Gary R. Culbertson, MD

Dr Culbertson did breast reduction for me in 2023. He did a wonderful job. I'm so happy I chose him. He is the best without a doubt. Give him a call if want great results. If I get anymore plastic surgery needs I will contact him first without a doubt.

I had a tummy tuck done with Dr C back in November and I'm so glad I chose him. I am a massive weight loss patient so my tuck was a lot more extensive and he had the experience and knowledge needed to make sure I was successful, followed up twice week (sometimes more) I live in another county so it was aggravating at times but so worth it! I am only a month out but so happy with my results so far, if I decide to do any other cosmetic surgery it will be done by Dr. C!

Phenomenal!! I have had several surgical procedures done by Dr Culbertson and he is Nothing Short of a Miracle Worker! His staff are Welcoming, and Friendly. Also the 6 month follow ups are Well worth the Peace of Mind

I had substantial fat loss in my face after 3 rounds of laser treatment for moderate to severe acne scarring. I looked deflated and was very unhappy with my atrophied face. I had gone to a medical spa for voluma injections around Christmas time and it was placed in all the wrong places on my face. I looked even more hawkish once she was finished... In my state of panic, I found Dr. Gary Culbertson. He was the best! He let me come in for 2 consults (for the price of one) to give me time to think though my options and decide what to do. He injected me with 2 ccs of Voluma today and showed me how I looked in the mirror after each section to get my opinion on how I looked. He was an amazing listener and looked at my pre-laser pictures with me for an entire consultation to hear exactly what I wanted. Needless to say, I am thrilled with the results so far! I am very bruised (I have low pain tolerance so my blood pressure was skyrocketing and I bled a lot) but I am filled in all the right areas! I have a follow-up appointment in about two weeks. I can't wait to see how good it looks once the bruising is gone and my swelling has dissipated! I think it's safe to say that Dr. Culbertson saved my face! :) I look like me again... With fewer acne scars, too!!!

Updated on 8 Jun 2016:
I am definitely more swollen today, my husband even noticed. I am also a lot more bruised and it is a little difficult to hide. Hopefully the swelling and bruising go away quickly! It was a little difficult to sleep last night because my face was sore and I woke up every time I rolled onto the side of my face.

So far, I am pretty pleased with it! I can't wait to see how it looks once my skin heals!

Updated on 10 Jun 2016:
My swelling has almost completely subsided and my bruises are yellowing quickly! My face is also much less tender and I have been able to rub spots that look a little uneven like the Dr told me to do. I am VERY happy with my results! My acne scarring is SO MUCH less visible which was a great side effect from the filler. :) I could have probably used a teeny bit more to help with my smile lines around my mouth but am much improved! :)

Updated on 12 Jun 2016:
My bruises are fading fast and my face isn't sore anymore. :) I am so dang happy with how I look! It's been nice to not have to shy away from a camera all the time and feel more confident when I'm out with my husband. Wish I had done this sooner!!!

Updated on 9 Nov 2016:
I am still loving my fillers!!! I will definitely be going in next year to add a little more in some spots now that I've gotten a feel for what I like and want. I wish I had done this sooner! It would have helped with my confidence so much!!!! Make sure you pick a dr who listens to where you want your filler placed!! My dr listened so well and couldn't have injected it any better than he did! I hope he continues working for a long time!!!

Updated on 10 Jul 2017:
My filler is still pretty present! I haven't noticed much of a difference since last year. I have realized a couple months in that I have a little too much filler below my eyes but was pregnant so I couldn't do anything about it. I am going at the end of the month to see if I can have that corrected now that I'm not pregnant anymore. I may have a little more Voluma inserted in the apples of my cheeks and in my fine smile lines, as well. I will update again if I have anything done!

Updated on 1 Aug 2017:
I went in to see Dr. Culbertson today. I had 1 syringe of Voluma injected ($575). probably could have benefitted from another but can't afford it this go around. I had the Voluma inserted in my smile lines and next to my nose on the left side of my face (right side in the pic) and in the hollow of my right cheek (left side in pic). I was wanting additional filler in the same locations on the opposite sides of my face.... Would have been over the moon if I had done 2 syringes!

As always, super pleased with my result! Dr. Culbertson does the best work!!!! I am hoping to go in for another syringe this month but will have to convince my husband... Haha! I think, had I done 2 syringes, I would be even happier with my result this time compared with last! Dr. Culbertson is a magician haha!

Updated on 9 May 2018:
Well, my filler is starting to dissolve! Considering I only had one syringe last July, I shouldn't be too surprised. I am starting to see more wrinkles under my eyes and my cheeks aren't quite as full. This summer, instead of another round of fillers, I will be speaking with Dr. Culbertson about subcision with fat transfer to my apples, hollows, temples, and brows. I'm hoping this will help with any acne scars that remain tethered and will give me a more youthful appearance. He always does an incredible job placing the filler in all the right places and I'm hoping a fat transfer will be much longer lasting. I'll post a new review if I have the procedure done!

