomach cramp too much. The peppermint tea really helps. I also took Gas-X to help with the bloating and gas of course. This really helped a lot the first week, when your whole body is numb and you can hear the gases in your stomach grumbling. Lol The ginger tea helps for swelling, you're supposed to drink this 2/3 times a day. All this helped me with with my internal challenges. Updated on 21 Mar 2016: Well...what can I say we have good days and bad days. This past Friday was my 1st best day! I felt the best I ever had since surgery. I cleaned the kitchen and polished. I even helped my hubby grill a little and invited my 2 sisters over for dinner. Come Saturday I woke up not feeling well at all. I felt like I took a little set back. I was in bed most of the day. Throughout the day I kept feeling my garment digging into my skin. Finally around 9p I looked in the mirror and my belly looked like I was pregnant thru my girdle. I couldn't take it anymore so I took it off, showered and went to bed. I woke up at 3am and I felt like day 1! I had to wake up my husband to help me get out of bed. I couldn't move, it felt like I had weights sitting on top of my whole abdomen area holding me down. My sides were aching swollen. Most of the heavy weight was on my sides, it was a weird feeling. I got a little scared bc I never felt like this before. My husband made me put my girdle back on, so here we are now at 4a trying to put this tight garnet on. I wear it day and night, didn't think 1 night without it would make me feel this bad. Back to bed, back to pain meds. Come to find out Mother Nature paid me a visit and has me super bloated! This is why my garment was digging into my skin bc I was so bloated. And here I thought I over did it on Friday. I was cramping so bad I stuck with the pain meds this weekend along with water pills. I put the heating pad on my back bc I wasn't sure if it was safe to to it on my new belly yet, since I'm only 2 weeks into my recovery. I can't wait to use a heating pad on my belly again. On that note, here are some updated pics of my belly and back. Updated on 21 Mar 2016: Couldn't upload the pics on my previous post. So here they are... Updated on 28 Mar 2016: Hope everyone had a great Easter! Well last Thursday was 3 weeks since my surgery and I'm still swollen and in a little discomfort. My sides, back and abdomine area are sore. The numbing medication definitely is wearing off bc this weekend I felt pain for the first time in my right side of my ab area. I've been taking Tylenol 3 these past few days. I read that Chamomile tea helps with relaxing your muscles. I've also been feeling nauseas and dizzy these past few days. So I've been drinking that at night to help me sleep. Any tips on how to treat lipo, I'm desperate to get ride of this burning feeling. I go back to work Thursday and I'm nervous!!! Updated on 1 Apr 2016: Well I e Updated on 1 Apr 2016: Yesterday was 4 weeks PO since my surgery. I extended my FMLA to go back to work April 7th. Glad I did bc I started feeling better yesterday. I was able to get around more and do a little housework on my own without help. I started driving this past Monday. All I can say it feels good to be independent again! I saw Dr. Altamira today and he is just the sweetest. :) I just adore him!!! He always takes his time with me, very gentle and answers all my questions. Definately would go back to him for anything. He said I'm healing good! :) belly button and scar looks good. There's still a lot of swelling but will take time for that to go down. He also said I can do away with the garment if I feel secure without it. If not continue to wear it until I'm comfortable not wearing it. I still feel the sting throughout my body where lipo was done but I guess that's expected and it will eventually go away. I bought chamomile body wash by Aveeno to help with the soreness. I think I'll do some lympathetic massages to help with this healing process. Other than that I'm feeling a lot better. The healing