Patient Tammy: I Don’t Look Mad Or Sad Anymore (Unless I Really Am)

Monique Ramsey (00:02):
Welcome everyone to The La Jolla Cosmetic Podcast. I'm your hostess Monique Ramsey, and today I have a local radio talent. She's been on the radio here in San Diego where everybody who's a country fan. If you start your morning in San Diego, you probably hear her and the show's John and Tammy San Diego Morning Show on KSON 1 0 3 .7. And so she and John, actually her radio partner have been a radio team for 20 years or more than 20 years. So welcome Tammy.

Tammy (00:34):
Thank you. Yes. That's 24 years this July.

Monique Ramsey (00:37):
Oh my gosh.

Tammy (00:38):
I know. It's insane.

Monique Ramsey (00:40):
That's easy when it started in 2000 then it's easy to remember how long it's been. So today you're here to share your story about your surgery with our audience, and we really thank you for being open and just telling everybody what it's like because I think if you've never had a surgery before or a cosmetic surgery before, people don't really know what to expect. And so it's nice to have kind of a friend along the way who can kind of walk you through. So tell us a little bit about yourself first and why you were thinking about doing the procedures and let's talk about that.

Tammy (01:18):
You bet. So cosmetic surgery is something that I've never been opposed to either talking about or promoting for the right reasons. We certainly don't want to promote people who are like, I hate me and I need to change everything. Cuz, we're looking in the wrong place if that's how you feel. But there's nothing wrong with changing things that have bothered you or things that will make things better for you. I'm a big believer in that. In this business, it never used to be this way, in radio, it used to be who cared what you looked like, because no one ever saw you. And that's certainly not the case anymore. And not that I was embarrassed or ashamed or anything about what I looked like, but I just wanted to feel on the outside how I feel on the inside. And there were a couple of things that I knew as I got older were going to be a problem, and that's one of the reasons why I got my eyes done.

(02:09):
My grandmother had the same problem where there's just too much skin above your eye and it starts drooping and sagging and it makes you look tired or what was the thing that people were saying to me last year, I'd come to the gym and they're like, are you mad? And I'm like, no, I'm not mad. What's going on? Well, your eyes, you look like you're mad. And it's just because as I would get tired, they would start sagging. And so it was something that I wanted to change. And the other thing I wanted to change is sometimes things make you look older than what you really are. And one of those things for me was my neck. And I had heard about neck lifts. I didn't know a lot about it. I knew I didn't want to a facelift and I certainly still want to look like me, just that maybe I had a really good night's sleep and was on a good vacation, you know?

(02:57):
And so when I sat down with Breister and brought up the things that I was considering and doing, she answered all the questions I had about that because one of the things I was thinking, well, if I get a neck lift, will the rest of my face look out of place? Will, it look like I was photoshopped or something weird. You just don't know if you've never experienced it or been around anyone who's had it done. And she alleviated the fact that I wouldn't look like I was two different people, and it would all blend naturally and it would be good. And that's one of the things I really want to encourage people to do is to sit down with that consultation because you should be able to feel comfortable enough to ask any question that you have and have it answered well enough that you feel comfortable.

Monique Ramsey (03:43):
And when you had that first consultation, were you kind of going into it nervous at all or?

Tammy (03:49):
Oh, sure. Yeah, sure. I mean, people think you just don't know what it's going to be like. I mean, I've had a few surgeries in my life. I had a cesarean, I had my tonsils out, my wisdom teeth removed. And so you don't know, is it relatable to that? Is it something completely different? So yeah, I was nervous, but it didn't take long for that to go away. And it wasn't just Dr. Breister, it was her nurses, especially one of my nurses. She sat down and she had the exact same surgeries that I was looking at and that was awesome. So she's like, here, let's look where my scars would be and I'm going to tell you about what this felt like and how long it took. And I was shocked when she told me her age. I couldn't believe it. And the best part about it's when I looked at her, you look at people sometimes, and especially in this day with Hollywood, you know right away people had a lot of work done. I had no idea, but yet I was still shocked by her age and that really made me feel good. Then another one of her nurses, I just thought this was so sweet and really made me feel good. She said, I love Dr. Breister. Her stitches are so delicate.