Dr. Culbertson is amazing. He knows what he's doing . He keeps you over night after surgery. I couldn't imagine going home the night of my surgery, my body was overwhelmed and he has 2 very nice professional RN's take care of me after surgery. I went home the next morning with everything I needed and the knowledge necessary to take care of myself. He makes you get all your prescriptions before the surgery. He makes sure you have someone to take care of you. He talk with the person who will be taking care of you to make sure thet understand exactly what you'll need the 1st week post op. My scar is very neat and in the right spot. I don't look slaughtered like some of the pictures I've seen on the Internet. Dr. Culbertson did an amazing job and I couldn't be happier. I do not regret getting this procedure. I look and feel great. The price I listed above is an average. I do not wish to share exactly how much I paid for my procedure. I hope you can respect my decision. Everyone's price varies. so my advice would be not to go with the cheapest person just because their cheap. This procedure is very serious and you want someone that knows what their doing. You get what you pay for. This procedure is not cheap. They vary from 5,000-13,000. Good luck

Ever since middle school, I developed a strong hatred of my nose. It is very long (which is uncommon for my ethnicity), wide and has a bulbous tip. To make matters worse, my nose became crooked with a deviated septum and bump during a robbery where the assailant broke my nose (and stole my money). I always wanted to get a nose job but I never thought I would actually get one. I managed to save enough money for the procedure but my biggest problem was finding time to actually have the surgery. I'm currently a 2nd year Grad student and my classes are year round. I've taken 4 classes this summer on top of giving speech therapy. Since I had a two week break between the end of summer classes and the beginning of fall, I decided to go for it and have the surgery! I will upload some before pictures soon!

Updated on 24 Aug 2014:
Having a big nose takes away from my other features. The fact that I have small lips makes my nose look even bigger. My bridge sits very high and the tip is overprotected. After speaking with my surgeon, he decided that it was best for me to have alar base reduction, osteomies (breaking nasal bones to narrow bridge), and shaving the bridge down a bit which would also remove a bump I have there. As you can see in the photos, it will probably take a miracle to get a smaller nose lol. I was very nervous, especially after hearing so many horror stories. Hopefully, this surgery will give me the confidence I never had.

Updated on 24 Aug 2014:
I had open rhinoplasty....AND I have thick skin so the amount of swelling I'm dealing with is depressing. I've maybe had one day where swelling was at a minimum and that was the day my cast was removed. On most days, the swelling makes my nose look even bigger than it did before surgery. I know that this suppose to be normal, but that doesn't make things easier. I only gave myself 2 weeks to recover before the start of classes and I didn't think about how long it would take for the scars to heal after the surgery. Makeup has been my best friend. Oh and another thing that sucks is that the Hibiclens I was told to use to wash my face with caused an acne breakout (I've never had acne). What a stressful journey.

Updated on 24 Aug 2014:
I didn't have much swelling when I took that picture. Probably because I had it freezing in my apartment. I usually notice more swelling when I step outside in this Carolina heat. The temperatures have consistently been in the upper 90s to lower 100s. Maybe when winter gets here, the cold temperatures will keep swelling at a minimum. Wishful thinking.

Updated on 7 Sep 2014:


Updated on 7 Sep 2014:
My nose looks different day by day. I'm still getting use to it. Some days I love the way it looks and on others, I dread waiting an entire year to see the final outcome. I found out that the Hibiclens wasn't causing the acne! It was the topical steroid Triamcinolone my surgeon prescribed me to help with the scars around my alar base. Hiding the scars with makeup is very difficult to do because of the extreme heat and sweating as a result of it. I'm unsure if any of my (classmates) or family notice the difference but I honestly hope they don't. I've kept the surgery a secret from everyone except my sister (only because we live together) and my boyfriend.

Oh, another thing I failed to mention is that the right side of my nose has been somewhat numb since the surgery. Has anyone else experienced numbing for this long? My surgeon said it can last for months. It's not a HUGE concern of mine but when it itches, scratching does NOT help!

Well guys, hopefully I'm brave enough not to delete my photos again. I really want to help people like so many other posters have helped me but I'm terrified that someone will recognize me and announce to the world that I've had this procedure. Where I'm from, it's VERY uncommon for anyone to be able to afford plastic surgery. Social networks and media has gotten out of control with cyber bullying and I'm praying I don't end up a joke on someone's Instagram page.

Updated on 8 Sep 2014:
I started back working out about a week ago and boy am I out of shape! It's crazy how being inactive for only a month can impact the body. My nose does swell after physical activity. Honestly, everything I do makes my nose swell lol. I don't mind "normal" swelling but the asymmetrical swelling I often get makes me very self conscious. The left side of my nose is always the side that swells the most. Is it because of the right side numbness? Is anyone else experiencing asymmetrical swelling?

Updated on 8 Sep 2014:


Updated on 8 Sep 2014:
How could I forget to mention that appointment!?!?! All I can say is oh my gosh. That was the most pain that I've felt throughout this journey thus far!!!!!!! I had internal splints/tubes stabilizing my septum that were HUGE (YouTube septoplasty splint removal and you will feel my pain). It felt like he was pulling a car out of my nose. I was not expecting that. The stitches were less painful to remove, but it was extremely uncomfortable to say the least. I didn't feel the stitches in the columella being removed but with the alar base and internal stitches, I did. Despite all of the pain, it felt sooooooooooo good to have all of that removed. I was able to breath and taste food again. Sometimes I actually feel like I'm breathing in TOO much air. That deviated septum had me missing out on greatness lol. Ok I have studying to do! Grad school for Speech Pathology is very demanding!

Updated on 10 Sep 2014:
One thing I didn't expect after surgery was losing my smile. My columella was so stiff that it was almost painful to smile and when I did, my top teeth were barely shown. My surgeon told me it could take months for it to return to normal but for me it only took 1! I'm so happy! Me being a goofy person, it was hard for me to resist smiling and laughing... Almost impossible .

Im 42 yrs old, I have two children 23&12 and a saggy belly. I waited for 12 yrs to get my sexy back and now is the time. On March 29th I will be able to wear a two piece. I will keep you guys posted as I count down the days. I have been hiding my stomach and ashamed to showy body bc my stomach looks like a reptile.lol!! Im 5'2 and 139lbs and i have a nice shape but my saggy stomach takes away from my shape. My TT surgeon told mu body is shaped like a hourglass but I have a pouch.March 29th will be the beginning of my new chapter.

