My first consult!!! Thanks CJ!!

Okay, to begin with, I thought I was ready for my first consult. I had all the questions ever shared on here, and added some of my own, all printed out. I was determined to sit down and ask him every last one of them. I think I got to 2. I wished I had been able to video tape to remember everything he said. I will go over the key points and share some of what I learned. It was a rather interesting experience. They took me rather quickly after the initial paperwork. When Dr. King came in he was very personable. He asked me where I started weight wise and when I had my bariatric surgery. When I informed him I hadn't had WLS he was a bit shocked. He said most of his business these days are post-WLS patients since the surgery is a booming one. That answered a big question of mine, of course, about his credentials. He did cover most of my questions in his part of the conversation. One of the things I learned is clearly ask how long your consult is going to be. That is important to set the tone. I think a lot of people go "window shopping" and the time is not always right at the very very first appointment to talk about every single little thing. I didn't ask beforehand and when I got there it wasn't for the long consult I thought I was in for. My mistake for not clarifying. So onto the real stuff. I told him my arms were the very worst and he looked and agreed. He showed me with a pen mark on my arm where the scars would be and asked if I could live with them. I pointed to my arms and said, "you have to ask that?" So onto the breasts which he said were pretty bad. He also said that I would not be a good candidate for implants. He explained that I had so much stretching that even if he put in an implant it would sag in a year and look ridiculous. My boyfriend isn't happy that I will be a full B cup, perhaps a C. He was looking to get back the DD's. I think not!! I was kind of surprised at how he explained he would do the lift. I didn't realize they folded them under and then put the nipple on where it hadn't been. This goes to show how much you can read, but not absorb. He then checked my tummy and found the same strange thing I had found. He, however, diagnosed a hernia! I didn't have a clue. He showed me what he could do and how it would look. He said he'd so a mons lift as part of the surgery. I didn't even have to ask! Then I asked the point blank question. Was it skin or fat? He asked if I wished to lose more. And I said yes I would like to go for another 20. He said that I would want to try to get steady, but he didn't see how doing what he was going to do would make a huge difference since it was all skin above my waist, most of the weight loss needing to happen in my lower body. I told him I wouldn't be able to get any procedure done until Christmas break since I work in a school. His nurse took pics then and I am going to be mailed a workup on fees and the like. I am curious since I have the hernia whether my insurance will cover that, and how does it work???? I have an HMO so their policies aren't posted on the website. It's more of a guessing game. Thanks if you got this far on the post!!!! Donna

YAY!! I was wondering if you went yet, and how it all turned out!! I have a friend who had an hernia fixed at the time of her tummy tuck, and it ended up saving her a big chunk of change on the entire operation since her Insurance covered the hernia portion of it (as well as part of the anesthesia and other charges, I'm almost positive). I have put out my feelers with several different plastic surgeon's offices here in CT. So far, I've only asked for information to be sent to me regarding body contouring procedures. I should hear back next week at some point. And from there on, I think I'm going to call to start scheduling consults. OH, the first surgeon I ever called wanted a $100 consultation fee and wouldn't take me for a consultation until December. I thought that was a bit outrageous. So, I told the nurse I would have to call her back. In the meantime I did more research on here, and just contacted other offices for general info before I go any farther. I'm not sure if that $100 fee is standard, but I was under the impression it's NOT. Also, how far ahead did you have to schedule your consult. Is 7 months ahead of time, for JUST a consult a realistic figure?? Or was this office screwed up, as my gut is telling me... Anyways... I'm really excited for you!!! I'll be looking forward to reading about your progression... tagging along right behind you! -CJ

some charge for consults but many don't. when i was looking for a new PS, only one of 3 charged for the consult - i think it was 100 or maybe 75, but if you use them, they usually apply it to the cost of your procedures. I am very thankful actually for the one guy who charged - he was the one i ended up using and only kept the appointment because they had already charged the fee! he was definitely the best of the three. 7 months is definitely not normal, unless there is some reason they are so busy - maybe they are really highly specialized? or famous? i like that my PS is relatively accessible. most of my consults i was able to schedule within a few weeks or so. i'm near dc though, so there are tons of good PSs around here. Just make sure they have both certifications from American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery and The American Society of Plastic Surgeons. i'm headed into my 5th surgery - so if there is any questions you think i could help you with, feel free to ask.

Hi CJ, I got this appointment in 3 weeks time. I had originally scheduled it for April 10, but had figured I was so not far enough along! I did make a consult with Mt. Sinai Medical Center plastic residency program back in February. I got an appointment for June!!! I had seen a posting and subsequent pics from a girl that had her surgery done, breast lift and tt, for $3,000. That included everything!!! I was excited then but as I've done research I have realized that plastic surgery is not a place to look for the best deal. So I will probably go at the end of June just out of curiousity! I had heard that some didn't charge for consults, but the two I've contacted did, and Mt. Sinai charges it on a sliding scale according to your salary, etc. 7 months is an awful long time to wait. I think I'd move on from there. That makes me believe they would be too busy to do proper follow up care!! Good luck and definitely keep us informed! Donna

Hi Donna, Good luck on your PS journey. You will look fabulous. Lynette