process takes time and a lot of patience. Attach are some updated pics. Updated on 8 Apr 2016: This past week was better than the week before. I hope it continues like that. Well I started lympathetic massages Tuesday. Dr. Altamira's office has a recommended therapist for their office and boy was she great!! She does the massages their at his office Tuesday's and Thursday's. She also does house visits. My 2nd massage will be here at my house. It's very convenient. I started off with 3 massages for $300 and will take it from there. I went back to work yesterday, everything was fine except for me chair. It hurt my back really bad so looking at other seating arrangements. Other than that I did pretty good. Just was ready for a nap when I got home. I'm still swollen, still have the itching, burning and sting feeling throughout my body. And still wearing my garment, I swell worse when I don't have it on. I still rub Arnicare cream all over my abs, sides and lower back. I feel it helps with the pain. I bought that at Walgreens before my surgery. I started my scar cream this week. The doctors office gave it to me. Little by little life is getting back on track. Thank god!!! Attach are some updated pics. Updated on 10 Jun 2016: Sorry it's been a while. It's been so busy at work since I went back! I am swamp more than ever these days. Hopefully things will calm down soon. I have been hanging in there. My 6th- 8th week was very uncomfortable, guess the meds wore off. I am 14 weeks (3 months) My back lipo still hurts. When I lay down it feels good, getting up is the challenge. It hurts getting up, I feel like someone is ripping my skin apart. I do breathing treatments getting out of bed. Even when I sit on the couch, I have to sit straight up, can't get too comfortable or it hurts getting up. My last visit with Dr. Altimira was last Thursday and he said everything looks good. I am still swollen every where. He said it will be another 6-9 months before the swelling goes down. I did away with my girdle about a month ago, I miss it but it was uncomfortable at work so I just deal with the aches and pain. The lympathetic massages helped with the swelling and help released stubborn fluids in your body. I feel very tight during the night, when I wake up I am very tight around my abdominal area. When I get in the shower I massage it with coconut soap or chamomile soap to help relax my muscle. Still not working out because I swell up easily. Overall, I am doing good just taking it one day at a time. Hope everyone else is recovering well. Happy healing everybody! Will post pics soon!
About two weeks to go until the surgery, already getting excited, hoping to fill in and soften my sunken cheeks and bony temple/brow region. Also hoping this procedure will reduce some of the acne pits on my cheeks and temples. Ive read that this procedure has a high absorption rate but the only way I can determine that myself is to actually go through with the procedure and find out, I hope the fat that is injected will have some permanence.
Dr Altamira is a great surgeon-everyone i know including my family go to him.He is not the kind of doctor that rushes you through, he is kind and caring and patient.He is not a doctor that is just interested in the money he really loves what he does.I have referred many people-each one of them have had nothing but good things to say.
Dr Altamira is a great surgeon,everyone i know including my family go to him.He is not the kind of doctor that rushes you through, he is kind and caring and patient. Dr. Altamira does all his surgery at a actual hospital- so half of the fee you pay him goes to the hospital and anesthesiologist.If you have any other health problems just know that in a hospital is the safest place to have a procedure. If you are trying to get a consultation and have any problems with his staff just send him a short note on Facebook and he will take care of the problem right away...Don't let his staff keep you away from a excellent surgeon.
