- Our highly-trained Review Moderation team evaluates all reviews before they're published to ensure they're written by people like you and not a member of a doctor's office.
- This multi-step process takes up to 24 hours from review submission to publication.
- Doctors can't pay to have reviews removed or hidden.
- Reviews are only removed at the reviewer's request or if they violate our Terms of Service.
If you have questions or believe we should re-evaluate a published review, let us know.
Some changes for the tummy region....
My doctor cleared me to return to my regular routine minus core and heavy lifting. I was also cleared to remove my binder. Things were looking good! Then, yesterday morning I woke up a big pot belly...a slightly different shape then my old friend the baby pooch but they must be related since they resemble each other so closely.
Not a happy camper...and freaking out since I devised a list of a bunch of possibilities.
1. My worst fear: I tore some sutures. Since I was cleared to return to life I decided to do some hands and knees gardening and washing of the floors, since neither had been done since my surgery (yuck!). I knew it was not feel super and if I was uncomfortable then I would stop...but it didn't feel bad at all. I was totally fine. I took my time and got the job done. I;ve also been sneezing alot which I know can also tear the sutures....BUT I am hopeful that since I am NOT in pain (just very tender around my belly button)...that this is not my case. So moving on...
2. All that activity caused some swelling...swelling that I haven't really seen and am not used to. Swelling that was also kept to a minimum by my binder, which I was not wearing. I think this is the likely cause.
3. Seroma. Not wearing my binder and also having my drains removed earlier than others (7 and 10 day removal at 15cc for a 24h period X2 days to be safe). My drains WERE ready to come out and I don't think that removing them was premature but I'm wondering if maybe my draining was...could I be developing fluid now? After 4 weeks?
4. My infection is somehow causing this. I didn't mention it before, but I also had a slight infection at the bottom of my belly button. It wasn't anything big so I didn't think it was worth mentioning. I also do not believe this to be the cause but I am throwing out ALL the options.
5. Since I haven't been using my muscles, this is just lax muscles and my stomach hanging out as a result. It has been a month of not using them afterall so I can imagine they are worthless at this point. I can only imagine what my first day of crunches is going to feel like. Ow...I'm already in pain thinking about it.
6. My next vote for likely causes is that I should be getting my period very very VERY shortly...like any day now. This is just bloating caused by that...bloating that just happens to fall in the timeline making me come up with all these other possible causes.
So...time will tell...and so will Doc Deluca when I see him in 2 weeks...assuming this has not resolved itself by then.
Spitting stiches
I got professionally bra fitted yesterday...
My doctor cleared me to wear underwire since I'm healing really well (and I only have a 2 inch incison on only my right breast). My breasts have settled a lot in the past 3 weeks as well and I kind of hope they stop dropping and fluffying! I really like where they are right now!
I went to get bra fitted thinking I had measured myself perfect at a 30/32 D...well...I made a big mistake and that changed things a lot. I took my band measurement and added the recommended amounts for the band size (which is really Effed up if you ask me). Anyway, I measured 30 around which makes my band a 32. THEN I measured my cup and measured 36 and subtracted that from my BAND measurement, not my actual measurement. (4 inch difference makes me a D). I now know that I should have subtracted it from my actual measurement, like the fitter did, as I am in fact a 32F(DDD) or even a 30F(DDD) according to her.
I'm sure it would have been hilarious to see my reaction. I tried on several insanely priced bras and realized that in the Chantelle brand (which I adored) 30DDD fit perfect. They had some nice styles and a handful of good brands but I was not prepared to pay the $126 price tag though I left, braless...again. I'm going to take my chance on ebay since I found dozens of Chantelle bras in my size for a very small fraction of the price that the boutique was selling them at (like $25 a bra!!). I figured the same brand will unlikely have drastic size variations between the different styles but even if they do, at $25 a bra vs $126, it's worth the risk. The panties too had a hefty price tag of $76 where on ebay I am finding they are about $15.
So I went home and happily scoured ebay. I found tons, much more fun colours than the boutique had and I ended up buying a nice little purple bra and panties to match for the whopping total of $46.97 shipped to my US address (as opposed to the $200+ I would have spent at the boutique). So I'm pretty happy with my savings. I am finding it really hard not to get carried away though. I may go to another bra boutique and see what brands they have and try on a few there to check sizing and sister sizing as there was much more 32DD than 30DDD on ebay.
I have a pretty addictive personality so I'm a little nervous. So far I have 4 pages of watched items consisting of mainly bras. Before children my passion was designer jeans....I have a total of about 30. Then it was jujube diaper bags...then it was goodmama diapers, then I started trying to loose that baby pooch which resulted in workout clothes...hello lululemon. I've been good lately (for the last year) but I can definitely see this new hot bod causing some problems for me!!
