Let’s recap. I had five Round One breast augmentation doctor consultations and brought girlfriends with me to all of them.  After meeting with them and reporting everything I learned back to you here, we took a vote to determine which doctors would advance to Round Two.  You selected Doctors 4 & 5. I have no problem with that.  They were both great doctors who seemed very capable of taking excellent care of me.

Note: Doctor 1 is still in the back of my mind, too.  I like that she is a she. I like that I told her about my blog.  I like that she was willing to digest everything I learned from all of the other doctors with me.  I had actually made a follow-up appointment with her as well but had to cancel due to a family illness.  She’s still floating around in my brain somewhere. 

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It was a regular weekday morning around here, except that it was cold. Fall is finally creeping into our Southern part of the world. My husband and I managed to drag ourselves and the kids out of bed and get everyone to school on time.  And then it was time to drag him to his first Boob Doctor meeting.

This morning, we paid a second visit to Doctor 5. He’s the doctor that suggested a lift somewhere between a mini and a full and silicone implants (280 to 300cc).  His practice specializes in breast reconstruction after breast cancer.  My friend, Melissa, came with me last time.  Remember?

When we walked into the building, my husband had the same reaction I did. He said he felt a little out of place seeking cosmetic surgery in a facility that specializes in the treatment of often very sick women.  We sat down and flipped through the pink albums on the tables in waiting area together. I got a better look at some of these testimonials this time around.  I saw smiling faces hailing from Mississippi, Indiana, Missouri, Arizona, Minnesota and California – to name only a few places.  The one word used over and over again in the letters from these women and their families was “hero.”  They clearly had amazing results and relationships with these doctors.

Oh, and did I mention there were cookies? Delicious and pretty pink ribbon almond cookies for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Yes, of course, I had one.  And then they called us back.

My husband and I got situated in the examination room and I found myself tutoring him, whether he liked it or not, about everything I’d learned so far. I spent the most time revisiting everything I learned from Doctor 5 during my first visit. I wanted my husband to be able to speak as knowledgeably as I now could and maybe even help him formulate some questions.

Then, the doctor came in.  He’s a very easygoing, down-to-earth person who I think quickly made my husband feel as comfortable upon first meeting as he did with me last time.  The three of us discussed the median lift that Doctor 5 proposed, with an L-shaped incision, and then talked a bit about the implants themselves.  At my first visit, Doctor 5 talked mostly about silicone and I knew they were his preference.  Still, with all I’ve learned to date, I might just be leaning to saline and wanted to be sure that was also an option with him.  It, of course, was.  He said that if I have any reservations about silicone then I should go with saline … because I need to feel comfortable with everything.

He reiterated his earlier points about not going too big and not going wider than what I’m starting to perceive as my freakishly narrow chest base.  He also explained and emphasized the lengths he takes to prevent infection during surgery.  We basically talked about everything we discussed in my first visit to get my husband up to speed with everything.  It was good having him there.  I think he feels at ease with this doctor and much more part of the process now. He even made a joke about making sure I’m not hooked up to the garden hose to fill up the saline implants.

Do people tend to make jokes when they’re more relaxed or more nervous?  I actually think both are true for my spouse.

One of the doctor’s assistants brought in a few silicone implants for us to handle.  I think it was my husband’s first time feeling them. (At least, I hope it was.)  I could see the scientist in him at work.  And, before he could say it, I jokingly blurted out, “Do you think we could feel a side by side comparison of silicone and saline within the patient?”  Doctor 5 politely laughed my sad, nervous joke, one that he’s probably heard every day since he entered the practice.

Then, we each had questions about insurance.  My husband wanted to know if any complications that arose in surgery would be covered by our insurance.  I wanted to know if he offered any products that came with an insurance policy such as Doctor 4.

And he basically answered our questions together.  The short answer is no … to both. Complications arising from surgery are not necessarily covered and his facility offers no contractual insurance for its work.  However, he added that, to date, he has not had any issues arise either from surgical complications or implant defects. And, while he didn’t discount these possibilities completely, he emphasized that they are very rare.

As far as surgical complications, he said the number one issue is infection.  And he takes such great pains to avoid it that it has never manifested itself in any of his patients.  As far as implant defects, he said he personally guarantees all of his work as well as the products he uses. Thus, if an issue such as a leak arises with one of his surgeries, he corrects it … immediately and at no charge.  It does nothing for him to have a very dissatisfied patient out in the world.

And, after taking up about an hour of this doctor’s time with my extreme thoroughness, we each shook his hand and thanked him for yet another very informative visit.  Then, we gathered our things and headed out.  My husband whispered that it was hard not to look at the boobs of every woman in the office to determine if they’d joined the club.

And we walked out through the waiting room together … but not before I could grab another cookie.