Reviews you can trust, from real people like you.
How it works
- Our highly-trained Review Moderation team evaluates all reviews before they're published to ensure they're written by people like you and not a member of a doctor's office.
- This multi-step process takes up to 24 hours from review submission to publication.
- Doctors can't pay to have reviews removed or hidden.
- Reviews are only removed at the reviewer's request or if they violate our Terms of Service.
If you have questions or believe we should re-evaluate a published review, let us know.
Sort by:
*Treatment results may vary
Update
Hi everyone,
I know i haven't been on here in a while. Been going through a few more set backs. Last time I posted an update I had a few separations under my breasts and my armpits. Those have all closed up by now. My fascia definitely has to be repaired somehow since my belly is sticking out big time... especially on my left side. When i lay down however I am completely flat. Something to be happy about :-) Wish I could walk around laying down :-)
So in preparation for my 3 month follow up with Dr. Capella and Dr. Roxanna Kline (the general surgeon who repaired my hernias and tried to repair my fascia) I requested a catscan of my abdomen. I wanted to make sure they could see how bad my fascia had become.
As I expected my hernias returned and my fascia is definitely worse - a wide mouthed hernia as they put it. My other 2 hernia are back as well.
Unfortunately that is not the only thing they found. I apparently had a solid mass in my left kidney now. Yes, kidney cancer....
As I sit here 4 days post-op writing all of you about this i still cannot believe this happened. I consulted several doctors at Sloan Kettering right away (it's good to have some connections) but decided to go with a wonderful doctor at Hackensack Hospital ( Dr. Munver) to remove the tumor. Per Dr. Capella - it is not the hospital doing the surgery it is the doctor.... and he is absolutely right. My infectious disease doctor is there as is my general surgeon and of course Dr. Capella. I felt most comfortable doing this at Hackensack. As it turns out both doctors I consulted with graduated from the same class but just ended up at different hospitals. So I decided to go with Dr. Munver who specializes in laparascopic/robotic surgery of the kidneys/urology/ oncology.
Dr. Munver tried to just do a partial nefrectomy (remove the diseased part of the kidney while sparing the rest of the kidney) but unfortunately the tumor was pretty big , right in the center of my kidney and growing around the arteries. There was no way to remove the tumor without taking the whole kidney out. He removed the whole left kidney. It was a pretty long operation as I had a lot of scar tissue he had to deal with.
But the good news is that he removed my cancer. 95% sure all of it is gone he said. Let's pray it is. My right kidney is healthy they say.. .however there is a lesion too small to characterize yet and some calcification as well. They will have to keep a close eye on me and test regularly to make sure I stay healthy.
I sit here swollen, in pain and a bit nausious tonight from all the gas put in me and not being able to go to the bathroom since the surgery but grateful that my cancer is once again gone. The pain I know will eventually go away (the gas gives you pain in your shoulders, ribs, belly, back ... just everywhere)... The fear probably never but I just have to keep going. What else can I do.
I have a 6-8 week recovery from this surgery.
I still need to have 3 more surgeries. My vertical torsoplasty and inner thigh lift, then my implants to correct my breasts and my chin lift to remove the loose skin under my neck. And I then also need to find a doctor that can address my fascia and at the same time fix the other hernias. That will be the most difficult to fix. If any of you know of any plastic surgeon who specializes in fixing fascias that are weakened (therefore not able to be fixed with mesh) please email me. I could have the hernias fixed by doctor Kline but then still would have to find someone to address the fascia...
Tryng to keep my surgeries to a minimum at this point.
I will get all of this done eventually and hope to be done by spring of next year. The thought of all this tires me.. especially now going through my second cancer scare. Life is crazy my friends.. Wish me luck, say a prayer for me, light a candle, make a wish... anything at this point will help.
I remain positive that all this shall pass and I will eventually have a body I can be proud of. Scarred yes but I consider these scars just a roadmap of my life. I think we all do.