Provider Review
I did my research and since this was going to be a lifelong change, I needed to make sure that everything was going to be perfect and to achieve that, I did to find the perfect surgeon. I started out locally, looking within the mega city nearest to me (Toronto - 1 hour away). My search consisted of looking at before and after photos of the work I was wanting done. If there was even a handful of after photos that made me wince, that surgeon was out. I obviously looked at hundreds of websites and the handful that made the cut received emails with inquiries and attempts to book consultations. Most of the responses were fairly quick and the ones that were delayed by a week got crossed off my list. All were responses from secretaries or nurses which is what I was expecting and half of them were automated responses (which I disliked a lot but didn't rule them out because of it). Following this I started with phone calls. In nearly all cases I found the secretaries to be rude, forceful and unhelpful - which obviously crossed them of the list. In the end, I had no one I was considering and had not even made it to the consultation part of the process and had not been in contact with a single surgeon! At this point I felt my standards were too high but then came across a website where people mentioned they were traveling out of state for their surgeon. Since I am so close to the New York border, I thought I would try a few of the surgeons in the Buffalo and Rochester areas (both 1 hour away) before readjusting my standards. Somehow, and I can't even recall how, I made my way to Dr. Deluca's website who was initially outside the zone I was considering traveling (Albany - 4 hours away). I looked at his before and after photos and there was not a single one that I felt showed any flaws, not a SINGLE one! I would have not only been content with having any of the results I saw, but ecstatic! I continued searching his website for more information and discovered that there was an "out of town patients" section. It was like a dream come true. I filled out the out of town patient consultation form and about an hour later at 9:17 p.m. I received a personalized response from Dr. Deluca himself. The very next day I responded back with the measurements and photos that were needed and booked my telephone consultation. The consultation was 30 minutes and consisted of a dozen questions which I previously jotted down. Dr. Deluca was extremely polite, soft spoken and a pleasure to talk to. He answered all my questions without sounding the least bit annoyed (I'm sure some of them had to sound ridiculous!) and made his recommendations with confidence. He even provided me with a quote at the end of the consultation - a number that was much less expensive than what I had been quoted in Canada. Aside from booking the consultation, my correspondence was always with Dr. Deluca up until after the consultation when I decided I needed to have him as my surgeon and booked my surgery with his assistant, Karen. I spoke with Karen was good hour about the whole process and she asked me several times if I had any questions. I didn't at this point and she assured me that I would and that I shouldn't hesitate to contact the office at anytime. Sure enough, within a few weeks before my surgery, I had many questions so I called and sent out my rounds of emails, most of which were responded by Deluca himself, and all within a day. On Monday June 17th I met with Dr. Deluca for the first time and felt extremely confident with my decision in choosing him. He was exactly as I imagined and I felt extremely comfortable with him. When it came time for the big day, I was obviously nervous. I tend to joke around when feeling like this and Dr. Deluca was a blast to joke around with. I recall him coming in to do his drawings and asked me how I slept. I told him I didn't sleep at all and that wasn't important....what was important was how well he slept! He chuckled and assured me he slept just fine. After drawing his lines he left me by telling me not to worry and that I'll do great. I responded by saying "thanks, so will you! Right?!" Again, he chuckled and said he will be doing better than me. It felt as though I blinked and was greeted with my new, less droopy body. I felt great and things could not have gone more perfect. I had my first post-op visit and he examined me with a careful eye to make sure all was going well. He looked like an artist concentrating on a masterpiece! (For the record...I only waited about 5 minutes for both my pre-op and post-op appointment!) Currently I am only a week into recovery but my breast lift has resulted in two perfectly even and perky breasts with the augmentation being the appropriate size I had described. Once the implants settle and the swelling goes down, I am sure I will be the envy of many since I truly believe they are perfect! Perfect slope, size, nice round shape and completely symmetrical...I didn't even think it could be achieved with the sagging I had previously! My tummy tuck has left me with a nice flat tummy and I have little pain and bruising which I attribute to a job well done. My incision is so low that is practically touches my pubic hair line. I am still healing but some of the tape has lifted and I can only find what looks like a hair running across my belly...this is the "scar" I am being blessed with (assuming things continue healing so well!). I have had a couple questions within the last week and to no surprise, Dr. Deluca answered them all very quickly, one within 5 minutes! I am not sure when I will be seeing him again but you can be guaranteed that a great big hug will be given for his amazing job well done! As for the stars below. I truly believe he exceeds the 5 star rating in all areas. He really is THAT amazing. I will be referring anyone who is considering any kind of cosmetic surgery, no matter their location as I attest that he is definitely worth traveling to!