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TESTIMONIALS:
Dear Dr.
Murphy,
After my
gastric bypass, I lost so much weight and looked so much
better, I decided to have a tummy tuck. I am so pleased to
have a smooth, flat belly for the first time in my life. Thank
you fo much for referring me to Dr. Tom Pousti, who performed
the surgery in San Diego. His team was very professional and
caring and my results are fantastic. It has been a month since
the tummy tuck and I am fully recovered and even working out
at the gym again. I can't thank you both enough for the
positive changes you have made in my life.
~G. Tingley
After years
of dressing to camouflage my floppy breasts and saggy belly,
and of having to exercise in long loose shirts and full
support bras, and of pulling pillows up against my stomach
when I was lying on my side (to hide the skin and flab beside
me that was my constant sleeping companion), and of swatting
away my partner's hands when attempting to "caress" that part
of my body - I finally decided to really do something about
it. I had a tummy tuck, breast lift, breast enhancement, and
some side liposuction. It is the best thing I have ever done
for myself.
I am and have
always been very athletic - walking, swimming, hiking,
crunches, pushups, etc., and yet while my muscles are and were
taut... the skin over the muscles, that had originally held
all of my extra weight (mostly my breasts and belly), just
stayed there. Strange as it sounds, the more weight I lost (35
lbs recently, but years ago 65 lbs after pregnancy) the worse
my front side looked. I was and am at my ideal weight, yet my
breasts were flat and hung down without any real mass to them,
and the skin on my belly skin was marred with stretch marks
which extended both over and under my natural "waste" line.
When wearing anything other than granny underwear, the
underwear would simply roll under my belly and stay there.
And, although this is kind of personal it probably applies to
at least some of you considering the procedure, I had a pooch
of fat over "that" area... the pubic hair area. Nothing I did
could get rid of the skin, the scars, and the sagging that
started at my breasts and continued down my front side.
On my first
visit, Dr. Pousti asked then really listened to my requests. I
knew what I wanted done. I wanted all of my loose skin and
flab removed, and nice natural B cup breasts with the fullness
in the bottom, not the top. I brought in pictures of the big
No-Nos, such as those huge bulbous breasts sitting on top of
chests looking like hard immobile rocks, and I brought in
pictures of natural looking breasts (some of which were the
"before" pictures in Dr. Pousti's albums). I brought in
pictures of women with flat stomachs. Dr. Pousti was very
patient with me and explained everything about each procedure.
He kindly
suggested/insisted that I come in and talk with other patients
who had undergone the same procedures. On several more visits,
I came in and talked privately with other women who had been
through the various procedures. Every single patient I talked
to had nothing but good words for and about Dr. Pousti and
every single patient was happy with their results. Every visit
with Dr. Pousti and his staff was positive and personal, and I
never, ever felt like just another patient nor a dollar sign.
The week
before surgery I was very, very excited and very, very scared.
Scared that I would come out a surgical nightmare... what if
my breasts were too high, too fake looking or lopsided... what
if I ended up with a horrid scars under my breasts or on my
belly or had lumps of fat here and there that the doctor
couldn't get rid of... what if I got infections... what if I
ended up with ugly puckers on the ends of the scars... what if
the results of the surgery were such that I STILL had to hide
my body while naked??? Two days before my surgery was
scheduled I almost canceled. I was a mess and, well, I was a
big-old-baby (or perhaps a different "B" word would be a more
accurate description, depending on who you ask). However, the
feelings passed and I had surgery as planned. I woke up and it
was as if the good-fairy had waived her magic wand over me. I
could not be happier, and none, not one, of my pre-surgery
fears came to fruition.
I now have a
perfect set of natural looking full size B breasts, a
completely flat stomach and a belly button of perfection! I
wear a bikini (in public), can wear low-rise pants and shorts
with tank tops, and can tuck in my shirts without seeing the
usual middle-aged mom "tri-fold" (you know, bulge from boobs
followed by bulge above the belt, followed by bulge below the
belt). I can look down and SEE my pubic area - even when
sitting!!! Please feel free to look at the pictures on the web
site (I'm in the bikini "after" shot), but keep in mind that
the pictures alone can not tell you how much my self-esteem
has changed, or how much I now enjoy putting clothes on, or
how much I now enjoy looking in the mirror every morning, or
how much I love not having to grab something to cover myself
up when naked so no one would see my embarrassing body.