Updated on 13 Mar 2013:
16 days and counting



Updated on 14 Mar 2013:
Counting the days down.

Updated on 5 May 2013:
Dr Culbertson is one the best/nicest Dr I ever met. Im truly happy that I have him as a PS.....

I am 40 years old I have 3 Children I have always been very active but once I turned 40 I put on weight and just was not able to lose it, I also had a nasty roll that would sit on my lap when I would sit down. I am so worried about this, I fear the pain, the coming out from being under and most of all telling my mom and kids lol

Updated on 5 Jun 2012:
ok, so I feel so silly i am not able to find my review on realself... hummm



Updated on 8 Jun 2012:
The hunt for my doctor was something that I found stressful, I did a lot of internet searching and review looking and looked at a ton of before and after photos, I really wanted a doctor in columbia, I found a few doctors that I thought maybe but many of them had good and bad reviews, and no way of knowing what price range their tt are in. I found realself it helped answer a lot of my questions and then I saw a review on here from a girl who used a doctor in sumter, I then googled him and started searching him out. I thought that he would be worth checking out. when I went in, well.... he was nice, he talked a little fast for me, and I feel didnt let me talk as i wanted/needed i got the feeling that he feels he does this so much he feels he knows what I am going to say or what I am feeling, and ya know what he probably does. i have learned from this site that really we all fear the same things, we all want the same things with a few differences, however I would have liked a little more acting on his part. I would have liked him to act like he wanted to hear from me, however with that being said.... I loved his before and after photos the final results were my style and taste. the Price well..... I guess its in the middle, it is more then a couple of other people said theirs cost from him. and i'm not happy about that. I would like to get a BBL and more lypo down the road and I was hoping that I would be able to do that sooner then I will be able to now, but i still hope to get it done soon, i need to find a great doctor with a great price for that. I think I can travel a little more that. so if anyone has anyone they recommend please let me know.

Updated on 9 Jun 2012:
ok so,..... my fear level is about a 8 today..... I feel like I am having small panic attacks, I guess it could be helped along from it being that time of the month. but I am freaked. I understand its normal, and that I will be happy that I did it after it is done, but right now.... I am just freaked I am also noticing I am eating more then I should I guess that could also be due to the time of month but what ever the reason im stressed and eating like a pig.

Updated on 15 Jun 2012:
ok, so I paid my final part on my tummy tuck, i'm not sure why but I was thinking the tt was 6600 and no... its 8200 ouch! I wish I knew if that was goos price or not. I know its hard to say, I just think they get you because you don't know how much it will be until you have paid your 50-100 fee. just like you don't really know who you will like until you have paid your 50-100 fee. this site does help, however the avg price on tt does not give me enough information LOL there so many types of tt and i don't know if the realself avg includes all types of tt or not. and just like when "we" people on realself say how much ours cost often times we dont say if that with with lipo or not, if it is a full tt or a mini, or if that is with garments or not.

here is my total break down
tt (with muscle tighting )
lypo of the upper belly,flanks and inner thighs.
3 compression garments (after surgery heavy duty/ then move onto body type plus a lighter wrap )
one night stay (surgery is done onsite op. room)
and the rest is all the total norm, room, doctor,being put under, follow up , drains, ect.
= 8270

Updated on 16 Jun 2012:
List Pros & Cons, Advice you can offer others

Updated on 16 Jun 2012:
List Pros & Cons, Advice you can offer others

Updated on 17 Jun 2012:
WOW well I am down to 12 days!!! woohoo!!! I have been on the HCG diet for 4 days I'm a little worried that I am going to lose to much weight before my tt. I want to lose a total of 27lbs AND from everything I have read it says 10 to 15 lbs up or down is ok after a tt but not more then that, so my idea was to lose 12lbs before my tt and then the rest after my tt, well for once the weight is flying off, normally that would be a WONDERFUL thing however I am having lipo with my tt I want to make sure he has fat to suck lol, I would rather get rid of the fat cells altogether other then just shrink them though diet. i'm not sure what to do, my fat doctor (HCG doctor) is very strong on the fact that I need to stay on for one month, my plan was to do it for 2 weeks take a week break due to surgery and then finish my two weeks, but I think i may lose more then needed if I say on it for 2 weeks. I think i will reach my before tt weight goal in a week. I am sooo excited!, I cant weight, lol yesterday I in a panic state

Updated on 20 Jun 2012:
yesterday I bought a lift chair that reclines all the way back! I think that it is going to work much better then my normal recliner. I started to look on craigs list OMG I was shocked at just how many are out there for sale, I found one that was leather and close to to my home, he was charging a little more then I wanted to spend he was asking 550 not a bad price, this one runs about 1200-1700 new and it was in wonderful shape but there were many out there for sale that were 150-300 but they run 600-1000 new so really 550 was not bad, anyway, I was only able to take 500 out so I thought I would ask for 500 , he made a face, I said well.... I have 20 more in my purse he said nothing...... then he said.... there was a price reduction .... 375.00 !!!!!!!!! I was shocked!!!! wow , I am soooo Thankful!!!! He alone made my week, he warmed my heart!
I am also looking for a wheelchair, I have a few things I need to go to around week 2 and I am going to get a chair to be safe, but both the lift chair and the wheelchair I will be giving to someone who is in need of them.

only 9 more days until my tt!!! and i have lost 12 lbs I am so glad that I lost the 12lbs that I wanted to lost before the surgery because I need to talk to him about doing lipo on my banana rolls, I can see that they are an area that likes to hold fat, and once the belly is gone they are really going to stand out. I just hope he listens and does not cut me off, I am feeling a little shy about even bringing it up.

