My Trip to the Plastic Surgeon(s)

Jun 06, 2014

Hi, there.  It's been awhile since I updated my blog.  Things have been going well overall.  I just returned from two weeks in the States (the Chicago suburbs to be exact).  While I was there, I did some plastic surgery consults.  I'd originally planned five.  The docs were:

Dr. Lisa Peters (Oak Park)

Dr. Otto Placik (Arlington Heights)

D. Brian Braithwaite (Chicago)

Dr. Stefan Szczerba (Rosemont)

Dr. Lawrence Zachary (Chicago)

I wound up canceling with Dr. Zachary and when I showed up for my appointment with Dr. Szczerba, I was told he'd gotten held up in surgery.  I was leaving the following day.  So in the end, I only met with three.  

For a city the size of Chicago, there are surprisingly few plastic surgeons who have experience with body contouring for weight loss patients.  Dr. Zachary is the one with the greatest reputation in this area and based on what I could find online, I have no doubt he's quite capable.  However, I had a fairly in depth conversation with his nurse prior to my appointment (she was lovely, by the way!), during which she gave me some ballpark prices for various procedures.  The quote came in at more than double what I was hearing from the first three docs with whom I met.  I couldn't justify spending that kind of money.  So in the end, I decided not to meet with him.  I'm hoping that wasn't a mistake.

Here are my impressions of the three docs I met with.  Let me first say, I believe I could work comfortably with any or all of these doctors.  All were very professional, all are board certified plastic surgeons, all have very nice offices and good portfolios.  My final decision will no doubt be informed by price, but certain intangibles will come into play as well.  I went in to these consults thinking I wanted a lower body lift, breast augmentation (not bigger--just higher!), and brachioplasty.  I came out of them feeling differently.

Dr. Lisa Peters - I wanted to consult with a woman if at all possible.  I found it really interesting that Dr. Peters was the doctor who kept me covered up the most and touched me the least.  I appreciated her restraint.  She was very efficient when it came to examining me and discussing what I could expect during and after surgery.  The consult moved quickly.  I didn't feel rushed, but I did feel as if she had a kind of script she was keeping to (which makes sense, given how many consultations she must do).  She said I was really small for someone post WLS (a sentiment echoed by the other docs--apparently, it's more common for WLS patients to count on plastic surgery as a way of taking off the last stubborn pounds, than for someone reaching goal by diet/working out alone), and that should make things easier.

Dr. Peters thought I would get a good result from an abdominoplasty (rather than a lower body lift).  She said I may want to do a breast implant in addition to the augmentation, as it would give me a rounder shape.  She told me I always see how the augmentation worked out and if I wasn't happy, I could do the implant as a follow-up procedure.  While she warned me that work on my arms would result in rather substantial scars, she didn't try to talk me out of the procedure.  With these three procedures in mind, she said she couldn't do everything in one operation.  She said she would do the procedures in an out-patient surgical center.  The prices she quoted me were $7,350 for the abdominoplasty and $12,364 for the arms/breast ($19,794 total).  She estimated it would take 3.5 hours for the abdominoplasty and 6.5 hours for the combined procedures (arms/breasts).  

Dr. Brian Braithwaite - Of the three doctors I met with, I felt the greatest personal connection with Dr. Braithwaite.  He was very low-keyed, very friendly.  We chatted about things besides the procedures I wanted to have done.  Dr. Braithwaite took more time with me than the other docs and seemed most willing to linger.  He was also unwilling at first to give me an estimate.  He said he wanted to think about the procedures we'd discussed before committing to anything.  I received the estimate via email the following day.

Dr. Braithwaite said he wouldn't recommend doing my arms.  He thought they looked fine as they were and that any improvement I'd gain wouldn't be worth the scars.  He said he would do the breast augmentation in the same manner as Dr. Peters, but he didn't suggest adding an implant.  He thought the lower body lift would also give me the benefit of tightening up my outer thighs and behind.  He said the only fat he could see on my body was on my outer thighs.  One thing he suggested I consider would be to take that fat and have it inserted in my butt at some time in the future.  The one downside to the lower body lift would be that it would flatten my butt more than it already was and this would help counteract that.

One of the main reasons he wanted to ponder my estimate overnight was that he wanted to think about whether he was comfortable doing both procedures at the same time.  In the end, he wasn't.  He said he would do the work in an out-patient surgical center in the Loop.  The lower body lift was quoted at $11,140 and was estimated to take 5 hours to complete.  The breast augmentation was quoted at $5,470 and estimated to take 2.5 hours ($16,610 total).

Dr. Otto Placik - Dr. Placik has more credentials and awards than the others (I'm basing that on what was hung on the walls of his office).  His practice seemed more "upscale" (for want of a better word).  There were more employees and the vibe seemed busier.  He's a charming guy and his approach with the consult was much more technical than the others.  He's the only doc who marked me up and took measurements.  He agreed with Dr. Braithwaite that doing my arms wasn't a good idea.  He had the same POV on the type of the breast augmentation I needed as the others.  He mentioned the possibility of doing an implant along with the augmentation, but thought we should start with simply doing the augmentation.

One thing that was different about Dr. Placik was the relationship his practice had with a local nursing home.  He would do the procedures at the outpatient surgical center at Northwest Community Hospital (which is where his suburban office is located).  The nursing home is across the street.  After surgery, patients can convalesce there (for $350/night).  

Dr. Placik differed in another way as well--he was willing to do everything at once.  His quote was $26,925 for everything.  He estimated he could do the lower body lift and breast augmentation in 6.5 hours.

I'm torn as to what I should do.  Dr. Placik was very impressive and he'll do what I want all at once.  But his quote is more than $10,000 over Dr. Braithwaite's quote.  Personally, I like Dr. Braithwaite best.  But I don't think his portfolio with post WLS patients is as extensive as Dr. Placik.

What to do, what to do, what to do...

Watch this space.

0 Comments