In this country it's called elective surgery.
And that term covers hysterectomy as well as breast implants.

Hope all goes well Sweetwater. I know from friends and family what a tough procedure it is, sometimes emotionally, always physically. Good luck.

It should change my outward appearance because of the sheer volume of, well, guts that will go, but that is not the reason for it. I've told at least 3 doctors I was ready to take a knife to myself - no matter the outcome, I'd be done with all. So perhaps this will count as cosmetic because I'm letting trained surgeons do the job instead of doing it myself with a dull hatchet or my Leatherman. :)

I won't ETA because you've replied. But rereading my post above it implies that all hysterectomies are considered elective. Obviously you're intelligent enough to know what I mean. Just to set the record straight - where a patient decides to have surgery i.e. they will not die without it - it is termed elective. Even in cases where it will bring health benefits.

I think it's a less emotionally charged term than cosmetic.

SW, sorry that it got to such a dramatic point before you got what you wanted. At least you have your determination to get you through the aftermath.

You will feel much better afterwards. My wife had it done and the first thing she said, after healing, was something to the effect of "I should have done that 10 years ago!" Best of luck.

Fibroid muscle tumors? My mother had those, had the hysterectomy at 45 I think. As for being opposed to cosmetic surgery, she is adamantly against it. Its a question of quality of life I think. If it'll significant improve your life's quality, then its necessary.

Yes, fibroids that are too large and ill-placed to be removed by less radical means. And now I just had to share this - today my keyboard broke: well, not seriously - but the period key fell off. That's right, my doctor is so good that I no longer have periods and I'm still pre-surgery! (I'm using Copy/Paste to get them here)

That's hysterical.


Get it? Ba-dum chsshhhh.

Ovary funny

:lol: you're going straight to hell for that one

Period Missing Syndrome?

I have long been opposed to cosmetic surgery, mostly on grounds already discussed (my body is good the way it is, medical risks, and also diversion of medical resources for less urgent purposes when there are folks who are dying, immobile, blind etc for want of medical care).

I have had three moles removed - they were showing early signs of turning cancerous. Snip snip.
But recently I had a fourth mole removed, for cosmetic reasons. It wasn't cancerous, but it was an unsightly blob a few cm below my lip, and a nuisance when shaving. I had it removed largely at the request of my lady friend. It is healing nicely now.
That done, I would never have anything implanted for cosmetic reasons, and would be very unlikely to have any procedure more significant than this.

I am in favour of remedial surgery for those with actual deformities/abnormalities (a few cases in IotD spring to mind) but I am mildly disapproving of people who want to make a normal body abnormally good. It's not worth the risk or the resources. Think Michael Jackson. Remember when he used to be black?

To answer the question would I have cosmetic surgery:

I'm not really sure, I'm reasonably happy with my body as it is, there are a few pounds I need to lose in my stomach region. But that needs to be done for my health, and therefor I need to do it the healthy way with responsible diet and exercise (in an ideal world). If my butt could be a tad more bootylicious...it would put a huge smile on my face. I'm too free with swinging it around and showing it off as it is though, so that would probably just be a disaster waiting to happen :p . Do braces count as cosmetic surgery or just cosmetic something else (improvement)? I'm hoping to get started on that sometime next year, but at 20yrs I still have 4 baby teeth that need to be pulled. (Is having particularly strong rooted baby teeth a genetic condition or something, anyone know?) I'm trying to keep/get myself healthy and allow myself few vices. Hopefully this well keep me looking and feeling good about myself when I get older. If my boobs do get too droopy, I'll consider a lift and maybe an implant depending on whats available at the time. Definitely not until I'm past having children of my own, although I plan on adopting my children, if I somehow accidentally got pregnant I would want to have it and breast feed.

I had the surgery on Monday and am home in recovery now. Doing well. From the bruising (from heparin) and adhesives from bandages and swelling and all that, I can now state that this is definitely not cosmetic surgery. :headshake

Heal well, wishing you a speedy recovery. There is some stuff you can buy at most large chain drug stores that help with scar healing, just ask the pharmacy people. It paints on like nail polish but decreases scar formation, unless you are prone to keloids.

I could stand to lose about 30 pounds, but that's not a surgical procedure. Dental work isn't either, really, unless you're talking implants, and I could use some of that too. I'd like to get those metal fillings removed; mercury in the amalgam and all that.

If there were a way to fix the bags beneath my eyes, I'd have it done. But there's a cashier I see all the time in the grocery store who apparently had this done and instead she has four symmetrical, puffy scars around her eyes. Now, if that were me, I'd have sued that doctor and ended up with enough money that I wouldn't have to be working as a cashier at the grocery store.

As it stands, no, I wouldn't have cosmetic surgery. But if I had a flaw like a cleft palate, hook nose, or other serious deformity, I probably would. You only go around once in this world; might as well make the best of it!

