Boonies to Bikinis--My Tummy Tuck Adventure! (Out of Town Patient, Consultations Through Recovery) - Portland, OR

Hi there,
I'm a working momma with two kids, almost 7 and almost 3, married 12 years this June. I had a super easy first pregnancy, 1 stretch mark, unchanged breasts. And then the second one came... He was a monster. My spouse is 6'7", I'm 5'3" normally, about 135 lbs., had gestational diabetes, an unusually large amount of amniotic fluid, I measured 49 weeks gestation at 36 weeks when I delivered--he was almost 9 lbs. Long story short, my stomach was wrecked and left me with a significant muscle separation and horrific, very high stretch marks. My son LOVED boobies so the girls are pretty deflated but not too bad. Smaller than I had before (I'm now a deflated 32DDD) which is just fine by me. Wish they were perkier but that I'm happy to accept.

I'd been thinking about a tummy tuck for a while but put it on hold to switch jobs. Had Epi-Lasik two years ago and LOVED it, best money I've ever spent. I regretted waiting for so long and it really motivated me to proceed with the tummy tuck. Just had my 32nd birthday, do not want to spend my 30's feeling "damaged" and keep swearing at innocent bikinis on the rack.

I met with my PCP to get my IUD removed (HURRAY for vasectomies!) and had her look at my belly. New doc to me, she immediately noted a hernia above and in my belly button, ventral and umbilical. Spoke with my insurances and they said they would pay for the hernia repair! I asked about getting a TT done at the same time, said they wouldn't pay for the cosmetic portion but could combine the hernia repair which would lessen the overall price.

On Sunday, 5/19/13, at about 8pm I emailed 3 different places a similar 3 paragraph inquiry, Dr. Gorin in PDX, Dr. Workman in WA and Dr. Movassaghi in Eugene. I don't know anyone who's had PS, had no recommendations except for online ones, felt very blind. Here's how response times stacked up:

Dr. Gorin: His surgery coordinator Shelbi emailed me back at 10:13 am Monday morning, a very detailed response complete with full sentences, thorough answers to my questions, pleasantries, links to other info and a reminder that this doctor is happy to answer his personal email 24/7. I thought, huh, I'll give that a try--have NEVER known a doctor to email personally! So, at 7:44 pm Monday evening I tried it and emailed him. 7:46 pm he emailed back (TWO MINUTES LATER!!!) saying he was doing the nighttime routine with his kids and would be back soon. 8:50 pm he wrote back, detailed answers about insurance, procedures, etc. I wrote back once more, he responded back again at 9:24 pm. I was SHOCKED. This is a level of customer service I have never experienced in the medical industry. My biggest fear is being out of town, hours away from the surgeon, have a problem and not be able to reach anyone. This kind of personal attention and response time is priceless and went light years towards building trust.

Dr. Workman: I had heard him talk on a local radio show and was able to ask a question on air. I thought his response was thoughtful, courteous and liked how he treated the callers. I heard back from his office on Tuesday morning at 9:51 am. It was a three sentence, no pleasantry, no link response with brief answers to the most basic of my questions. Kind of disappointing after the quick, thorough and personal response from Dr. Gorin himself.

I heard from Dr. Movassaghi's office today, 5/23/13 (Thursday) at a 5:10 pm by phone. I was a little disappointed that many days had passed but the woman on the phone was wonderful, very thorough, informative and not blunt or rushed. That was a positive impression.

I also contacted a Corvallis PS through the Samaritan system and Dr. Daniel out of Eugene. Dr. Daniel was booked for consultations through July (to late for me) and I thought I'd at least meet the Corvallis PS. So, out of those three, I booked consults for the Corvallis PS on 6/11 and Dr. Gorin on 6/12. Still seeking a third, will decide after talking with the first two.

Anyway, that's where things are. Will update as I get closer.

Concerns at the moment: (Can anyone address?)
1) Getting a nicely shaped belly button if they have to make a new one. How do you know when it's likely you get to keep your own and when they have to recreate?
2) I have virtually no tummy overhang when standing, am I likely to have that vertical line where the old belly button was since I'm not sure it'll be able to be pulled completely down?
3) I want a low scar--at 5'3" I have a very short torso and want to wear a low cut bikini bottom. Do we have a say in how high or low the scar is?

