looking for reputable plastic surgeon--Help!

Mary,

Actually, I thought I HAD posted it on the Plastic surgery forum--I clicked on it, but then it asked what state... I'll try again, thanks!

Lori

Well, I clicked on forums, then clicked on Plastic Surgery, but I can't find any place at all to actually post something. I've never had so much trouble with this site as i have since I tried to get this information. *scratching my head*. I'm not a newcomer to this kind of thing at all, but I simply can find nowhere on that page to post. Nor do I find the forum itself. Just a note saying welcome. The rest of the page has nothing to do with plastic surgury. I see a place on the left here now on THIS page which says "Other North Carolina Resources" and then the menu says "Find a Plastic Surgeon" so I guess I'll try that.

I was so sure that once I posted I'd hear from tons of local people who'd had the surgery in Charlotte or Hickory.

Lori

How about someone in Winston and Baptist Hospital? That may be a good place to research. Starfish

I know there are good surgeons there. That's where I had my breast reduction back in 1990, but it's not very viable for me now. I'll only go there if I absolutely cannot find one in Hickory or Charlotte. But I really need to find one closer. thanks for answering! :) Lori

Check out Dr Felmont Eaves at Charlotte Plastic Surgery... he is one of the BEST in Charlotte and has worked on MANY WLS patients. My best friend had WLS surgery 6 years ago, about 1.5 years ago she went and saw DrEaves... so far she has her arms done, thigh lift and circumfrencial tummy tuck... she looks amazing. She did a ton of research before selecting this surgeon... her father, who is a lawyer, also did a lot of research on this surgeon before allowing her to have such major surgery with him.  I had a consultation with him back in May just to get an idea of what he felt I needed done and the price... he was great... I felt very comfortable with him. I saw before/after pictures of his work and was amazed. I will say he is very pricey... being one of the best you definately see it in his prices! I asked some people I know who work at Presby Hospital uptown and they said he was highly regarded there as well... you know all the nurses gossip so its good to hear from the horses mouth! The way he works with WLS patients is once every few months he holds a 'seminar' where a bunch of people interested go and listen to him do a presentation and slide show.. then he will take each person back individually to talk to them and go over the procedures etc, then you see the office manager and she will get you a price quote. The consultation is free so theres nothing to lose but a little time!

Jennifer, Thanks so much! I will try to get his number and call to find out when the next "seminar" is. I'm scared to death any plastic surgeon will say "You're way to fat yet", but my family insists that I should see one now. They see what I eat and how my weight has refused to budge in the last six months and know how hard it is for me to exercise in any way except the water aerobics. I love water aerobics but I can't travel every day from Lincolnton to Hickory and get anything else done in my life. I need to be able to walk nearby along with the aerobics class. They also feel my legs, hips and derriere are so small that I won't be able to lose any more weight unless I have the surgery. I was 279 before I had the surgery and I have hovered between 183-186 for six months. I did dip down to 182 a couple days but I was extremely active (for me). I'm also bipolar and if I overbook myself on activities I can count on a manic swing. Money-wise I can't afford mania and since it is always followed by depression I don't want it! lol I've had to learn moderation in EVERYTHING since my surgery, but I am still so happy I had it and even lost this much weight. I've weighed much less than this before, so if I can't get all the way down to my goal of 135, I want to, eat least, be closer to it. Say 145-155 even. So this surgery could pave the way to my being more physically active without tearing up the road to Hickory every day. Thanks so much for your help! Lori

By the way, congratulations to you (and to everyone who answered) on your own great weight loss success! It must be wonderful to weigh 104 pounds---I don't think I have weighed that since I was a child--supposedly I should weigh 130 according to BMI. When i was 32 I lost 50 pounds through Nutri-System and weighed 137 (for about 10 minutes...). But I still had some rolls of fat, so probably should have been about 125. But at age 57 I have to consider that I would look better at 135. However; I'm getting depressed and sort of desperate, I'd even be pleased with my results at 150! I lost so well at first and I keep reading about people who never lose any more after 18 months or, worse, people who gain a good deal of weight back. I followed the food guidelines religiously and was lucky never to have a lot of vomiting or other problems, but I'm worried that I should now cut back on my food intake some more. If I can't have surgery because they want me to lose more weight first, I just don't know how to achieve that without going on some sort of crash diet and I don't believe in those. I would also have trouble getting in my 60 grams of protein in that case. To me, 183-186 is still much too close to 200 lbs. and too much weight for my frame. I have pain in my hips, feet and back and I believe losing more weight would help this a lot, not to mention help my diabetes. My sugar is relatively stable now, but I still have to take 25 units twice a day (compared to 80 units twice a day pre-surgery). Meanwhile, I just try to keep moving, but I'm getting discouraged for the first time since surgery and my weight-loss clinic just acts like I'm doing fine. I don't see why they think that when I've been plateaued for 6 months and if I gained 10 pounds I'd probably still qualify to have weight surgery! They said well, most plastic surgeons want your weight to have stabilized first and I said, how much more stable can I be than being stuck at this weight for 6 months? I think my psychiatrist (I go regularly since I'm also bipolar) seems to think I've done wonderfully and i think she is hinting I should be happy with the weight I'm at, but I can't even buy clothes because my belly hangs down into my pant legs. Sorry to rant, but I'm getting quite frustrated today. Anyway, thanks for the name of the surgeon and I'll check him out!