(preface, I didn't read the whole thread, or in fact most of it)

If LASIK counts, I'd definitely get that. I'm so sick of my glasses (which I've been wearing since 7th grade, and I should have had them in 5th or 6th). I may also get dental surgery to straighten my teeth if it meant I wouldn't have to get braces to do so. Mostly it's because my front teeth are crooked enough that it's a pain to brush them effectively, but also because if I straightened my teeth my canines would look like fangs.

I think I'm too young for this thread XD

I have no boobs whatsoever.... (neither did my mom) I am totally self concious about it, and hate when girls tell me "You're so lucky! You get no attention from boys! I wish I was you!!!"
Seriously they actually say that...

but I would never have implants... I can not abandon my flatsy sisters!!!!

they're lying/bitching, sorry.

but don't worry, your time will come..... you may get boobs later on, you may not. But you will most likely get attention when you're ready, and you're probably never going to have to deal with saggage and the problem of nipples tickling your kneecaps as you walk.

How old are you, btw?

I would love to get lipo. I would like to get rid of very stubborn saddlebags. When I gain weight, it goes there first and when I lose weight, it stays.

I would like lasik too. I just ordered new glasses and they are costing me $600!! I havent been able to see very well for such a long time that I decided to opt for the very best when it comes to the lenses...I hope it makes a difference. Getting the eye surgery would mean much cheaper glasses. My sight is that bad.

I've had my eyes lasered. It's weird - I never defined myself by my short-sightedness. It always seemed like some sort of bizarre accident.

Now I can see without correction I feel I am back to the way I should be.

I have on my face, and they are full of shit if they tell you "there's little to no scarring!". My goattee/beard hides it sometimes, but up close it's easy to see on my right cheek about 3/4" long in the classic Frankenstein stitch pattern. I don't care though, and some of the girlies like it :cool:
Planning on getting the eye surgery to correct my nearsightedness in the next year or two, but am wary of the post-op (will I be blind for a few days or what). My eyesight right now is pretty rough, anything 6" or more away from my face gets blurry reallll quick. I'm -6.00 in both eyes.

Bullitt--you're completely awake for the surgery, and literally the moment they stand you up out of the chair things are much, much clearer. But then they don't want you to blink for a good long while, so they give you some hardcore sedatives so that you'll just sleep for a good 10-12 hours. When you wake up, your eyes will itch and burn, but not unbearably, and your vision will be almost up-to-speed by then, although still very very light sensitive. The only reason you wouldn't be able to go to work or classes or whatever at that point is because you feel like crap, not because you can't see.

You have to take a pantheon of eyedrops for the first few days, and then it tapers off over the next few weeks. I had mine done less than a week before the semester started, and I had no problems.

Sounds tolerable. A few days of discomfort instead of the rest of my life dealing with contact lenses sliding up on top of my eye that take 5 minutes to get out... ughh. Worst way ever to start the day.

Oh absolutely, I have never regretted getting it done, not once. There are some side effects, but they usually only bother people who shouldn't have gotten it done in the first place, with -1.50 vision or so. When you start out blind, being left with a little bad night vision and some odd starbursts around some lights is no big deal. :) For the record, I do now have a little pair of glasses that I break out sometimes while driving at night; my vision has regressed a bit in the last ten years and is not perfect anymore. But it's still a million times better than it was.

i'm convinced. PM me how much it set you back?

Im convinced too, but how do you go about finding the best place to get it done?

You just have to look around. :D

:D "groannnnnnnnnnnnn"

craigslist. definitely craigslist.

i'm totally kidding. this should be a referral. do not trust your eyes to someone from the phonebook. chances are you know more than a few people who've had the procedure. ask your eye doc who did his. Mrs L went to the same guy her eye doctor used. We figured if he was good enough for an eye doctor and his kids, then he was good enough for us.

Er, um... well, I was on my mom's insurance at the time, and she covered the rest (thanks Mom!)... besides, it was ten years ago, the numbers would be pretty meaningless nowadays. Like lookout said, your eye doctor can recommend someone for a consultation.

Mrs L's was about $5k i think. That's been about 5-6 years ago, so I may be off on that.

Make sure an opthamologist does yours, not a laser tech.
I'd insist that a qualified doctor goes about cutting on my eyes... I only get the one set.

I've seen prices in the $1000/eye out there. Try the local eye hospital and research carefully.

I got mine via eBay!
But then they were the biggest company in the UK at the time, and they were just selling off late-notice slots. It meant they kept their clinics full and their staff working, rather than sitting around, so it was significantly cheaper. Usually you got to pick and choose when you went in, and that cost about £500 per eye. Mine was £295 per eye from memory. Not much more than that anyway, and I got to pay in 12 monthly installments (interest free).

