11 week post-op check up & breast cancer

Before you freak out, NO,  I'm blessed to say I do not have breast cancer. I just am going to talk about it some in this post. So let's refocus here people.

I had my 11 week post-op with Dr. Telepun today.

It's so funny that I go in and I know everybody, walk around like I own the place, and Dr. Telepun's like "hey girl" when he walks by. I think they really just are "like that" though. The receptionist is a darling (and looks SO good I hope I look so good when I'm her age) and the nurse is just the kindest thing, and Dr. Telepun's just relaxed and good at what he does. Kinda "comfortable in his own skin" I guess you'd say. Its a very nice atmosphere to come into. Not at all what you would think of when you thought of a "plastic surgery office". Guess that's what makes them so good.

I had to wait longer today than normal. Usually I'm in and out in less than 15 minutes, but it was for a good reason and I wanted to make sure I shared it with you in case you ever have to wait a long time and start to get cranky (which I never do because I know whats going on).

When a breast cancer patient comes into Dr. Telepun's office THEY are the VIP and the whole office stops to meet their needs. 

And can I just tell you I think that makes me love them even more?!?

The office hops day in and day out, but I'm telling you when someone comes in to have drains changed right after surgery or if a breast cancer patient comes in then they are THE FOCUS of that office. I think about how extremely personal it is that some woman who has, in all likelihood, lost a breast or is about to, and is trusting this surgeon to "make them feel whole again" it just gives me the shivers.

Its nice to me to know that the same Doctor who was able to give me "my self confidence back" is helping other women do the same in the face of their battle.

I had to drag my 5 year old daughter along with me today too. Again, this is very rare, but it had to be done today. At first I had her just chill in the waiting room, which the receptionist said was no big deal at all, but then after waiting a while I brought her back to me.

The nurse and Dr. Telepun were very nice to her. I told them when they walked in I wanted them to make me look like her and that I figured we had no choice but to do major reconstructive surgery. They laughed and then made me get on the table anyway.

My breast continue to heal nicely and my tummy is good to go. I actually wont be back in for a minimum of three months, maybe more. I have no restrictions on food or exercise now. Which means I really better get back at it.

My scar is going through a red-phase, Dr. Telepun told me. He said it normally takes TWO YEARS for the scar to get flesh-colored. It honestly doesn't bother me in the least because its always covered whether I'm in a bikini or in the "oh so cute" panties I've gone and bought (I've thrown out all the granny panties. This body's too cute for them now). My husband also seems completely unfazed by the scar in any way. Dr. Telepun told me that he normally cuts his scars very low and really tries to mimic the natural shape of that person's body, so depending on who your surgeon is, it might look really different than mine do.

Recently my tummy scar has been hurting some when I sneeze. This is funny really though because it means that feeling is beginning to come back to that area. Dr. Telepun says it takes most people about a year to get all the sensation back in their stomach area. Mine is still completely numb from about three inches above my belly-button down after almost three months. Its weird, but I rarely even notice it anymore.


I currently don't have one single pair of pants that fit me. Not one. I had to finally donate them all to goodwill today because I'm 1) too lazy to have them tailored and 2) don't want them to have that number in them anymore anyway even if they WERE tailored. I'm torn about getting more at the moment though because I'm about to start working out consistently and don't want to lose even more and have to buy even more. I've got lots of mega cute/ hot dresses though so I dont really need pants and I've got a few pairs of shorts that work.

I've been gaining pounds lately. My food has been crap, but I can really tell it and its starting to bother me. Its really not all that visible in the way I look, but I feel more swollen from the inside out. So I really have GOT to get a grip on it and get into a new pattern of exercise.

I just keep reminding myself. "Its easier to maintain a Mercedes then to try to get a Gremlin up to speed". I had the gremlin, now I've got the Mercedes... so I've got to do the maintenance. I think Dr. Telepun could tell I'd gained some. He didn't say it directly, he just said "so I'd be careful". lol. yeah...I read you loud and clear.

Headed back to the beach for the week. Looking forward to NOT feeling embarrassed in my swimsuits!

Feel free to ask any questions you might have and enjoy the site!

Oh man check me out!

So this is cool, my Dr. just sent out my blog link to people wanting to learn what its really like to have a tummy tuck and breast lift to all of the people on his constant contact list. I'm like the poster child. WAHOOOOO!! haha :) I'd be embarrassed that my fatty tummy is displayed for all to see BUT since I look so darn good in the after I don't care as much!

If you found me through Dr. Telepun WELCOME! And I hope you will feel free to ask any and all questions you can think of! I'm happy to help if I can!

Breast infection

At my last appointment with Dr. Telepun there was a stitch in my right breast that had developed a little irritation so we decided to remove it. I left for the beach the next morning not thinking much about it. It has steadily gotten worse and is now sort of a gross hole. I called today o see if I could get my appointment moved up from thursday to Monday sp he could look at it and after talking to the nurse they decided to CALL IN an antibiotic for me IN DESTIN!! My verdict? Don't hire any doctor who wouldn't call you in medicine while you're on vacation.