Hey guys, I'm 20 years old and I'm currently a 36DD (well my right breast is) my left is going on to a 36DDD im about 135-140lbs and ever since high school my breast never stopped growing. Which in my case is utterly unbelievable, considering i was flat all of middle school and just spiking to a B cup my freshman year. i have been trying to fight my family doctor to write me a referral in order to see a plastic surgeon but all she told me was "you have muscle spasms, ill give you anti-inflammatory medicine as well as muscle relaxers, use support bras, try losing weight" all these things and nothing worked. so I took matter into my own hands. Thankfully my father has great insurance through the oil company he works for, so it wasn't necessary to get a referral to see an orthopedic about my back poblems, which eventually sent me to 6 weeks of physical therapy, which in return did not a damn thing. I mean, I'm 20, i should have back problem's or even bra indention's at that. not only did it phase my health but my self esteem as well, i am sooo self-conscious about my breast that i cant even wear a strapless dress or shirt because i am so uncomfortable wearing a strapless bra. its embarrassing to me that I'm 20 and my breast sag. I also have breast hypertrophy, in other words, one breast is NOTICEABLY larger than the other. it makes me mad that i cant wear a bikini without having to buy xl-xxl to fit my breast, i hate shopping for shirts, dresses (fit good on top and not bottom or vise-versa) or anything to do with my boobs. i contacted my insurance and spoke to them about the requirements to get the procedure approved and covered (at a %) by them and they gave me a list of things that are required from me to get it approved by them. it was no surprise to me that i have met all requirements; if not surpassed them, to get my procedure approved. i went on a hunt for a plastic surgeon who did a breast reduction with my insurance and it wasn't hard. Dr. Altamira was my answer. i went into his office and the girls were beyond nice and humorous, Dr. Altamira is a hard one to crack but hes very professional and gets right to the point. i had my pictures taken on the 21st of july 2012. my paperwork was then sent to my insurance (medical records retrieved by the plastic surgeons office) they were send to the insurance on july 22nd of 2012. and i got a call on August 28, 2012 saying i got approved for the procedure ( the insurance covering 90% of it) my pre-op date is September 6, 2012 and my surgery date is September 13, 2012. it was all sudden for me! I was extremely happy with how smoothly the proccess went and all i can do now is wait. im nervous, taken that this will be my first surgery ever. im excited for the relief but nervous for the healing time. all i can do is pray that all goes well, but i know i am in good hands! im ready to go and ill definitely keep you guys posted! :)Updated on 7 Sep 2012:So I had my preop appt. Yesterday and I was nervous to hear the rules and regulations. They told me it should.take about 3 hours and one I wake up ill be dduhhhh from the anesthesia. Also said I will be tightly wrapped in ace bandage and might bleed, but not likely. I will have to go back the next day to t my bandages changed and I have a schedule for my follow up appointments. She said I will feel very compressed and look flat. But not to worry bc eventually they will perk up!! :) surgery is Thursday September 13, 2012 at 6am (prep) 7am surgery. Very nervous but excited.Updated on 25 Sep 2012:i am approx. a week and 5 days post from my breast reduction! and i am loving them!!! but i am a bit sore! other than that i love my little size C cup breast!! by far one of the best decisions i have ever mad! i love Dr. Altamira hes amazing and always has a smile on his face! :) he did an amazing job!
I had a facial fat transfer done with this doctor back in June of 2014. It was awful. I remember the swelling was terrible and for the longest time I looked like the sasquatch from Harry and the Hendersons. I don't know what convinced me to get surgery at all. I looked so much better before I got any type of surgery. I basically paid thousands of dollars to look slightly worse and I'm still spending money trying to reverse everything I had done. I wouldn't recommend any type of elective surgery to anybody. At this point, after everything I have been through and after all the money I wasted, I wouldn't even recommend changing your hair color. I'm still left with fat pockets in my lower cheek area after all this time and it looks ugly. It has slowly gone down over time and it's nowhere near as bad as it used to be but it still looks kind of bad, especially in certain lighting. I still don't have that gaunt, slender face I used to have but I'm hoping one day I can revert back to that. Plastic surgery is a scam. It's probably the biggest scam of the modern era. And it's turning out to be a windfall for the doctors. Make it rain. I just wish I would have chose to get tattoos like every other normal 25 year old but I chose to do something even more reckless with my money and appearance and I still have to live with the consequences at age 31. I recently went to another surgeon in the Houston area to see about having the