Deborah Pan, MD

Dr. Pan is an exceptional plastic surgeon! I appreciate her professionalism and honesty. I had a tummy tuck with muscle repair. I’ll let her work speak for itself. I had a whole piece typed up and accidentally closed it without posting it! If you have any questions, please reach out and I will answer them to the best of my ability according to my experience alone. She is very kind, understanding, and very realistic. She gives you the options and formula to get what you want, how you prepare, and mix the ingredients is all up to you. She will not sell you services for personal or financial gain. Pain management is key, but bearable without prescriptions after the first few days. Definitely not needed during week two. I underestimated the recovery process. It is a long recovery, but with a fantastic support system I did amazing. I am happy with my decision.

Dr. Pan is professional, intelligent, and compassionate with excellent bedside manner. She was very honest and encouraging with my surgical concerns. I’m extremely happy with my results! I was able to breastfeed 15 months after my surgery, and my breasts returned to their post-surgical size when I stopped breastfeeding. I’m also pleased with the shape, size and density of my breast thanks to Dr. Pan.

I am still in this journey but so far, I’m elated.
Deciding to have a tummy tuck (no muscle repair) and breast lift was a huge thing for me. I never considered plastic surgery and really wanted to be able to change my body naturally. However, after all the weight loss, no matter what I did, the extra skin was not going anywhere. I had a hard time recognizing myself. My body didn’t look like how I felt. I was tired of having to hide my “apron” and clothes never feeling flattering. I’d lost so much and was so healthy yet still felt like the fat friend even though I could outrun all of my friends.
The pandemic made me reflect a lot about what was important. My happiness and being in love with myself was huge to me. AND, it was the perfect time to do it since I couldn’t see anyone anyway.
The Consult-I sent pictures, the consult itself was a video call.
I looked into several board-certified plastic surgeons. I had a consult scheduled with another DR but after my consult with Dr. Pan, I knew she was the person I’d use. I chose her because of her history of breast reconstruction for cancer patients as well as extensive years of experience. Also, I looked at countless before/after photos. I asked her about all the “flaws” I’d seen, and she told me that she addressed all of them. Things like the fatty upper pubic area, nipples on top of the breast-that kind of stuff. Since I had a lot of extra skin, I wanted to make sure I wasn’t going to come out with more I needed to have fixed after. She assured me it would all be taken care of. Also, she was very up front about what to expect regarding my own “flaws”. She was clear about where I may still have fatty areas to work out the the tummy tuck or breast lift wouldn’t address. She sent me a quote for the different options of what I would have done the same day. I also asked a lot of questions about after care since I was driving about an hour and a half to her. She definitely helped me feel at ease about that too.
Lead up to surgery
Her staff is really helpful. I had one person I talked to, mostly through email, to schedule the surgery, arrange payment, and answer administrative questions. She always responded quickly no matter the method of communication. I had a few questions going into surgery that when I had my face to face with Dr. Pan, she was always patient and answered everything I could come up with. I’m a singer so I was concerned about the tube going down my throat. She said day of surgery, I met the whole team and could bring it up to my anesthesiologist then. She walked me through what to wear, what to expect, how long I needed someone to be around, timelines, everything I could think of.
DAY OF SURGERY-Prior to going in
I wasn’t nervous at all. I had complete confidence in her and her team. Everyone was really cautious with COVID. My driver couldn’t stay in the lobby even. They got her phone number to give her any details she needed.
I met the whole team and asked all my questions. The nurses were all super sweet.
The ONLY time I was not 100% confident was when I asked the Anesthesiologist about the tube in my throat. It wasn’t so much a reassuring “I’ll do my best not to damage your vocal cords” as a “I won’t know until I get in there”. I get that it’s probably true, but I needed the acknowledgement of my worry.
Also, the facility folks mentioned their survey like 12 times. I’m like, OK. I’ll do the survey! Yes, you were great!
When everyone went into surgery mode it moved really quick. It was like, here’s your IV, here’s your sedative, get on the table, and I WAS OUT.
Day of Surgery-Post Surgery
