Timothy G. Schaefer, MD

I met Dr. Schaefer by chance after calling around for abdominalplasty consultation. Upon meeting him I found his bedside manner to be warm, through and educated. I initiate went seeking information about panniculectomy and he discussed with me by asking appropriate questions to uncover if a panniculectomy would meet my desires (it would not). His team took photos and submitted a preapproval request to my insurance company. My insurance approved a panniculectomy and I opted to "upgrade" to a full tummy tuck with muscle repair and lipo of flanks.

I had my first consultation in April and surgery in August. I decided to have surgery at Abbott Northwestern. The preop procedure was easy and put me at ease. Dr. Schaefer visited with me prior to surgery and reviewed the procedure, drew on my body and we headed to surgery. Surgery went very well. I opted not to stay over one night in the hospital and instead went home. I had a little nausea and vomited once home and that quickly passed.

I am three weeks post op today and have been very happy thus far with the level of care I have been receiving from Dr. Schaefer and his staff. My healing is going well and I'm satisfied with my current results. I expect my results to continue to improve as swelling decreases. My incision is healing nicely and my shape looks good. I was hoping to be a little tighter in my upper abs however no lipo could be performed in that area as it would prevent new blood flow and healing for everything below. I fully intend to tighten my upper abs through diet and exercise once cleared.
I'm writing this review because I had a lot of difficulty finding information about Dr. Schaefer online and want to help anyone else looking for a detailed review for tummy tuck going forward. I personally recommend his work. Pre -Op weight approx 190 Height 5'3.5 Had lost weight through diet and exercise and wanted to tighten up my body.

I met Dr. Schaefer by chance as I needed a Friday appt and he was the surgeon in the office that day, but it turned out to be a perfect match. His nurse Lori is great to work with also, very accommodating and caring. I had a bilateral mastectomy due to breast cancer and after much research and thought, decided to do delayed bilateral breast reconstruction with a muscle-sparing free TRAM flap. Dr Schaefer was very helpful and patient answering all of my many questions, explaining in a way I could understand. He really put me at ease and prepared me for the very long and involved surgery that was ahead. I had complete confidence in his skills as a surgeon and artist and I am so happy with the results... better than I ever expected! After performing an 11 1/2 hour surgery he even called my nurses at 3 am so he could listen to the doppler and check blood flow to the flaps over the phone - now that's a caring and dedicated doctor! This was the right decision and surgeon for me. Cancer is a very scary thing to go through and it takes some things away from you. My body will never be the same but Dr Schaefer was able to give me some of this back and I'm very grateful to him for that! I highly recommend Dr Schaefer!

Last year I was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a bilateral mastectomy with latissimus dorsa flap reconstruction. Recently, he performed a fat grafting procedure to make my breast implants appear more natural. Dr. Schaefer was able to fulfill a life long dream of mine by using fat from liposuction of my calves and ankles. I can truly call this experience life changing. For the first time, I feel like my body finally fits me!! And I am not hiding my legs any more!

After being diagnosed with BC in June/2016. I was given all options in this portion of my journey and everything was VERY WELL explained to me. I chose and it was recommended - Bilateral Mastectomy, due to my diagnosis. That was performed in August 2016. My recovery time in Phase 1 (first surgery) was about 8 weeks Any kind of surgery like this has is good and bad days, but the weekly office appointments helped with the process and healing journey. All questions were addressed and answered, if I did not understand they would take the time with me that I needed. Phase 2 was about the same recovery was a bit easier because there were no drains to have to deal with. This kind of surgery is a personal decision and one not to be taken lightly, take your time to decide and ask lots of questions. I am VERY happy with the results.

Breast Reconstruction after double mastectomy due to Breast cancer diagnosis at 40. I had tissue expanders, multiple "fills", breast implant surgery, nipple reconstruction, tattooing. My tissue expander surgery was the most extensive because it was coupled with my mastectomy. I recovered well from that surgery and I was referred to a physical therapist by my plastic surgeon to ensure I got my mobility in my arms back as well as information and intervention for lymph edema if any. My surgery to get the implants was outpatient and so easy. Nipple reconstruction was done in the office so it was very convenient. My tattoing was also done in the office and a very easy process and looks great. It took some time to work through all of these steps but now when i look in the mirror I see a whole person again and most of the time I forget "they are fake". I am so happy I was placed with Dr. Schaefer and the Midwest Plastic Surgery team.

I am 6 month post-op from my tummy tuck & absolutely love my results. Working a desk / office job, I was able to return to work after 10 days out - I went home nightly & had my feet up & needing the extra rest for about 5 weeks. The 'tightning' feel began to lift around 6 weeks. I returned to cardio exercise at 2 months. I have spent my life battling genetics, age & cleaning my diet & exercise, but these results are astounding and unlike any I've ever achieved and I am thrilled !!

I am 4'11" and 110 lbs. My children are 20 and 16. I turned 40 years old today. Following my pregnancies I was left with severe stretch marks that extended above my belly button. It is my goal to eliminate stretch marks and get into a bikini for the first time in my life. A vertical incision is the only way to go because of the severity of my strech marks.

Updated on 14 Nov 2013:
Posting these photos is hard for me to do as I am sure it is for many people. There is very little info available about fleur di lis tummy tucks (verticle incision that will extend all the way up my abdomen to my bra line) so I wanted to be sure to share my journey. I am hoping I can look back at these photos some day with no regretts.

