March 10, 2026 • 37 mins
Should someone who survived a heart transplant take the risk of cosmetic surgery? Many people would immediately say absolutely not. But what if that belief is completely wrong?
In this powerful and eye-opening episode of Plastic Surgery Uncensored, Dr. Rady Rahban sits down with a remarkable patient whose life story challenges one of the biggest misconceptions in medicine. At just 9 years old, she underwent a life-saving heart transplant. Doctors saved her life — but for years she lived with a deeply personal insecurity about her nose that began in adolescence.
Like millions of people with serious medical histories, she was quietly made to feel that wanting cosmetic surgery was selfish, unnecessary, or even irresponsible. So she spent years wondering…Is someone like me even allowed to want this? Fast forward two decades later.
Now 30 years old, married, thriving, and living a full life — she decided to ask a question most people around her were afraid to entertain: Could a heart transplant recipient safely undergo rhinoplasty? What followed was a careful collaboration between surgeons, cardiologists, medications, testing, and meticulous planning — all to answer a bigger question that affects millions of patients with chronic medical conditions.
In this episode, Dr. Rahban breaks down:
• Why cosmetic surgery is not just about vanity
• The real risks vs. exaggerated fears surrounding surgery in medically complex patients
• How transplant medications and immune suppression affect healing
• The critical role of medical clearance and teamwork between specialists
• Why patients with controlled medical conditions shouldn’t automatically feel disqualified from improving their lives.
Most importantly, you’ll hear first hand how this patient’s decision impacted her confidence, identity, and quality of life — and why she says she would “do it again in a heartbeat.” This conversation isn’t just about rhinoplasty. It’s about permission to live fully — even after life-changing illness.
If you or someone you love has ever wondered whether a medical condition means giving up the possibility of cosmetic surgery, this episode may completely change the way you think about it. Because the right information can make all the difference before anyone considers surgery.
✨ If you enjoyed this episode of Plastic Surgery Uncensored:
✔️ Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.
✔️ Rate & Review—your feedback helps more people find us.
✔️ Follow Dr. Rady Rahban across all platforms for daily insights, behind-the-scenes, and patient education:
In this powerful and eye-opening episode of Plastic Surgery Uncensored, Dr. Rady Rahban sits down with a remarkable patient whose life story challenges one of the biggest misconceptions in medicine. At just 9 years old, she underwent a life-saving heart transplant. Doctors saved her life — but for years she lived with a deeply personal insecurity about her nose that began in adolescence.
Like millions of people with serious medical histories, she was quietly made to feel that wanting cosmetic surgery was selfish, unnecessary, or even irresponsible. So she spent years wondering…Is someone like me even allowed to want this? Fast forward two decades later.
Now 30 years old, married, thriving, and living a full life — she decided to ask a question most people around her were afraid to entertain: Could a heart transplant recipient safely undergo rhinoplasty? What followed was a careful collaboration between surgeons, cardiologists, medications, testing, and meticulous planning — all to answer a bigger question that affects millions of patients with chronic medical conditions.
In this episode, Dr. Rahban breaks down:
• Why cosmetic surgery is not just about vanity
• The real risks vs. exaggerated fears surrounding surgery in medically complex patients
• How transplant medications and immune suppression affect healing
• The critical role of medical clearance and teamwork between specialists
• Why patients with controlled medical conditions shouldn’t automatically feel disqualified from improving their lives.
Most importantly, you’ll hear first hand how this patient’s decision impacted her confidence, identity, and quality of life — and why she says she would “do it again in a heartbeat.” This conversation isn’t just about rhinoplasty. It’s about permission to live fully — even after life-changing illness.
If you or someone you love has ever wondered whether a medical condition means giving up the possibility of cosmetic surgery, this episode may completely change the way you think about it. Because the right information can make all the difference before anyone considers surgery.
✨ If you enjoyed this episode of Plastic Surgery Uncensored:
✔️ Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.
✔️ Rate & Review—your feedback helps more people find us.
✔️ Follow Dr. Rady Rahban across all platforms for daily insights, behind-the-scenes, and patient education:
- Instagram: @drradyrahban
- TikTok: @radyrahbanMD
- YouTube: @Rady Rahban
- Facebook: @Rady Rahban
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
Welcome to another episode of Plastic Surgery and Censored. I'm
your host, Doctor Roddy Rabon, and we have a fantastic
and I know I say that always, but I really
mean it. Episode ahead for you because as always, we're
talking about something that I think is really important. As always,
I think it's stuff that I think is entertaining, but
more importantly, this time it's with one of my favorite patients.
(00:29):
And anytime we have a patient who's willing to come
on the show share their journey, I think we're incredibly
lucky and blessed because it takes a lot of time, energy,
and mostly courage to chat about your own personal insecurity.
So we're lucky to have Felicia. Welcome, I thank you,
thank you on the show today. And what are we
going to be talking about today? I think is really
(00:49):
really important. Felicia, you had to know rhyino PLASTI how
long ago?
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Going on eight months on the eighteenth of okay.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
Eight months ago, which is a pretty decent amount of
time in that you know, the good, the bad, and
the ugly would have already started to show. And while
we are going to talk about rhinoplasty, that's not what
the show is about, is it? The show is about
the process and the selection and why we do plastic surgery,
in whom we do plastic surgery, and sort of the
(01:20):
obstacles that present themselves for patients who want to do
plastic surgery and find themselves unable to overcome them. What
am I talking about in a cryptic manner? Felicia and
Will Delvin greatly has a very complicated medical history and
has undergone heart transplant. Okay, so a heart transplant at
(01:43):
a young age. We're going to elaborate in totality. And
when you immediately think someone went through a heart transplant
and then they get cosmetic surgery, your brain just doesn't
put those two together. And I think it's incredibly important
to talk about because what I think it under scored
is that so long as one is healthy, your medical
(02:05):
past shouldn't prevent you from doing the things that you
love and enjoy. And plastic surgery is considered one of
those things that you don't need and as a result,
you shouldn't do it if you have other medical problems,
And that's just bullshit. As I was telling you earlier,
(02:26):
I had a lovely lady who had a pulmonary embolist,
literally a clod in her lungs which could have killed her,
and she ended up coming in a later years in
her life, in her sixties, and we did a tummy chuck,
which is the highest rusk for prominent embolism. So we're
gonna chat about all that. Of course, there are ways
to do things where you are reckless, and then there
(02:47):
are instances where it's absolutely indicated. So let's dive right in.
Let's get a little bit of background about you for
a minute. How old are you?
Speaker 2 (02:57):
I am now thirty thirty, and tell me.
Speaker 1 (02:59):
A little about when, why, and how this whole heart
condition occurred.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
So it was within the same month that I had
just turned nine nine, Okay, I started experiencing health complications.
I had a lot of doctor visits, hospital visits, until
one of the last hospital visits, I was told that
I had to be airlifted to a children's hospital a
couple of hours away from home. I was admitted there
(03:27):
for about a month. While I was there, I was
seeing a cardiologist and they discharged me, and then I
followed up with my I kept up with my follow
up visits and I remember one of the last visits vividly.
He came into the room, asked my mom to step
out of the room, and when she came back into
(03:50):
the room, I knew something was wrong.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
So it's okay, yeah, I mean, this is a big deal,
right for especially as a nine year old.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
So they referred me out to UCLA. Very I got
an appointment right away, and they scheduled it in December,
so it was in the winter, and that appointment I
believe was before the holidays. Well, the daily appointment comes,
they they had canceled the appointment because or rescheduled the appointment.
(04:24):
Sorry because of the grapevine being closed. I couldn't get
down here because of the snow, So they scheduled it.
They rescheduled it to some time in early January. That
that appointment comes, and I remember they had told me
I needed to get labs echo and then I had
a clinic. It was in that specific order. So by
(04:45):
the time my clinic came, the doctor already had some
of the results back. So then the doctor came in,
the cardiologists came in. He was asking me questions, talking
to my parents, and then he proceeds to tell me
that I needed to be admitted to the hospital. I
was not able to go home because my heart was
only pumping with fifteen percent.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
So your hunt, he told you at nine years old,
that's the first thing you heard that something was wrong,
was that your heart wasn't ejecting or functioning as well
as it ought to be. Right, Okay, I'm sure that
was not an easy thing to understand as a nine
year old.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
No, I was so upset. I was super scared. I
was always afraid of hospitals and hospitals and needles and stuff.
So it was something big for me. And so I
remember I was admitted. The doctor came to talk to
me that that same day, and I remember telling him,
and I was nine. I remember telling him, if you
are as good as I say you are, you are
(05:41):
going to fix my heart.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
Right.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Well, everything went downhill after that. I was on life support.