transferred fat taken out via liposuction but I was told that not only will liposuction "not work" but I needed a buccal fat removal along with a Profound treatment to correct the area. I was then shown a quote that was insultingly expensive before I literally ran out of the clinic. I felt pretty sad. But not for me. I felt bad for the poor bloke who might actually get suckered into paying that much money for something they don't need/want with no guarantee that it will even work. I'm sure there's lots of them out there. I used to be. I trust carnival workers at the bottle toss more than I trust plastic surgeons. I guess you can say I "lived and learned" but that doesn't make me feel any better. I'm basically trying to be a voice of reason on this website but I know my advice will fall on deaf ears. The chance to look more attractive/different is too tempting and money is no option! Been there, done that. Just don't be upset if you come out looking like E.T. Updated on 24 Jul 2019: I was left with weird looking fat pockets in my lower cheek area that look unsightly. It's worse when I tilt my head downward. It's not as bad as it used to be. I remember for the longest time my face looked really bloated and one side was bigger than the other. I think I'm just going to have to live with it. I have visited other surgeons to see about getting it corrected but they always say there is nothing they can do. Updated on 24 Jul 2019: This was me back in 2011. Way before I even knew what plastic surgery was. I miss the old me. No wonder I was botched. You can't improve on perfection. I don't know why I decided to get surgery. I'm hoping one day I can go back to my original appearance. Updated on 1 Aug 2019: This is what I'm still dealing with. I have fat bags in my lower cheeks that look weird when I smile. It looks bad when I tilt my head down as well...even slightly. One side has more fat and it weighs down my lips which results in my mouth looking crooked. Updated on 22 Aug 2019: I can complain and write down everything that upsets and depresses me and it would be so long that it would rival the Library of Babel. But for the sake of computational power (I don't think FakeSelf can support that much memory) I will try to keep this installment of "my life is a commode" short. I was scheduled to have surgery today. I was going to remove the jaw implants that I have had in my face since 2015. The reason why I was removing them is because they have been causing me significant pain. That reason alone is enough to make me want to remove them but it's not just that. I think it makes my face look fat and aged me considerably. So I was pretty happy that the implants were finally going to be removed today. I was really happy this morning and felt the liveliest I have felt in a long time. I was looking forward to this day for a very long time. I arrived at the surgery center this morning thinking everything was going to go smoothly. They called me back pretty early, around 10:45am. The surgery was scheduled to take place at 12:30. Well I was stuck laying in a gurney that I was sliding off of for 3 hours before they finally wheeled me into the operating room. I have no idea why. But that's a given. That didn't surprise me at all. It's to be expected that everything that can go wrong, will go wrong and you are going to be met with delays and obstacles every second of your life. That's why I don't have a job anymore and I'm a bum. It's less stressful. Keep your expectations low and don't get your hopes up about anything...especially in relationships. That's my advice. Anyways...they wheel me back into the operating room. I was nervous but it was a good nervous. They transferred me from the gurney to the operating table. They hooked me up to something and instantly an alarm sounded. Apparently my heart-rate was too high and they declined to operate on me right then and there as it would be "too dangerous". Honestly...I don't care if I pass away on the operating table so it's not dangerous to me but...of course they couldn't proceed with the surgery and before you know it I was out of the hospital gown and walking out of the hospital a few minutes later after having to wait 5 hours for NOTHING. I just can't believe that happened. It looks like I will be stuck with these implants for life. I'm stuck with this muzzle for life. They recommended I go to a cardiologist and have them clear me for surgery before they can reschedule. Honey, I ain't doing that. It's too much work and I'm lazy AF. It's not like I could anyways because it's impossible to have healthcare in this country. Basically health insurance is a status symbol. Long gone are the days that a car-phone is proof that you "made it" in life...it's all about health insurance now and rubbing it in the faces of the uninsured. Welcome to 2019. Too bad it ain't 1981 anymore. Anyways...I told them the only way I will go to a cardiologist is if it's completely free and they reimburse me for gas before I added that Vietnam has better healthcare than America. Honestly...the whole ordeal was just really shady. I felt like they didn't want to operate on me and they were really quick to tell me that it wasn't safe to proceed with surgery. I tried telling them it was probably just