Updated on 22 Jun 2012:
7 days until my tt!! I spent about 4 hours driving around trying to find everything that I need after my surgery grrr I still didn't find the stuff for bruising :( i have one more store to try tomorrow and if its not there then I will have to order it online, I am sure I am forgetting a few things. I can not believe that next friday at this time much of my belly yuck will be gone.

Updated on 24 Jun 2012:
5 days until my tt and I woke up today in a panic! I am just trying to stay calm, i think that it is more that my mom has always been very scared of being put under and I think she has passed that on to me. I am trying to keep in mind that I have gone under 4 times in the past and it has always come out ok.
I just wish I could get this done and start recovery!

Updated on 25 Jun 2012:
4 days until tt- well today is my pre-op im so excited! I am going to ask my PS if he can lipo an area or two on my back, i know he had wanted to leave some fat on my back to do a bbl later, but honestly I am not sure i have enough money to be able to do that, this tt cost me more then I had planed, I have enough money to lipo a couple of areas but not enough to do a bbl. :( I think I am just going to have to tell him this. as i sit here and type my belly is folding over and falling onto my laptop...i soooo can not wait until it is gone!

Updated on 26 Jun 2012:
3 Days to TT---So yesterday I had my pre-op , everything went well, my ps went over things with the husband, I was not real happy to have hubby looking at all that will be cut off, normally when I am around him I am sucked in and standing just right :) but oh well, I have pick up all my meds OMG 8 things I had to pick up, he also called today to let me know I need to start me antibiotics today because I have a UTI (that is nothing new I just about always have one)

Updated on 27 Jun 2012:
2 days to TT- well it seems that every day I am waking up early I just can not stop thinking about the TT. oh I did find out from my pre op that I will be having a pain pump so .... I guess thats a good things, I don't care for pain, lol so I hope that it does what its suppose to and keep the pain far lower. I am sitting here looking at all my meds, OMG!!!! I think that makes me even more nervous.

Updated on 28 Jun 2012:
Tomorrow is the day!!! I am freaked!!!!!!! I guess I need to just look at it as a good deep sleep

Updated on 28 Jun 2012:
Well, I feel sick to my tummy, I am so stoked, tomorrow is the day, my belly is in knots... yeah ... i dont even have much to say... I will make sure and post photos and give updats on the good and bad, in hopes that I can help others in the same way that so many who have wrote before has helped me. I also want to say GOOD LUCK to all the other TT who are tomorrow!

Updated on 30 Jun 2012:
wow, well I had my tt yesterday, a full 5 hours in surgery he cut off 3 lbs of skin and fat and then 2 liters of fat. I would say that is about normal, From what others have said, it looks really nice, I have not really seen it other then when I was lying down. I believe some of my pain killers gave a headache like no other. so I didnt even care what it looked like lol soooo, as i said I would write about the good and the bad.
I was really nervous b4 the surgery, once I got there they asked more questions and put in my IV ran that for a bit and then added a stairoid that made my Woman area BURN like HELL!!! (not everyone gets that side effect. Im just lucky I guess lol ) then she gave a good feeling pill I guess that was to just get me relaxed and once in the op. room they would give me the real stuff however i have no memory after she said she was going to give me something to relax me. the next thing I remember was being back in the room i started in and the surgery was done. other then being very hot things went well until about 3 am, at 3 am they had their orders to switch me from the hospital be to the hospital chair and remove the catheter at that time my head was killing I was very nauseated and i was dizzy, i kind of went into a panic attack and made things a little worse but once i was in the chair i fell back asleep for a couple of hours. this morning the doctor came in changed my dressing and made sure everything was looking good, they went over again how to take care of everything. my doctor wrote me out a new script for painkillers they are more mild then what he had given my at first, I was was worried about headaches and not be able to be coherent but if my pain gets to high then I will take the harder stuff. I also have a pain pump so that is taking care of a lot of the pain. I think anyway :)
I have no idea how others get this done and then are able to be able to be back to work within a week, lol I do NOT see me doing much of anything in a week. i will keep evey-one updated,
I wanted to add a quick note, I have read where some people do not like it when others talk about the bad that they have been going though. I want to state a few things, 1-this is what I am going though, it does NOT mean you will have the same things happen you or that you my see things the same way that I see them.
I will try to get a few photos today or tomorrow, but im not real sure, I get pretty dizzy if I stand at all.

Updated on 1 Jul 2012:
good day everyone, well I am on day 2 or day 3 since my tt, omg I am in PAIN!!!! I thought I was ready for this pain but no I think I was wrong! last night I started having muscle spasms , they feel like labor pains, and hurt big time! the first few were not a real big deal but they went on for about 3 hours and today my belly hurts so much when I stand to go to the bathroom my stomach feels like it weights 50 lbs more then it should with a lot of bruising. I took one of my stronger pain pills I am hoping that will help, I dont like to get knocked out however .... right now I don't much care, in fact knock me out for a week. ok,,, so I am about to pass out, the painpill is kicking in now, I can not see the screen but I still feel the pain, only a few more days, and then it stills tart getting better,

Updated on 2 Jul 2012:
well, I just got back from another post op. everything went well, my PS removed my pain pump and redressed my tummy, he also gave me a script for some liquid relax-or fun fun. GRRRR my hubby left to get my meds and my youngest (11 years old) decided to have friends over they were upstairs being loud I dont have the strengh to yell for her she wasnt answering her phone. so I had to redo my binder and work to get get up to go tell her to send her friends home.... and then she lets the dog in.... I know she is young but,, my hubby had only been gone for 5 min. if that. ok, so that is my complaining for the day :) over all i am feeling much better then yesterday.... today I am feeling more bruising,, muscle spasms, and the feeling of my skin riping.... really a lot of what I felt when I was pregnant. I am going to add two photos taken today, im still very swollen

