"Dr. Egrari and his staff are phenomenal! In my consultation, he listened to me and immediately recommended LBL and Breast lift. When I said I did not want implants, his reply was, "Why would you need implants?" - which I appreciated; seems many PS's use implants to make lifts easier. He called out all the risks and concerns, but also called out the specific features of my body that he felt were going to be the things that would make my result positive. He did not push me to get more procedures, and helped me understand why I needed the LBL over a TT in a way that made me feel good about my decision. On the day of surgery, I could not have been treated better! The staff is kind, Dr. Egrari is *incredibly respectful* as he does the markings. Everything went exactly as expected and I am overjoyed with my results! While no one is perfect, my 35-year-old body is now looking pretty good to me! Melissa, the nurse is the nicest, most genuine respectful person you'd ever meet while also being very conscientious about sticking to the rules and doing the best thing for your health. I would send anyone I loved to this man for plastics, without hesitation. His office staff, evironment and experience absolutely makes you feel good about the money you're spending - you get what you pay for, absolutely, in the best way!"
"I met Dr. Billing today and really loved him. Super nice guy, smart, not condescending at all - my mom came along who didn't know a lot and she asked a bunch of somewhat obvious questions to anyone who has done their 'homework' and he answered kindly and helpfully. He seems genuinely interested in helping people, and is NOT all about making money, which many surgeons who do this seem to be about...in fact, his practice is focused more on laproscopic surgeries of all kinds - not just bariatric. I liked this in that he knows what he's doing across the board. He definitely had a lot of nice things to say to me regarding my questions (I've been planning this for 9 months and knew about most of the nuances of the surgery, the band, etc.). Overall, I'm feeling good and confident about dropping my $17K in his court, and I think for anyone who is self-pay, feeling good about whom you spend that money with is important. Two thumbs up at this point!
UPDATE: I had surgery 9/12 and it was as perfect an experience as I could have hoped for. Dr. Billings came to say hello while I was in the pre-op room, as did the pre-op nurse from his office - Melanie couldn't make it over, but called and I got a message of her well wishes. Surgery was quick - he said 40 minutes open to close! He even gave a photo of my stomach before, during and after - I could see my lapband first hand!!! Both Melanie and the pre-op nurse came to see me in my room later that day. The hospital said I could stay as long as I wanted on the second day, though I opted to go home around noon. I felt well cared for, not rushed and as if everything went as I was told it would. I am a happy (banded) camper!!
Was anything bad or not ideal? I've had a good bit of gas pain over the few days post-op, and I did call to see if I could start pureed foods early, which Melanie allowed me to do. Recovery is no picnic, but it's basically playing out as I expected it would."
