POSTED UNDER Tummy Tuck Reviews
Martin Jugenburg is a Miracle Worker!
ORIGINAL POST
Martin Jugenburg is a Miracle Worker!
WORTH IT
What to expect during the consultation
I’m definitely not new to cosmetic surgery. I’ve had several cosmetic procedures over the past 20 years in my home city, so I had a pretty good idea of what I was looking for in a surgeon and what I expected from a consultation.
However, after losing a significant amount of weight, I was looking for a much more extensive procedure and decided to explore surgeons outside of my city. I was originally planning to have consultations with several surgeons in Toronto, but after my husband and I attended our consultation here, we immediately felt very comfortable with the entire process and decided this was the direction we wanted to go.
The consultation was extremely thorough — much more in-depth than any of my previous surgical consultations. They took the time to go through the different options, explain what they recommended and why, and took photographs and videos as part of the assessment.
Because of the complexity of my case, the surgeon actually came in while we were there to assess me personally. He took one look and immediately said, essentially, “No, you need a different procedure.” I really appreciated how confident and decisive he was. There was no uncertainty or trying to sell me on something that wasn’t appropriate. He explained what he thought would give me the best result, and we left the appointment knowing we wanted to book — we just needed to make arrangements on our end before securing the date.
The location was also a huge factor for us. Having the surgery centre and hotel together made the logistics of travelling from out of town much easier. I didn’t have to worry about getting into a cab after surgery and then doing the same thing again the next day for my first post-op appointment.
How I prepared for surgery and recovery
Honestly, the most difficult part of the entire experience was checking into the hotel!
My appointment was at 3:30 p.m. and we had flown in that morning. We just wanted to get into our room, put our things down and freshen up after travelling. Unfortunately, the room wasn’t ready. The hotel initially offered us another room for an additional fee, then changed their position when they realized I was having surgery and said surgical patients couldn’t use certain rooms because of concerns about “blood.” They then tried to offer us another room at a different price. On top of that, they were trying to charge us for both nights even though the surgery centre covers the night of your procedure. I had the paperwork showing this, but they still had to contact the surgery centre to confirm it.
Once that was sorted out and we got into our room, everything was smooth sailing.
I actually went to a Jays game that evening, although I was already restricted to water because of my medical preparation and medications, which meant I had been on liquids for several days and clear fluids the full day before surgery.
The morning of surgery was incredibly easy. I arrived at the surgery centre first thing, the nurse took me back, reviewed my medications and gave me the medications I needed beforehand. My surgeon came in, did my markings and another video, and I was taken into the operating room shortly afterward. The room seemed surprisingly small when I first walked in, but I was quickly put to sleep. I woke up in recovery and was eventually taken back to my hotel room by a nurse, where my family member was waiting for me.
What my recovery was like
In terms of pain, I would describe my overall recovery as moderate.
The reverse tummy tuck with the fleur-de-lis portion was surprisingly easy for me. Even with more than 90 staples, if that had been the only procedure I had done, I honestly would have described it as a walk in the park.
The capsulorrhaphy was a completely different story. That was the difficult part of my recovery and definitely the worst part in terms of discomfort. The breast work was significantly tougher for me than the abdominal portion.
And then there was the bruising — or lack thereof.
I had NONE.
When I say none, I mean NONE. I also had a small amount of liposuction done, and I still had virtually no bruising and very little swelling. I honestly don’t know how he did it. It was unbelievable to me, especially considering the amount of work that was done.
The part I want to emphasize most, though, is the aftercare.
The nurses were phenomenal. I had a number I could call or text, and if I had a question or concern, I could send a message or even send pictures to show them what I was talking about. That made being an out-of-town patient SO much easier.
I did have some issues with vomiting after surgery because I have had bariatric surgery and some medications are particularly hard on my stomach. I was able to text the nurses, they helped me get it under control, and they came to see me the next day before I left the hotel. They answered all of my questions and made sure I was okay to travel.
I was literally back on a flight home about 24 hours after surgery, and the communication didn’t stop once I left Toronto. They continued to call and check in, and I could still text them whenever I had questions — and believe me, I did!