Updated on 2 Jul 2012:
well, I just got back from another post op. everything went well, my PS removed my pain pump and redressed my tummy, he also gave me a script for some liquid relax-or fun fun. GRRRR my hubby left to get my meds and my youngest (11 years old) decided to have friends over they were upstairs being loud I dont have the strength to yell for her she wasn't answering her phone. so I had to redo my binder and work to get get up to go tell her to send her friends home.... and then she lets the dog in.... I know she is young but,, my hubby had only been gone for 5 min. if that. ok, so that is my complaining for the day :) over all i am feeling much better then yesterday.... today I am feeling more bruising,, muscle spasms, and the feeling of my skin ripping.... really a lot of what I felt when I was pregnant. I am going to add two photos taken today, im still very swollen

Updated on 2 Jul 2012:
I just got done having an episode I guess you would call it. I tried to take my shower I cut it short because I could tell i was breathing harder and feeling weaker, I called for my hubby to help me and it all started to go down hill, DIZZY , Sick, almost like a panic attack but so much more. I was lying on the floor in the bathroom trying to just stay aware I just about told the hubby to call 911..... but didn't have to, he helped me out of the bathroom and to my chair (naked! not something my kids wanted to see i am sure. but I didn't much care I didn't want to bust my stitches or stop breathing. once i got to my chair I had ice packs put on my back and head and then the fan put in-front of me, and I just tried to breath, my hubby was trying to get me to lie back in my chair but I KNEW if I did I would passout. guess i hit that one spot in the tt process where I would say it is NOT worth it, to only have it done if you have so much skin that it causes health issues. (I am sure that thought will pass but when i am in the mess of it my thoughts aint good. I am so NOT trying ot be a downer but omg this is just so much more then I thought. i am sure I will love it in a few days, I hate it my hubby goes back to work tomorrow, I'm a little worried

Updated on 3 Jul 2012:
Day 5- ok well today is day 5 of recovery, a crazy thing about healing from a tummy tuck is that no two days are the same, today is going ok for me, I had my BM YAHOO .... I have had a few bm's (not soooo yahoo Lol) rushing to the potty when you cant move any faster then a turtle is not what I call fun. :) my breathing is feeling better today, I still am getting dizzy but not like the past, I am feeling more bruising pain today, that is a pain I can deal with. I am just really trying to not push anything today, the hubby and kids have a lot going on today so I am home alone more today and I need to make sure I dont stress my body.
as far as how my body is looking.... hummm well it is flat, and swollen, its hard to know just how much it is swollen. I am going to keep looking for people who had tummy tucks a year or so ago but that have done updates I am just carious as to how the changes work.
The the 29th tt girls TYVM for all your wonderful words, I didnt write more last night after my bathroom bit but I DID read what everyone wrote and it helped me so much with getting though the night with a little less stress.

Updated on 4 Jul 2012:
well, today is going well, I am bruised and feeling the pain from that, and tired but other then that I am feeling so much better, I have another post op tomorrow I hope to lose the drains but I am just not sure if he will take them or not, I am still getting about 40 every 8 hours. but it is no longer red unless I am up walking to the bathroom. I am so happy for my 29ers they look amazing!

Updated on 6 Jul 2012:
one week :) ok so I now understand a few things with my tummy tuck a little better. well a lot better, I was not able to understand how long my surgery took, or now much pain i was in compared to so many others or even the price comparison to other doctors in my area. but I chose my doctor based on his before and after photos and I just liked the look of his tummy tucks. in fact other then him giving a lot of good information I was not real impressed with his bedside manner, HOWEVER a few things have changed 1, He is a VERY GOOD doctor, 2, He and his staff are AMAZING!!!!! 3, He is VERY VERY NICE, 4 the follow up is to die for, 5 I could not ask for him to spend more time with me. oh but back to now understanding how my surgery took a full 5 hours i had what you call a High lateral tension tummy tuck

This is an advanced technique that takes a little more than four and half hours to perform. Conventional abdominoplasty tightens muscles in a vertical line. In this new method, known as high lateral tension abdominoplasty, in addition to vertical-line tightening, muscles are tightened horizontally. there is also triple stitching. The final result with this technique is a dramatically flat abdomen with significantly better-defined waistline.

it may sound so funny but I hated not understanding ....

as far as everything else, it is all going good! I am feeling much better I hope to have my drains removed monday and I am standing straight a little bit more I am thinking I may even see my bed this next week.

Updated on 7 Jul 2012:
day 9 well, today is starting off not as well as yesterday but better then 1,2,3,4,5,and 6th day.... i am having pain on the side of my tummy by the hip area it is making it hard to walk and is causing muscle spasms..... and A dang stitch that is in my muscle under the skin over in my lower right abdominal keeps poking me from the inside. GRRRR thank god it dissolves!!! (this is not something that everyone has, in the type of tummy tuck i had there are stitches up and down the middle but there are also stitches in a V shape from side to side . I guess it will be a lot of ups and downs
I am starting to like the shape and look of my belly, I am still worried about the fat on my hips.... I know it is still swollen and I am not able to stand up straight i will be ok with it if it is more but kind of thing... i think... lol I just don't want to look silly or be miss proportioned.
onto something new.... Boredom! yeah how I can be bored when I own my own business ( I buy houses around the USA) and much of my business is run out of my house.. so really I can keep working IDK... but i am, really I guess I just feel like i need a little change so I think I am going to try a little bartering :) I am trying to decided what my final goal is.... HUMMMM what do I want? I guess I need to decided what my final goal is..... I keep coming back to a car.. I need one really i need 2 I have 2 girls who both have started driving but cars for them aint much fun for me and i think it would be fun for them to do their own bartering to get a car.... how fun and exciting that would be. hummmm ill come up with something.
I think I am going to do a little reading here on realself and check in on the 29ers

