Kathy’s Tummy Tuck

“I lost an entire person in more ways than one. It was a miracle.”

By her early 30’s Kathy was busy raising three active children. Gradually she began putting on weight–a lot of it–and found herself in an endless cycle of yoyo dieting. “I have such empathy for other women in that condition. You feel helpless and want to do something but between metabolism and hormones and some bad habits, one day you look at yourself and ask, “How did I get like this?” I was miserable.”

Kathy decided to get her life back and had a gastric sleeve procedure, which was a total success. She went from 300 pounds to 170. “I lost an entire person in more ways than one. It was a miracle.” The gastric surgeon prepared Kathy for the possibility of eventually seeking out a plastic surgeon to tighten up her skin, but at the time she was too happy with her new weight to have any interest in that pursuit.

Eventually, Kathy discovered that despite her exercise routine, there was nothing getting rid of all her belly fat. “No amount of exercise or Spanx seemed to make my body go back to where it should be. As happy as I was overall, I decided to look for a plastic surgeon, and that is when I found Dr. Lee. I still wasn’t sure about having surgery. I just wanted to gather information.”

Kathy researched lots of surgeons online and made calls. Dr. Lee was the first–and only– surgeon she met with for a consultation. “I told him my story and he was so compassionate and listened to me without any preconceived ideas. He spent all the time with me that I needed and we talked about what my priorities were. He asked me if I could only do two things, what would they be? That’s when I knew he wasn’t using a cookie cutter approach.” Dr. Lee and Kathy decided on a breast lift with augmentation and a tummy tuck with liposuction. “He walked me through every step so I knew exactly what to expect.”

Follow up is particularly important when combination surgeries are performed. During recovery Kathy was impressed at how helpful and supportive the staff was and the way Dr. Lee made himself available. “He has a great bedside manner.”

Today, Kathy looks back at her “before” pictures and cringes. “Why did I wait so long? I did it when I was 53. I should have done it 10 years sooner and enjoyed the confidence boost. This experience has given me the opportunity to really fulfill my potential and made all the difference in the joy I now have in life.”

Would Kathy recommend Dr. Lee? Apart from skill and experience Kathy’s memory is more about how Dr. Lee made her feel. “It’s normal to feel vulnerable when you are unhappy with your appearance, but he looked at me like a person and was so nonjudgmental. That’s when we connected. He has my heart forever.”