For now I will concentrate on getting stronger and staying healthy.
Until my next update. Enjoy your summer my friends. :-)
I know i haven't been on here in a while. Been going through a few more set backs. Last time I posted an update I had a few separations under my breasts and my armpits. Those have all closed up by now. My fascia definitely has to be repaired somehow since my belly is sticking out big time... especially on my left side. When i lay down however I am completely flat. Something to be happy about :-) Wish I could walk around laying down :-)
So in preparation for my 3 month follow up with Dr. Capella and Dr. Roxanna Kline (the general surgeon who repaired my hernias and tried to repair my fascia) I requested a catscan of my abdomen. I wanted to make sure they could see how bad my fascia had become.
As I expected my hernias returned and my fascia is definitely worse - a wide mouthed hernia as they put it. My other 2 hernia are back as well.
Unfortunately that is not the only thing they found. I apparently had a solid mass in my left kidney now. Yes, kidney cancer....
As I sit here 4 days post-op writing all of you about this i still cannot believe this happened. I consulted several doctors at Sloan Kettering right away (it's good to have some connections) but decided to go with a wonderful doctor at Hackensack Hospital ( Dr. Munver) to remove the tumor. Per Dr. Capella - it is not the hospital doing the surgery it is the doctor.... and he is absolutely right. My infectious disease doctor is there as is my general surgeon and of course Dr. Capella. I felt most comfortable doing this at Hackensack. As it turns out both doctors I consulted with graduated from the same class but just ended up at different hospitals. So I decided to go with Dr. Munver who specializes in laparascopic/robotic surgery of the kidneys/urology/ oncology.
Dr. Munver tried to just do a partial nefrectomy (remove the diseased part of the kidney while sparing the rest of the kidney) but unfortunately the tumor was pretty big , right in the center of my kidney and growing around the arteries. There was no way to remove the tumor without taking the whole kidney out. He removed the whole left kidney. It was a pretty long operation as I had a lot of scar tissue he had to deal with.
But the good news is that he removed my cancer. 95% sure all of it is gone he said. Let's pray it is. My right kidney is healthy they say.. .however there is a lesion too small to characterize yet and some calcification as well. They will have to keep a close eye on me and test regularly to make sure I stay healthy.
I sit here swollen, in pain and a bit nausious tonight from all the gas put in me and not being able to go to the bathroom since the surgery but grateful that my cancer is once again gone. The pain I know will eventually go away (the gas gives you pain in your shoulders, ribs, belly, back ... just everywhere)... The fear probably never but I just have to keep going. What else can I do.
I have a 6-8 week recovery from this surgery.
I still need to have 3 more surgeries. My vertical torsoplasty and inner thigh lift, then my implants to correct my breasts and my chin lift to remove the loose skin under my neck. And I then also need to find a doctor that can address my fascia and at the same time fix the other hernias. That will be the most difficult to fix. If any of you know of any plastic surgeon who specializes in fixing fascias that are weakened (therefore not able to be fixed with mesh) please email me. I could have the hernias fixed by doctor Kline but then still would have to find someone to address the fascia...
Tryng to keep my surgeries to a minimum at this point.
I will get all of this done eventually and hope to be done by spring of next year. The thought of all this tires me.. especially now going through my second cancer scare. Life is crazy my friends.. Wish me luck, say a prayer for me, light a candle, make a wish... anything at this point will help.
I remain positive that all this shall pass and I will eventually have a body I can be proud of. Scarred yes but I consider these scars just a roadmap of my life. I think we all do.
For now I will concentrate on getting stronger and staying healthy.
Until my next update. Enjoy your summer my friends. :-)
8 week update
Hi everyone,
Sorry it took so long to update my recovery status. I went back to work 3 weeks ago and I am starting to feel a bit normal now.