My parents had to witnessed them doctors, you know, chalking
me back into life. My heart I went flatline like
three times. One of my lungs collapsed, and then I
was offered three hearts in four days.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
Okay, So did they tell you what the reason, what
the issue was. Was it heart failure? You were having
heart failure? Did they know the cause of your heart failure.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
And so I was diagnosed with cardio myopathy.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
Cardio myopathy, okay, and it was a It was a
congenital cardio myopathy, right, because cardiomiopathy cancur from alcoholism. Cardiom
myopathy can come from all kinds of things, but yours
was just a congenital cardio myopathy where your hearts gradually
and slowly started to not function to the point did
it stop functioning? Right? And then you were offered some
(06:36):
life savings heart transplant, which is amazing, so tell me. Okay,
So they offered you several hearts, which one did you pick?
Speaker 2 (06:48):
So the third was a match?
Speaker 1 (06:49):
Okay? Good?
Speaker 2 (06:50):
The third and final heart was a match. February first
comes and they did my heart transplant.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
So February one, nine years old, still right, You get
a heart transplant. MHM is for an adult and overwhelming experience,
let alone a small child. And I'm sure the recovery
was very, very difficult. And how much time did it
take before you got out of the hospital?
Speaker 2 (07:17):
Harsh house plant was February first. I was discharged, I
want to say March, but I wasn't able to go
home because I lived two hours away from the hospital,
so I had to stay nearby, and you know those
like shelters, not shelters the Tiverton.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
Yeah, yeah, of course, Yeah, a temporary housing so that
you can be nearby. God forbid something happens to you.
You can't be stuck behind the grapevine, right, exactly, correct? Okay,
So you did that, and then at what point, So
that's around nine years old, and at what point did
you feel pretty healthy, like I could play, I could run,
I wasn't worried anymore. Was it six months, was it
six years? Was it ten years? When did you start
(07:57):
feeling normal again?
Speaker 2 (07:59):
How honestly, I would I want to say within months.
I've never really stopped myself from doing anything.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
Right and you and so after several months, you kind
of healed. The beauty of children in general is unlike adults.
Not only do they heal faster, they tend to forget right,
They get moving with their lives. They don't have the
burden of adults. Adults tend to get scared and then
they remember. You know, people get a heart attack and
they stop living that. There's so many people get depressed
after a heart attack, and then the psychologic aspect ruins them,
(08:29):
not the physical part. So hear you up, you grow
up your adult from there on. Now you're a heart transplant.
You're taking a bunch of meds, right right. You don't.
You don't just get a heart and see yeah, bye
bye everybody. So tell me what and then since then
have you had any complications with your heart transplant?
Speaker 2 (08:45):
I've been blessed enough to have great life after transplants.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
Okay, great, so no complications. Knock on wood, and this
really is wood. But you are on transplants mets, right,
so tell me what. Not the exact mets, but how
many you.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
Have to take right now? It's seven different medications. Of course,
it's more than one of those medications right day.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
So it's a it's a significant involvement. It isn't one
of those things where you got it. It's done. They
fix your femur, it's healed, you move on. So it's
an ongoing life commitment as a transplant recipient. No, less
your heart, but you did it. You're thirty now, so
you've lived twenty one years past that. You got married, right,
(09:29):
So you got married several years ago. I met your husband.
He's a great guy and what do you do for
a living?
Speaker 2 (09:35):
Now, I'm in the administrative secretary, right.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
So you're working, you're productive, you're married. So it's safe
to say that the heart was well received, right, Okay,
so you should be happier than a clam and should
expect nothing. You should expect nothing else. Let alone decide
that you want to tamper with all of this. You
want to excuse my french I got a bad I
(09:59):
gotta review that. It says that I curse too much,
but I can't not curse. You wanted to fuck with
this and you decided, you know what, I don't like
my nose and I want to go into surgery and
what are you crazy? What is wrong with you? How
dare you? And then blah blah blah blah blah. And
so that is exactly why we're having the show, because
(10:23):
there is this thought process that if you are a
heart transplant, you almost died, blah blah blah blah blah,
how dare you should ever want to do something vain
or it's not needed that you should somehow not you shouldn't,
you shouldn't mess with it, or like you've already been
gifted or something, and it's just not true. So okay,
(10:45):
when did you start disliking your nose?
Speaker 2 (10:48):
I want to say I was about twelve. I think
we all reach a certain age in life where you
start paying attention to your features, and so I developed
that insecurity. I want to say, like around twelve thirteen
years old.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
Twelve thirteen years old. So here you are, twelve thirteen
year old. Everyone's like, oh my god, I can't believe
she's alive. She's at heart trumplant. You forgot about the
heart transplant. You're already going into middle school, then you're
gonna go to high school, and like a normal adolescent,
you looked at yourself and you had a pretty sizable hump.
Yeah right, I know it's hard to imagine, and but
your hump was pretty big. Yeah, did a very distinct nose.
(11:21):
It was beautiful on you, but it was arguably still
a bit prominent. And so like a normal girl, why
you're not allowed to be a normal girl? You said, oh,
I don't really like it. You obviously were secure enough
that you got married, but definitely something that bothered you.
So at some juncture you're like, screw this, I don't
care that I'm married, and I don't care that on
(11:42):
a heart transplant. I want to fix this. What was
the what was the final what pushed you over the
other end to go? Let's start googling this, Let's go
on a consult, Let's what was it? What happened?
Speaker 2 (11:56):
I've always wanted a vinyl plastic again since I started
a listening my nose. I would even bring it up
to my cardiologists and pediatrics and they were telling me,
hold on, let's wait till you're a little older. And honestly,
because I did get my transplant at such an early age,
I've never really let that stop me from living. I've
(12:16):
always remained very optimistic about life. So then twenty twenty
four comes and I decide to that I want to
revisit the situation. I bring it up to my cardiologists
that I have now transitioned into the adult care.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
Got it.
Speaker 2 (12:30):
They gave me the green light to go ahead and
move forward with looking for a surgeon, and as long
as I took off precautionary measures.
Speaker 1 (12:40):
Got it So interesting, when you were a young girl
and you were in the care of pediatric cardiologists, you
mentioned it even to them and they're like, Okay, why
don't we deal with this when you get a little older.
So now you're older, you're thirty, and you go and
have this conversation. Again, good on you because it was
something that was important to you, so you kept championing it.
You spoke to your cart. So this is the first step.
(13:01):
So the reason I'm having this episode is not just
because it's interesting and if you're listening, you're like, oh, wow,
this is interesting. It's because there are millions, millions of
people with major medical problems who have say, an aesthetic
issue that really burdens them, and they're sort of not
allowed to dream and or imagine like a regular person
(13:26):
that that issue is take fixed. And the idea is
that it's not necessary. Well I would argue it is necessary,
because I would argue, and you're going to discuss it,
just like the lady who had the tummy tech, who
who almost died, that that yes, it's not necessary, and
that it's not life saving, but it is life altering.
(13:47):
And you've been with a new note for eight months
and we'll talk about how it's changed your life. And
I'm not even sure that some necessary surgeries are as
powerful as cosmetic surgery. So I think this notion that
is not necessary in there for it shouldn't be done
or whatever. The second issue is the consideration that you
would risk it. We're not risking anything. We wouldn't operate
(14:08):
on you or her, or the one with a liver transplant,
or the guy who had a stroke or the one
with horrible diabetes unless they're medically cleared. So we got
to talk about this. The reason we're having the episode
is to kind of debunk some of that and maybe
encourage the people who are with medical problems out in
the world, who whose medical problems are addressed. I'm not
(14:31):
talking about you're a you're missing leg from diabetes and
you're I'm talking about I am a well controlled person
with medical conditions and that I want to address these
other issues in my life. So I think that's really
really important. And so you decided, Okay, great, I'm gonna
(14:51):
I'm gonna do this. So you go to your cardiologist.
So first obstacle in this process is the person you
have to have the courage to be like, yeah, I
had a heart transplant, but yeah, so what I don't
like my nose. You are the starting of this engine. Okay, great,
So you were that person. The next is you need
the surrounding group to sort of facilitate it. It's very
(15:15):
hard to do an esthetic surgery when no one else
is on board, not your life partner, not your family,
not your friends, not your doctors. You just sure you
can do it, but you're not going to really just
be like, screw everyone and I'm gonna go do it.
So the first person that would have been an obstacle
is when you came to me and you spoke to me.
I said, okay, got it. I said, what are your
(15:36):
medical problems? You're like, well, I had congenital cardio myiopathy
and not a heart transplant. And I said, okay, great,
And who's your cardiologist? Oh it's a team that you
say like, okay, great, are they going to clear you?
I don't even hesitate. If you are healthy. You are healthy.
You're no more likely to die in the operating room
(15:58):
than you are climbing those flight as stairs. If you're
huffing and puffing going up the stairs, well then I'm
not going to operate on you. And I'm not going
to operate on you because I want you. I'm going
to operate on you because your team, who is monitoring you.
Who knows your heart is going to say you are
aren't cleared. So I said, okay, what about your team,
(16:18):
You're like, I've already spoken to them about it, and
they said it should be all right, and I said, okay, great,
they and us have to be on the same page.
