Help with plastics surgeon

ok I am ready to start looking for a plastic surgeon. I am 2 years out. Has anyone had theirs done? Who was your surgeon. I will be a self pay. Tricare doesnt cover it unless there is a medical need. Thanks for any help please let me know if you were pleased or displeased with your results. Thanks Amy

Hi . we are neighbors, I live off Hwy 603 and Avenue B  , my friend went to Brazil for her plastic surgery, she had arms, stomach, thighs , breast implants and a face lift for 10,000 , she needed to stay thier for 1 month though , let me know, if you like I can introduce you to her.

I'm almost 5 weeks out from my own plastics adventure (had a breast lift, tummy tuck, medial thigh lift and extensive lipo to my outer thigh and back).  Let me caution you--this is a SLOW road to go.  Though I'm pleased with my results so far, it's very very very different than I thought it would be.  Even with all the research I did, my path has been nothing that I exptected.  Even when my surgeon (and the otehrs I consulted with) told me it would take 4 to 6 weeks to recover.  I didn't believe them.  I'm still on lifting restrictions and it's been 5 weeks!  and I can't even fit into all my pre-op clothes yet due to the swelling (which they say swelling can take 6 months or more to completely go away!) ..sigh..  i'm not trying to discourage you--just let me advise you to realize the recovery of this is way different than any other recovery.  I wonder how the celebrities do it?!  and don'****ch too many of the TLC makeover shows...they don't tell the whole story either. :)  and just think, I didn't have any complications and feel this way.  i really feel for those who have problems. anyway..to answer your question. :)  I live in the jackson area.  I went to a consult @ UMC with Dr. McGraw and then went to the Hand and Plastics Center in flowood---ultimately chose Dr. Songcharoen---but there are several excellent physicians in that group.  I was self-pay. i love to talk, so if you have any specific questions I can help you with--please let me know! mary

Thank you for the caution I am a chicken to do them all at once. I have been in the medical field since 1989. So I know that not everyone is the same. I think the celebrities lie about how "easy" it all is. I hope you recover great. Be patient with your preop clothes. Your body had been threw MAJOR trauma. Just do what your doctor says and listen to your body when you start to hurt stop doing whatever you are doing. I will pray for you to have a speedy recovery. Thank you for your offer to talk to me. Thank you I appreciate that. Did your doctor offer financing or did you have to come up with the total.Can I ask what the total for all the procedures you had done. Just so I can get a ball park idea? Thank you again. Amy

I laughed after I posted earlier.  i've always been a WLS advocate, telling people "oh, do it.  it isn't that bad..etc.etc.etc."  but after plastics, I just can't seem to 'encourage' people to do it.  I know the benefit is great---but it's sooooo different.  I'm a nurse, so I thought I'd know better.  We all learn in our own time, I guess.  Of course, i don't think I'd have done all I got done if I'd had to separate them. My surgeon did not offer financing, but did take a credit card (as did the surgery center).  When I had my RNY, I was self-pay and had to have cash or cashier's check.  So this was easier to manipulate through my credit card.  My total (surgeon and the surgery center) was about $16,000.  But realize that my surgery was 10 hours and I had 4 or 5 procedures, depending on the codes.  The breakdown was similar to the quotes I was given from UMC and that surgeon. mary

wow that isnt bad for all of the procedures you had. I was expecting 20ish. I know the risk of the surgery and havent had any complications with any of my surgeries. But... Once the breast augmentation is done if it doesnt look right that will be worse than my sagginess now. I will have to do more research and spend time in prayer. I know we "medical" people make the worst patients sometimes knowing to much is a bad thing.Being an Anesthesia tech(when I was in the Navy) just with that so many things can go wrong,. Thank you for your posts. It is always great when others share their experiance so that the rest of us wont be hard headed and will learn from them.I will ask you questions as I get into my research and start making my list to see the surgeon. Thank you again so much!!!!! Amy

Hi Amy,  Just for your FYI, the coast meeting is going to be on the 23rd at 7pm.  We are having Dr.Miller a plastic surgeon on the coast that is TriCare approved.  I have tried to prepare him for a lot of questions regarding what TriCare wants in order to approve us.   Cheryl