Monique Ramsey (05:02):
That's what we want. Right?

Tammy (05:03):
Right? Yeah, that's a good word for when you're talking about having surgery on your face.

Monique Ramsey (05:08):
Right, right. And they know because they see 'em all the time. So in that appointment, did she do any showing of what you might look like after surgery or was there any imaging or was it more about before and after pictures or what was kind of the thing to help you visualize what would happen?

Tammy (05:26):
Sure, because if there would've been an implant involved, we had talked about a chin implant, but it was something that I didn't want to do. I think we would've done that, but we didn't need to. She just showed me and just when you pull up the neck a little bit, what it was going to look like. So it's still me. When I first moved to San Diego almost 12 years ago, that's what I felt like, and I'm like, that's exactly what I wanted. So we didn't really need that perspective in my opinion. And also one of my coworkers had that same eye surgery that I was going to have, and so I got to see firsthand how that was.

Monique Ramsey (06:04):
Yeah, and I feel like having an eyelid lift is probably the most bang for your buck kind of procedure because it tends to be that area that you look the most tired, that you kind of age the quickest maybe, or that that's the first signs of aging are around the eyes. I think with eyelid surgery, it's one of those procedures where it's a serious procedure, but in terms of against a mommy makeover or some other larger procedure, a body lift, it's one of those things where it's kind of the baby step and it's not a hard procedure, so to speak. It doesn't take very much time in the OR recovery.

Tammy (06:51):
And it didn't hurt.

Monique Ramsey (06:51):
Oh, that's so good to know. I was going to ask you that next. So it doesn't

Tammy (06:54):
I had no pain. I had no pain.

Monique Ramsey (06:56):
Yeah. And a lot of people who have facial surgery, the face or neck, eyelid lifts, a lot of times there isn't, there might be tightness or there might be some swelling or some numbness at first. But yeah, pain isn't typically something. So it's kind of an easy, I don't want to say easy procedure, but

Tammy (07:13):
I know what you mean though.

Monique Ramsey (07:14):
It's easier though in terms of what can make a big difference and not be a huge thing where I'm going to be down for two weeks.

Tammy (07:23):
Exactly.

Monique Ramsey (07:24):
And so kind going into that, let's talk a little bit about the pre-op visit and what that was like and what kinds of things you guys talked about.

Tammy (07:34):
Sure. And I do want to say you're exactly right, because out of everything I had done and when I was showing people what I looked like when I first got home and they're like, oh, your eyes, I'm like, that didn't bother me at all. It looked like it might have, but it certainly didn't. And if that's something you're worried about, that was the easy part. It really was. So when we sat down for pre-op, when I made the decision on what I was going to do, I'm going to do the neck lift, I'm going to do the eye surgery, and I did have a little bit of lipo underneath my bra line. I called them my second pair of boobs because I go to the gym and I do all this stuff and that just sits there. It's not ever going to go away, and I'm certainly not going to do some kind of starvation diet to make that go away.

(08:15):
That's not my lifestyle. And so we talked about doing that and I felt really good. And again, even more than Dr. Breister who is wonderful, I found her engaging and not afraid for me to ask a hard question. The people surrounding her really were such a big factor in me saying yes, because like you said, they see her work every day. I felt very calmed by them and how much I was going to love things, and I never felt like anybody was trying to talk me into something, which is important too. You don't want to feel like someone's going, well, you know what? Let's just do this and you're not sure. I didn't feel that at all. I really felt comfortable in how confident they were, which in turn made me feel confident because I knew these were some things that I wanted to do. So any question I had, anything, everyone gave me their phone numbers and I don't know, I was just really not surprised because I know of the reputation, but when you go through it yourself and you feel so good when you walk out, I had zero doubt when I left, zero doubt.

Monique Ramsey (09:22):
I think that is huge.

Tammy (09:25):
I didn't even get nervous at all, not even a little bit until the day I came for surgery. Then all of a sudden you're like, oh, holy cow, it's here. And then you go through a little bit of butterflies, which is normal, but otherwise it wasn't there.

Monique Ramsey (09:37):
And how long ago was your surgery?