Will try to update with before pictures soon. I have some sitting ones and one "protrusion pic" of the upper hernia when I lean back--will get standing ones soon.

Cannot wait to take this journey with you all!!! :) June can't get here soon enough!

Hi again,
So I'm a freakish planner and even though I'm not even consulted yet by anyone other than my regular doc, I've got a target date in mind (8/23 or 8/30 of this year) and have started inquiring about who will be around and when to help with the kids. I'm also making lists of stuff to buy ahead of time and am finding many mommy makeover related lists, not as many TT specific ones. So I have some questions for you ladies, was hoping maybe you could help me figure it out?

1) Many of the lists look pretty extensive--suggesting depends, walkers, etc. My question is: How different is this going to be from coming home after a rough, complicated birth? After my daughter, I pretty much hopped off the table and felt great. A little slow, and sore, but fine. I'm NOT talking about this kind of birth. I'm talking about the kind I had with my 2nd, rough, huge tearing, interventions, horrific post-partum hemorrhage, spinal bruising from the epidural, blood transfusions, etc. We both stayed in the hospital a week extra afterwards, and when I came home I felt half alive, days blurred, on heavy painkillers, etc. I'm talking about THIS. Have any of you had rough birth experiences like my second child and can gauge TT recovery to it?

2) How much help with the kids did you have those first couple of weeks? Ours will be 3 and 7, and I'm thinking of keeping my 7 year old home with me those 2 weeks while I'm home. She's able to make sandwiches and toast and eggs in the microwave and be pretty self-sufficient even helpful. Good idea? Bad idea? We pay for summer daycare by the week in the summer, it'd save about $500 which I'll admit is a motivator. My little guy will be in daycare for sure, I can barely manage him able-bodied...

3) How much time off from work did you take off for a TT? I work 6 hour days at a desk job and am planning on going in on a Friday, then taking off 2 weeks. I think that makes 18 days to recover. Not planning on doing anything outrageous, but to be work-ready is that enough?

Thanks for all of your help! :)
Oh--meant to add that Dr. Workman's office emailed back on Friday following my Thursday questions and said she'd have to ask him about the hernia repair and get back to me. It seems that some PS's feel very comfortable repairing them and some are skittish. The other docs I asked didn't bat an eyelash about the repair and how payment/timing of it was structured. Interesting.

So I'm a planner... And it has recently occurred to me that I have less than 3 months until the estimated date of my surgery!!! AAAaaahhh!!! Feeling the tremendous urge to prepare like crazy. Thus far, my consult has been confirmed, proposed surgery date has been discussed, work has been notified w/vacation time approved, aftercare arranged, grandparents have been summoned and childcare providers have been asked for extra time. Did I mention I haven't even seen the doc yet?

I've also decided that I will only be interviewing 2 surgeons, at least initially. Had been seeking a third but didn't find anyone that stood out to me. A 64% recommendation rate is not good enough nor is a week+ long response time. In my gut I feel like Dr. Gorin will be the doc for me. Having the ability to reach him 24/7 is priceless and I liked his personality despite the fact he's a Duck fan. :) I like the all inclusive nature of his pricing and have found some unexpected recommendations--spoke with a local "rest and recovery center" nurse in Portland and she recommended him highly based on his interactions as a colleague, work of his she's reviewed/cared for and as she's had several girlfriends who have used him and loved him. Never did hear back from Dr. Workman's office.

So that's where it sits. Last thing to do is square up financing. His quote was $8240, I'm hoping to put 2k down and finance the rest. I have an "empty" Care Credit account from the Epi-Lasik but I think they only do up to 12 months interest free financing and that the interest rate is something like 14% if you do up to a 36 month plan. My credit union cc is fixed at 9.9% (and we get miles on that!) so I may go that route instead. I can say that the last two years of paying for my eyes have gone by in a flash and I didn't miss the money at all so feel pretty fearless about the financial part.

We have also experienced a near tragedy in my town recently that has shaken us to our core and I'm feeling even more nudged towards living fearlessly and without regrets. Everything happens for a reason and this is falling into place. :)