Great Experience and Results with Tummy Tuck Under Local/Oral Sediation. Glenview, IL

After having 2 large babies my stomach was not where I wanted it to be. Despite working out 4-5 days a week I couldnt get my stomach back to where it was before kids. Also 2 c-sections left my stomach almost lopsided. I had a breast augmentation done with Dr. Casas in 2012, and she did an AMAZING job. If you are looking into BA you MUST go see her. She specializes in natural looking implants - I had no desire to have [RS bleep] star boobs! But I digress... I knew that she was the only one I would trust for a tummy tuck. I had worked my abs a lot after baby #2, wore a stomach binder and my muscle separation was not too bad so I really didnt want muscle repair work, just to get rid of the extra skin.

I had a consult with Dr. Casas and she agreed that most of my problem was extra skin and fat that I couldnt work off. We discussed my options and I decided to go with a full tummy tuck, with minor muscle repair if needed. The best thing about Dr. Casas' approach was the ability to have the surgery without general anesthesia. She offered this procedure in her office (which is connected to a very large hospital), under local anesthesia and oral sedation. Ill admit I was a little freaked out because I didnt see many surgeons doing this, but I knew the quality of her work, and her dedication to her patients, so I decided to go ahead.

When you meet with Dr. Casas she will go over a vitamin plan, eating schedule and other suggestions that will make the surgery as successful as possible. Take my advice and LISTEN to her. It is meant to make your results the best they can be. I followed all her rules for my BA and my results were amazing. I did the same thing this time around for the tummy tuck and recovery has been much easier that I expected.

The day of surgery I arrived at her office and was given a cocktail of oral medication that basically puts you into a relaxed/sleep state. The only thing you feel are the initial numbing shots, but they are not bad, and honestly I was so out of it, I didnt care. She then puts numbing solution in your entire abdomen and then goes to work. I am a VERY light sleeper, so while I was relaxed the entire time, I was fading in and out of sleep. There was not a moment where I was uncomfortable, or had any issues with the oral sedation. I had some internal issues due to the C section, and so the entire procedure took nearly 5 hours - to me it felt like 45min. She did not do traditional muscle repair, but she did some lipo (minimal because I am a former smoker). I would highly suggest this method to anyone looking to avoid general anesthesia, or to anyone getting a tummy tuck. I was up and walking within 10 min. of the final sutures being placed, and stayed nice and numb for 12-18 hours, so the ride home was not bad. There was no nausea or any of the fog that comes with general anesthesia.

I am 7 days PO, and the results are amazing! Im feeling really good and still following all of Dr. Casas' recommendations. She really knows what will help you heal properly. Her assistant Jenina is the best! She is so sweet and does her lymphatic drainage massages starting a couple days after surgery. I see a lot of girls on here have surgery and not see their doctor until 5-7 days later. I am 7 days PO and I have been to her office 4 times already. Dr. Casas wants to make sure that everything is healing and there are no issues.

I had 4 drains put in- 2 came out at 2 day PO, and the other 2 at 5 days PO. Due to Dr. Casas' methods my drainage was below 30 cc by day 3, but I had to wait over the weekend to get the drains out. Im going every other day for lymphatic drainage massages, and will continue over the next few weeks. My belly button looks amazing and the scar is so thin! Im excited to see how everything looks in a month or two!