Mommy Makeover Decision - Raleigh, NC

I am 35 yrs old, have 4 children (3 of which I gave birth to myself), current weight is 135 and 5' 0" tall. I have been wanting a Tummy Tuck for years but never actually acted on it until recently.

Once entering Dr. Davis's office building, we took the elevator up to his office. We finally entered the office that could help make my dreams real. We were greeted by the receptionist at the front desk. Here came the paper work.....but wait this was something I wanted so I didn't mind reading and signing it. (-: We were told were the bathrooms were and we offered something to drink while we waited. I was already impressed this office.

Literally only about a minute went by and the door to the side of the receptionist opened. It was late in the day and we were the only ones in the waiting room therefore I knew that door opened for me! Overwhelming feeling of joy came over me. It was like Christmas came early or I had won a prize. There stood the last person I expected to see opening the door. It was Dr. Davis himself. I don't know about many of you but I have worked in healthcare for a long time and doctors typically like to be pampered and have you do things for them but not Dr. Davis. He wanted to be the first person to walk me back.

We were taken straight to his personal office where my husband and I sat on a very nice couch together and Dr. Davis sat in a nice chair in front of us. He went in depth to explain Abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) and Liposuction. I had lots of questions. Impressively Dr. Davis had answered almost all of my questions without me even having to ask them. He knew what his patients wanted to know and he was very prepared. Time was not an issue to him. Once we felt comfortable enough with education piece of the procedures, it was time for the physical exam piece.

We were taken to an exam room that was connected to Dr. Davis's office. I was given a nice soft gown to put on. Dr. Davis came back in and ask me what I wanted to change about my body. Taking my wants into consideration he began explaining the difference between a full tummy tuck and mini tummy tuck.This is determined by how much excess skin the PS can pull down and if the PS cut above or below the belly button. I was laid back on a comfortable electric chair that reclines flat. He began pulling to see how much excess skin I had. There was absolutely no pain involved in pulling on my stomach. It was final I was going to need a Full Tummy Tuck.

I got dressed and we went back into Dr. Davis's private office and sat in chairs at his desk this time. Dr. Davis began to show us before and after pictures and discuss the recovery phase. He told me I could go back to work in 1-2 weeks if I wanted too. I was shocked. Dr. Davis uses two techniques with his Adminoplasty procedure. He does not use drains because the quilting procedure used during surgery to eliminate the "Dead Space", therefore eliminating room for fluid to collect. Also he uses a medication during surgery that produces longer numbing affects that can last for several days. This helps decrease discomfort after surgery.

I told him I wanted to schedule a consult to get my breast done too but that I could not afford to be out of work too long so I would need to have these procedures done at separate times. I was surprised to find out that the recovery was the same only 1-2 weeks with doing the procedures together. That is when I first heard the term Mommy Makeover. He used this term for women who want to get a tummy tuck with lipo and breast augmentation at the same time. . Dr. Davis said no need for me to make another appointment because he would make time for me. He looked at his schedule and stayed longer to get my consult in for the breast augmentation right then.

We sat back on the couch and talked about breast augmentation and what to expect. Again he seemed to answer almost all of my question without asking them. He gave us a Saline and Silicone gel implant to hold so we could feel the difference. We went back into the exam room to do the breast exam. Once all the exams were over, we had decided to do the Mommy Makeover (: Yay!!!!!! Dr. Davis has his own Operation Room Suite at his office. This also helps cut down on the cost that can be added by having the procedure done at a hospital.

The Silicon did feel better to me but Ultimately I chose the Saline over the Silicone for several reasons. To me Saline is by far safer. Do your own research on the FDA's website. MRI is recommended 3 yrs post op and then every 2 yrs after that for Silicone implants. Good Luck with getting Insurance to pay for $2,500 or more MRI related to implants. I also read on the FDA's website that there is a higher rate of Capsular Contracture with Silicone versus Saline and have to be removed sooner than Saline. Your incision is also larger for Silicone because they come pre-filled where the Saline implants are filled after insertion.

It was time to meet Gretta and find out how much this was going to cost me. She was and is absolutely gorgeous, very nice, funny and great at making you feeling comfortable talking to her. She is an excellent asset to that office. Now time for the total. How much was this going to cost me? Are my dreams now crushed? Nope they were not! I was very please with the cost. I was surprised to see that they offered a discount to do the procedures together and then another discount if I paid cash.

It was time to go home and talk about it. We were so impressed with Dr. Davis's office that I canceled my other consultation and scheduled my surgery for Feb 12, 2012. One step closer to my dream coming true. My pre-op appointment is scheduled for January 31, 2013.

That's it. I will leave you with this: If you are planning on having a Mommy Makeover, please do your research! I can not say it enough. Research reviews of different PSs online. Look at the good and the bad reviews, take into consideration also that not everyone can be pleased. This is so true in Health Care. Also go to www.FDA.gov and read about the different implants. You can also look at your doctor's medical board website to do some research on him/her. Look to see if they have an actions against them with the medical board. For NC the website is www.ncmedboard.org (click on Licensee search).

Thursday January 16, 2013 I will get to use the 3D imaging equipment. This always cameras to put my body on the computer screen. This will help me decide what size I want my breast to be and which type of implant I want (low, moderate, moderate plus or high profile). If you are wondering what this is, here is the website: www.sculptmydream.com.