I honestly can't remember what my surgical procedure was called - they have different names in the UK and US. It was the less invasive treatment, and the cheapest, but had a longer recovery time than the other. I didn't choose it for the price - it was the most suitable for my eyesight (-3.75 and -3.50) although I admit they recommended the other treatment to me just because of the quicker recovery.

I have to say it was very painful afterwards. I understood that I'd just been given strong painkillers, but I think it must have been sleeping tablets as I dozed on the sofa on and off for 48 hours. I was sensitive to light for the best part of 5 days, and the bruising around my eyes made me look terrible for the best part of a week.

But other people I know had the more serious surgery and were back at work the next day. Meh - I know I bruise ridiculously. I took pictures of it on my camera phone for my Mum & Dad, but that's long gone. It was also useful evidence when I got some funny looks at work for taking a week off (annual leave).

Cheers V, I missed those the first time round for some reason (BTW - my post is closer to the start of the thread, but says more or less what I did on here).

I think she must have had the same surgery I did. Dry eyes were a problem for me for the best part of a year afterwards. I'd forgotten that. But easily dealt with by fake-tears gel. Actually I remember I had my final checkup on July 7th 2005. I took the day off just in case and got home just in time to see the first reports of the London bombings coming through. I didn't need any fake tears that day.

hahaha, I guess I took my time responding?! (completely forgot about you guys, for a minute there.)

will do.

Well I finally made the call. I have a consultation scheduled for this Thursday at TLC laser eye center in Indy. I'm psyched and scared all at the the same time.

Oh, oh, lazer eyes... cool. You can be a superhero.:D

good luck, Pico....

It seems like everyone always say they wish they'd done it sooner.

Be brave, Pico! It's absolutely worth it. I've been thrilled with my laserized eyes for more than 10 years now.

Im really very excited, Im entering a realm that I havent experienced since before the third grade. I dont even care if I still have to wear reading glasses; to be able to wake up in the morning and not have to reach for my eyeglasses to see the clock is going to be fantastic.

When the maid wakes you up, after placing your breakfast tray down, and opening the curtains, she should tell you what time it is. Get better help. ;)

good for you pico! :)

I wear reading glasses and that's frustrating enough especially since there not usually on your head when you need them.

When I was about 15, I was thrown from my horse and landed on my face. One nose job, coming up!

Haven't had any other such surgeries, but if I had the dough, I'd go for some belly lipo - and not so much to be thinner/attractive, but to make it easier to find pants that fit properly.

I'm not terribly overweight (could stand to lose 20 lbs), but my belly has puffed out in my old age, and everything else has stayed the same. I end up with pants that fit my ass but are too tight around the middle, or pants that fit around my middle, but have all this baggy material hanging loose on the backside.

*sigh*

Good thing I live out in the middle of nowhere. Sweats are my clothing of choice. :D

My fat goes to my saddlebags. I have gained about 8 pounds in the last month and thats where it ALL went. My butt looks horrible. I sometimes wish I had your problem instead, Glinda.

By the time you read this Pico, you'll be all lasered up!
I hope it went well. The smell though... ewwwwww. No-one tells you about the smell of your own burning eyeballs. Major ick.

I'm looking into having a gastric hypno band procedure.
It's a fake medical procedure to kid you into thinking you have had a gastric band fitted. Obviously no invasive surgery takes place, just counselling, hypnosis, CBT and NLP. They have great success rates at a fraction of the cost of surgery. Also, with mine and my family's history of reflux, I'm unlikely to be accepted for actual surgery even if I could afford it.

Thanks SG, but I wish the procedure was today...I'm ready! I'm just going to the consultation today. The smell cant be much worse than the when the dentist drill the decayed part of my teeth? I'm still a little bit anxious about things that could go wrong, but I haven't heard one person tell me they have had a bad experience yet, so I'm sure its OK.

That pseudo gastric band procedure sounds really interesting. The counseling alone would be worthwhile.

Wow - at first I thought you were wishing/kidding. They really have this? How fascinating.

This would work for me.

Pico - never had a tooth drilled, so I wouldn't know.
It's not so much that it's a bad smell, more the idea of what you are actually smelling.

I've never regretted having mine done, and I have also not heard any negative stories.

Classic - yes, it's reasonably established here now. The place I'm considering offers lifelong support too, so they're obviously confident. I just worry that I can override the programming!

Bruce, any chance you could make me one too? Make sure the grill at the front is narrow enough that I can't get KitKats in please.

When my brother was training as an NLP councillor, there was a woman on the course who was blind in one eye. Apparently, though, the problem was neurological rather than with the eye itself, because during an exercise in which they engaged in sensory overload, her eye suddenly started working. It really fraked her out. her depth perception was suddenly very different and it made her quite dizzy. temporary though, the eye stopped working again after a few hours.

No you don't! I look like I could be preggers. :eyebrow:

But don't despair! I hear guys these days like some junk in the trunk. :D

Confident that you won't live long?