Tammy (09:39):
January 18th.

Monique Ramsey (09:41):
Okay, so it's been

Tammy (09:41):
Two months ago.

Monique Ramsey (09:42):
It's been two months. Okay. And that day in terms of you go in, they do, she'll do markings, and then you meet with the anesthesiologist. How was that meeting and did you have specific questions for him?

Tammy (09:56):
Oh yes. And it was really funny because it turns out he grew up where I lived for a while in San Diego in Lakeside. So it was just again, so comforting and the OR nurse, she was a hoot. And I'm sorry that I,

Monique Ramsey (10:09):
It's going to be Ruth. I bet you, it's Ruth.

Tammy (10:11):
Oh yes, Ruth, she was great.

Monique Ramsey (10:13):
She's really funny.

Tammy (10:14):
She was great, she was great. And my husband was with me, and those two were just having a field day and that laughter and that comfortableness was so good, and the anesthesiologist was so sweet. And when I finally got into the OR and we're talking a little bit, and he said, well, you should start feeling a little bit of the stuff now. And he's like, are? And I said, I don't think, out. And that's the last thing I remember until I woke up.

Monique Ramsey (10:40):
Isn't that funny?

Tammy (10:40):
But he was really good. Very calming, very sweet.

Monique Ramsey (10:43):
Yeah, I bet you had Dr. Haass. I know he grew up here in San Diego and he is just the best, and he's been with us 25 years. I'm like, how is that possible?

Tammy (10:52):
He feels almost like it was, this is going to sound weird, but I mean in the sweetest way, he's like a hug from a teddy bear. You know what I mean? He was so comforting.

Monique Ramsey (11:01):
Love to hear that. And I think that is something because it's another level of you're concerned about, okay, what's the surgery going to be and what am I going to look like and how am I going to feel and is there going to be pain? And when can I go on a walk and all those things that are in your head, or do I have the right food at home? And then you've got a different level of concern that it is. Well, especially for people who maybe have never had anesthesia before, what's that going to feel like? Because even with the C-section, I had two of them, you're awake, right? It's not like you're going to sleep and waking up and Oh, no time has passed. How did that happen? So I think having that, knowing that you're having that meeting that morning with the anesthesiologist, it makes you feel good to know you're going to have questions that are specific to that one topic with the doctor that morning.

Tammy (11:57):
Yeah, nothing was cold and clinical. Everything was honestly, you were a family member, you really felt invited and you should be here, and of course I'm going to take care of you and you have nothing to worry about. And that's what it felt like.

Monique Ramsey (12:12):
And did you have any worries before surgery?

Tammy (12:14):
No. I mean, for the most part, I try not to go down that route ever anyway because I'm making the decision. I'm doing it anyway. So if I had questions, I could call and ask or get those questions answered, but I try not to let fear or worry even enter my mind because I can't change it by worrying about it.

Monique Ramsey (12:36):
That's true.

Tammy (12:36):
So what am I really worried about? Is it something that can be answered with a question? Then I can ask a question. If it's just worry to worry, that's just a waste of my energy and time and you can't do that.

Monique Ramsey (12:47):
That's so true. And I think that's true ahead of time. It doesn't get you and your body and your mind mentally and physically prepped and it doesn't help afterwards either. Your body needs all its energy devoted to healing, not to worrying. So when you were in recovery, did you feel okay there and then they had your husband take you home? How was the ride home?

Tammy (13:13):
First of all, I don't remember recovery. I remember getting in the car when I was done. I think I have a memory of Ruth talking to me, but I'm not sure. And then there was another girl with dark hair, but that's all I remember. And I got in the car, car ride home, I was like, I don't know. I was good to go. And that first night I felt zero pain. It was great. They did a great job of making me feel really good in keeping that feeling until I got home and in my bed. So that was great. And I was kind of dumb because the next day you have to come in and get your bandages off my head and changed. And I was like, oh, I feel so good. I don't even think I need the pain pills. And they're like, oh, I don't think that's smart. Because I had felt so good with everything else. And I'm going to tell everybody right now, if you have the surgery and even the next day, if you're like, oh, I feel good, I don't need the pain pills, take them. Because eventually I'm sure it's from the anesthesia and all that was still kind of there. So that was keeping me feeling pretty mellow. But do take them and do it just like you're supposed to. You can eventually wean off of them. So don't let that panic you.