nerves but they didn't care. The doctor had his stuff packed and ready to go and was walking out the door about the same time I was. He almost looked relieved that he didn't have to do another surgery and could go home. This is horrible. I'm...not doing anything with my life anymore. I think I already made that clear before but...this is just one more thing I can complain about. It just gives me one more excuse to give up. I just can't handle disappointment well. This will probably send me into a spiraling depression that could last for months. That is until I find myself waking up one cold, depressing morning next February 100 pounds later deciding I need to go on another starvation diet. I have a lot to look forward too. I just can't believe this happened to me. Why is this happening? I'm so sick of people telling me "life has up's and down's", "everything happens for a reason", blah blah blah. Yea...for the last 20 years apparently. I didn't ask for any of this misery. I never asked to be born. If given the choice I think I would have passed up on the opportunity because this world is one big toilet. It's not that I have a bleak view of the world...I just have a realistic view. And I got cheated on and had it rubbed in my face. Updated on 12 Sep 2019: I had the surgery this morning. Everything went good. I know I started off this review expressing regret over the fat transfer but it kind of morphed into a story about my jaw implant removal journey. I'm just writing this because I know there is at least one person out there who can glean some useful information from this. I also want to document it so I can revisit it years from now. It's good to reflect on things. But yea, this last month has been a mess. I initially went in on August 22nd to have them removed but they cancelled when they put me on the operating table because my heart rate was too high. They told me I had to get cardiac clearance form a cardiologist before I could reschedule. I admit I felt destroyed emotionally after that happened. I waited so long to have them removed. I thought what happened on August 22nd was proof that I was stuck with the implants for life. I have a tendency to make mountains out of molehills and I never thought it would be possible to get the surgery after that. I was about to give up but I decided to fight it. If it was anything else I probably would have. But I knew I couldn't let this go. I had to get them removed. It was now or never. The doctor is getting older and he very well could retire soon and that only made my desperation to remove them greater. Because I doubt any other surgeon would touch it. Anyways, I went to a cardiologist and got an echo-cardiogram on August 28th and everything was fine and I was able to reschedule the surgery to today and have them removed. I'm really swollen, my throat hurts and I'm a bit nauseous but I'm so glad that the implants are out of my face. The doctor said one of the screws that were used to fixate the implant into place started corroding. He said the surgery was very invasive and traumatic to my body because the implants had grown into my bone given the material it consisted of. It was made of a porous polyethylene wafer like material and not hard silicone. The one thing that disturbed me was him telling me the screws were corroded. That is very unsettling. I honestly never knew they put screws in. What would have happened if I kept them in longer? It reminded me of the tin-man from Wizard of Oz. And honestly that's what it felt like at times. It felt like my jaw would tighten up at times and I got moderate pain from them daily. That was my fear. I was afraid that the material, over time, would keep losing it's integrity and I would be presented with more problems and pain the longer I kept them in. I feel a ton of relief knowing I won't have to confront that possibility anymore. I'm just really excited for what the future holds. I haven't felt this way in a long time. I've been playing "Dreaming" by Blondie on a loop ever since I got home. I actually cried happy tears earlier. I think this is the dawn of a new era for me. A better one. These last few years have been so hard for me. You know they say life has "ups and downs" but honestly I would get depressed when people said that because ever since late 2016 it just had down moments. But I can now see the rays of light beginning to peak through the dark clouds and I can feel the warmth of the sun on my skin and it feels great. I think brighter days are just ahead. Getting these jaw implants out of my face was really symbolic in that I truly feel like it was the closing of one chapter and the beginning of another.
I did research and came across Dr. Altimara. Went through with consultation, it was AMAZING. He is such an awesome doctor. After the visit was when things went downhill. No one called me back, I waited 3 1/2 months before I found out it wasn't an insurance issue. Poor service given and I gave up....
I had the consult today and I am excited about getting a chin implant, ive always had a weak chin and im hoping this will give me the look that I want. Im having it performed under local anesthesia to help cut costs and to minimize downtime. It seems like a long way off but im already getting excited.