Tummy Tuck Consultation Day - aka meet the doctor

Dr. Telepun was actually the second Plastic Surgeon that I went to meet. I first went to another, highly advertised, Plastic Surgeon group in my area. They were very nice and professional, but the cost blew me away. I decided not too long after that to COMPARE PRICES and I would highly recommend that you do the same thing before your procedure.

The two procedures that I'm ending up doing with Dr. Telepun, a Breast Lift and a Tummy Tuck, cost less TOGETHER (with the hospital the day of, anesthesia, follow-up visits, one night in the hospital and the surgeon) than just ONE of the procedures cost with the other group of doctors.

While we're on the subject of money i know you're dying to know how much it cost. When I was first researching thats really ALL I wanted to know. Well, at Dr. Telepun's office my two procedures TOGETHER with all of that mentioned above, cost me approximately $8,200.00. So if you're just looking for a full abdomnioplasty (aka tummy tuck) its going to be around the 4,500-5,000 mark. They accept Care Credit also which allows you to make payments on your procedures. We took the 6 months no interest option, but there are more options available. They do not, however, take the 12 and 18 months credit option at Dr. Telepun's office because the office charge to them is so high. They have a second option with 23, 36, 48, or 60 month periods, but the APR is 14.90%.

It cost $50.00 to do the consult with the doctor. This seems to be the standard at all plastic surgon offices. Many will allow you to just meet with a nurse at no cost and learn about the procedures. This is, obviously, so there's not a lot of time wasted on clients who are not going to end up doing the procedure and just really wanted to know how much it was going to cost. Many of the surgeons offices will tell you how much a procedure costs if you just call on the phone and ask, however some do require that you come in.

Also, make sure that you bring some paper and a pen ahead of time. They will have things to discuss with you and you'll want to write them down.

Consultation Run Down.

So on the day of the consult (call ahead and make an appointment) I came in the office, signed in, and filled out some paperwork. I was surprised at how little they required compared to the other group, but I found that very refreshing.

After I finished my paperwork I was called back and the nurse who is VERY nice, gave me a paper vest and a cover and told me to remove all clothing except for my underwear. Those vests are oh so sexy, but whatever.

So after I changed the doctor came in and examined me. I wasn't sure if I needed implants or not to look more full on the top, but after the examination he said that I didnt. What they will be doing on me is a Wise Masectomy which is where the excess sagging tissue is essentially shoved back to where it should be, which means no implants, its your own tissue, and then re-sewn to get back to the height it should be. Dr. Telpun took a good deal of time explaining to me that there are different stages that women can progress through ranging from normal to stage 3. Because my children had breastfed more on one side than another it turned out that one breast was at a stage two and the other at a stage three, which means there's just more tissue that will need to be removed (from what I can understand), to get them more even again.

The tummy part has to be the worst. The only thing that makes it manageable for me is 1) knowing he does this all day every day and has seen better and worse, and 2) the knowledge that this will be GONE soon and I wont have to be so insanely self-concious about it. So he lifts up "the flap" of skin, examines that area, checks to see if everything will go well. He then has you lay back and do small sit-ups where you push against his hands as much as possible so that he can examine how loose those muscles actually are. Mine were pretty shredded (I had huge babies and carried them very high) and so he told me that the muscles would need to be sewn back into place, but that no amount of sit ups would ever get them tighter than what he was going to sew them. I started to smile thinking, wow if I could lose some of this chub up top then I could have a little six pack going. lol (thats for ME by the way, not for anybody else. This whole thing's for me. I don't care about impressing a soul I just want to feel good in my own skin!) The muscles being sewn back in is also the part that hurts the most, from what he explained. So I'm not looking forward to that part so much. He also explained that this part he doesn't charge more for, he just does it if it has to be done. That was refreshing also.

He was also very indulging of my very nervous questions. When I'm nervous I talk to much and he answered each and every one without hesitation or signs of irritation and took great pains to explain every step in the procedure and about my body to me.

So after the examination I was sold. The price is good, the Doctor is professional, he seemed to feel good about what he could do for me...SOLD.

So I went directly to "check out" at the assistants window and asked her when I could schedule surgery for. She asked how soon I wanted it and I told her since I was on summer break currently the earlier the better. That was on a Tuesday, my surgery was then scheduled for 14 days later!! Now I can't say that your experience will be like this, but it was a lot faster than I thought it would, but since I need to be recovered by the time school resumes it works perfectly for me.

She asked how I'd be paying and I told her I already had my Care Credit approval and we were all set and we scheduled my Pre-Op appointment for one week later. You can read all about that next appointment by clicking HERE.