So that's the first thing you need to know when
you're out there and you have a medical condition. When
that lady came to me and we did her tummy tuck,
I was in communication with her hematologist because she needed
(16:39):
to be on blood dinners and we did it perfectly.
She's now living her life, living her best life, probably
in the Maldives as we speak. So issue number one
is your team has to be on board. And there
are sometimes patients who go to their doctors and their
doctors are not on board. And it's very very difficult
(17:00):
and unfortunate. Now, if your doctor's not on board because
you're not a good candidate, tough shit, like you're not
a good candidate the end. But sometimes they're not on
board because they get upset that you're pushing your luck
in other words, like ah, what do you need to
do this? And that's not right you are or you
(17:22):
aren't medically cleared. Period. This is not an opinion. I
don't care if you think plastic surgery is a good
idea or a bad idea. You need to tell me
if I am medically safe enough to undergo two hours
or three hours of anesthesia. And so I commend your
team at UCLA for removing themselves from the emotional part
(17:45):
the opinion and being medical about it and saying, you
know what, sure, if you want to do it, go
for it. So that's the first obstacle you are a
team of your medical doctors need to be involved. If
you go to a plastic surgeon and you tell them
you have a major mass medical problem and they don't,
They're like, for example, you and I met and were
I'm like, hey, what medical problems you have?
Speaker 2 (18:05):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (18:05):
I had a heart transplant. I was like, huh go ahead, okay, yeah,
we can do your surgery. It's you know, this is
the and I didn't even mention your heart transplant. What
would you have thought? Were you prepared that? Did you?
Did you did you expect your doctor to question that?
Speaker 2 (18:24):
Oh? Yeah, of course the fact that you you pretty do.
You pretty much said I'm not touching you unless we
get this checklist cleared from your cardiology.
Speaker 1 (18:36):
Correct. But I didn't say I'm not touching it. No, no,
But and I also didn't say I don't give a shit.
You have car transplant. Who cares? Right, So so that's
really important. So if you guys go to a plastic
surgeon and you have a major medical problem and they
don't blink an eyelash, that is a red flag. If
they say I'm not touching you because you have a
medical problem, then they did you a favor because they
(18:56):
don't feel comfortable. It's not that nobody will, but they
are not comfortable because the reality is that, let's be honest,
you're a little bit of a headache, right right. What
if I did your surgery and you had a major
complication exactly, then I'd be an asshole, right because, oh,
you operate on the transplantation, you greedy plastic surgeon. You
just wanted her money. She was insecure, and you didn't
(19:18):
tell her that she wasn't a good candidate, So you
know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (19:21):
It's a little sticky.
Speaker 1 (19:22):
But that being said, that's that's that. So that's the
first obstacle. The second obstacle is friends and family, right,
because they're so happy to have you. You're healthy, you made it.
And then you go to them and you're like, hey, guys,
I want to go get at rhyano plasty. Okay, So
let's talk about family members, because everyone has family members. Everyone,
(19:47):
if you're lucky, have good family members, and good family
members are supposed to interge, intervene, and interject, right. Good
family member is not just gonna be like mm hm okay,
sure whatever. They're gonna give you their opinion, great idea,
bad idea. They're not going to just do nothing. So
you go to your family. Let's start with your husband,
because that's the closest person to you. You're like, he
(20:07):
knew that you didn't like your nose. Yeah, oh yeah, right,
he's been with you, said nine years, have been married
five yep, Hey, I think it's time to do my nose.
First reaction is what.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
He was concerned. He said, first thing is you need
to make sure your cardiologists are okay with that.
Speaker 1 (20:23):
Okay. So you're like, I already check with my cardiologists.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
Yeah, and he was like, well, if that's what makes
you happy, I'm gonna support you.
Speaker 1 (20:30):
Okay, And he was no law. He was not negative
throughout the process. No, No, And he was in a
downer or freaking out or worried. Sometimes I'm not talking
about a traditional negative like oh you don't I'm talking
nervous negative. Oh yeah, some people are so nervous around
you that they're downers. Was he really nervous?
Speaker 2 (20:49):
He was nervous, He was scared, and he would say,
if it were up to me, I wouldn't do it.
I don't want to put you at risk.
Speaker 1 (20:54):
Got it? Okay? So good husband, he's a keeper. I
met him a few times. He's lovely. Okay. So then
you go to family members and what was the response
by family members?
Speaker 2 (21:03):
Don't do it? There's no need for it. You've already
been through so much. I heard it's a really painful surgery.
Speaker 1 (21:10):
You're gonna die.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
Yeah, right, something can happen something, but it can happen, something.
Speaker 1 (21:15):
Terrible can happen to you. Why would you risk it? Right,
that's the question. Why would you risk it for something
so frivolous? Right? So the idea is fixing your nose
is so stupid and inconsequential, Why would you risk it?
But is it that frivolous and consequential?
Speaker 2 (21:35):
Now?
Speaker 1 (21:35):
That you're on the other side. You're physically living the
life of someone within a much more attractive nose. So
you've lived eight months than new you and thirty years
the old you, of which twenty years of it you
were aware that your nose you didn't like, cause the
first ten years don't count because you're a kid. Quality
(21:59):
of life, How I feel every day? Tell me the difference.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
Oh, it was a big difference. It is life changing.
Speaker 1 (22:08):
This But explain me, because I say it's life changing.
I see patients all day long. They tell me, oh
my god, doctor, why this changed my life? And if
you haven't had it, it's kind of like no one
believes you. But what makes it life changing.
Speaker 2 (22:20):
The confidence it gives you. I used to be so
insecure about my side profile, and now I just I
can walk in a room and I feel normal.
Speaker 1 (22:30):
Normal.
Speaker 2 (22:31):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
So it's interesting because it's kind of like, what's the
best Have you ever looked at those paintings that you
look at and you look at and if you look
at it a certain way, you see the image within
the image. Have you ever heard of those? Yet you
stare at it, stare at it and stare at it.
And then if you stare at it long enough, there's
an image in there that you see, and then people
will tell you, don't you see the image and you
(22:53):
stare at it, You're like, I don't know what you're
talking about. That is exactly what this is about, because
everyone who hasn't experienced has no idea what the hell
you're talking about. All they see is this nose turned
into that nose. Okay, yeah, okay, yeah, it's better. But
that's not what this is about. It isn't that this
is a prettier nose. This is about I am now
(23:15):
trouble free. I literally don't think about my nose. You
don't have an idea of how much that occupied my
So let's say you had not had your nose done,
and you walk into a conversation. Let's say with me,
tell me about when you're thinking about your nose. How
does it play. Are you consciously thinking like I'm looking
at you, and like you're physically conscious. If I'm staring
(23:37):
at you and I'm looking at you and you're having
a conversation with me, what's going on in your mind?
Tell me, physically, I.
Speaker 2 (23:42):
Need to move this way because my nose looks a
little funny from that angle or the opposite direction. So
I wouldn't be facing you right now, I'd.
Speaker 1 (23:51):
Be like this, so you would be conscious of it physically, like,
and people don't understand that because that's not an insecurity
of theirs, right, So what do you mean, I just
just talk? You're like, no, But as far as I'm concerned,
I have a three centimeters z on my cheek and
to me that I can't. So when we say that
(24:12):
you're liberated, you're literally your brain doesn't have to carry
that burden anymore. So you're here, and you're fully here.
So I think that that's interesting. So all your family members.
Speaker 3 (24:23):
Pretty much your dad, you're abuela, You're abuelo, everyone but
your mom, right, they are a little Debbie downers, right, like,
and it's very hard to be like, oh it doesn't matter,
Like if everyone you love is like, you're gonna something
terrible is going.
Speaker 1 (24:40):
To happen to you, it's kind of blows. But you
said your mom.
Speaker 2 (24:44):
Was positive, Yeah, very supportive.
Speaker 1 (24:46):
Right. So you had your mom and your husband and
my brother and your brother and then you had the
team team negative on the other side, right, So okay,
so that's really really important to understand that that's that's
the process. So how did you Okay, so your stakes
are higher, right because at the end of the day,
you had this heart transplant. So what was your journey
(25:08):
in terms of finding a surgeon? Was it the same
as everybody else? You just care about whose work is good,
and therefore you just ignore your heart condition and you
just go look for the best surgical outcome. What did
you use in your research process to say I found
this doctor?
Speaker 2 (25:26):
So yes and no to your what you just said.
So I went on, well, I you know, after I
got my Clarence, I made a list with my top
three doctors, okay, and the consultation was going to determine
how I felt about my how I explain it, like,
the way you showed you cared is what helped me decide.
