Filed under: Back to the Basics, Breast Augmentation, Recovery Experiences, Size Issues
by Terrye Tebbetts
Thursday is our patient day with Tebbetts and today was a big one! We had a lot of out-of-town patients who had traveled to Dallas to have surgery this week. You can plan and screen and do the best you can do wanting to help someone, but in the end…it is all about the relationship the surgeon has with his or her patient.
We are in Dallas. This lady came from San Antonio – not far – but still….and when it all came down to it….there are other things going on in her life right now that emotionally inhibit her ability to go through this process like a normal patient. I hate to see this happen and it doesn’t happen very often. But when it is all said and done, what is most important is that your surgeon is on the exact same level as you are and that the two of you “get it!”.
Tebbetts measured this patient and was moving on with a normal consult today, but something wasn’t right. After a lot of time, he left the consult room and recommended that she wait. When I went in to talk with her, she said, “You have a very perceptive husband.” I said, “Really?” She said, “He just simply looked me in the eye and said, “What’s going on here?”" After many tears and simple truths, this patient has other life issues to deal with and resolve before having surgery. Dr. Tebbetts – at that point in time, became more than just her surgeon.
I have worked with him and been married to him for 21 years now and he never ceases to keep amazing me. He did what was right today – for her and for us. Good judgement, basic human kindness never goes out of style and is always in everyone’s best interest.
Having someone who you can trust and believe no matter what is priceless in any situation. ‘nough said. I am grateful.
by Terrye Tebbetts
Once you have made that initial call to several surgeon’s offices, it will be interesting to see what type of materials you receive from their office about breast augmentation and breast implants. It will range widely depending on the depth of experience and level of specialization in breast augmentation and breast implants that the surgeon and the staff have.
Now, it’s easy for me to discuss this topic with you because if you call Dr. Tebbetts, you are going to get a 543 page book with removable cards that help you interview surgeons. However, that is usually not the level of material you will receive from an office, so you may prefer to have done much more research on your own to help you evaluate the services offered.
If you get the stock pamphlet from our national societies – honestly, I would see that is a red flag. If you get nothing but demographic and medical history sheets emailed to you to fill out before your visit……that would be troublesome – efficient for check in but what does it tell you about how breast augmentation is approached?
If you are seeking a surgeon that specializes in breast augmentation, then when you find one, their materials should be specialized too. Information that affords you an opportunity to see how they approach the procedure, how they make surgical decisions and what your recovery will be like under their care. If they truly do a lot of breast augmentation then those materials will reflect many different options – implant choices, incision options and pocket locations. No two patients are the same, so how can every operation be done the same way with the same choices?
With experience comes ease and comfort with many different surgical options and choices. Now, the options you think you want may not be what is right for your body but with a well versed and experienced surgeon, you will be able to discuss WHY your choices may need to be changed.
Educational materials for breast implant surgery should be highly specialized. The procedure is. The choices and options are. The recovery can be – the materials should follow suit.
In addition, if you can find a surgeon that has published clinical, scientific papers on breast augmentation – any aspect of it, that is a level of educational material that really will set that surgeon apart from the rest! Although you may not want to read the science behind the papers, at least you will know that the surgeon’s peers respect his or her research and dedication to advancing techniques and broadening the horizons of breast augmentation. You can ask the office about scientific publications or check the resources page of their web sites to see where there interests and achievements in breast surgery lie.
Educational materials and the willingness to share knowledge with patients is crucial. The more interaction you have with your surgeon and their staff preoperatively – they get to know you and you truly get to understand their level of expertise in the procedure you want – by developing that bond, trust and knowledge BEFORE surgery, gives you insight into how you will be treated during and after surgery too!
Remember, your consults, your decisions and ultimately, your results, can only be as good as your knowledge base will allow.
By Terrye Tebbetts
Now that you truly understand your body’s limits, it is so much easier to balance your dreams with reality. Knowing that the decision making is back in the clinical arena, both you and your surgeon can speak the same language yielding excellent, long term results. Understanding the foundation for which all decisions in breast augmentation must be made – your measurements – it is time to start making calls and talking to surgeons and finding the right fit for you.
Of course, research on credentials, board certification and expertise must be done. Chapter 9 in The Best Breast 2 is devoted to finding qualified surgeons http://www.thebestbreast.com/book/chapter9.php. But once you have some you want to interview…..what do you say when they say “Hello”?!?! We know we don’t want to start off with just asking about price, right? Or maybe we do! Because if an office, if a surgeon, is truly devoted to educating patients and helping them make the best decisions surely they wouldn’t just tell you how much it costs. Ask that question and see what type of response you get. If you know more than the lady on the other end of the conversation, I might take that as RED FLAG and dial another number.
