Two VERY different consults

I had two PS consultations this past week and they were VERY different. First was with Dr. Chapin in Doylestown, PA. He said he would do lower body lift, BL/BA, thigh lift, and arm lift. The only surgery he would combine was BL/BA and arm lift and for both of those, I would have to pay the full fees (no reduction for the fact that I was already there and under anesthesia!). It would end up costing $34,000!!! The second consultation was with Dr. Lam of Newtown, PA. He recommended doing the tummy tuck separate from the butt/outer thigh lift. He felt that he could do a tighter tummy tuck with better recovery for me by doing it that way. Also, if he did the tummy tuck separately, he could add BL and arm lift at the same time. He said that he would NOT charge the full surgery rate since, "you're already there and I'm already there." He also advised me against implants because, as he pointed out, my tissue (as is the tissue of many people who have lose a lot of weight) is very thin and, combined with gravity, I would likely go south faster than I would without them. He felt I had enough tissue that he could work with to give me a good shape. To do TT, BL and arm lift, he would charge $17,000. Then, I would do the inner thigh and lower body lift probably one year later.

I was really impressed with Dr. Lam, and so far, he's the front-runner for me. I appreicated his honesty when he said his limit for surgery time was 6 hours because he felt that fatigue starts to set in after that, and he doesn't want to rush anything just to get finished.  I did an e-mail consult with Dr. Sauceda in Mexico, and he quoted $16,000 for the whole thing, so  I'm still considering this, but would feel better about having the surgery closer to home since I have two little ones that would struggle with me being away for 2+ weeks.

I'm also doing an e-mail consultation with Dr. Hurwitz in Pittsburgh. He's known for pioneering the Full Body Lift after weight loss. Depending on the case and health of the patient, he can/has done all procedures at once.  He's about a five hour drive from me, so not quite as far as Mexico, but could still get everything done at once. I'm curious to see what his price is. I was very surprised to get a phone follow-up from him after I sent an e-mail. He called me at 8:30 at night! We discussed my case and he explained his process. I like that he's driving distance so I can have a face-to-face pre-op and follow-up. He also has you stay in a hotel near his clinic for two weeks where you receive daily visits from a nurse who is trained in lymphatic massage.

So much to consider, but I fortunately have until June to make my final decision.
Eileen

 Eileen

I'm thrilled with my sugeon - Dr Capella in Northern NJ, who shouldnt be that far from you.  FWIW, my first stage was a LBL, BL//BA, and arm lift all done together, and the price was much less than what you quoted above.

His website is  www.capellaplasticsurgery.net.

You can PM me if you'd like any more details.

I am new to the thought of Plastics.... what is an email consultation.. and My guess is that it is free?

Dr Sauceda is in Monterrey Mexico.  You take pics and email him and he sends you back a quote with his recommendations.  I liked that I had 24/7 care in the clinic then daily visits by Dr S and his nurse while at the hotel.

Hi Eileen
 I had Dr. Lam he has done all of my work and I m totally pleased he does it at Barix in Langhorne where there is like no infection cause they only do Bariactrics, PS and spines. his after care is remarkable.
 I know a lot of people go to MX for surgery and they are very lucky that they have had no complications. What would u do if you had a complication, I dont know of any Drs. in our area that would fix someone elses work. when I had my thighs done they de hissed which means the incision split, that is a complication os PS it can happen to anyone from anyDr.  well  Iwas so glad I was so close to Dr. Lam he saw me 2x a week for several weeks until it closed, he is the best and experienced in WLS, and his office staff, I have had minor procedures in his office OR and Joan his nurse sits there and dr. Lam he also  talks to me the whole time it is so relaxing.
he has told me the same thing 6 hour surgery limit. and he does not rush you out of surgery check out all my photos, if you are in the area i can even show u scars in person.
 I wouldnt want a Dr. working on me for 16 hrs cause I think he would get tired, I think when u have a long surgery like that  they switch DRs. cause I dont see how any one can stand in one spot for that many hours,

Ihave had TT with muscle tightening
Brachioplasty(arms)
blepharoplasty(eyes)
inner thigh lift
belt lipectomy
back fat removal
face lift
 Good Luck in your choice
Susan

he likes to do the TT first then the back lift cause he says he can pull your tummy tighter if he is not doing the back at the same time then I went back about 6 monthe later for the back part
and R & L Carpal tunnell

I am not sure if you have a resident program at a university hospital near you, but I am having my extended TT and Thighs done with the University of Maryland plastic surgery resident clinic. The price is $8500.00. The surgery is done by the Chief Resident but he is overseen by a board certified attending who is on staff at the University of Maryland hospital.
I also saw a board certified private practice surgeon and his price was WAY out of my league, and I had a consult with Dr. S. who I loved...but didn't want to be away from home for so long.
Best wishes

Dr. Hurwitz uses kind of a team approach where there are 4-5 people actually operating on you simultaneously. He marks you, performs parts of the surgery, and the team moves in to start closing.  It's so much labor help that it lets him do some more complex combination procedures that you just could not do by yourself. He's a very bright guy who's been a real pioneer in some of the surgery of the medial thigh area and buttoch. I think he's real expensive however.

The $34K Dr. chapin quoted for such a combination of procedures is really not that expensive given the number of areas you're talking about as it's really 4 seperate and  large operations you're looking at. Also, 5 hrs away (to Pittsburg)  is pretty far away from your surgeon for this type of surgery as you're likely to have some sort of complication (seroma,  dehiscence etc....) on at least one area. Trying to do that long distance is very difficult. If you did in fact choose to do that, you'd need some kind of plan in place to handle complications locally. While we (in our practice) are willing to help out our colleagues around the state when they have an out of town patient with an emergency, that may not be the case for you. You should discuss that with Dr. Hurwitz during your consult