Speaker 1 (25:49):
So you first, so the first three that you selected
was purely on just their aesthetic too. Okay. So the total,
the three of the three surgeons that you narrated it
down to, you ignored your heart part and you just
said these three guys or guys and gals, I like
their work. And then you said, as far as my
(26:12):
medical conditions concerned, I'll figure that out when I meet them, right,
that makes sense. So why I'm saying it is I
want the people who have major medical problems to figure
out how do I You know, my sister got a
tummy tech, but she didn't have a kidney transplant. So
do I use the same thought process that she did
(26:32):
or do do something different? And I think, I like
what you said, which is it's an aesthetic surgery, so
I want the aesthetics to be good, and then I
need it's an emotional surgery because I need someone to
what was your thought? What was the part about your
heart that you were looking for? The person was academic?
What how did you want the doctor? What did you
want the doctor to know or do that would make
(26:53):
you feel like your heart was your heart issue was
being addressed.
Speaker 2 (26:56):
So the fact that you that I that you pretty much,
which gave that I'm not touching you until this, you know,
this gets cleared by your cardiac team was very reassuring
for me because it's like, hohle shit, Like it's not
just about the money.
Speaker 1 (27:09):
What did the other two guys say when it came
to that part, it.
Speaker 2 (27:12):
Didn't even get a chance. I focused on after my list,
my three top three doctors. I looked at their work
and the galleries, and right then I found one that
his work aligned more with what I liked because I
did way out the pros and cons based off of
my personal preference reference right syesthetic at the end exactly.
(27:32):
So then you were the only one that I said,
you know what, I'm going to focus directly on, doctor Rabon.
So I looked through your gallery. I would I want
to say it was like three times a week every week.
Speaker 1 (27:45):
Yeah, you want to make sure, like maybe it's because
it's Tuesday, I have a little bit of indigestion. Maybe
maybe it'll look different this week.
Speaker 2 (27:54):
Maybe he'll add a new patience.
Speaker 1 (27:55):
That's actually very good if you were looking for.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
Updates, and so I was also listening to your podcast.
The way you explain things thoroughly helped me. And then
also hearing how passionate you are about your work. It
all gave me the confidence to move forward with scheduling
a consultations.
Speaker 1 (28:13):
Got it. So did you see the other two? Great?
Thank god we beat them to the punch. I like that.
I'm even offended there was other two guys. Now that's great, Okay,
So I think that process is actually a good one.
So what we're trying to figure out is, Okay, first
of all, if I'm out there and I have a
medical problem, and it's a pretty big medical problem, and
in a weird way it kind of discourages me or
(28:35):
prevents me from wanting to do the esthetic things, what
do I do about it? First of all, my opinion
if your medical problem is controlled, and my opinion, you
absolutely are candidate for pastic surgery, because the reality is
that your health. If you're well controlled, you're able to
go on a hike, if you're well controlled, you're able
(28:58):
to go swimming. And really the truth is if the
risk factors with surgery and anesthesia are oddly less than
if you go on a run or a hike or
climb up a flight of stairs. So you need to
be healthy enough to live your life in order to
do such cosmetics. The second thing is how do I
approach the people around me? Because the minute I mentioned
to them, most people are going to be negative. Right
(29:20):
I had a heart transplant, They're going to be like,
what are you crazy? Why are you doing this? You're
being crazy? That was addressed. The next is how do
I get my team of doctors around it. And the
last is, how do I find a doctor who's going
to pay attention to this medical problem? And I think
we touched on it, which is if they completely ignore it,
it's a red flag because while you are probably while
(29:42):
you're fine, it's still an issue. And yes, okay, you
had a heart transplant. No you sorry, Yes you can
have it. No, we need to talk to people about it.
We need to make sure that we make sure your
blood pressure is this, that your heart rate is at
such and such like, we need to fall through. And
so I think that that is a very but at
(30:03):
the same time, it's an aesthetic outcome. So here's what
I mean by that. Sometimes the mistake is, Okay, listen,
I had a heart transplant, right, maybe I should just
go do it at A at an academic institution. Why
don't I go have my nose job done at UCLA? Right?
A lot of people will say, well, that makes sense,
(30:23):
because you have a heart condition, and your heart condition
is so important, you should do your rhinoplasty in a
hospital at a facility. But what about the rhinoplasty guy, Well,
he's near the hospital. So the rhinoplasty, the cosmetic gets
outweighed by a heart condition and then you get a
(30:44):
shitty esthetic outcome. And the idea is like, wait, you
did your You did your surgery in an outpatient center
literally down the hall from here. You are asleep in
the middle of Beverly Hills. Yeah, because you were cleared. Now,
mind you, we have the best antissiologist and we top notch.
Everything is across the t's and dot the eyes. But
(31:05):
my point being is really important, and I think you
did it right. First, you got to hammer down the aesthetic, like,
I'm not gonna do this. The whole reason I'm risking
it is I want a better outcome. I want my
belly to look good, my breast to look good, my
face look good. Whatever. Once I've gotten that down, then
I want to make sure the guy or gal gives
a shit about my my renal transplant or my stroke
(31:27):
or my whatever. Excellent, that's very very good, Okay, And
then did we do anything out of the oar? What
precautions did we? So you had your surgery, Oh my god,
it's going to be painful. A lie? Was it painful?
Zero zero zero? So I keep telling that to people
until they have the rhinoplasty. They don't believe it if
you had had a breast dog painful, not unbearable, painful,
(31:50):
life perfection, painful, se section, painful, rhinopla, no pain. So
that's that recovery was what.
Speaker 2 (31:58):
It was great. I mean it was very small.
Speaker 1 (32:00):
Yeah, you're also had a heart transplant nine. But nonetheless
it's not that hard. Literally, I have some of the
most challenging patients, and they do well because it's a
relatively easy it's a cast cast two weeks and it's off.
Speaker 2 (32:13):
The hardest part would be sleeping.
Speaker 1 (32:15):
Sleeping right, because well we kind of ask you not
to smash your face in a pillow, right, So I'm
a side sleeper. Most people are side sleepers. You can't
side sleep when you had your ioplasty done immediately because
you'll you'll move your nose right, So that's that. And
then any special precautions we had to do for your heart,
(32:35):
did we do anything? So what are the things that
we did for your heart?
Speaker 2 (32:38):
So you gave me a list of medications that I
was going to be prescribed for before and after the
nyl plasty and said take this to your team, make
sure these are okay to take. Also, there's some medication
that I was already taken for my medical for my transplant.
That affected the healing process of the vinyl plasty, So
(32:59):
those changes need to be made. So medication there needed
to be changes to medication. I had to make sure
to get labs ultra sounds like an echo EKGs prior
to surgery.
Speaker 1 (33:09):
Make sure your heart's running exactly exactly right. So on
someone who's a heart transplant, what's unique is the medications
you take are immunuse suppressive. Right, that's somebody else's heart.
You can have it for ninety years. You're borrowing it,
but it's somebody else's genetics, and then your body will
say be like, what the hell is this? This is
Bob's heart, and we'll eat it up, destroyed and reject it.
(33:32):
So you take medications that tells your immune system take
it easy, chill axe, it's all good. Bob's our friend.
So those medications, while they're great for your heart, also
often make you a little susceptible to getting infected and
also sometimes wound healing, so we had to modulate that. Again,
(33:52):
kudos to your team because they could be like, oh
now it's more work. We need to navigate this. So
your surge has to be willing to play those games,
and your team has to be willing to play those games.
That's why it's very important that the medical team be
on board. But it's really not that big a deal.
We tweaked a few things and boom bam, you were
done right, and then you go back on all your meds. Yep.
Speaker 2 (34:14):
So my biggest thing was pay listen, don't do anything
without your doctor's consent, and make sure that both the
surgeon and your team are on the same page, and
honestly ask all the questions that you might have.
Speaker 1 (34:28):
Yeah, so that's the advice that you're having, right, So
I guess we're going to kind of bring it into totality,
which is Number one, just because you have a huge
medical condition doesn't mean you're not allowed to dream of
having something aesthetic done. Number two. If your medical condition
is well controlled, in other words, you're able to go
(34:51):
on a jog or a hike or whatever, then you
should be a candidate for considering a cosmetic surgery. Number three,
make sure you surround yourself with positive people because people
are going to kind of shoot it down. Number four.
Find a surgeon who is aware and doesn't ignore this
medical condition and Number five, make sure your team, your
(35:14):
medical team that you're utilizing, is positive and on board
and you know, willing to go along with your your needs.
I think those are all very very key things. And
last one not least was it worth it?
Speaker 2 (35:29):
One hundred right?
Speaker 1 (35:31):
Was it worth the risk? Although I think the risk
is definitely much smaller than that people make it seem.
I'm going to make it like it's like you were
really rolling the dice fifty to fifty you could die.
That's not what this was. You know. They you know
the idea, you say, heart transplant. Oh, I'll forget it. Wait, wait,
let's talk about this for a second. So and I
(35:52):
think that it would be argued you do it over
in a heartbeat.
Speaker 2 (35:56):
Oh, one hundred percent. If I would have known it
would be like this, I would have its owner.
Speaker 1 (36:00):
There you go, there you have it. But then you know,
we wouldn't have met.
Speaker 2 (36:03):
And so yeah, it would have been.
