33 Year Old Mother of Two, Tummy Tuck and Lipo - Champaign, IL

I am a 33 year old mother of two. I workout 4-5 days a week and eat healthfully but during my 1st pregnancy I gained almost 80 lbs. With a lot of hard work, I was able to lose 70lbs but my body didnt look the same. Despite that nagging feeling, I continued my healthy lifestyle. 4 years after the birth of my 1st child, I had my 2nd child. And worked VERY hard to minimize my weight gain. Unfortunately, I still gained 65lbs with my 2nd pregnancy.
I am blessed to have 2 beautiful and healthy children but it has always been extremely frustrating to work so hard to stay healthy by exercising and eating right yet the outside of my body didnt match the inside. I started to wonder if a tummy tuck and lipo would be helpful in my situation.
I started thinking about having a tummy tuck about 1 year ago. I didnt want to rush into such a big decision so I did a lot of research. I had tons of questions: Could a tummy tuck help me? Was that the only option I had to improve my mid section? Was it an unrealistic solution? What doctor should I use? Could I afford such an expensive surgery? What about the recovery?.... and more. I started with my primary physician. I talked to him about what I wanted and what I was currently doing to try an obtain those results on my own. He agreed that I was doing everything I could to accomplish the physical changes I wanted but he also felt that the stretched skin I had in my mid section would not go away regardless of what I did on my own. I also saw my gynecologist who stated the same thing. Once I had my concerns verified, I began researching physicians. Thankfully, I have several friends and a sister who have had some form of plastic surgery and they were kind enough to share the good, bad, and the ugly of everything. They also shared their thoughts and ideas of who is the best doctor. I also looked at websites such as this one to get more information on who people had had good experiences with. After much deliberation I decided to schedule a consultation with Dr. James Kurley in Champaign Illinois. I had a couple other consultations but he and his staff were amazing and I am so grateful that I decided on him to be my doctor. He preformed a tummy tuck and lipo around my hips, abdominal area, and flanks. I could not be happier with the results!
At the initial consultation, Dr. Kurley started by just talking to me about what I wanted, why I wanted it, and what I had been doing on my own to try an obtain it. He was firm that he would only preform surgery on someone who was healthy and someone who was prepared for the recovery. He was thorough on what he could and could not do, what I should expect of the recovery and the follow up, and the financial aspects of the surgery. He also did a physical exam to make sure I was a candidate. He also required recent blood work and a physical to confirm that I was a healthy patient for surgery. I love his staff! They were kind, discreet, and flexible with appointments. After confirming Dr. Kurley as my doctor, I scheduled my appointment for mid September.
Before surgery, I met with Dr. Kurley for any questions I might have and to complete before and after pictures. He and his staff also made sure I knew what to expect on surgery day and for recovery. His nurse Linda went through a surgery booklet page by page to make sure I felt comfortable with everything.
On the day of surgery, my best friend took me to the office. Nurse Linda got me ready for surgery and then let my friend come back to the room until they were ready to bring me in. The tummy tuck and lipo took about 3 hours. I woke up and was in some pain but nurse Linda took great care of me. She went over all my needs with my friend and sister to make sure I would receive good care. The next day I had my 1st post op appointment with Dr. Kurley and is went great. By day 2, I was taking a shower, and by day 4 I was using regular over the counter Advil for pain relief. I had additional follow up appointments at 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, and will have another follow up at 6 months.
My recovery was MUCH easier than what I expected it to be BUT I followed Dr. Kurley's directions PERFECTLY to ensure a sooth recovery. It also helped that he use a special pain medication during surgery that helped relieve a lot of the pain. If I had a questions come up during recovery, I had access to Dr. Kurley and his staff 24/7. They were amazing!!!
I HIGHLY recommend Dr. Kurley and his staff at Advanced Aesthetics in Champaign Illinois. Not only were my results amazing but they also make me feel like a valued patient. They are so caring and amazingly thorough and realistic! I love them and I will be forever grateful to Dr. Kurley!