Monique Ramsey (14:25):
Yeah, and I think that's, we've talked about that topic on this podcast before is staying ahead of the pain and three days of pain pills or whatever it's going to be, isn't going to be enough to make you be addicted. It's really about your comfort so you can rest. Because if you don't take them every six hours or whatever they recommend, then when it starts to hurt, it's really hard to catch up. It's hard to even get back to a baseline. And that's where you can really, then you start to feel bad. And we don't want you to do that.

Tammy (15:02):
You don't want to do that. You just want to be able to be comfortable, important. It's okay, and it's okay. Let somebody else take care of you for a little while.

Monique Ramsey (15:11):
Well, and that's another thing. I think as women, we tend to, we're going to do it all the time. And even if you feel good, don't. Just let yourself, let them go get it for you. You don't have to be up and around because you really do need to let your body heal and rest. So you said the next day you went in for your bandages. So what kind of bandages for people to be able to sort of imagine.

Tammy (15:38):
Here's what you can see, this part of my face in the middle was the whole thing was bandaged up because we had all the surgery here, and then I had the tape with my eyes. Again, they looked like they would hurt, but they didn't. Not at all. They had to take it off. This is kind of funny too. My middle daughter, she's like, tell dad to take a picture. I want to see what it looks like. We didn't. It's like, ah, it looks scarier than it really does. It really does. But then that goes down so fast and you would never know it now when you look at me. But it was really interesting to see those.

Monique Ramsey (16:13):
You look like you're 35.

Tammy (16:15):
Oh, well, thank you.

Monique Ramsey (16:16):
The miracle that Dr. Breister did and just making it very natural. I think that's the key. It's like, yes, you want to look and feel your best, but you want it to be natural.

Tammy (16:28):
Yeah, I wanted it to look like me. I didn't want to change me. I just wanted to change the things that I thought were kind of detrimental in making people think things. Like I said, are you mad? Are you not feeling well? And it's like, no, I'm fine.

Monique Ramsey (16:42):
Yeah, yeah. Trust me. Well, and I think that's the thing, especially with, you mentioned Hollywood, I think with Hollywood or the Housewives or all these different TV shows, and you see kind of the extreme.

Tammy (16:54):
The bad side? Yeah.

Monique Ramsey (16:55):
Yeah. That 2% of plastic surgery where you're like, what the heck were they thinking? Or why did they keep doing more? And that's such an unusual, even though we see it all the time on TV or in social media, it's really the exception, not the rule. And it is nice to know where, okay, yeah, I want to look like me, but 20 years ago or 15 years ago or whatever, and that it will be natural. I think that's a really important thing. I don't know if you happen to take a look at her before and after pictures, because I think that is one of the keys to knowing if you want to trust a doctor, how well do we get along? What are the things that she's recommending? But also let's look at other patients and see. And did you look at any of those and did that help?

Tammy (17:42):
I did. I did. And who else did was my husband and he wants to support me because it used to be, why do you want to change yourself? I love you just the way you are. And I'm like, I know you do, but here's what bothers me. And he realized I wasn't trying to change myself. I was just trying to help myself feel where I was inside and in my spirit and what I do. And he said, I just don't want you looking like somebody else. And I said, I don't either. And so then when we looked at the pictures, that was a big help for him too, because that's a fear. He doesn't want to have somebody. It's like, who are you now? That doesn't look right.

Monique Ramsey (18:25):
Yeah, I think that's a good point. We talk about that with facelifts, but also breast pictures. Sometimes people are like, I want to look like this lady. It's like, no, that isn't how she started out, and you're going to look like you, but better. And in that the goal that you're looking for facelift or eyelid lift, necks. I mean, neck I think is such a, it's a wonderful thing to be able to kind. Again, that's probably eyes and then neck is that second place. You get that extra, the jowls and you're like, wait, what happened?

