44 Yrs Old, 2 Kids Finally Got the Nerves to Do It - Chino Hills, CA

First off I went to say that I had originally selected another doctor for my TT. Yesterday I went for my pre-op and was very uncomfortable asking questions. He was annoyed and guarded every time I asked a question related to procedure. His answers were short and "I don't know why that happens I cant control that" I know he is a skilled doctor but he made me feel bad asking questions. I shouldn't have to feel bad for asking questions. Im curious and I like to understand things and if I cant ask questions without making a dr defensive then I had to accept that it was time to move on. For this reason the next day which is today, I requested a refund of my deposit and went straight to Dr. Farzaneh to book my date. and now I feel so excited. Finally after 8yrs of wanting to do this procedure I'm actually going to do it. One reason I took so long to decide was because I had been so scared of getting an ugly belly button result. For me the belly button is the main reason I want to get a TT aside get rid of the excess skin because I actually want to flaunt it. I became a mom at 20 yrs old and never got to enjoy being young and sexy. I had plenty of sex appeal on the outside but not on underneath my clothes because of my ugly skin. So to me belly button results is of utmost importance. Both Farzaneh and this other doctor (lets call him Dr. Moody, lol) were my top 2 picks. Once I decided to move forward with TT I delayed in making an appnt because I couldn't decide which of the 2 to go with. A family member did hers with Dr. Moody and decided I would go with him for his meticulous attention to details and excellent work in belly button with NO visible scar tissue. Little did I know it was not going to work because of his personality. Its all good. I took it as a sign that he was the wrong doctor and Farzaneh was the right doctor all along. Things happened for a reason I believe. I will post my before pic soon and describe everything I'm experiencing as the date gets closer. I want to do this to help others learn and understand about the procedure incase they are considering this procedure or this doctor. I became a real self member at least 2yrs ago and reading everyone's comments and experiences has helped me better understand what its all about and what to expect or not expect. What to do, or not to do. I've learned so much and now its my turn to give back. Follow me on my journey. I will be posting at least once a week until my surgery date (April 11th) then I will try to post daily or every other day after my surgery. If you have any questions feel free to message me or ask. If your now trying to decide my advice is to please to research on your doctor. Consult with at least 3 before making a decision and try to see in person at least one or 2 former patients. If you still like what you see then book it with that doctor. Yes, I did this. It wasn't easy because not all patients are open to it. But keep trying. Don't book an appnt without seeing a patient in person. Don't rely on pictures. My tip for now. Until next time:)

Its finally around the corner. I went to my pre op which is to consult with my surgeon about what's going to happen and what I want out of the surgery. I asked about the belly button because I noticed that both of my friends who recently had their TT done, dont have a button anymore. The good thing is that both have an "inny" so you cant see it missing anyways. I told him I want mine (button) visible because I think it can give a more natural result. Unlike Dr. Moody, he took no offense to my question and said he cant guarantee how its going to look but he is going to do his best to give me great results. He said I will never worry as much as he will worry about my results and I should leave the worrying to him. Basically telling me I have nothing to worry about. What a difference in personality between him and Dr. Moody. Atleast I feel at peace knowing Im in the best of care. Ok next topic, my doc thought I might have a small hernia underneath bellybutton. Being that the surgery is just around the corner he sent me to get an ultrasound immediately. He had to pull a couple of strings to get it done the same day without an appointment. Nevertheless, it got done and turns out he was right. I have a small hernia. I had to make another appointment to meet with another surgeon who will be removing it at the same time I get the TT. However, I had to pay an additional $800 out of pocket. I figured, it was best. It was not required to get it removed because it is so small but it was advised to do so because it can potentially grow. Fortunately I met with the surgeon in the same office so I didnt have to travel to a different location. He said my hernia is very small and will not need to remove it. Instead he will reconstruct it. Meaning he is going to push it back in its place, clean it up, and suture in place. I forgot to ask if I will be in additional pain because of it?? I will be recovering from the TT and from the hernia reconstruction. I can only guess I will be in additional pain. double ouch! oh well. Changing the subject again, this past weekend I felt some pain on the right side of where the hernia is located. I called today to bring it up to my surgeon and now just waiting to hear what happens. I hope its not another hernia or something concerning that will effect the surgery. Keeping my fingers crossed on this. I also went to see my PCP today to get the medical clearance for the surgery. That was pretty much a breeze. Fortunately, the required EKG was done in the office. I also mentioned the pain on the right side of the hernia and she had me lie down to examine me. She said she can feel the small hernia on the bellybutton but can not feel anything in he area I felt the pain. she was not concerned about it. Then my PCP sent me to a lab to get my urine tested and blood drawn. I asked what they are looking for and said they are checking my blood cells to make sure I have no infections incase something goes wrong my body is able to fight it off or worst case scenario I'm unable to go through the surgery based on restults. To my knowledge I have nothing to worry about. I work out, watch what I eat and get good amount of sleep and don't take any prescription meds other than vitamins and supplements. I do suffer from joint pain similar to arthritis but it is irrelevant to surgery or my PCP or surgeon would have said something. I find out the lab results on Wed no later than Thursday. For now I will wait to hear back from my surgeon regarding the pain Ive been feeling on the right side of the hernia. Althouth my PCP did not seem concerned I figured I should let my surgeon know any ways since he may have a different opinion about it. I prefer to be safe than sorry. I don't want something so small to end up being something big that could have been prevented had I just said something to my surgeon. You never know. I'm not sure if the ultrasound only took images of the belly button excluding the area around it. I hope they did get some images around the belly button so Dr. can refer to it because my pain is approx 2 inches away from belly button on my right side. My guess is that they did NOT get any images around the belly button. In other words the ultra sound images were taken only of the bellybutton since that's where the hernia was felt. I will have to wait on this but hopefully I can get some answers prior to surgery. I Know I haven't posted any pics but I will do it BEFORE the surgery. Just waiting for a moment I can do it where there is no one around and I have time to do it. MY next post will be with pictures.

I finally got a moment to myself to take pic. Looking at them I can't believe how bad I look. Why do we women have to look so ugly after giving something so beutiful? Well, I guess we will never know. It is what it is and grateful for modern medicine and technology for doctors to try to give us back our bodies in the best possible way. Getting anxiuous but a little worried about the pain. Looks like I will go through the surgery without further examination. Hope nothing goes wrong.