Speaker 1 (36:07):
One of the two other assholes. We're not going to
mention their names because they're gonna get free press here
on our show. All right, good well, we we really
appreciate having you on sharing your story, and I appreciate
you being vulnerable like that. I think it's you will
inspire somebody will be listening and be like, you know what,
I'm gonna go do this. My diabetes is well controlled,
I should do this, and everybody else is a n
(36:27):
a sayer. So you have really your your story, then
shares and help somebody else out. And we're grateful. We're
I'm just really happy that you're happy. That's really the
only thing that matters at the end of the day.
And you look great to me, and so I'm.
Speaker 2 (36:41):
Biased, thank you. I appreciate You're very very welcome.
Speaker 1 (36:45):
All right, guys, So that's that's it. That's a wrap.
So that's our show all in total. As always, you know,
there's two things that I ask everyone to do. I'll
ask again and I'll always ask. Number one, if you
like our show, you find it educational, entertaining, whatever, you two,
go write a review on the podcast. It helps, it
helps our show, it helps the morale. It makes everyone
(37:06):
feel good about coming on a Sunday and recording and
editing and all that. And the second is, if you
know people you love, share the podcast with them because
you think, oh, nobody else is gonna do cosmetic surgery.
Next thing, you know, you're at a holiday party. You're like,
what happened if Susie, Oh, she went to Mexico and
had surgery. You're like, I wish you would have listened
to that episode. Well send the episode. They wouldn't know.
(37:27):
You don't know who's gonna have surgery, so share with
the people you love. Okay, that's a wrap. As always,
we appreciate you and we'll see you guys next week
on Plastic Surgery Uncensored.
Speaker 2 (37:40):
Thank you,
Welcome to another episode of Plastic Surgery and Censored. I'm
your host, Doctor Roddy Rabon, and we have a fantastic
and I know I say that always, but I really
mean it. Episode ahead for you because as always, we're
talking about something that I think is really important. As always,
I think it's stuff that I think is entertaining, but
more importantly, this time it's with one of my favorite patients.
(00:29):
And anytime we have a patient who's willing to come
on the show share their journey, I think we're incredibly
lucky and blessed because it takes a lot of time, energy,
and mostly courage to chat about your own personal insecurity.
So we're lucky to have Felicia. Welcome, I thank you,
thank you on the show today. And what are we
going to be talking about today? I think is really
(00:49):
really important. Felicia, you had to know rhyino PLASTI how
long ago?
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Going on eight months on the eighteenth of okay.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
Eight months ago, which is a pretty decent amount of
time in that you know, the good, the bad, and
the ugly would have already started to show. And while
we are going to talk about rhinoplasty, that's not what
the show is about, is it? The show is about
the process and the selection and why we do plastic surgery,
in whom we do plastic surgery, and sort of the
(01:20):
obstacles that present themselves for patients who want to do
plastic surgery and find themselves unable to overcome them. What
am I talking about in a cryptic manner? Felicia and
Will Delvin greatly has a very complicated medical history and
has undergone heart transplant. Okay, so a heart transplant at
(01:43):
a young age. We're going to elaborate in totality. And
when you immediately think someone went through a heart transplant
and then they get cosmetic surgery, your brain just doesn't
put those two together. And I think it's incredibly important
to talk about because what I think it under scored
is that so long as one is healthy, your medical
(02:05):
past shouldn't prevent you from doing the things that you
love and enjoy. And plastic surgery is considered one of
those things that you don't need and as a result,
you shouldn't do it if you have other medical problems,
And that's just bullshit. As I was telling you earlier,
(02:26):
I had a lovely lady who had a pulmonary embolist,
literally a clod in her lungs which could have killed her,
and she ended up coming in a later years in
her life, in her sixties, and we did a tummy chuck,
which is the highest rusk for prominent embolism. So we're
gonna chat about all that. Of course, there are ways
to do things where you are reckless, and then there
(02:47):
are instances where it's absolutely indicated. So let's dive right in.
Let's get a little bit of background about you for
a minute. How old are you?
Speaker 2 (02:57):
I am now thirty thirty, and tell me.
Speaker 1 (02:59):
A little about when, why, and how this whole heart
condition occurred.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
So it was within the same month that I had
just turned nine nine, Okay, I started experiencing health complications.
I had a lot of doctor visits, hospital visits, until
one of the last hospital visits, I was told that
I had to be airlifted to a children's hospital a
couple of hours away from home. I was admitted there
(03:27):
for about a month. While I was there, I was
seeing a cardiologist and they discharged me, and then I
followed up with my I kept up with my follow
up visits and I remember one of the last visits vividly.
He came into the room, asked my mom to step
out of the room, and when she came back into
(03:50):
the room, I knew something was wrong.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
So it's okay, yeah, I mean, this is a big deal,
right for especially as a nine year old.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
So they referred me out to UCLA. Very I got
an appointment right away, and they scheduled it in December,
so it was in the winter, and that appointment I
believe was before the holidays. Well, the daily appointment comes,
they they had canceled the appointment because or rescheduled the appointment.
(04:24):
Sorry because of the grapevine being closed. I couldn't get
down here because of the snow, So they scheduled it.
They rescheduled it to some time in early January. That
that appointment comes, and I remember they had told me
I needed to get labs echo and then I had
a clinic. It was in that specific order. So by
(04:45):
the time my clinic came, the doctor already had some
of the results back. So then the doctor came in,
the cardiologists came in. He was asking me questions, talking
to my parents, and then he proceeds to tell me
that I needed to be admitted to the hospital. I
was not able to go home because my heart was
only pumping with fifteen percent.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
So your hunt, he told you at nine years old,
that's the first thing you heard that something was wrong,
was that your heart wasn't ejecting or functioning as well
as it ought to be. Right, Okay, I'm sure that
was not an easy thing to understand as a nine
year old.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
No, I was so upset. I was super scared. I
was always afraid of hospitals and hospitals and needles and stuff.
So it was something big for me. And so I
remember I was admitted. The doctor came to talk to
me that that same day, and I remember telling him,
and I was nine. I remember telling him, if you
are as good as I say you are, you are
(05:41):
going to fix my heart.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
Right.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Well, everything went downhill after that. I was on life support.
My parents had to witnessed them doctors, you know, chalking
me back into life. My heart I went flatline like
three times. One of my lungs collapsed, and then I
was offered three hearts in four days.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
Okay, So did they tell you what the reason, what
the issue was. Was it heart failure? You were having
heart failure? Did they know the cause of your heart failure.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
And so I was diagnosed with cardio myopathy.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
Cardio myopathy, okay, and it was a It was a
congenital cardio myopathy, right, because cardiomiopathy cancur from alcoholism. Cardiom
myopathy can come from all kinds of things, but yours
was just a congenital cardio myopathy where your hearts gradually
and slowly started to not function to the point did
it stop functioning? Right? And then you were offered some
(06:36):
life savings heart transplant, which is amazing, so tell me. Okay,
So they offered you several hearts, which one did you pick?
Speaker 2 (06:48):
So the third was a match?
Speaker 1 (06:49):
Okay? Good?
Speaker 2 (06:50):
The third and final heart was a match. February first
comes and they did my heart transplant.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
So February one, nine years old, still right, You get
a heart transplant. MHM is for an adult and overwhelming experience,
let alone a small child. And I'm sure the recovery
was very, very difficult. And how much time did it
take before you got out of the hospital?
Speaker 2 (07:17):
Harsh house plant was February first. I was discharged, I
want to say March, but I wasn't able to go
home because I lived two hours away from the hospital,
so I had to stay nearby, and you know those
like shelters, not shelters the Tiverton.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
Yeah, yeah, of course, Yeah, a temporary housing so that
you can be nearby. God forbid something happens to you.
You can't be stuck behind the grapevine, right, exactly, correct? Okay,
So you did that, and then at what point, So
that's around nine years old, and at what point did
you feel pretty healthy, like I could play, I could run,
I wasn't worried anymore. Was it six months, was it
six years? Was it ten years? When did you start
(07:57):
feeling normal again?
Speaker 2 (07:59):
How honestly, I would I want to say within months.
I've never really stopped myself from doing anything.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
Right and you and so after several months, you kind
of healed. The beauty of children in general is unlike adults.
Not only do they heal faster, they tend to forget right,
They get moving with their lives. They don't have the
burden of adults. Adults tend to get scared and then
they remember. You know, people get a heart attack and
they stop living that. There's so many people get depressed
after a heart attack, and then the psychologic aspect ruins them,
(08:29):
not the physical part. So hear you up, you grow
up your adult from there on. Now you're a heart transplant.
You're taking a bunch of meds, right right. You don't.
You don't just get a heart and see yeah, bye
bye everybody. So tell me what and then since then
have you had any complications with your heart transplant?