Tammy (18:58):
Well, I was joking that I was starting to look like a thumb. That was my joke. Like, oh no, I look like a thumb because there was no definition here at all. And listen, I have a weaker chin. That's fine. That's my face. That's what I look like. But I didn't need to have it all go from here to here. You know what I mean?

Monique Ramsey (19:18):
One continuous plane. So getting back into work, now you're on the radio, but you guys are doing social media and you guys are, I mean, there's filming of you basically every day. How much time did you take off work? How long did you feel like you were back to normal?

Tammy (19:35):
Okay, first of all, I was fortunate that in January's a very slow time promotionally for us. There was one concert I didn't go to because I was recuperating, but John just took care of that, my morning show partner. And I was able to work from home. And I have a wonderful boss who really encouraged me. He said, if you have this opportunity, take it. I want you to be happy. And so I originally was just going to take one week off to work from home, and I was going to come back the second week, but I still wasn't sure. And he said, just stop. Just work from home. You're fine. And so that's what I did. I worked from home for two weeks, so I didn't miss any work, which was

Monique Ramsey (20:15):
Oh, that's wonderful.

Tammy (20:16):
Really quite crazy. I was fortunate enough to be able to do that work from home.

Monique Ramsey (20:20):
Well that's really nice that you were able to not feel the stress of having to return back. And I saw a video and I was wondering where this video was in your recovery process, if it was, and you guys were doing something with nascar changing tires or how fast could

Tammy (20:34):
Yes, that was after. That was afterwards.

Monique Ramsey (20:36):
And so they didn't make you take rivets off the tire, but I was like, oh my gosh. I started to think, wait, I think this is after her surgery, but she looks so good. Maybe it isn't. Maybe it was filmed before. So how many days after surgery was that?

Tammy (20:53):
So that would've been probably a month, right? I'm trying to think of the day that we did that. And the whole thing was who could get the tire changed faster, John or I. And so I just worked smarter and had the guys do it for me, I went and took one off, and then I'm like, you guys do it.

Monique Ramsey (21:10):
Yeah. I have a pit crew.

Tammy (21:11):
And they weren't going to let us lift the tires anyway, and John either just because they didn't want us to get hurt, but you have your shaper on because I had that little bit of lipo. But otherwise, I mean, when I wear the tape, I don't have anything on today because I have an appointment right after this for my follow-up. So I want her to be able to see everything naturally. So no makeup, nothing. But the tape, you can't even see it. Plus with the neck lift, your scars were in here.

Monique Ramsey (21:41):
Yeah. And did you find that you were able to, between your eyes and your neck, were you able to cover up your scars pretty or disguise them or hide them pretty well?

Tammy (21:49):
I never really had to because my hair covered here.

Monique Ramsey (21:54):
In front of your ears.

Tammy (21:55):
I put the real thin, if I took the tape that you use to put on the scars to help them, and you make it real thin, if you're not wearing makeup, you can't even tell it's there. And that's how thin those little scars are. And they're right in your smile lines so you don't see 'em.

Monique Ramsey (22:11):
Yeah. And it's interesting with the blepharoplasty, which is the eyelid lift that they do, they put the scars where you would naturally have a little crease. And so it's like they're sort of disguised. And I think that's the funny thing about patients who want surgery and then they're go, but are there scars? Well, yeah, you can't have it, you can't have it both ways. There is a scar, there's a trade off, but they're trained to do things in a way that's going to be super natural and not it's going to be red for a little while. Or you might have to do some special coverup maybe. But it tends to be something that is pretty easy or easy than you might think to disguise. I think in that first few days, you're like, how is it you're antsy for things to make.

Tammy (23:01):
One of my eyes, the eyelid got real black and blue looking, and it looked like I went a few rounds with Mike Tyson, and here it bruised up and you could see it, but the sunscreen, sunscreen that they have with the med spa, that was enough to cover everything. You didn't have to wear anything heavy at all. If I had to cover up a bruise, I would just use that and it was perfectly blended.

Monique Ramsey (23:26):
And they can give you Arnica. I think they give you Arnica gel or roll on or something. And that helps with the bruising and because it can happen. And it's funny how your body, you might have one side of your body have more swelling than the other or take longer to heal. And it's all about patience. It's the long game. You play the long game in this. But was there anything along the way, either before surgery or after that surprised you or that you weren't expecting?