The only
thing, and I mean the ONLY thing that I would say to any woman
considering the procedure is to realize that as you are
talking to those of us who have gone through the procedure and
who are (all of us) giddy with our new bodies and boosted body
image - is to remind us to tell you about the surgery itself
and the recovery. The actual surgery is a breeze from the
patient's standpoint. Everyone at the surgery center is sweet
as can be and understanding, and you really won't remember
much about the ride home. The next day, however, is a
different story.
When the meds
wear off - holy cow - it hurts ferociously. (Take the pain
meds before you feel the excruciating pain come back.) The
first three weeks are very, very, very painful - more than I
had expected. You have to sleep sitting up with pillows behind
you and under your legs for the first two to three weeks, then
you have to lay flat on your back for another few weeks. You
can't stand up completely straight for many weeks. You have to
be helped to get out of bed for the first several days. You
will have disgusting drainage tubes sticking out of you which
can pinch and pull, and when the Dr. removes them, it really
hurts bad! But, as with childbirth, you sort of forget about
it because you have something so special and so fantastic that
the pain fades from your memory. With childbirth you have the
miracle of a new and beautiful baby. With Dr. Pousti's
surgery, you have the miracle of a new and beautiful body. It
is well worth it, and the pain just passes from memory.
Yes, the
recovery is slow, slow, slow - but then you wake up one day
and find you are back to normal. Two weeks ago (at 7 weeks
post surgery) I still couldn't completely stand up straight,
couldn't walk more than a few blocks, and was certain that I
would never be back to participating in athletics. Then,
during my 7th and 8th week I recovered so fast and so
completely that just two days ago, at nine weeks post
tummy-tuck, breast lift, breast enhancement and liposuction -
I successfully completed an eight-mile mountain hike. I'm back
to doing everything I was doing before surgery. So, if you
have the tummy-tuck with or without other procedures - be
patient, baby yourself for the first two months, relax and it
will all fall into place - and you will be happier than you
can imagine.
Oh. The only
other downfall is that you will need new clothes. Bummer.
You'll have to shop for new pants and jeans. Tee shirts and
spaghetti strap tops. Shorts without pleats. Bathing suits.
You will have to donate your long and loose fitting shirts and
your pleated trousers (as you will have nothing left to fill
in those pleats anymore). You have to start borrowing clothes
from your high school or college-age daughters or nieces. You
may have to go to Victoria's Secret. And (after a full 6
weeks, so don't bother thinking you will even consider it
before then), you will have to fend off copious amounts of
attention that your husband or partner will shower you with.
You will have
to "suffer" through the daily compliments from co-workers,
friends, family and strangers on the street, such as, "Have
you lost weight?", "Are you working out?", "My god, you look
great!". Lastly, though loath to admit it... before my
surgery, not in my craziest dreams would I have imagined that
a rude cat-call from a construction worker (one, that had it
been made toward my daughter, would have made me seethe with
anger) would later secretly make me smile in awe that I
actually somehow looked attractive enough to warrant such rude
behavior!
Dr. Pousti is
the best. His staff is the best. His work is the best. I
never, ever felt like just another patient. His staff was
professional and treated me with respect (which isn't easy
when you are standing naked in front of the doctor and staff,
with all of the flab and skin that you have spent years trying
to hide just hanging out for inspection). I never ever felt in
any way that Dr. Pousti ever touched me in an inappropriate
way, nor that my privacy was disrespected. I have come in for
multiple post op visits and he spends as much time and
consideration with me as with any of my pre-surgery visits. He
is a truly kind and thoughtful person, as well as an awesome
surgeon and artist. I strongly recommend Dr. Pousti, and would
be happy to speak with or show you the results of his skill in
reshaping this middle-aged mom's body into a very nice figure.
~M.S. |
