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This is a long-winded way of saying that I highly...
First of all, I never, ever thought I would be a person to get plastic surgery. Never. I am a feminist and struggled with changing my body just for looks, but I have been self-conscious about my stomach since I was a kid. Then after two pregnancies I had trouble losing the extra 20 pounds of baby weight that had been there for 8 years. Finally, I lost the 20 pounds and it felt SO good. I had forgotten how that felt. I felt confident in myself again, and there is just really nothing like that feeling. So, I now believe that as a feminist I have empowered myself (even though it was through vanity-lol) because I feel so good about myself because of my new look. I have to say that after only 2 weeks I am 100% thrilled with my decision to get the tummy tuck done and I would do it again in a heartbeat.
I went to 4 different doctors for consultations. 3 of the doctors were older guys with many more years of experience than Dr. Pyle. They all recommended a full tummy tuck for me. When I met with Dr. Pyle, he thought a combination of a lipo and a mini tummy tuck (with a belly button "float" and repair of both the lower and upper abdominal muscles) would work best for me, even though minis are generally disfavored (and not done very often) in the plastic surgery community. I felt comfortable with him and he explained everything clearly and answered all of my questions. 2 out of the 3 other surgeons were not very personable or warm, but Dr. Pyle was. He felt like a real person. Most of the others did not.
After the consult, I researched the mini online and there were not very many positive comments. So I emailed Dr. Pyle's office to ask again why he believed the mini was right for me. He emailed me back personally and explained the reasons, and it made sense to me. I was torn, however, because all three of the other surgeons were adamant about a full. My gut told me Dr. Pyle was the guy, but I was still reluctant. This is such a big decision.
After about 6 months, I finally decided I was going to go through with the procedure. I just had to make a decision about who I wanted to be my doctor. It really came down to Dr. Pyle and one of the older surgeons. So I made a second consult with Dr. Pyle to ask him even more questions. I told him that 3 other surgeons recommended a full. He examined me again, and ultimately he stood by his first instinct which was the mini with lipo.
What I realized was that Dr. Pyle is a younger surgeon with less experience than the old guys, but he is trained in and performs the newer, modern techniques. I liked that. The old guys stick with what they know and what they have been doing for the past 20 years. Dr. Pyle used the drainless technique, and I liked that the mini scar would be shorter. I think not using the drains has made the recovery MUCH easier and less painful and annoying.
I can already tell a difference after only 2 weeks. I am still pretty swollen and have some pain when I do too much, but I returned to my office/desk job after 11 days post-op. It really helped not having the drains in and the Exparel made the first few days much more tolerable. Honestly, the recovery has not been as bad as I thought it would be. It has not been pain-free, but the pain has been manageable.
I had rotator cuff surgery a few years ago and it was MUCH worse. It was just a very bad surgery experience and terrible recovery. I swore I would never have an elective surgery again after that. I had a problem with anesthesia during my shoulder surgery, so I was super scared about the general anesthesia. I told Dr. Pyle I would be more comfortable with a MD anesthesiologist instead of a nurse anesthetist. He completely understood, and they said they arranged for an MD to be the anesthesiologist on my surgery day. He was super, too. I felt comfortable with him.
Last night my husband commented on my new shape. I saw a difference after a few days, but this was the first time he could really see the difference. He said, "He totally changed your proportions!" Your boobs look huge and your waist looks tiny; you look so skinny!" (I am not a skinny person by the way; more of an "athletic" build with curves; I have been described as "statuesque"). So the hubby is very happy too. I can't wait to see how things look as my recovery progresses!
I will post pics in a few weeks when the results are really showing. You won't be disappointed with Dr. Pyle. Good luck to you all!
Early post op pics
17 days post op
Provider Review
It's two years post-op, and I have a lump above my belly button, a pooch in my lower abdomen, a scar that puckers at the ends, and LOTS of loose skin. My muscles which were tightened during the muscle repair seemed to have loosened up a little. I have not gained weight, and I am working out a ton doing core exercises. It's not going to get any better. My tummy (fat and skin) rolls over my pants when I sit down. Yes, I look way better than I did pre-op. And I was happy at first. I kept thinking things were only going to improve day by day. But no, I am not happy overall now that this journey has ended. I went for a consult with another doctor to see what could be done. He commented on how much loose skin there was, the lump, and the puckering of the ends of the scar. He said we should have done a full tummy tuck. He asked if I was happy with the results. I said I was about 65% happy. He said, "Well then you're not happy." THIS is how a doctor should respond when a patient isn't happy. Dr. Pyle was not very helpful in addressing my concerns. They did cool sculpting (per my request) once at no cost on lower abdomen which helped a little. At first they were going to charge me $200 for it! When I told them that this should have been handled in the TT, they agreed not to charge me. I went back for checkup and explained I still wasn't happy. I told them that the coolsculpting didn't do that much. I thought maybe we should do some more coolsculpting. He said no. For the second time, he said I "was being too hard on myself." Well, plastic surgeons wouldn't be in business if we weren't hard on ourselves ;) I asked Dr. Pyle about revision surgery, and he basically said he didn't think I needed it or to go through another surgery. He seemed to be ok with the results. He didn't think it was that bad. I want a breast lift someday, and he said a revision of the TT could be done at the same time. But he was reluctant and really dismissed my concerns. He never said whether he would charge me for a revision. So ladies (and gents), choose your doctor wisely. I didn't choose some of the other doctors I consulted with because I didn't like their bedside manner. They were well-respected surgeons. But you know what, you only have to deal with them for a little while. The surgery results are forever.