Some Changes Over Time

Yesterday I visited Dr. Basil Pakeman’s office in NY and he and his patient care team were very helpful and kind. They let me ask as many questions as I wanted. They were also very safe - everyone wore masks. After speaking with him it was clear that he is knowledgeable and loves what he does. He didn’t over promise he set real expectations for my surgery and what he could do with my body. I scheduled a BBL surgery and I trust that I am in good hands!

I came to Dr. Pakeman after extensive research on the procedure. His work online looked very natural and stellar.

Consultation: 

My initial consultation was good. He and is patient coordinator answered all my questions. They we were very warm and transparent. He mentioned that he didn’t think I was a good candidate for lipo 360 because of the quality of my skin on my abdomen, he thought I should get lipo 270. 270 is when they don’t really lipo on your full stomach. I decided to move forward.

Day of the procedure: 

The day of my procedure I was very nervous, but the Surgeon Assistant was very encouraging and supportive. Dr. Pakeman was less warm but I thought because it was early in the morning.

They give you a pill that helps you relax. They let that set in for about 45 minutes. Dr. Pakeman came in and did the markings on my body and asked what kind of butt I want. I stated I wanted something really nice butt natural looking for my body type and I wanted a lot hips. 

During surgery: 

I woke up during the surgery and although I was still slightly sedated from the general anesthesia there were a couple of times I could feel it. Very painful. 

Post Surgery day of: 

I waited close to 2 hours to leave. They said I said I felt dizzy so they left me there to sleep. After that they gave my care giver paper and instructions and went over instructions with me and I left. I was swollen all over.  

The next day: 

I went for post op and a new garment because the one they gave me was broken. He went over what the next two weeks would like and to come back then. 

The first week I was too swollen and in pain to see any results. I took a shower after two days. The foam ab board broke out the skin on my stomach so they told me to stop wearing it.  

I am now two months post op and I will say by week 2 I felt normal and less swollen. The results are okay. Small changes. I don’t feel like they did much work on my stomach but maybe by 6 months I will see a real difference. My butt has gone down a lot since the first couple of weeks which they say is normal. 

I think I’d like them to have in writing the different stages your body will go through. I think that’ll be helpful and put patients at ease. I think if I had to do it again I’d just go to a surgeon in my area because it’s a hassle commuting from DC to NY for the post op appointments