To begin, I'll admit right out - I am not the standard customer, and I came to Athenix as a last hope in repairing another surgeon's fairly severe mistake in far over-liposuctioning my abdomen. Backstory: I had only wanted the 3"x2" area directly beneath my navel to be lipo'd, but they removed ALL fat between navel and groin, telling me it was to "feather" the desired area - and ended up only touching the original 3"x2" area on the right side. A second procedure was performed to try to correct the original area. After several years' battle, I was able to legally get my money back from the other large, well-known company (and therefore will not name names), but that didn't change the lumpy, uneven, scarred belly I'd been left with.
My initial consultation at Athenix suggested Dr. John Bullis as a good possibility. His intro pargaraph on the website noted he "has an artistic eye and an ability to visualize each patient's aesthetic goals" - sounded like just what I needed in a surgeon.
I met with Dr. Bullis and was immediately comfortable with him. He has a very warm manner, understanding and non-judgmental. He looked carefully at the area and tried to set my expectations accurately, but made sure that I knew there wasn't a guarantee he could fix the issues. He had some theories about why I was so dented and uneven, and they seemed sound. Dr. Bullis cautiously called the situation a "salvage mission", and said he would know more once he was actually in. I asked him if he honestly felt it'd be worth the money and pain and healing time to go forward with it, if he thought I had a decent chance. He paused to consider for a moment, then said yes, he did think he could make things better for me. I booked the appointment.
I found out during the pre-op check-in that Dr. Bullis HAD dealt with fixing over-liposuctioning before, which made me even more comfortable. When I asked him why he didn't mention that at the initial consult, he explained that he likes to under-promise and over-perform - can't say I blame him, especially in this situation. He marked me with Sharpies - high areas in red and low divots in blue - and I was cleaned.
I declined any medication other than antibiotics, so I was awake and alert for the procedure (as I had been both times the previous company operated on me). Everything went as expected while he lightly liposuctioned my inner thighs to harvest fat to inject into my abdomen. I don't have much fat on me to begin with, and I didn't want to be super bony; Dr. Bullis was careful and considerate there too, taking only about 200cc of fat cells. I had little discomfort and not much pain. He then began work on my abdomen, breaking up the scar tissue which he theorized correctly had been creating divots, and injecting fat specifically in those low areas he'd previously marked.
Throughout the procedure, we listened to my favorite genres of music, and Dr. Bullis was charming - he went to grade school with Henry Rollins, and told me many stories that coincided with stories I'd heard Henry tell on spoken word CDs. How cool is that? :)
Afterwards, I was bandaged, carefully placed into an overalls-like compression garment (which was actually pretty comfortable compared to the other company's ill-fitting wrap-thing which always rode up), and Dr. Bullis made sure I was functional and stable before I left. I had occasion to call him once after hours, to confirm that I could take a muscle spasm pill for an unrelated issue, and he was as friendly on the phone as could be.
I was super attentive during healing, which only took about a THIRD of the time that the other company caused me, and I have had FANTASTIC results. While I can see there's still some mild something-not-quite-right about my abdomen, it's become so minor that I can wear bikinis again without feeling like everyone's staring at my lumps. I'm no longer obsessing about how ugly my once-beautiful stomach is. I call that pretty damned good! And as for my thighs, which had never been modified before - Dr. Bullis did such a terrific job that you can't even tell anything had been done. The tiny 1/4" insertion marks are still pinkish, but once they go white, I can finally forget this whole ordeal.
The only negative thing I can say is that I wish I'd found Dr. Bullis first! He's truly everything I could want for in a surgeon - or in anyone who I'm trusting to permanently modify my body. I've already recommended him to a friend (who lost a lot of weight a few years ago and will be getting a massive circumferential tummy tuck) and I'd send anyone else I know to Dr. Bullis in a heartbeat. If you're considering Athenix and Dr. John Bullis - please take my review as a very, VERY strong suggestion to put your trust in his hands. I'm so glad I did. :)
PS - All of the nurses and counterstaff were just as friendly and caring. I really feel like I was treated exactly as I'd want to be, especially when I was SO vulnerable, and that's rare these days. read more