It’s a little hazy. I was very nauseous. I did vomit – it was awful. Also, my throat hurt so much. They kept giving me ginger ale to help but it was just coming back up. Also, I haven’t had soda in YEARS so it was weird drinking it but I didn’t necessarily care. It was a little hard to wake up, but I imagine that’s normal. I saw Dr. Pan briefly, but I don’t remember our conversation. I was definitely in pain, but I was so out of it that I just slept a lot. The drive home was painful but sleeping in and out helped.
Week 1 Post surgery
PAIN – I stayed on top of my meds but the first prescription made me nauseous, so she had to send me another one – it was the Thanksgiving holiday and she still helped me out and was quick about it. The pharmacy I usually use was closed so she had to send it again to a different one. The first 4-5 days, I didn’t mess around and took the pain meds every 4-6 hours. I had a follow up with her after 3 days. She checked on all the incisions, the drains, overall, once over.
I slept in a recliner for the first two weeks-pillows under my legs and next to me to support my arms, too. It was hard but there is no way I could lay flat and sleep in the bed.
You use your core for everything so any kind of movement hurts. Getting out of the chair, sitting on the toilet, wiping yourself, standing you have to be hunched over so my low back hurt the most. Actually, the most painful thing after the first 4 days was my back.
Also, she suggested having someone there for the first 24 hours. If you have anyone or anything depending on you though, have someone with you to take care of everything the first week if you can. I wouldn’t have been able to do this without my partner’s support.
Week 2 Post Surgery
Still a lot of pain but more manageable. I still didn’t shower until the end of the 2nd week. Baby wipes, sponge baths, and my partner washing my hair in the sink helped me feel normal. The second week, I only took meds when the Tylenol wasn’t helping enough. I still had my drains in, too. I had one removed but the other was still filling so it wasn’t until the end of the 2nd week that both were able to come out.
3rd week – Post surgery
I’m in my 3rd week post-surgery now. Both drains are out. I’ve slept in the bed this week. I still can’t sleep on my side comfortably, but I do enjoy sleeping next to my love. I got a knee pillow since the pillow were awkward in bed. I am taking Tylenol most often. The incisions are looking great. I’m diligent about using the scar recovery gel. I was worried about the spot where there is a 3 juncture-the wound seems bigger. Dr. Pan assured me that’s normal and it will close up soon enough. I’m totally surprised by how well the tummy incision is healing. There are already areas that aren’t red.
My binder is causing some discomfort on my incisions. If it’s not low enough, it rolls up right on my tummy incision. I did some shopping to try and get a “stage 2” garment that’s not going to roll. It also irritates my anchor incisions if it’s up to high. So, hopefully the new garment will be just what I need. Fingers crossed!
EDEMA
This week, I’ve been dealing with Edema. That’s when fluid builds up under the skin after the drains are removed. My last drain was removed last Wednesday. By Sunday, I noticed the buildup wasn’t resolving itself and called. Dr. Pan. She called me in for a Monday appointment to drain it. It wasn’t painful since I’m still pretty numb from the anesthesia. She also said it may happen again, so I have to go back at the end of the week to have it drained again. She explained that I was too active. It’s hard not to be active since I’m starting to feel better. She explained that the more active I am, the more friction I create and it’s like a blister where it builds up fluid to help protect itself since it’s trying to glue itself back together. Again, if I didn’t have such a supportive partner, the recovery would present a lot more challenges. More logistics. I’m a great healer.
A few things I don’t know where to mention–
They have the compression bras and binders there. I first got 2 bras but then asked for another because I needed more of a laundry buffer
Scar Recovery Gel–Either I’m an amazing healer (I am) or this stuff is magic, or both. I do it diligently 2 x a day. My showering ritual is longer because everything has to dry completely before putting it on.
My animals are so concerned and only want to comfort me, but I had to create barriers because them jumping on me unexpectedly was the worst.
Updated on 19 Dec 2020:
I just put the number of the day of recovery. I’m 25 days post opp. I had to get drained again today. Dr. Pan told me that the more activity the more fluid I will create. So, I’m trying really hard to only do what I have to. It’s hard for me though. I hate asking anyone for anything. And I want the fluid to stop so I’m going to do what I have to.