Speaker 2 (08:45):
I've been blessed enough to have great life after transplants.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
Okay, great, so no complications. Knock on wood, and this
really is wood. But you are on transplants mets, right,
so tell me what. Not the exact mets, but how
many you.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
Have to take right now? It's seven different medications. Of course,
it's more than one of those medications right day.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
So it's a it's a significant involvement. It isn't one
of those things where you got it. It's done. They
fix your femur, it's healed, you move on. So it's
an ongoing life commitment as a transplant recipient. No, less
your heart, but you did it. You're thirty now, so
you've lived twenty one years past that. You got married, right,
(09:29):
So you got married several years ago. I met your husband.
He's a great guy and what do you do for
a living?
Speaker 2 (09:35):
Now, I'm in the administrative secretary, right.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
So you're working, you're productive, you're married. So it's safe
to say that the heart was well received, right, Okay,
so you should be happier than a clam and should
expect nothing. You should expect nothing else. Let alone decide
that you want to tamper with all of this. You
want to excuse my french I got a bad I
(09:59):
gotta review that. It says that I curse too much,
but I can't not curse. You wanted to fuck with
this and you decided, you know what, I don't like
my nose and I want to go into surgery and
what are you crazy? What is wrong with you? How
dare you? And then blah blah blah blah blah. And
so that is exactly why we're having the show, because
(10:23):
there is this thought process that if you are a
heart transplant, you almost died, blah blah blah blah blah,
how dare you should ever want to do something vain
or it's not needed that you should somehow not you shouldn't,
you shouldn't mess with it, or like you've already been
gifted or something, and it's just not true. So okay,
(10:45):
when did you start disliking your nose?
Speaker 2 (10:48):
I want to say I was about twelve. I think
we all reach a certain age in life where you
start paying attention to your features, and so I developed
that insecurity. I want to say, like around twelve thirteen
years old.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
Twelve thirteen years old. So here you are, twelve thirteen
year old. Everyone's like, oh my god, I can't believe
she's alive. She's at heart trumplant. You forgot about the
heart transplant. You're already going into middle school, then you're
gonna go to high school, and like a normal adolescent,
you looked at yourself and you had a pretty sizable hump.
Yeah right, I know it's hard to imagine, and but
your hump was pretty big. Yeah, did a very distinct nose.
(11:21):
It was beautiful on you, but it was arguably still
a bit prominent. And so like a normal girl, why
you're not allowed to be a normal girl? You said, oh,
I don't really like it. You obviously were secure enough
that you got married, but definitely something that bothered you.
So at some juncture you're like, screw this, I don't
care that I'm married, and I don't care that on
(11:42):
a heart transplant. I want to fix this. What was
the what was the final what pushed you over the
other end to go? Let's start googling this, Let's go
on a consult, Let's what was it? What happened?
Speaker 2 (11:56):
I've always wanted a vinyl plastic again since I started
a listening my nose. I would even bring it up
to my cardiologists and pediatrics and they were telling me,
hold on, let's wait till you're a little older. And honestly,
because I did get my transplant at such an early age,
I've never really let that stop me from living. I've
(12:16):
always remained very optimistic about life. So then twenty twenty
four comes and I decide to that I want to
revisit the situation. I bring it up to my cardiologists
that I have now transitioned into the adult care.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
Got it.
Speaker 2 (12:30):
They gave me the green light to go ahead and
move forward with looking for a surgeon, and as long
as I took off precautionary measures.
Speaker 1 (12:40):
Got it So interesting, when you were a young girl
and you were in the care of pediatric cardiologists, you
mentioned it even to them and they're like, Okay, why
don't we deal with this when you get a little older.
So now you're older, you're thirty, and you go and
have this conversation. Again, good on you because it was
something that was important to you, so you kept championing it.
You spoke to your cart. So this is the first step.
(13:01):
So the reason I'm having this episode is not just
because it's interesting and if you're listening, you're like, oh, wow,
this is interesting. It's because there are millions, millions of
people with major medical problems who have say, an aesthetic
issue that really burdens them, and they're sort of not
allowed to dream and or imagine like a regular person
(13:26):
that that issue is take fixed. And the idea is
that it's not necessary. Well I would argue it is necessary,
because I would argue, and you're going to discuss it,
just like the lady who had the tummy tech, who
who almost died, that that yes, it's not necessary, and
that it's not life saving, but it is life altering.
(13:47):
And you've been with a new note for eight months
and we'll talk about how it's changed your life. And
I'm not even sure that some necessary surgeries are as
powerful as cosmetic surgery. So I think this notion that
is not necessary in there for it shouldn't be done
or whatever. The second issue is the consideration that you
would risk it. We're not risking anything. We wouldn't operate
(14:08):
on you or her, or the one with a liver transplant,
or the guy who had a stroke or the one
with horrible diabetes unless they're medically cleared. So we got
to talk about this. The reason we're having the episode
is to kind of debunk some of that and maybe
encourage the people who are with medical problems out in
the world, who whose medical problems are addressed. I'm not
(14:31):
talking about you're a you're missing leg from diabetes and
you're I'm talking about I am a well controlled person
with medical conditions and that I want to address these
other issues in my life. So I think that's really
really important. And so you decided, Okay, great, I'm gonna
(14:51):
I'm gonna do this. So you go to your cardiologist.
So first obstacle in this process is the person you
have to have the courage to be like, yeah, I
had a heart transplant, but yeah, so what I don't
like my nose. You are the starting of this engine. Okay, great,
So you were that person. The next is you need
the surrounding group to sort of facilitate it. It's very
(15:15):
hard to do an esthetic surgery when no one else
is on board, not your life partner, not your family,
not your friends, not your doctors. You just sure you
can do it, but you're not going to really just
be like, screw everyone and I'm gonna go do it.
So the first person that would have been an obstacle
is when you came to me and you spoke to me.
I said, okay, got it. I said, what are your
(15:36):
medical problems? You're like, well, I had congenital cardio myiopathy
and not a heart transplant. And I said, okay, great,
And who's your cardiologist? Oh it's a team that you
say like, okay, great, are they going to clear you?
I don't even hesitate. If you are healthy. You are healthy.
You're no more likely to die in the operating room
(15:58):
than you are climbing those flight as stairs. If you're
huffing and puffing going up the stairs, well then I'm
not going to operate on you. And I'm not going
to operate on you because I want you. I'm going
to operate on you because your team, who is monitoring you.
Who knows your heart is going to say you are
aren't cleared. So I said, okay, what about your team,
(16:18):
You're like, I've already spoken to them about it, and
they said it should be all right, and I said, okay, great,
they and us have to be on the same page.
So that's the first thing you need to know when
you're out there and you have a medical condition. When
that lady came to me and we did her tummy tuck,
I was in communication with her hematologist because she needed
(16:39):
to be on blood dinners and we did it perfectly.
She's now living her life, living her best life, probably
in the Maldives as we speak. So issue number one
is your team has to be on board. And there
are sometimes patients who go to their doctors and their
doctors are not on board. And it's very very difficult
(17:00):
and unfortunate. Now, if your doctor's not on board because
you're not a good candidate, tough shit, like you're not
a good candidate the end. But sometimes they're not on
board because they get upset that you're pushing your luck
in other words, like ah, what do you need to
do this? And that's not right you are or you
(17:22):
aren't medically cleared. Period. This is not an opinion. I
don't care if you think plastic surgery is a good
idea or a bad idea. You need to tell me
if I am medically safe enough to undergo two hours
or three hours of anesthesia. And so I commend your
team at UCLA for removing themselves from the emotional part
(17:45):
the opinion and being medical about it and saying, you
know what, sure, if you want to do it, go
for it. So that's the first obstacle you are a
team of your medical doctors need to be involved. If
you go to a plastic surgeon and you tell them
you have a major mass medical problem and they don't,
They're like, for example, you and I met and were
I'm like, hey, what medical problems you have?
Speaker 2 (18:05):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (18:05):
I had a heart transplant. I was like, huh go ahead, okay, yeah,
we can do your surgery. It's you know, this is
the and I didn't even mention your heart transplant. What
would you have thought? Were you prepared that? Did you?
Did you did you expect your doctor to question that?
Speaker 2 (18:24):
Oh? Yeah, of course the fact that you you pretty do.
You pretty much said I'm not touching you unless we
get this checklist cleared from your cardiology.
Speaker 1 (18:36):
Correct. But I didn't say I'm not touching it. No, no,
But and I also didn't say I don't give a shit.
You have car transplant. Who cares? Right, So so that's
really important. So if you guys go to a plastic
surgeon and you have a major medical problem and they
don't blink an eyelash, that is a red flag. If
they say I'm not touching you because you have a
medical problem, then they did you a favor because they
(18:56):
don't feel comfortable. It's not that nobody will, but they
are not comfortable because the reality is that, let's be honest,
you're a little bit of a headache, right right. What
if I did your surgery and you had a major
complication exactly, then I'd be an asshole, right because, oh,
you operate on the transplantation, you greedy plastic surgeon. You
just wanted her money. She was insecure, and you didn't
(19:18):
tell her that she wasn't a good candidate, So you
know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (19:21):
It's a little sticky.
