Tummy tuck - New York, NY

Hi everyone:) I have been on this site for quite a while researching and reading about tummy tucks. I finally got the nerve to schedule a consult and since it is next week, I thought it was time to start documenting my experience. I have found reading about other ladies experiences so helpful, so I hope I can help others by passing on my own.

First, I'll tell you a little about me... I am 35 and a mother of two children ages 5 and 3. Both of my children were IVF babies, so I went through a lot to have them. Being a mom is amazing! However, my pregnancies left me with a tons of stretch marks and loose skin. When I had my son, I was in the hospital on bed rest and the nurses had to put the monitor on my belly. One nurse said "oh my God! I've never seen such bad stretch marks!" Lucky me;) anyway, I have been thinking about this surgery since I had my son and things didn't "snap back". I had my daughter 2 1/2 years later and didn't really get any more stretch marks (I guess I was already prestretched, lol!).
I have never been really big, a few pounds overweight since I ad my children

. After I had my daughter I lost all the weight at Weight Watchers and I am currently 5'4" and 150lbs. Although I'd rather be 10-20 lbs lighter, I feel that this is a weight I can maintain. I actually like my body minus my tummy. I'm not perfect, but I can live with some imperfections, this belly is another story!! I am sooo tired of tucking it into my pants and constantly trying to camouflage it with my clothes. I can't remember the last time I wore a dress without some kind of heavy duty underwear to suck it all in and don't even get me started on swimsuit season!

I never thought that this surgery would be possible for many, many years because of the cost, but then I came across a bunch of reviews of teaching hospitals in NY for very affordable prices. The results all look great and the reviews have all been very positive. I decided to investigate it further and go for a consult. I have some doubts and fears, but also an open mind. My first consult is this Wednesday, April 17th at Lenox Hill Hospial in Manhattan. I am taking my mom along with me for another opinion. If things go well and I feel comfortable I will go back with my husband for another appointment. I am soooo excited and nervous!! Thanks to all the lovely ladies who have been so helpful in passing along so much great information! I will update after the consult and let you all know how it goes. Wish me luck!!

Hi everyone:) I had my consult today at Lenox Hills Clinic so I wanted to update and let everyone know how it went. So....first I will start by saying that I called to confirm a few days ago and thought that I should ask if the consult was with a Resident or a fellow. A lot of the ladies on here said that it is better to request a fellow because they are more experienced than a resident. Well, I forgot to do this when I made the appointment and it turned out that I was seeing a resident. Apparently the current fellows are all booked and the new fellows won't be starting until July. I decided to keep the appointment anyway and see how it went. I was a nervous wreck for some reason all morning and my mom came with me. My dad watched my two kids while mom and I took the train to manhattan ( I live on Long Island).
We arrived a little bit late because of traffic, but I didn't have to wait too long.
I saw a 5th year resident named Dr. McRae. He examined me and said that I have some muscle separation and a lot of loose skin and that I would be a good candidate for the tummy tuck. He alo said that he would do some very minor lipo of the flanks just to prevent dog ears, but that would not cost extra. He was very nice and answered all of my questions (which I had a ton of, lol). I found out that he attended Cornell undergrad and Yale medical school, which I thought was pretty impressive. He said that he has performed about 50-60 tummy tucks, but when I asked if he any before and after pic, he said he didn't have any. I was a bit put off by that... He did say that a supervising, board certified surgeon would be performing the surgery with him and I could look at his before & afters. He also said he may be able to get in touch with former patients who might be willing to share their results ( I asked about this, he didn't offer, but seemed open to the idea). I didn't schedule anything. I wanted to discuss with my hubby and he said I can come back with him to talk free of charge. I did get the price ( although this is the one question I almost forgot to ask, lol! Most important one!! ) The price for everything (not including the pics and hotel/ nurse for the night after surgery) is $3481.12. I estimate I'd probably have to add at least $1,000 to that. It will probably end up being between $4500 and $5000 when all is said and done.
So...that's the info, now as for how I feel about it... I just don't know!! I have been going over and over this tummy tuck thing in my mind like crazy for months and I thought/ hoped that going to the consult would sway me in one direction or the other, but no! Still confused as ever. Ugh! I know that I want it, that is certain, but there are so many "what ifs". what if I die? I don't even like writing that...but it is my biggest worry (of course), what if it gets botched or I have big complications? But then there is "what if I have to live with this belly for the rest of my life? That one is a pretty unpleasant thought too! I'm not even scared of the pain or recovery that much. I can tolerate pain pretty well and had 2 csections without problems. I wish someone could tell me what to do... Anyway, that's where I am right now. Any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated!!

Hi everyone. I just wanted to update... So I decided to try and schedule my tummy tuck surgery with the resident I met at lenox hills hospital. I figured that if a veteran doctor is supervising, it should be okay. I wanted to try and schedule for the end of May because that would work for my family's schedule. I don't want to do it over the summer because we have vacations planned... So, the ps called me today to say he found a supervising dr, but this doctor also does not have any before & after photos. He told me the name and said I could google him and that he is willing to meet with me. I started to get super excited thinking that this might actually happen! I googled the doc and it all went downhill from there. First of all, he specializes in laser lipo and tummy tuck is not even listed on his webste (that would explain the lack of pictures!), but the most alarming thing is an article that popped up about a patient who died in surgery because of a mistake he made. Needless to say, I emailed the resident and said I have some serious concerns and don't feel comfortable going forward with this doctor. Looks like this isn't going to happen this Spring:( I am really disappointed...I almost felt like crying. I haven't given up on this. I will go for another consult when the new fellows start in July and probably check out NYEE too. Feeling pretty let down, but as much as I want this, I just can't go forward with doctors I don't feel comfortable with.