Hi all,

Well, the scale started moving for me again since I decided to finish up and get my plastic surgery and be DONE with this journey :thumbup:

I'm looking to get PS in December and wanted to have my doc picked in a month or two so it's set, and I have a goal to work towards.

I've met with three PSes in the Philly area and am not sure if my expectations are out of whack.

One guy I liked; he had good before/after of bypass patients, he does a lot of breast lifts/augs and his pictures are beautiful... and although he says he has worked on lap band, he worried me when he made a comment about needing to be careful about not pulling down on my abdomen too much and popping the port off. It sounded like he never dealt with the band before. When I asked him later on if I would be the first Lap Band, he said nope. But I feel like I don't have enough information. I'm still gunshy with him...but out of the three I feel the most confident in his ability, his hospital affiliation, the work I've seen, and his bedside manner.

One doctor was a complete b*tch to me and I walked out of there offended and furious at the treatment I got, as if she looked down on me for being overweight in the first place.

So I thought to check with other doctors, there's a bunch in NY (where I was banded, and who Dr. Ren recommended) but everyone wants $250 just for the consult in NY, and with the cost of gas and driving, this is getting cost prohibitive just from a scouting perspective.

IF I'm going to go to NY for the surgery, I want to consult with the doctor I think can do it. I can't afford to blow $1k just to see who I like best. Well I can, but I am absolutely unwilling to. But these websites make me nervous. There's not enough variations in the people with the before/after. I want to see people with my body type, and the good/bad results, so I can be well informed about what I should *REALISTICALLY* expect.

I am normally not a fearful person, but I am inexplicably scared at picking the wrong PS when I'm self pay. I want to go under the knife knowing I did the best research I could.

I called four other PSes in Philly and when I asked if the doctor had experience with Lap Band, I got answers ranging from "The what?" to "Yes, he's done bypass patients." To which I would say "No, Lap Band. Has he worked with the port with the Lap Band". And she replied "Yes, like I just told you, he's done lots of bypass." It was like a Laurel and Hardy sketch.

Any suggestions?

Am I making too much out of the Lap Band part - if they have experience with weight loss patients, does it REALLY matter about Lap Band?

Sorry for the novel :thumbup:

Kate

Becky - thank you!! Do you have a date yet?? I've seen a lot of great docs in Texas, that's for sure.

Yes, my date is next week, June 12! I'm having a lower body lift and medial thigh lift. Woo Hoo!

Kate

Your Dr Capella certainly looks experienced. I checked out his website and was delighted to see he has done 1000 thigh lifts - 500 cases. I'm tempted to make an appointment. Only problem is I live in Ireland. There is no one here with significant experience.

I had an arm lift and thigh lipo in the Spring. Neither were great. He took a lot of fat from my inner thighs and they are seriously drooping now. (I didnt know that could happen!). The incisions on my arms are at the back not the inside so they are totally visibloe at all times. THe only good thing is that he took very little skin and fat away so there is lots of potential for a revision which will reposition the incisions on the inner arm and thin them down also.

I cant afford to pick the wrong surgeon this time so am doing lots of research. Im going to a man in France in July. America is also an option - hence my excitement at someone who has done 1000 thighs. I'd be surprised if there is anyone in Europe with that experience.

Wishing you all the best, I found your posts and blog very interesting. You write very nicely!

Ellen

Ellen - Funny you should mention France. I was looking into France - they have some of the most advanced plastic surgery around - much of it non-surgical!! I was amazed at some of the procedures. It'll be a long time before the overly cautious Puritan-like FDA gets its crap together to investigate and approve it. The band for example is in heavy use in Europe and has been for over a decade! And yet the FDA stalled approval for 11 years or so citing bypass as "safer." Ugh.

Also, when I was drilling Dr. Capella about why he didn't do certain procedures, he mentioned that some docs in France were making the "no drains" tummy tuck/body lift standard practice, tho he'd been doing it for some time :tongue2: So he's definitely in tune with Europe.

Sorry to hear about your unsatisfactory work. Is this all at your own expense, the revisions? :smile:

Becky....EEEE!!! You must be so excited! :thumbup: Are you keeping a thread on it? /will go look

Nina (who hasn't posted here in awhile), lives in England had her surgery done in France and posted quite a bit about her surgeon and the experience. She seemed quite happy with the results. If memory serves, it was sometime in January or February? You can look through the previous posts and find her, if you are interested.

Kate and Foofy

Thanks for getting back to me. Yes my appointment is with Dr Pascal in Lyon, same doc that Nina attended. Im sure Ill know more once I see him. He does the drainless technique for LBL and abdominoplasty and has nice photos on his website.

In answer to your question Kate, yes sadly I have to pay myself. I went to a PS in Belgium who was cheap and had a lot of admirers on another weightloss site in the UK. But my results were not good, cant really explain it, lots of other people seemed really happy with him. The way I look at it is Im only 41. I look way better than I have done in years but I cant even take my kids swimming because my arms and thighs are appalling - way worse than before the armlift / lipo. (for balance, my stomach and hips are way better than before the lipo).

I will take out a loan for 20-25K Euro and yes it will take ages to repay but at least hopefully I'll be able to do normal things again. I have sure learnt my lesson regarding false economies though!

All the best

Ellen