Speaker 1 (19:22):
But that being said, that's that's that. So that's the
first obstacle. The second obstacle is friends and family, right,
because they're so happy to have you. You're healthy, you made it.
And then you go to them and you're like, hey, guys,
I want to go get at rhyano plasty. Okay, So
let's talk about family members, because everyone has family members. Everyone,
(19:47):
if you're lucky, have good family members, and good family
members are supposed to interge, intervene, and interject, right. Good
family member is not just gonna be like mm hm okay,
sure whatever. They're gonna give you their opinion, great idea,
bad idea. They're not going to just do nothing. So
you go to your family. Let's start with your husband,
because that's the closest person to you. You're like, he
(20:07):
knew that you didn't like your nose. Yeah, oh yeah, right,
he's been with you, said nine years, have been married
five yep, Hey, I think it's time to do my nose.
First reaction is what.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
He was concerned. He said, first thing is you need
to make sure your cardiologists are okay with that.
Speaker 1 (20:23):
Okay. So you're like, I already check with my cardiologists.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
Yeah, and he was like, well, if that's what makes
you happy, I'm gonna support you.
Speaker 1 (20:30):
Okay, And he was no law. He was not negative
throughout the process. No, No, And he was in a
downer or freaking out or worried. Sometimes I'm not talking
about a traditional negative like oh you don't I'm talking
nervous negative. Oh yeah, some people are so nervous around
you that they're downers. Was he really nervous?
Speaker 2 (20:49):
He was nervous, He was scared, and he would say,
if it were up to me, I wouldn't do it.
I don't want to put you at risk.
Speaker 1 (20:54):
Got it? Okay? So good husband, he's a keeper. I
met him a few times. He's lovely. Okay. So then
you go to family members and what was the response
by family members?
Speaker 2 (21:03):
Don't do it? There's no need for it. You've already
been through so much. I heard it's a really painful surgery.
Speaker 1 (21:10):
You're gonna die.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
Yeah, right, something can happen something, but it can happen, something.
Speaker 1 (21:15):
Terrible can happen to you. Why would you risk it? Right,
that's the question. Why would you risk it for something
so frivolous? Right? So the idea is fixing your nose
is so stupid and inconsequential, Why would you risk it?
But is it that frivolous and consequential?
Speaker 2 (21:35):
Now?
Speaker 1 (21:35):
That you're on the other side. You're physically living the
life of someone within a much more attractive nose. So
you've lived eight months than new you and thirty years
the old you, of which twenty years of it you
were aware that your nose you didn't like, cause the
first ten years don't count because you're a kid. Quality
(21:59):
of life, How I feel every day? Tell me the difference.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
Oh, it was a big difference. It is life changing.
Speaker 1 (22:08):
This But explain me, because I say it's life changing.
I see patients all day long. They tell me, oh
my god, doctor, why this changed my life? And if
you haven't had it, it's kind of like no one
believes you. But what makes it life changing.
Speaker 2 (22:20):
The confidence it gives you. I used to be so
insecure about my side profile, and now I just I
can walk in a room and I feel normal.
Speaker 1 (22:30):
Normal.
Speaker 2 (22:31):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
So it's interesting because it's kind of like, what's the
best Have you ever looked at those paintings that you
look at and you look at and if you look
at it a certain way, you see the image within
the image. Have you ever heard of those? Yet you
stare at it, stare at it and stare at it.
And then if you stare at it long enough, there's
an image in there that you see, and then people
will tell you, don't you see the image and you
(22:53):
stare at it, You're like, I don't know what you're
talking about. That is exactly what this is about, because
everyone who hasn't experienced has no idea what the hell
you're talking about. All they see is this nose turned
into that nose. Okay, yeah, okay, yeah, it's better. But
that's not what this is about. It isn't that this
is a prettier nose. This is about I am now
(23:15):
trouble free. I literally don't think about my nose. You
don't have an idea of how much that occupied my
So let's say you had not had your nose done,
and you walk into a conversation. Let's say with me,
tell me about when you're thinking about your nose. How
does it play. Are you consciously thinking like I'm looking
at you, and like you're physically conscious. If I'm staring
(23:37):
at you and I'm looking at you and you're having
a conversation with me, what's going on in your mind?
Tell me, physically, I.
Speaker 2 (23:42):
Need to move this way because my nose looks a
little funny from that angle or the opposite direction. So
I wouldn't be facing you right now, I'd.
Speaker 1 (23:51):
Be like this, so you would be conscious of it physically, like,
and people don't understand that because that's not an insecurity
of theirs, right, So what do you mean, I just
just talk? You're like, no, But as far as I'm concerned,
I have a three centimeters z on my cheek and
to me that I can't. So when we say that
(24:12):
you're liberated, you're literally your brain doesn't have to carry
that burden anymore. So you're here, and you're fully here.
So I think that that's interesting. So all your family members.
Speaker 3 (24:23):
Pretty much your dad, you're abuela, You're abuelo, everyone but
your mom, right, they are a little Debbie downers, right, like,
and it's very hard to be like, oh it doesn't matter,
Like if everyone you love is like, you're gonna something
terrible is going.
Speaker 1 (24:40):
To happen to you, it's kind of blows. But you
said your mom.
Speaker 2 (24:44):
Was positive, Yeah, very supportive.
Speaker 1 (24:46):
Right. So you had your mom and your husband and
my brother and your brother and then you had the
team team negative on the other side, right, So okay,
so that's really really important to understand that that's that's
the process. So how did you Okay, so your stakes
are higher, right because at the end of the day,
you had this heart transplant. So what was your journey
(25:08):
in terms of finding a surgeon? Was it the same
as everybody else? You just care about whose work is good,
and therefore you just ignore your heart condition and you
just go look for the best surgical outcome. What did
you use in your research process to say I found
this doctor?
Speaker 2 (25:26):
So yes and no to your what you just said.
So I went on, well, I you know, after I
got my Clarence, I made a list with my top
three doctors, okay, and the consultation was going to determine
how I felt about my how I explain it, like,
the way you showed you cared is what helped me decide.
Speaker 1 (25:49):
So you first, so the first three that you selected
was purely on just their aesthetic too. Okay. So the total,
the three of the three surgeons that you narrated it
down to, you ignored your heart part and you just
said these three guys or guys and gals, I like
their work. And then you said, as far as my
(26:12):
medical conditions concerned, I'll figure that out when I meet them, right,
that makes sense. So why I'm saying it is I
want the people who have major medical problems to figure
out how do I You know, my sister got a
tummy tech, but she didn't have a kidney transplant. So
do I use the same thought process that she did
(26:32):
or do do something different? And I think, I like
what you said, which is it's an aesthetic surgery, so
I want the aesthetics to be good, and then I
need it's an emotional surgery because I need someone to
what was your thought? What was the part about your
heart that you were looking for? The person was academic?
What how did you want the doctor? What did you
want the doctor to know or do that would make
(26:53):
you feel like your heart was your heart issue was
being addressed.
Speaker 2 (26:56):
So the fact that you that I that you pretty much,
which gave that I'm not touching you until this, you know,
this gets cleared by your cardiac team was very reassuring
for me because it's like, hohle shit, Like it's not
just about the money.
Speaker 1 (27:09):
What did the other two guys say when it came
to that part, it.
Speaker 2 (27:12):
Didn't even get a chance. I focused on after my list,
my three top three doctors. I looked at their work
and the galleries, and right then I found one that
his work aligned more with what I liked because I
did way out the pros and cons based off of
my personal preference reference right syesthetic at the end exactly.
(27:32):
So then you were the only one that I said,
you know what, I'm going to focus directly on, doctor Rabon.
So I looked through your gallery. I would I want
to say it was like three times a week every week.
Speaker 1 (27:45):
Yeah, you want to make sure, like maybe it's because
it's Tuesday, I have a little bit of indigestion. Maybe
maybe it'll look different this week.
Speaker 2 (27:54):
Maybe he'll add a new patience.
Speaker 1 (27:55):
That's actually very good if you were looking for.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
Updates, and so I was also listening to your podcast.
The way you explain things thoroughly helped me. And then
also hearing how passionate you are about your work. It
all gave me the confidence to move forward with scheduling
a consultations.
Speaker 1 (28:13):
Got it. So did you see the other two? Great?
Thank god we beat them to the punch. I like that.
I'm even offended there was other two guys. Now that's great, Okay,
So I think that process is actually a good one.