I am pretty bloated by the end of the day still – I assume that will get better as the weeks progress.. I am 8 weeks out today! Can’t believe how fast time flies! My incisions are finally healing. I had problems with the incisions underneath my breasts which finally closed up this weekend. I kept bleeding and scabbing up, it was so frustrating. I still have a bit of wound separation on my back, right in the middle where the incision meets. I can’t seem to get it to heal all the way. It is a small hole which I keep pulling apart when I move. Did it again this morning getting in the car! Dr. C said just to keep gauze on it and keep it dry… not really working but I trust he knows best. My incisions are still sore, which I know is normal, especially on my lower back and underneath my arms and armpits.
My belly is still looks pretty big to me. I assume part of it is that I am still swollen, especially at night. I know a big part of it is the fascia which Dr. Klein, the surgeon that fixed my 2 hernias and fascia tried to fix with temporary mesh is not holding me in.
The mesh is supposed to dissolve in about 3 months, however the left side of my lower belly is already sticking out and it looks horrible. I wish I could put in permanent mesh to hold in my intestines and flatten my lower belly but I am told that I could get infected because of my previous MERSA infection. I am meeting with Dr. Kline, , in the beginning of July so I will discuss this with her then. It is so very frustrating and upsetting. When I lay down, especially in the morning my belly is completely flat! It amazes me sometimes! Then I sit up and everything shifts and falls and I have a belly again… standing up it looks worse. They told me I might never have a flat belly.
My breasts are finally starting to show a little shape but I definitely need implants! My left breast is uneven underneath and when I lay down they completely flatten out! I am very frustrated but know I need to be patient with this whole process. Dr. C still needs to do the vertical torsoplasty on me and the inner thigh lift – hopefully late July. I was 196 pounds the day of surgery, he removed 12.5 pounds of skin and now I am about 171 pounds. At 5 foot 10 I look pretty slim at this weight, especially my legs! However this is when I am fully dressed. My legs have lost all muscle tone and the skin on my inner thighs has become worse. So definitely need the thigh lift. Naked I just look huge all over – and I feel huge! L
Hopefully the next surgery will help tremendously and I can start to feel like a woman with a normal body. I guess that’s it for now. I have attached a few pictures. Not too much of a difference except for the one laying down. Until next update!
Sorry it took so long to update my recovery status. I went back to work 3 weeks ago and I am starting to feel a bit normal now.
I am pretty bloated by the end of the day still – I assume that will get better as the weeks progress.. I am 8 weeks out today! Can’t believe how fast time flies! My incisions are finally healing. I had problems with the incisions underneath my breasts which finally closed up this weekend. I kept bleeding and scabbing up, it was so frustrating. I still have a bit of wound separation on my back, right in the middle where the incision meets. I can’t seem to get it to heal all the way. It is a small hole which I keep pulling apart when I move. Did it again this morning getting in the car! Dr. C said just to keep gauze on it and keep it dry… not really working but I trust he knows best. My incisions are still sore, which I know is normal, especially on my lower back and underneath my arms and armpits.
My belly is still looks pretty big to me. I assume part of it is that I am still swollen, especially at night. I know a big part of it is the fascia which Dr. Klein, the surgeon that fixed my 2 hernias and fascia tried to fix with temporary mesh is not holding me in.
The mesh is supposed to dissolve in about 3 months, however the left side of my lower belly is already sticking out and it looks horrible. I wish I could put in permanent mesh to hold in my intestines and flatten my lower belly but I am told that I could get infected because of my previous MERSA infection. I am meeting with Dr. Kline, , in the beginning of July so I will discuss this with her then. It is so very frustrating and upsetting. When I lay down, especially in the morning my belly is completely flat! It amazes me sometimes! Then I sit up and everything shifts and falls and I have a belly again… standing up it looks worse. They told me I might never have a flat belly.