I felt a little bad at times because I probably asked a million questions, but they were always reassuring and responsive. I had concerns about parts of my recovery where I was told to “trust the process.” That can be difficult to hear when you’re in the middle of recovery and something doesn’t look or feel the way you expected, but they really do know what they’re doing.
I’ve had at least four or five surgeries previously, and the level of aftercare I received here was unlike anything I had experienced before.
I was also very happy with the outcome of my first procedure. I flew back to Toronto at the one-week mark to have approximately 90 staples removed. Staples weren’t originally planned, but they became necessary once the surgeon was actually in surgery and saw what needed to be done.
Even getting back to Toronto for that appointment turned into an adventure. My flight attempted to land four times because of fog before ultimately being diverted to Montreal. I arrived in Toronto about five hours late, but the team still saw me quickly so I could make my flight home shortly afterward.
My surgeon has recommended waiting approximately 6–12 months before scheduling the second stage, so for now I’m waiting for my body to finish healing before planning and booking the next procedure.
One thing I’m particularly interested in for the second stage is the option of hiring a post-operative caregiver who can stay with me. Since I’m travelling from out of town, that may be an option I use rather than having a family member travel with me and take time away from their own life.
Overall, I couldn’t be happier that I decided to look outside of my home city. The consultation, surgical care, accessibility of the nurses, and especially the aftercare have made a major difference in my experience as an out-of-town patient.
Thank you Dr. Martin Jugenburg!!
I’m definitely not new to cosmetic surgery. I’ve had several cosmetic procedures over the past 20 years in my home city, so I had a pretty good idea of what I was looking for in a surgeon and what I expected from a consultation.
However, after losing a significant amount of weight, I was looking for a much more extensive procedure and decided to explore surgeons outside of my city. I was originally planning to have consultations with several surgeons in Toronto, but after my husband and I attended our consultation here, we immediately felt very comfortable with the entire process and decided this was the direction we wanted to go.
The consultation was extremely thorough — much more in-depth than any of my previous surgical consultations. They took the time to go through the different options, explain what they recommended and why, and took photographs and videos as part of the assessment.
Because of the complexity of my case, the surgeon actually came in while we were there to assess me personally. He took one look and immediately said, essentially, “No, you need a different procedure.” I really appreciated how confident and decisive he was. There was no uncertainty or trying to sell me on something that wasn’t appropriate. He explained what he thought would give me the best result, and we left the appointment knowing we wanted to book — we just needed to make arrangements on our end before securing the date.
The location was also a huge factor for us. Having the surgery centre and hotel together made the logistics of travelling from out of town much easier. I didn’t have to worry about getting into a cab after surgery and then doing the same thing again the next day for my first post-op appointment.
How I prepared for surgery and recovery
Honestly, the most difficult part of the entire experience was checking into the hotel!
My appointment was at 3:30 p.m. and we had flown in that morning. We just wanted to get into our room, put our things down and freshen up after travelling. Unfortunately, the room wasn’t ready. The hotel initially offered us another room for an additional fee, then changed their position when they realized I was having surgery and said surgical patients couldn’t use certain rooms because of concerns about “blood.” They then tried to offer us another room at a different price. On top of that, they were trying to charge us for both nights even though the surgery centre covers the night of your procedure. I had the paperwork showing this, but they still had to contact the surgery centre to confirm it.
Once that was sorted out and we got into our room, everything was smooth sailing.
I actually went to a Jays game that evening, although I was already restricted to water because of my medical preparation and medications, which meant I had been on liquids for several days and clear fluids the full day before surgery.
The morning of surgery was incredibly easy. I arrived at the surgery centre first thing, the nurse took me back, reviewed my medications and gave me the medications I needed beforehand. My surgeon came in, did my markings and another video, and I was taken into the operating room shortly afterward. The room seemed surprisingly small when I first walked in, but I was quickly put to sleep. I woke up in recovery and was eventually taken back to my hotel room by a nurse, where my family member was waiting for me.