So what we're trying to figure out is, Okay, first
of all, if I'm out there and I have a
medical problem, and it's a pretty big medical problem, and
in a weird way it kind of discourages me or
(28:35):
prevents me from wanting to do the esthetic things, what
do I do about it? First of all, my opinion
if your medical problem is controlled, and my opinion, you
absolutely are candidate for pastic surgery, because the reality is
that your health. If you're well controlled, you're able to
go on a hike, if you're well controlled, you're able
(28:58):
to go swimming. And really the truth is if the
risk factors with surgery and anesthesia are oddly less than
if you go on a run or a hike or
climb up a flight of stairs. So you need to
be healthy enough to live your life in order to
do such cosmetics. The second thing is how do I
approach the people around me? Because the minute I mentioned
to them, most people are going to be negative. Right
(29:20):
I had a heart transplant, They're going to be like,
what are you crazy? Why are you doing this? You're
being crazy? That was addressed. The next is how do
I get my team of doctors around it. And the
last is, how do I find a doctor who's going
to pay attention to this medical problem? And I think
we touched on it, which is if they completely ignore it,
it's a red flag because while you are probably while
(29:42):
you're fine, it's still an issue. And yes, okay, you
had a heart transplant. No you sorry, Yes you can
have it. No, we need to talk to people about it.
We need to make sure that we make sure your
blood pressure is this, that your heart rate is at
such and such like, we need to fall through. And
so I think that that is a very but at
(30:03):
the same time, it's an aesthetic outcome. So here's what
I mean by that. Sometimes the mistake is, Okay, listen,
I had a heart transplant, right, maybe I should just
go do it at A at an academic institution. Why
don't I go have my nose job done at UCLA? Right?
A lot of people will say, well, that makes sense,
(30:23):
because you have a heart condition, and your heart condition
is so important, you should do your rhinoplasty in a
hospital at a facility. But what about the rhinoplasty guy, Well,
he's near the hospital. So the rhinoplasty, the cosmetic gets
outweighed by a heart condition and then you get a
(30:44):
shitty esthetic outcome. And the idea is like, wait, you
did your You did your surgery in an outpatient center
literally down the hall from here. You are asleep in
the middle of Beverly Hills. Yeah, because you were cleared. Now,
mind you, we have the best antissiologist and we top notch.
Everything is across the t's and dot the eyes. But
(31:05):
my point being is really important, and I think you
did it right. First, you got to hammer down the aesthetic, like,
I'm not gonna do this. The whole reason I'm risking
it is I want a better outcome. I want my
belly to look good, my breast to look good, my
face look good. Whatever. Once I've gotten that down, then
I want to make sure the guy or gal gives
a shit about my my renal transplant or my stroke
(31:27):
or my whatever. Excellent, that's very very good, Okay, And
then did we do anything out of the oar? What
precautions did we? So you had your surgery, Oh my god,
it's going to be painful. A lie? Was it painful?
Zero zero zero? So I keep telling that to people
until they have the rhinoplasty. They don't believe it if
you had had a breast dog painful, not unbearable, painful,
(31:50):
life perfection, painful, se section, painful, rhinopla, no pain. So
that's that recovery was what.
Speaker 2 (31:58):
It was great. I mean it was very small.
Speaker 1 (32:00):
Yeah, you're also had a heart transplant nine. But nonetheless
it's not that hard. Literally, I have some of the
most challenging patients, and they do well because it's a
relatively easy it's a cast cast two weeks and it's off.
Speaker 2 (32:13):
The hardest part would be sleeping.
Speaker 1 (32:15):
Sleeping right, because well we kind of ask you not
to smash your face in a pillow, right, So I'm
a side sleeper. Most people are side sleepers. You can't
side sleep when you had your ioplasty done immediately because
you'll you'll move your nose right, So that's that. And
then any special precautions we had to do for your heart,
(32:35):
did we do anything? So what are the things that
we did for your heart?
Speaker 2 (32:38):
So you gave me a list of medications that I
was going to be prescribed for before and after the
nyl plasty and said take this to your team, make
sure these are okay to take. Also, there's some medication
that I was already taken for my medical for my transplant.
That affected the healing process of the vinyl plasty, So
(32:59):
those changes need to be made. So medication there needed
to be changes to medication. I had to make sure
to get labs ultra sounds like an echo EKGs prior
to surgery.
Speaker 1 (33:09):
Make sure your heart's running exactly exactly right. So on
someone who's a heart transplant, what's unique is the medications
you take are immunuse suppressive. Right, that's somebody else's heart.
You can have it for ninety years. You're borrowing it,
but it's somebody else's genetics, and then your body will
say be like, what the hell is this? This is
Bob's heart, and we'll eat it up, destroyed and reject it.
(33:32):
So you take medications that tells your immune system take
it easy, chill axe, it's all good. Bob's our friend.
So those medications, while they're great for your heart, also
often make you a little susceptible to getting infected and
also sometimes wound healing, so we had to modulate that. Again,
(33:52):
kudos to your team because they could be like, oh
now it's more work. We need to navigate this. So
your surge has to be willing to play those games,
and your team has to be willing to play those games.
That's why it's very important that the medical team be
on board. But it's really not that big a deal.
We tweaked a few things and boom bam, you were
done right, and then you go back on all your meds. Yep.
Speaker 2 (34:14):
So my biggest thing was pay listen, don't do anything
without your doctor's consent, and make sure that both the
surgeon and your team are on the same page, and
honestly ask all the questions that you might have.
Speaker 1 (34:28):
Yeah, so that's the advice that you're having, right, So
I guess we're going to kind of bring it into totality,
which is Number one, just because you have a huge
medical condition doesn't mean you're not allowed to dream of
having something aesthetic done. Number two. If your medical condition
is well controlled, in other words, you're able to go
(34:51):
on a jog or a hike or whatever, then you
should be a candidate for considering a cosmetic surgery. Number three,
make sure you surround yourself with positive people because people
are going to kind of shoot it down. Number four.
Find a surgeon who is aware and doesn't ignore this
medical condition and Number five, make sure your team, your
(35:14):
medical team that you're utilizing, is positive and on board
and you know, willing to go along with your your needs.
I think those are all very very key things. And
last one not least was it worth it?
Speaker 2 (35:29):
One hundred right?
Speaker 1 (35:31):
Was it worth the risk? Although I think the risk
is definitely much smaller than that people make it seem.
I'm going to make it like it's like you were
really rolling the dice fifty to fifty you could die.
That's not what this was. You know. They you know
the idea, you say, heart transplant. Oh, I'll forget it. Wait, wait,
let's talk about this for a second. So and I
(35:52):
think that it would be argued you do it over
in a heartbeat.
Speaker 2 (35:56):
Oh, one hundred percent. If I would have known it
would be like this, I would have its owner.
Speaker 1 (36:00):
There you go, there you have it. But then you know,
we wouldn't have met.
Speaker 2 (36:03):
And so yeah, it would have been.
Speaker 1 (36:07):
One of the two other assholes. We're not going to
mention their names because they're gonna get free press here
on our show. All right, good well, we we really
appreciate having you on sharing your story, and I appreciate
you being vulnerable like that. I think it's you will
inspire somebody will be listening and be like, you know what,
I'm gonna go do this. My diabetes is well controlled,
I should do this, and everybody else is a n
(36:27):
a sayer. So you have really your your story, then
shares and help somebody else out. And we're grateful. We're
I'm just really happy that you're happy. That's really the
only thing that matters at the end of the day.
And you look great to me, and so I'm.
Speaker 2 (36:41):
Biased, thank you. I appreciate You're very very welcome.
Speaker 1 (36:45):
All right, guys, So that's that's it. That's a wrap.
So that's our show all in total. As always, you know,
there's two things that I ask everyone to do. I'll
ask again and I'll always ask. Number one, if you
like our show, you find it educational, entertaining, whatever, you two,
go write a review on the podcast. It helps, it
helps our show, it helps the morale. It makes everyone
(37:06):
feel good about coming on a Sunday and recording and
editing and all that. And the second is, if you
know people you love, share the podcast with them because
you think, oh, nobody else is gonna do cosmetic surgery.
Next thing, you know, you're at a holiday party. You're like,
what happened if Susie, Oh, she went to Mexico and
had surgery. You're like, I wish you would have listened
to that episode. Well send the episode. They wouldn't know.
(37:27):
You don't know who's gonna have surgery, so share with
the people you love. Okay, that's a wrap. As always,
we appreciate you and we'll see you guys next week
on Plastic Surgery Uncensored.
Speaker 2 (37:40):
Thank you,
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Betrayal Weekly
Betrayal Weekly is back for a new season. Every Thursday, Betrayal Weekly shares first-hand accounts of broken trust, shocking deceptions, and the trail of destruction they leave behind. Hosted by Andrea Gunning, this weekly ongoing series digs into real-life stories of betrayal and the aftermath. From stories of double lives to dark discoveries, these are cautionary tales and accounts of resilience against all odds. From the producers of the critically acclaimed Betrayal series, Betrayal Weekly drops new episodes every Thursday. If you would like to share your story, you can reach out to the Betrayal Team by emailing them at betrayalpod@gmail.com and follow us on Instagram at @betrayalpod and @glasspodcasts. Please join our Substack for additional exclusive content, curated book recommendations, and community discussions. Sign up FREE by clicking this link Beyond Betrayal Substack. Join our community dedicated to truth, resilience, and healing. Your voice matters! Be a part of our Betrayal journey on Substack.