On the other hand, if you get someone interested in who you are and who takes an interest in you – grab on to that person! Make a friend right off the bat! Ask them questions and take notes! Remember their name and be sure to meet that person when you go in for your consult. Consistency in personnel says a lot about a surgeon and the respect that his staff has for him (or her).
Pay attention to how they handle you and what options they offer you in the beginning. Do they just want you to make an appointment without knowing about your history? What if you aren’t even a good candidate for an implant?
The best way to start a conversation with an office is to ask questions – remember, no question is too silly or dumb. An office staff is there to help you and guide you and educate you. They need to get to know you and that will give you a chance to know them. If they are not very willing to help you BEFORE surgery, what will it be like AFTER???
What type of educational materials do they offer to send you? Has the surgeon prepared anything for you to review about the services he or she has to offer in breast augmentation? Is there an opportunity for you to have an educational consult before you see the surgeon and is there a fee for that visit?
The first call is a fact finding tour for you to get to know this new office……the bottom line is, if they take a true interest in you seize that opportunity. The best question to ask on your first call to an office is not actually a question at all……it is a statement…..”I would like to know more about breast augmentation.” Tell them what you want, what you need and see what happens next. It’s like opening a Christmas or birthday present……could be the best gift you ever got or could be one to go straight to the “re-gifting” pile!
So, if you find a surgeon you want to see, how do you evaluate your experience in the office and your time with the surgeon? Enjoy your Thanksgiving and we will set up an amazing office visit after the holiday – safe travels and happy eating to all!!
By Terrye Tebbetts
After consulting Google, your best friend and hopefully, The Best Breast 2, you are now realizing there is so much more to breast implants and breast augmentation than you ever thought before! Now that all of those dreams about waking up from surgery magically looking like the last model on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swim suit edition have been put to rest and reality has set in, you can really start focusing on what is right for you and your body.
Half the battle of getting a good result in breast augmentation, is the process of reconciling what you want with what your body will realistically allow you to have. You see, there are anatomic limits that your surgeon must work within. Ignoring these boundaries can lead to serious risks and complications destroying tissue and necessitating re-operations in the future.
Can’t you just roll into the surgeon’s office and tell him or her that you are a small A cup and you’d like to be a full C cup like your friend did? You can, but since there is no medical, clinical definition for cup size – - the chances of you and the surgeon actually knowing what it is you want and making it happen are slim to none. So how do you know what your body will allow you to have? You and your surgeon take this operation out of dream world and wishes and put it back into a scientific, clinical arena. You make decisions based on measurements of your breasts and objective evaluation of your tissues.
Once Dr. Tebbetts started planning all breast augmentation based on the patient’s tissues, The High Five system, it all got amazingly easy for us to communicate with patients and reach their desired results. With an understanding that your body planned the operation comes a sense of ease and confidence in your decisions and your preoperative plan and an excitement for the result to come.
Basing surgical decisions on objective, clinical measurements not only helps you determine size issues, but pocket location (over vs under vs dual plane), incision location and the type of implant that will be best for your body. It is five simple measurements applied to a formula that will tell you everything you need to know about how to choose all the right options for you in breast augmentation.
Once you truly understand your body’s limits, it is so much easier to balance your dreams with reality. Once decision-making is back in the clinical arena, both you and your surgeon can speak the same language yielding excellent, long-term results. Once you understand the foundation for which all decisions in breast augmentation must be made – your measurements – then you are ready to make that first call.
by Terrye Tebbetts
I am starting to hear from more and more women who are just beginning their research on breast augmentation and breast implants and plastic surgeons and all that goes with this operation….the trouble always has been and remains today, that most women don’t really know where to start, who to turn to or what questions to ask.
Most start with our good friend Google searching out who is most conveniently located or who has paid the most to be listed at the top of the ads on the BA page. Most turn to friends who have had it done seeking their opinion and experience but with no foundation on which to truly evaluate or judge that friend’s advice. And still, the most commonly asked question when a new patient calls a plastic surgeon’s office is, “How much does Dr. X charge for breast augmentation?”
How can you evaluate the information gleaned from these sources with out fundamental knowledge? So as you probably guessed, my advice to all women thinking about breast augmentation surgery, is to read our book, The Best Breast 2. You can access this information in many ways and do not have to necessarily buy the book. Most of it is on-line at www.thebestbreast.com but not all of it and no pictures are posted so reading the text is very helpful. You can go to your local library, Half Price Books, or order from www.amazon.com or borrow it from a friend. Investing in this book – both in time and money ($29.95) – is nothing compared to the money and time you are about to spend on the initial operation and potential revisions down the road!
Building a foundation of information upon which you can make educated decisions about changing your body for your life time is essential to getting an amazing result and making you happy!
Once you have read the book, then we need to start calling offices and getting information from surgeons, we need to know what to ask. So watch for my next Back to the Basics topic…..How to Make The First Phone Call.