Lori

Any PS shouldnt say youre way too fat... but here is what DrEaves will say.. or something similar. He may tell you to lose more weight... he likes his patients to be of a normal BMI or as close as possible... reason being your operative risks increase over 500% when you are overweight vs being a normal size. However, he does like his patients to have mantained their weight for 3 months before he will operate... since its been 6 months with no loss your body may have it where its comfortable and you can only get lower thru PS. He will tell you to be done losing weight before having the PS... reason being if you have the PS then want to lose more you may have to go back for revisional surgery/touch ups... I guess the reasoning is since our skin is damaged it doesnt retract the same as normal skin so the results of the surgery could be different? Who knows, I guess it depends on how 'nit picky' you are with the way you look... way I figure Ill never be a playboy model I just want the junk and flab going.

This is the way I always thought, too; that I should lose all the weight first. Otherwise, I figured I'd end up having to have the plastic surgery again. But everyone wants me to see a ps and I've been hearing it can jump-start your weight loss again (I guess because you can exercise more). I'm 57 so I'm not planning on posing for the swimsuit issue either! lol I already have scars from the breast reduction, appendectomy and the weight-loss surgery, so I couldn't care less about being glamorous, I just want the junk gone and to be able to exercise to get to a normal weight. It's more about health and being able to comfortably wear clothes to me. I'm really afraid he'll want me to lose more weight before having surgery and frankly, if I could do that, I wouldn't be going to him yet. I guess I'd have to go on the kind of fast I went on before surgery (to soften the liver), but that is not the kind of thing you can do for life and that kind of dieting always made me yoyo and got me to wear I was. I'm actually doing this (going to the plastic surgeon) to please my family who seem to think I must have this plastic surgery to move forward. ANYTHING to get the extra weight off, I say, but I'm just not able to scoot up to Hickory every single day for water aerobics class: I actually have a life now and have other things I must do. I would be so happy if I could walk every day for 30-40 minutes and then get to aerobics 2-3 times a week. I believe I'd really feel good and be able to get off more meds. Just don't see how I can exercise like that if I can't get some more weight off. I'm worried what he'll say, but might as well get it over with, I feel. If he says I can't have it until I lose more weight at least my family will know I tried to do ask they asked. So, I have an appointment on Thursday at 1 for the seminar (have to be back in town at 4!) They said he could also examine me and if I came earlier than 1, I could probably get out by 3. So I'm going to the seminar and if it turns out he can't examine me in time for me to get back for my 4 pm meeting, I'll reschedule for an exam with him. My sister-in-law is going with me because 1. I want a second set of ears and 2. I never drive to Charlotte any more it terrifies me lol. Thanks for your help and I'll keep you posted!

Well let me know how it goes!!! Even if he says he would like you to lose more if you cant, you cant ya know? I doubt he would be a stickler about it especially since youve maintained your weight for so long! Depending on what you want done he may do it in multiple surgeries... he doesnt like to do a tummy tuck and thigh lift together - he says you get the best result by doing the TT first and the thigh lift later on... so you could always get the first surgery... lose weight, go for the 2nd and he can do any revisions to the first that need to be done :-) I went and saw him long before I was ready so I could get an idea of what he felt as well as price... so its still good for you to go and get an idea of everything. For me personally he said based on what I wanted he would break it up into two surgeries... they would be around 4+ months apart? (I think). surgery 1 - circumfrencial tt, arms (overnight stay in hospital required for both surgeries) surgery 2 - thigh lift (said I may not even need one the TT may take care of it, maybe just lipo), breast lift/implants and any revisions I would need done (typically the arms need revisions... they can only pull the skin so tight and then it heals/relaxes and they go back and repull... or if your arm flab hangs over a bunch they may need to fix where the elbow area is.. he will explain!) The exam part wasnt too bad... you do get nakey but I felt REALLY comfy with him... like he sees people all day everyday, Im sure I wasnt the best, nor was I the worst looking nakey person he has seen... he approaches it like a Dr should. They will also take pictures, his female nurse does that. The office manager is really great... shes had some PS with him as well and looks amazing!