Surgery w/ Dr. Rick Smith - East Lansing, MI

[ironchef]

I've been lurking on these boards for a couple years now, and I finally decided to talk to my mother about the condition and to go ahead and have the surgery done.  I'm 20 years old and had probably a mild to moderate case.

In early June I had a consultation with Dr. Rick Smith of Michigan Plastic Surgery in East Lansing, MI.  The location was very convenient for me as I attend Michigan State University, so post-op visits would not be a burden (even within walking distance from campus).  I had read a positive review of Dr. Smith on this board, and I was also interested in his flat rate of $3000 for both liposuction and excision - somewhat on the low end for these procedures.  Dr. Smith told me that he believed the surgery would offer a great benefit, and that if I was unsatisfied at the four month post-op visit we could discuss a revision procedure that would be covered under the original fee.  He said that the procedures would be conducted through a semi-circular incision at the bottom of the areola (leaving minimal scarring) and that drains would not be used unless he feels it to be necessary at the time of surgery.  I was impressed with Dr. Smith and his office staff, so I decided to make an appointment for surgery.

I went in for the surgery last Monday.  I was "put under" using general anesthesia and woke up in the recovery room after the operation, which the nurse told me was quite successful with minimal bleeding.  Later in the day I noticed excessive swelling on my right side.  The doctor told me to take a shower the day after surgery, and in doing so I discovered that my right side was completely bruised and swollen, indicating a hematoma.  Meanwhile, my left side had relatively no bruising and looked quite good for 1 day post-op.  I called the office and the doctor had already left for the day.  They told me they would call him if it was an emergency, but otherwise I should wait until the next day and see if the swelling has gone down.  Well, the swelling didn't go down, so I went into the office.  Dr. Smith suctioned out the blood and removed a clot and then attached a drain to my right side.

The bruising and swelling have both gone down quite a bit, and today I went back to the office to have the drain removed.  This is my 8th day post-op, and I'm pretty optimistic about the results.  There's still swelling present, but Dr. Smith told me to massage the area and keep wearing the compression garment.  I know that healing takes time, so I'm going to wait to judge the final results; right now things are looking pretty good though.

I'll try to post some photos when I get a chance.

[moobydo]

Hi - does anyone have any longer term follow up reports on surgery with Dr Smith?  I am also in East Lansing and am also planning treatment in Chicago, unless there is a good option here.  I'd be interested in a little more feedback about surgery with Dr Smith (or others in Michigan).  Thanks, everyone.