Updated on 8 Jul 2012:
day 10- well I am feeling fine, I think the BAD! days are now it the past, some pain but nothing that I can deal with no meds. I am having more concerns with my flank area, the concern has been there since day one but I keep just trying to keep calm and push the worries back, but ... I really am worried, my waist looks good and the belly is flat, I am even ok with the belly button, but these FLANKS !!! ummm i just dont know.... I think they are huge compared to the rest. (i hate to describe it like this but i don't know how else to.... its like when you see a woman standing on one side of a car and she looks avg. size but then she walks out from behind the car and her bottom half is HUGE and you are a little taken back. " I tried on my suit bottoms today, (yep can tell im feeling a lot better) and well it was not a pretty sight, 1st they didnt cover my scar, 2 they were two small, 3 YUCK! ..... deep breaths....in...out.....in.....out..... I know I am still swollen, i know they say you have to give it 3 months to get a good idea what is going on... but its very hard i want to just go tell my ps to put me under and lipo this crap out now! ... I have been trying to see if anyone else has had this issue in the past and then see how it turned out but so far I have only found one and that was 3 years ago and it will not let me mesg. her.... :(
but to end on a good note, I don't feel like crap today, i am feeling better and better every day.

Updated on 8 Jul 2012:
HOLY FAT WOMAN .....BATMAN!!! DUMB DUMB DUMB..... I decided I would wear my very nice spandax garment since the doctor still has me in the compression belt thing, and I am worried about these thighs and FLANKS so I thought... I need to get the bound.... well, this garment fit BEFORE the tt.... it took me about 15 min of working to get it up over my thighs and butt.... it seamed so much tighter then b4 but... Im a little swollen, right?.... but I was sure once I got it up and over that part i would be good to go! WRONG!!!!!!!!!! I can not even buckle the hooks little lone the zipper. even with it unbuckled and unhooked it was so dang tight it made my ummmm squeeze out the bottom (TMI I know..) but OMG!!! I guess I will not be going anyplace any day soon, there is NOWAY anything i own would fit on my body other then the spandax bike shorts i have been wearing but that I cut the waist off of, and cut a hole in the front for me to put my drains though. am i the only one that is even MORE of a tub after the tt then before?

Updated on 8 Jul 2012:
well I put up some photos that I don't care for

Updated on 9 Jul 2012:
Day 11- 1 Drain gone!!!!! WOO HOO!!!!!!!!! I had a fallow up today and he took one drain :) I was hoping tp get rid of both but 1 is better then none. my next appointment is friday so I am sure I will get it out then. he said I need to really start massaging my thighs and flanks OUCH but I want those suckers to look good so pain or not those suckers are getting a rub down :) .. all is good

Updated on 9 Jul 2012:
I was writing in a friends page and I thought I should put this in my update I was going to and then forgot.
IT IS TO EARLY FOR US TO WORRY ABOUT HOW IT IS GOING TO TURN OUT, we need to wait... we are not even at 2 weeks oh and ask your PS for your pre tt photos, lol mine gave me them and said to put them in the bathroom so then I can see where I was and where I am..... oh hey one more thing, my PS said that it is real common for us to panic, our bodies are important to us, so much that we went under the knife, and we will have a lot of fears and worries. he said that he has to meet with his facelift people every couple of days and sometimes everyday, not because it is needed medically but because they can not see past the bruises, swelling and tape that is all over their faces. that they go into the "what did I do" "did i mess up", "did I ruin my life?" so he sees them all the time really just so he can look and say... it is coming a long as it should. fear and worry is common and normal it will turn out!!!!!
oh one last thing then I will shut up LOL
after drains are out
1st month swelling
2nd month Unevenness
3rd we start to see the final result

Updated on 13 Jul 2012:
well i had my 2 week post op, everything is good I am now Drain FREE :) and i am in a CG that is killing me :) OMG i am so stuffed into this thing, my back hurts, im hot! and i cant breath! lmao ...... so most of my pain other then the pain from the lipo is now gone, i am standing about 90% straight, i am still sleeping in my chair, when I have tried to use the bed I have woken up with a killer headache all 3 times, i am able to move around a lot more but I do find that I get worn out much faster. From what my doctor said I am now getting to head into swelling for the next 4 weeks :( the CG is suppose to help with that but he did say i need to make sure and removed it for about 8 hours everyday. my next doctors appointment is in 10 days and at that time he will give me diet pills to help with any weight gain for a month or two. I will try to add some photos later today or tomorrow .

Updated on 18 Jul 2012:
2 1/2 weeks almost 3 - well,I am feeling so much better, I feel stronger and healthier every day. i am still not standing straight but i am about 90% in the morning and about 80% later on in the day, I think I am going to try to sleep in my bed tonight, my fingers are crossed that I will not wake up with any headaches.:) I don't want to sound ungrateful or picky, but i am having a hard time with the roundness, yes I have curves from the front, almost to much but when I stand to the side I only see a round barrel? l i am just wondering if others feel this way at all. I am not happy with my shape I know that its not going to look like this forever but I do wonder just how much will change. i know I am being picky, to curvy from the front, not enough curves from the side and fat bra/banana rolls from the back. but I do feel tons better then I need 2 weeks ago

Updated on 21 Jul 2012:
3 weeks and everything is going well, i have a little more swelling then when I had the drains in, but I am starting to see shape and get an idea of the final out come, I still think I am going to need more lipo on my flanks and I know i want to have the banana / bra roll gone. well I am keeping this short today I am off to check up on the 29ers

Updated on 25 Jun 2013:
well its just about one year out, everything is going well, I am still about 1/2 numb and I have some swelling now and then. I have not done well with my weight I weigh just what I did one year ago. but my belly looks amazing, flat and strong as F%$&! I will have to take and send photos later this week

Updated on 26 Jun 2013:

I am schelduled for a full TT with repair of hernia and lipo of the flanks on October 28th, 2011. I have had two kids, my youngest is 3 1/2 years old. Last one was a c-section. I am 5'11" and 155 pounds. Not very large but tired of looking preganant all the time.



