Question:
Has anyone ever Switched Dr's for Plastic Surgery?????

Hi all, I hope everyone is doing well. My question is Has anyone ever been approved by one plastic surgeon and was scheduled for surgery, and then decided to go to another dr? Im considering it, i got approved for a hernia repair from one surgeon, but he wants $3500 to do my tummy tuck along with that. What i got approved was a overnight stay in the hospital and a hernia repair. Now i went to another surgeon before this one and i couldn't get approved by my insurance and that is why i went to this one. But now that im approved for a hernia repair, i want to go back to my original dr because he consider a hernia a automatic tummy tuck. Like a all in one. Has anyone went through this before if so please give me some advise. FYI both dr's are great and wonderful and have very good credentials, I've seen both of there work (awesome). Thank you very much in a advance 260/154/goal    — sexysag37 (posted on December 17, 2004)

December 17, 2004
Make sure you have another conversation with this surgeon who didn't get your insurance approved about finances. Sometings, they are paid so little by the insurance for the hernia repair, tht they charge for the TT portion. That is totally normal. I've NEVER haerd of a PS doing a no charge TT while only getting paid for the hernia repair. So, I'd say a serious conversation is in order. Good luck.
   — LMCLILLY

December 17, 2004
I changed surgeons after I had insurance approval and it was no big deal. All he had to do was submit a letter indicating what he would do and it was approved, or at least the same portion the original surgeon was going to do. I was originally approved for a full extended abdominoplasty done in 2 stages. When the 2nd surgeon submitted he asked for the same but also added on a lateral thigh lift to make it a complete LBL. Insurance did not see that lifting the thighs and butt would do anything to help with my low back problems, which is what my approval was based on, so they denied that portion but still approved the original surgeries. <p>I changed because I just did not feel that the 1st surgeon had the confidence he could do a top notch job with all the skin I had to remove. As it turns out he kept saying he would be a belt lipectomy and I was using the term LBL and I assumed we were talking the same procedure - but we weren't. I didn't find that out until about 2 months after my LBL when the first surgeon spoke at our support group and described the belt lipectomy. He had no intention of touching the lateral thighs which would have been a disaster for me with the huge saddle bags I had. So all in all it worked out for the best. The surgeon I went with has been nothing short of a miracle worker. I've had 3 extensive PS's in 8-1/2 months time and he has seen me through all the way. He's done revision work for free and never made me feel like I was bugging him with all the follow up care I had after the LBL. I was a drain queen for 8 weeks. <p>Like the other poster said, make sure you get in writing that you won't have to pay any portion. While he may do a TT with a hernia repair he may not do as extensive of work below the belly button as he would if it was only a full TT you were getting. It all depends on where your hernia is also. Just remember nothing comes for free that is worth having. $3500 for a TT is a very good price in my opinion. I paid $6000 to turn my full extended abdominoplasty into a LBL.
   — zoedogcbr

December 19, 2004
Hi. Switching depends on the insurance and whatever arrangements you agree upon withg your surgeon. I strongly feel that tummy tuck and hernia repair should be done at once, and my (personal and biased) opinion is that a plastic surgeon also boarded in general surgery may be the best one to accomplish both goals.
   — DrL

December 19, 2004
I did and am VERY thankful that I did. I started off with one PS who was condescending and wanted to cut me unnecessarily. He wanted to do the anchor cut for my tt and I said absolutely not. He then said he MAY be able to modify it a little. I had him submit the paperwork and pictures to my insurance company. I got approved and then went to see my current PS. I'm very thankful that I did. He told me that I didn't need the anchor cut that the hip to hip incision would work beautifully and he did muscle tightening (which the other doctor didn't want to do). My stomach is as flat as can be and I have a nice little 6 pack - not bad for a 41 year old!! He has also done my arms and inner thighs and will be doing a breast lift on me next month. He has been excited to work on me from the beginning and has done a fantastic job on me. He believes in minimal scarring and it truly has worked. The first doctor I went to was a non-network doctor and the one I currently use is a network doctor so it worked out better for me financially to. I only paid $20 for my tt!!
   — Patty H.