My breasts are finally starting to show a little shape but I definitely need implants! My left breast is uneven underneath and when I lay down they completely flatten out! I am very frustrated but know I need to be patient with this whole process. Dr. C still needs to do the vertical torsoplasty on me and the inner thigh lift – hopefully late July. I was 196 pounds the day of surgery, he removed 12.5 pounds of skin and now I am about 171 pounds. At 5 foot 10 I look pretty slim at this weight, especially my legs! However this is when I am fully dressed. My legs have lost all muscle tone and the skin on my inner thighs has become worse. So definitely need the thigh lift. Naked I just look huge all over – and I feel huge! L
Hopefully the next surgery will help tremendously and I can start to feel like a woman with a normal body. I guess that’s it for now. I have attached a few pictures. Not too much of a difference except for the one laying down. Until next update!
10 days post-op Full Body lift - Dr. Capella
I can't believe it has been 10 days already! Time does fly!
Got my first 2 drains removed this past Tuesday (day 7). Dr. C and Scott said I am doing great although I have to say I feel like a Mac truck hit me! They said this is normal only one week out. I do have a lot of work coming up.
He said they did so much work on me. My flanks will have to be done in July. They just couldn't take the whole thing since it would pull my nipples too far too the side. So in July I will do the flanks, inner thigh lift (right now I have pleads in the front - although my outer thighs and butt look great), breast implants and facelift.
EVERYTHING is sooooo tight! I still cannot stand up straight and when I try to I pull my breast down! I do not like where my breasts are now. Too far too the side, too low as well and very far apart.. I am told the implants will fix this. I definitely want to go on the bigger side. I was a D cup before and don't want anything smaller. I want to feel voluptuous .. Right now I feel like a boy!!! Right now I lost about 11 pounds of fluid.. Down to 183 (5 foot 10). My body still looks "square" no waist , no shape at all ... And extremely bloated...
I haven't had that oh my god moment of seeing that flat tummy ... I hope I will see that one day. I know it's only 10 days out buta girl can dream.
My appetite is not that great but I am making sure I get 6 ounces of protein for lunch and dinner and getting my water in.
Wondering if I should start taking walks around the block.. Will that help the bloating? Getting cabin fever at this point. So afraid I will rip the hernia repairs or anything else for that matter. My drains are leaking every day as are my armpits. Dr. C said just to put gauze on it...
Guess this is my update.. Wishing all of you a good holiday! I am not sure what to wear on Sunday as nothing fits lol.... Hope to hear from some of you! :)
Got my first 2 drains removed this past Tuesday (day 7). Dr. C and Scott said I am doing great although I have to say I feel like a Mac truck hit me! They said this is normal only one week out. I do have a lot of work coming up.
He said they did so much work on me. My flanks will have to be done in July. They just couldn't take the whole thing since it would pull my nipples too far too the side. So in July I will do the flanks, inner thigh lift (right now I have pleads in the front - although my outer thighs and butt look great), breast implants and facelift.
EVERYTHING is sooooo tight! I still cannot stand up straight and when I try to I pull my breast down! I do not like where my breasts are now. Too far too the side, too low as well and very far apart.. I am told the implants will fix this. I definitely want to go on the bigger side. I was a D cup before and don't want anything smaller. I want to feel voluptuous .. Right now I feel like a boy!!! Right now I lost about 11 pounds of fluid.. Down to 183 (5 foot 10). My body still looks "square" no waist , no shape at all ... And extremely bloated...
I haven't had that oh my god moment of seeing that flat tummy ... I hope I will see that one day. I know it's only 10 days out buta girl can dream.
My appetite is not that great but I am making sure I get 6 ounces of protein for lunch and dinner and getting my water in.
Wondering if I should start taking walks around the block.. Will that help the bloating? Getting cabin fever at this point. So afraid I will rip the hernia repairs or anything else for that matter. My drains are leaking every day as are my armpits. Dr. C said just to put gauze on it...
Guess this is my update.. Wishing all of you a good holiday! I am not sure what to wear on Sunday as nothing fits lol.... Hope to hear from some of you! :)