Belly Button Revision

Yay the scar is gone! I can’t see the dissolvable stitches. My pain level is 0. I need lipo next, my belly is fat!

I saw on another review that Dr. Dowbak was no longer at Spectrum Aesthetics??? New Life posted this pic on Ig on January 5th. Some surgeons work at multiple facilities, but the fact that her patient before/after pictures are no longer posted on Spectrum’s Instagram page...this might not be the case. I also read in the comments that New Life might possibly be honoring deposits paid to Spectrum. It also said coordinators are still telling patients that Dowbak is still doing future surgeries at Spectrum. Not sure what to believe. I’ve been following Dr. Dowbak, I admire her work. Dowbak dolls, sorry to be the bearer of bad news. Don’t shoot the messenger. Just giving a heads up so you can change plans accordingly.

I walked 5 blocks to Spectrum from my AirBNB. Arrived at 1:30pm, they gave me the urine cup for the drug test (again). Passed the test yesterday, repeat same test on surgery day. I hadn’t eaten or drank anything since midnight, I was only able to give 3 droplets of urine. They said I could eat a light breakfast the morning of surgery, but I didn’t. They called me back around 1:45pm, Ortega passed me in the hallway, he had to follow-up appts with patients. I changed into the OR stuff, Ortega came in around 2:15pm. He explained to me what he was going to do. I asked him if he thought my belly fat was swelling or fat, he said it might be a little bit of swelling but he suggested lipo for a flat stomach. He said he doesn’t lipo the lower stomach when he does tummy tucks because it increases the risk of complications. My flanks weren’t lipo’d in my first surgery. I will go back for lipo at a later date. I went into the operating room, laid on the table to be prepped. It was weird to be in surgery woke, but I never felt any pain. I received a few shots in my tummy to numb the area, only felt the first shot, I was numb instantly. The belly button repair took around 40 minutes. I also had my split earlobe repaired, that took around 20 minutes.

Dr. Ortega loves old school hip hop music, he was jamming up in there! First song I heard was A Tribe Called Quest (Check the Rhyme), then Nas, Run DMC, Outkast (Bombs over Bagdad)....he is the coolest surgeon ever!

By 4:30pm, he helped me down from the table. I got dressed, the nurse in recovery gave me an apple juice box, and I walked out the door. I walked 5 blocks back to my AirBNB....got something to eat, and now I’m sitting on the bed watching tv. Numbing medication hasn’t worn off yet. I wasn’t prescribed any pain meds nor antibiotics. No drain tubes. He said I can shower tonight if I want. No lifting restrictions, but I won’t lift anything over 10lbs for a few weeks. He said to wait 6 weeks before piercing my ear. The stitches in my stomach are dissolvable. Stitches in my ear need to be removed in a week.

My follow-up appointment is tomorrow at 11:30am.

Everything went well today. Thanks Dr. Ortega & Spectrum!