Updated on 6 Oct 2011:
All the paperwork is now finalized, just waiting. I know that everything will go fine and that the 28th is just around the corner. I do my labs on the 24th. I am very confident in my surgeons abilities. He has been doing this for 17 years and I have saw hundreds of before and after pictures that he has done but I am still a little nervous, but I guess that's normal. Just hoping for a smooth and speedy recovery! This website has been so helpful for me. I am from a small southern town where plastic surgery is taboo so to say. I am glad that I have found a awesome support group to help encourage me!!

Updated on 10 Oct 2011:
Ok so friday I started taking Chromagen Forte Caplets. My surgeon gave these high power iron tablets to me because after my c-section I became anemic and it took over 2 years of iron pills to bring my iron levels back up so hopefully taking these 2 times a day three weeks before my surgery and three months after will prevent that from happenning to me again. The only problem is iron pills wreck havoc on my tummy!! One day severally consipated, the next can't stop going. But I understand that it's for the best :) Two weeks from today will be my pre-op and lab work and two weeks from friday will be my actual surgery. My sister is getting married on the 22nd so bridal shower this saturday, wedding the saturday after then surgery the friday after so I know the time will fly by. I was schelduled for last friday the 7th but I have to be the maid of honor so I picked the 28th, which is best all around because I will have hubby, sister and both parents around to help with me and the kids all the weekend and week after to help with me not having to do anything but focus on myself and recovering.

Updated on 14 Oct 2011:
Today makes exactly two weeks until my surgery. I am getting more and more excited! I have had quite a bit of surgeries before so I pretty much know what to expect pain and healing wise so that helps keep my nerves calm. My pre-op is monday the 24th. Will keep you guys updated and informed!

Updated on 14 Oct 2011:
List Pros & Cons, Advice you can offer others

Updated on 18 Oct 2011:
Ok so here we are today with only 10 days before the actual surgery. I go to my pre-op in 6. SOOOO excited to finally get this done. However, I am 99% sure that I will be on my period at the time of surgery. My doctor said that it is fine it doens't complicate things but it will be annoying since I will have drains in and won't be able to shower for 8 days after. I can sponge bath but that never makes me feel clean the way a good old fashion shower does!! Will update again after my pre-op appointment because my sister is getting married saturday so I will be extremely busy from tommorrow until monday the day of my appointment!

Updated on 22 Oct 2011:
Just got back from the wedding and it was amazing!! Just a quick update!!! My procedure has changed. Thursday night when I stood to get off the couch I had a horrible ripping pain across my right side and I noticed that my hernia tripled in size!! I called my PS friday to tell him what happenned and he says that he will have to do a customized TT because my adomen can't handle full normal Lipo Adominplasty because what he thinks happened is the entire wall around my umblical cord fell in which means the hernia is a very large piece of intestine poking through which means he is going to have to be more agressive with the muscles and less agressive with the skin and lipo. So I will find out for sure when I go to my pre-op monday. My surgery date will still be the same, next friday the 28th. If only that hernia would have held up for another week! I will update everyone monday evening to let you guys know what the plans are now!

Updated on 24 Oct 2011:
Ok I go to my pre-op appointment in about 2 hours. I will then find out if we can still do the FTT or if my hernia is just too bad and we have to do that alone. Hopefully everything will still be set for the FTT!!! I will update you guys tonight!

Updated on 26 Oct 2011:
Ok surgery is in two days at 9:00. Went for my pre-op monday and learned that I won't be doing a full tummy tuck anymore due to the hernia. He said it is a good amount of large intestine poking through to the point that it is about to become strangulated. This happenned to my mom a couple of years ago and it was horrible! So now he will be cutting around my belly button and removing it then cutting through the muscles to push the intestines back in place then stiching the muscles back together. He believes that once the hernia is fixed that I really won't need a tummy tuck anymore because my skin is good and it mostly pokes out in the center of my belly and he is going to stich 3-5 inches of my muscles back together (as far as he can reach both ways with the incision). Once I heal, the scar should be almost unnoticeable because it will be inside my belly button. He said that tummy tuck is not a option right now because he only does lipo and tummy tuck and the lipo can't be done with all the worth for the hernia because it will be too much trama at one time. He doesn't do just tummy tucks because 85% of people don't like the results and come back for lipo which then leaves loose skin again. I will still keep everyone updated and a couple of days after my surgery I will post pics so if there is anymone out there that has a hernia, they can see how it looks to repair it.