What my recovery was like
In terms of pain, I would describe my overall recovery as moderate.
The reverse tummy tuck with the fleur-de-lis portion was surprisingly easy for me. Even with more than 90 staples, if that had been the only procedure I had done, I honestly would have described it as a walk in the park.
The capsulorrhaphy was a completely different story. That was the difficult part of my recovery and definitely the worst part in terms of discomfort. The breast work was significantly tougher for me than the abdominal portion.
And then there was the bruising — or lack thereof.
I had NONE.
When I say none, I mean NONE. I also had a small amount of liposuction done, and I still had virtually no bruising and very little swelling. I honestly don’t know how he did it. It was unbelievable to me, especially considering the amount of work that was done.
The part I want to emphasize most, though, is the aftercare.
The nurses were phenomenal. I had a number I could call or text, and if I had a question or concern, I could send a message or even send pictures to show them what I was talking about. That made being an out-of-town patient SO much easier.
I did have some issues with vomiting after surgery because I have had bariatric surgery and some medications are particularly hard on my stomach. I was able to text the nurses, they helped me get it under control, and they came to see me the next day before I left the hotel. They answered all of my questions and made sure I was okay to travel.
I was literally back on a flight home about 24 hours after surgery, and the communication didn’t stop once I left Toronto. They continued to call and check in, and I could still text them whenever I had questions — and believe me, I did!
I felt a little bad at times because I probably asked a million questions, but they were always reassuring and responsive. I had concerns about parts of my recovery where I was told to “trust the process.” That can be difficult to hear when you’re in the middle of recovery and something doesn’t look or feel the way you expected, but they really do know what they’re doing.
I’ve had at least four or five surgeries previously, and the level of aftercare I received here was unlike anything I had experienced before.
I was also very happy with the outcome of my first procedure. I flew back to Toronto at the one-week mark to have approximately 90 staples removed. Staples weren’t originally planned, but they became necessary once the surgeon was actually in surgery and saw what needed to be done.
Even getting back to Toronto for that appointment turned into an adventure. My flight attempted to land four times because of fog before ultimately being diverted to Montreal. I arrived in Toronto about five hours late, but the team still saw me quickly so I could make my flight home shortly afterward.
My surgeon has recommended waiting approximately 6–12 months before scheduling the second stage, so for now I’m waiting for my body to finish healing before planning and booking the next procedure.
One thing I’m particularly interested in for the second stage is the option of hiring a post-operative caregiver who can stay with me. Since I’m travelling from out of town, that may be an option I use rather than having a family member travel with me and take time away from their own life.
Overall, I couldn’t be happier that I decided to look outside of my home city. The consultation, surgical care, accessibility of the nurses, and especially the aftercare have made a major difference in my experience as an out-of-town patient.
Thank you Dr. Martin Jugenburg!!
Intuitive631238's provider
Response from Dr. Jugenburg:
Thank you for writing this out in such detail. Most reviews do not describe what the consultation actually involved, and that is what another patient deciding whether to travel needs to read.
The thoroughness you noticed is deliberate. The consultant appointment maps the options out properly, and I come in when the case warrants it, which yours did. If a procedure is not going to give you the result you want, saying so on the spot beats talking you into it. You arrived expecting one thing, left with a plan for something else, and still booked.
I appreciate what you said about the bruising, but I would not want another patient reading it and expecting the same. Bruising and swelling vary widely between patients, and technique is only one part of it alongside how your body responded.
Your comment about "trust the process" is fair and useful to me. It is a reasonable thing for a nurse to say and a hard thing to hear at week two. We can do better by telling patients in advance what each stage of healing tends to look like.
Please don't feel bad about the questions. That is what the text line is for, and a patient flying home 24 hours after surgery should be asking more, not fewer. The nurses earned that part of your review.
Raise the caregiver idea when you come back to plan the second stage and we will go through the options. And for anyone researching their procedure and reading this, understand that recovery in the first 24 to 48 hours may require someone you can rely on to do even the most basic things for you.
Thanks again, and we will see you when you are ready.
Dr. 6ix and the TCSI team
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