Updated on 28 Nov 2013:
The PS and the hospital have been paid and the count down is on. It may be a blessing that this is all happending so close to Christmas. The need to be prepared for the holidays so early has been a welcome distraction from the upcoming surgery.

Updated on 10 Dec 2013:
My surgery is at 8:15 tomorrow a.m. (less than 9 hours away)!!! I have been too busy to be worried about what is to come. I can control and prepare my environment but I have to accept that I cannot control my outcome. I can only hope that the results meet my expectations.

As with most all of you out there, I have waited a very long time for this day to come. I honestly never thought that getting my tummy fixed would ever be in my future untill just a few short months ago when I found out that I needed a hysterectomy and hernia repair. Combining the surgeries has made it a more manageable expense. With that said, I really don't think that it has completely sunk in that I AM GETTING A TUMMY TUCK TOMORROW:)

I will post an update and new photos as soon as I am able.

Updated on 17 Dec 2013:
I has taken me a few days to feel up to sitting at the computer and posting an update. I want to start off by saying that I could not be happier. I still have some stretch marks in my lower abdomen but that was to be expected considering the severity of my stretch marks. I am very happy with my belly button as long as it stays healthy. I see the PS again on Thursday.

The biggest challenge that I had post-op was my tolerance to pain medication. I ending up staying in the hospital for a total of three nights. I started out receiving pain medication via an epidural. I was naucious no matter how much anti naucia medication that they gave me. They eventurally stopped the pain meds and used the epidural to numb the lower portion of my body. Once the pain meds cleared my system I felt much better. I was sent home with Ibuprophen (800 mg) and Tramadol (100 mg). The combination of these two have kept the pain at bay.

I am greatful for the lift chair that was lent to me by my mother in law! My family has been very supportive and have kept my family fed. My husband and son are very good caretakers.

Please ask me any questions that you may have regarding my procedure. I am excited to share!

Updated on 2 Jan 2014:
I had my steri strips removed a couple of days ago and have finally seen my scar. I'll be honest...I was a bit surprised. Before the reveal I had a little voice in my head telling me that "your scar will not be very noticable.....". Deep down I knew that this was not the truth. It was still hard to see the scar for the first time. I know that it may become less red and noticable over time. While I am "not so patiently" waiting I have to remind myself of how happy I am with my results and learn to love my scar. I could not get to that point of happiness without it. My doctor has recommended that I keep them covered with medical grade paper tape. He said that studies have shown that scars heal thinner using this product.

Scars:
My bikini line scar is a bit more raised in certain areas that I had thought it would be based on a previous C section scar but I am ok with that. It is very low and is completely covered in any bikini bottom that I would be comfortable wearing. The lower portion of my verticly incision is very smooth and thin. The portion above my belly button is more raised. I have to assume that there is more tension on this part of the incision as it is nothing short of a miracle that my doctor was able to cut out as many of the stretch marks as he did. I am very happy with my belly button. It seems to be shrinking a bit since surgery but I am okay with that. I would much rarther have a tiny narrow belly button than an obvious round scar.

The "T-joint" at the base of my verticle incision is very smooth.

Stretch Marks:
As you can see in the pictures I still have a fair number of stretch marks. The camera seems to highlight them. The worst of them are in my lower abdomen and are covered by a bikini bottom. I am learning to own the rest of them. The ones in my upper abdomen near the verticle incision seem to create a "bump" in the scar. I hope this inproves over time... but if not I am okay with it if they don't.

Overall health:
I am feeling good. My husband and I actually went out with friends to ring in the new year. I was worried that I would not last all night or that I would be hurting the next day but that was not the case. I made it until midnight and did not have any increased discomfort the next day. I took it very easy on New Year's Day though - alot of couch time.

I am able to stand up straight but can not arch back at all because of tightness in my abs. I plan to return to work at four weeks post-op. That is coming up so fast! I will go back on Wednesday of next week. I thought a short week may be a good idea.

Updated on 7 Jan 2014:
I am headed back to work full-time tomorrow. A couple of weeks ago I thought that I might be ready to go back early. Now that the time has come I am worried that I am not ready. I feel like I have regressed recently.

Updated on 13 Jan 2014:
My scar is healing nicely. The raised area in the upper portion of my Fleur Di Lis scar has gone away. It is all laying nice and flat. I continue to use the paper tape 98% of the time. When I take it off to change it I have left it off over night and put Bio-oil on my scars. I replace the tape in the morning. I change the tape every three to four days. I would like to change it more often but is not ready to come off any earlier. I still have to pull a bit to get it off even after four days. I am concernered that if I change it more often I will irritate the scar.

I had some pain in my lower abdomen today (felt like my bladder was very full even though it was not) and went into the doctor. They tested me for a bladder infection. The results were negative but they put me on an antibiotic for the next three days just in case.

Updated on 17 Feb 2014:
I was in Mexico two weeks ago with my husband and another couple to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary (a little early - it is not until Apri). It was wonderful. I would reccomend Puerto Vallarta to anyone! I spent much of the vacation in a bikini. Leading up to the vacation I was very excited to show the world my new body; I had no intention of hiding my scar as I stated here many times. I was not prepared for all of the stares that I got. "What are they staring at......don't they know how much better I look!!!!" I say this in jest of course! I don't blame anyone for staring as I sure I did my fair share of staring at those around the pool for both positive and negative reasons.....this is human nature. I just need to get more accustomed to this. I have something about me that is different (not bad....just different) that people are going to look at. It is going to take some time to build up the confidence to not be bothered by this.