Updated on 28 Oct 2011:
Ok just a quick update because I am in horrible pain!! The hernia was the worst my surgeon has saw in his combined years of practicing (17 years) and took over 2 1/2 hours to repair. He had to cut me a little straight up and down. The mucles were so seperated he said that he could stick a orange in and out the hole and still wouldn't touch the sides!!! Come to find out that is what my kangaroo pouch was and he tightened the hold 5" to close it so it took 5" off my waist. It was too much loose skin so he called my emergency contact, my mom, and asked if he could procede to remove the skin from the incision he already made and she gave the ok so now I already look faboulous although he says that I am really swollen!!! Now my problem with the hernia, muscle repair and skin was resolved through the small incision so I am excited that I won't have to have a TT anymore!!! Only problem is that I am at a SEVERE high risk for infection because he can't give me high power antibotics because I am allegic to penicillen and if it becomes infected, he will have to take away my belly button but I honestly wouldn't mind it. He said that when he opened it up he saw all these broken stiches and didn't know what was going on then realized that when I had my c-section, the removed my belly button from it's original location (I suspected this because it became extremely high after wards) and the cut the muscles too far up and tried to stitch them back without knowing what they were doing and also they used permanant stiches. My surgeon never uses permanant stiches (although many PS do) because he said it might take 10 years but your body will eventually "spit out" the stitches or rip them because they know it is a foreigh object. He gave me plenty of shots in my tummy to help with the pain. He gave me percocet, morphine, hydrocodine, and tons of other medicine but he says it will only help so much because of my intestines being exposed to air so long has tramatized them and I am at a high risk for absess and don't expect a BM for about two weeks. He is not open on saturdays or sundays but I will be there everyday including these days to change my bandages. He wants to personally do them his self, not even let the nurses do it. He was very upset that this was done to me and refused to even accept extra payment for additonal medicines, operating times, office visits etc. I truely love Dr.Culbertson because he really cares and everyone of his patients. I am also in this aweful binder and my back is killing me from walking hunched over because he tightned the muscles and pulled the skin. As soon as I am able to leave the bandages off I will take pictures to show everyone my results. He said to expect 3 full months for all swelling to go down and for me to be able to eat and breathe normally again because those simple things are hard to do now with the new tightness. I will update again on monday because I am having me a nice weekend with hubby catering to my every need and the kids are spending the weekend with my sister so I have plenty of time to take it easy. I'm not allowed to do house work or driving of ANY kind the first three weeks because he said that you may be almost healed and then a infection hits and believe it or not, that is the most common time to get infections and abcesses!!! Will let all of you ladies know how I am doing monday and thanks so much for all of your support and warm wishes through this hard time!! PS: Please overlook the spelling errors, the pain medicines are getting to me, LOL!

Updated on 30 Oct 2011:
Ok I get my bandages off tommorrow and I will upload pics. This has been a very painful experience for me to say the LEAST. I am still very swollen but I can tell from the one stretch mark and two frinkles that I have where the skin has been pulled. The worst part is the back and calf pains from having to walk hunched over. No BM as of yet but have been passing alot of gas. I am glad that I went this route because I can't image the pain of all the other cuts and lipo from what I orginally had planned!! Well I am heading off to bed for now because all of the pain medicine is getting to me and will update you guys tommorrow!

Updated on 5 Nov 2011:
I've been having LOTS of complications ladies so I will give a good update in a few days. Brief run down, I was doing fine until 4 days post op then didn't have a bowel movement and had to take magnesium citrate to go and come to find out I had a blockage in my intestines and had to go through a battering of tests and to be treated for severe dehydration to make sure nothing went wrong with my intestines during the surgery. Everything was fine but I almost ripped everything apart from all of the vomiting but luckly it held. Every inch of my intestines permantely hurt now because come to find out I was allergic to the magnesuim citrate! It will take about another week before it goes away! Today I am 8 days post op and still feel as if I am dying! I have taken a picture today and will upload it in a couple of days but I didn't get to take any pictures right after the surgery because I was in horrible pain. But the good news is that my PS stiched that 5" gap closed so now I have an unbelieveable tiny waist already although he says it will take 3-6 months for the swelling to finally subside to see the final result!!

Updated on 1 Dec 2011:
30 Days Post Op- Well I am finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel!! Let me elaberate on what my surgery was. I was schelduled for a full TT with lipo. A week before my surgery, my hernia got very large. It was a hole that was 5" in diameter, or the size of a large grapefruit. My intestines became strangulated and I couldn't poop. So we had to fix the hernia because fixing it with a full TT and lipo was just too much trama for my stomach at one sitting. We decided to go ahead and tighten the muscles and remove the excess skin but I was warned by my surgeon that Umblicalplasty usual doesn't look cosmetically normal and I might not like it but I decided to go ahead and do it that way I wouldn't have to go back and do a TT later and have the hip to hip scar. In the photos I have uploaded, they were taken this morning and I am very swollen. When he pulled everything tight, it made a pocket of fat that you will see in the middle of my stomach which he says he can lipo out in Febuary and it will be flat once again. This has been a hard recovery but it was totally worth it. I am satisfied with my belly button although it is a little wrinkly looken but I am overall happy with everything.

Updated on 1 Dec 2011:
I meant to add that when I went in for my surgery I weighed 165. 8 days after from not eating I was 147, which I still am now. That's 18 lbs lost!!! Also finally all of my "plumbing" is working properly. One weird effect that I had from being put to see for 3 hours 10 minutes if heart burn!! OMG!!! I never had heart burn before in my life. Even after eating hot food or while I was preganant but now I DIE with it!! I take zantac twice a day and live for eating Tums but still no relief! Dr. said that it had to be from being put to sleep and hopefully it will resolve over a few months but might be permanant. I never heard of this happenning to anyone else before though but that's the only complaint for now and not being able to exercise. I can do light exercise in 2 more weeks for 9 months before I can do any ab exercise such as sit ups because the whole where my hernia was was so massive. So I'm tired of being flabby, lol!

Updated on 9 Dec 2011:
Sorry ladies but I have deleted my photos when I saw them show up in the yahoo and google searches! Everything is still going ok over here though!

I am having my surgery in less than 48 hours. I've been searching site, seeing all great things! I'm excited, nervous and scared all at the same time. My doctor is the absolute best and I'm sure I'll love results. Meds picked up, plans in place! It's only DOWN from here! Lipoabdomminoplasty, I'm here!!