It was the year 2000 I decided to actually see a plastic surgeon about my tummy. I had my fourth baby in 1998 and after four C-sections I felt like my stomach would always be a nuisance no matter how much I dieted and exercised. The doctor I saw in New Jersey told me I was the perfect candidate for abdominoplasty as I was 32 years old and very fit. After speaking with my husband, we decided we would wait a few years until the kids end was a little older and a little more self-sufficient but I never really felt a connection to the surgeon.
Fast forward to 2023. The years flew by, and in February 2023 I thought to myself I could have a tummy tuck and possibly breast reduction. I was at age 55 I felt the way I looked did not reflect how I felt. I would see pictures of myself happy and smiling enjoying wherever I was – despite regular exercise and mostly good diet my midsection was growing and breasts big and rapidly descending. I appeared sloppy in pics. I dressed my best to hide it but whenever I sat down, I would have to readjust my tummy to fit inside my pants as I have done for years.
I came across a patient of Dr. Neinstein, she was happy to show me his work and I was impressed. As a nurse in the plastics world, I knew a few nurses who worked for Dr. Neinstein. I admired and respected these nurses and reached out to one of the nurses to hear her thoughts. As expected, she gave him rave reviews.
I started following Dr. Neinstein on Instagram and I liked who he was on Instagram. The first thing I noticed was he was reading a book called “Setting the Table” by Danny Meyer. It’s about hospitality in business. A matter of fact, his whole office was reading it. I ordered it for myself just to see what it was about. I got the message; the book is about providing service and hospitality to customers. In his case and mine, it is our patients. There is a difference between providing outstanding service, and providing outstanding service along with outstanding hospitality. His goal is to provide both.
As a nurse my research went beyond his Instagram. I did some investigating on the group he uses to provide anesthesia; this is important. He uses the best of the best. He only does body work. It is his specialty. He focuses on body surgery only, not everything. Dr. Neinstein always has two anesthesiologists in his surgical suite. Dr. Neinstein gives his patients (unless contraindicated) heparin during surgery. Patients are on lovenox injections (unless contraindicated) for seven days following surgery. These are all important.
My great friend (a longtime OR nurse) who noted on his Instagram that his operating room was state of the art, this is important. I had the pleasure of spending time with Dr. Neinstein prior to my consultation. I didn’t tell him that I would be seeing him in a month for a consult so he didn’t know. Here’s what I found out. Dr. Neinstein is who he is on Instagram. I noted in my time with Dr. Neinstein that he is consistently committed to growing and excellence. He is deeply committed to his patients from the very start. He expects a perfect surgery for the patient and a provides a smooth path for recovery.
He commitment to growing as a surgeon & leader extends to his incredible team of nurses, surgical techs, admin staff and reception.
I understood very clearly from Dr. Neinstein (& the nurses) the recovery for a mommy makeover was hard, it is not an easy recovery. I understood they would be there to support me every single set of the way. His team offers valuable info in advance to prepare his patients. Being a nurse, I thought of myself as a different patient. I soon found out I was not.
Dr. Neinstein suggests hiring a private duty nurse for four days. I hired a nurse for 24 hours. If I had it to do again I would have hired a private duty nurse for a week to get me through two showers. I had great care from my husband and family, but a nurse who does this every single day is essential to body and mind.
Dr. Neinstein suggests having a lymphatic drainage massage four days post op. I went on post op day 5, the extra 24 hours of fluid buildup was very painful. Thankfully he vets all of his vendors & refers his patients to the best, and I walked out of the massage with so much relief.
I learned when Dr. Neinstein derives a plan for recovery, it’s in the patients best interest to follow the guidelines. The plan is put together from research, from gathering and processing info. Nothing is pulled out of thin air, it’s all carefully crafted for patient outcomes.