Tammy (23:52):
I guess I was not expecting, why don't my eyes hurt? Did they do it right? I mean, I expected some kind of pain there. Yeah. I mean, it felt a little, that was surprisingly wonderful. And I guess I wasn't expecting, and it makes sense. I wasn't expecting at first. You're like when you go to turn and you have that internal fear, if I turn, is my face going to fall off? Which is really silly, but that's a protective thing. You get this protective, protective feeling around you.

Monique Ramsey (24:27):
Yeah, you have to hold everything together, twisting your neck. Did it feel tight in that area?

Tammy (24:33):
yeah, it was. And especially here, it was tight.

Monique Ramsey (24:37):
In the lower jowl for the people who were only listening.

Tammy (24:40):
And I was a little afraid when they're like, okay, massage. And I am probably not doing as hard as I was. And then when Dr. Breister came in and I'm like, like she knows what she's doing, Tammy. She's not going to suddenly wreck everything.

Monique Ramsey (24:55):
Well yeah, and that is funny. It's like, we don't know what does massage mean?

Tammy (25:00):
So when she showed me that, then it was like, oh, I just went to town on things and it feels good now. And I catch myself sometimes still doing it.

Monique Ramsey (25:07):
Yeah. No, that's good. And I remember, so my uncle was a plastic surgeon, and when somebody was, maybe it was me complaining about a scar, he goes, just rub it. I go rub it? He goes, yeah, rub it. And I thought he was kind of joking, but then he wasn't, because you're bringing some circulation to the area, you can help flatten out a scar. I'm like, rub it, what he, but he meant it. And I've heard it since then. And it's funny because we as lay people, why would they tell us to rub it? I'm really asking you a serious question. And he goes, no, it's going to help. I promise. So those are the little things. Was there any part in recovery, let's say the first three days or the first five days, was there anything that you would say to somebody, make sure you have this at home.

Tammy (25:57):
I would make sure to go through everything you're given, to make sure that you read through everything, even if you think, oh, I know it. Read through everything so that you feel like you're not missing something. I know a couple of times I'm like, did I do that right? Did I? And I kind of panicked and it was all in the information that was given to me. So that's what I would say. Read everything you're given.

Monique Ramsey (26:22):
Read it again.

Tammy (26:22):
And don't be afraid to ask questions. After my surgery, was it the second weekend? I bumped my ear and I must have done it in my sleep. I woke up, it was bleeding, and I panicked. Oh gosh, I freaked out. Is my ear not going to heal right? Did it come off? Dr. Breister said, anytime. Doesn't matter. So my husband took some pictures of it and he texted it to her and she answered back right away. And she's like, it's fine. I know it's going to look good. It'll be okay. And then you were talking about how one side of your body heals better or does things. This side of my body seemed to not want to heal as fast as this side, but this side bruised more, which is weird, right?

Monique Ramsey (27:04):
Isn't that funny? Yeah. It's so odd. I think we as people think about our body as one whole unit, and it is, however, we're very asymmetrical and bruises will end up on one side or there's more fat on this thigh than the other one. It's crazy. And I never really thought about symmetry until I was working here and saw that, oh yeah, man, that person's cheek is flatter. And maybe it's because they sleep on that side of their face and they've been doing that for 20 years. But it's interesting how you heal. And sometimes the things that you find might bother you, like, oh, but this eyelid is lower than this other eyelid. It all works out.

Tammy (27:44):
Yeah, it does. It does.

Monique Ramsey (27:46):
And things will resolve themselves, and you have to give it time. And that's that again, about that patience and just waiting. And if there's something not right after everything's healed, we'll fix it. We can talk about how to address it. But sometimes the little things that worry, you turn out not to be things.

Tammy (28:03):
Yeah, I would say never be afraid to call. Never be afraid to ask. No one's going to be mad at you because you're panicking over something or you were scared about something.

Monique Ramsey (28:11):
Well, and especially with the internet, back in the day, if we didn't have the internet, it was like, well, I guess everything's fine. But now everybody's looking up everything all the time. And God only knows what's out there in terms of information. Is it good information or bad information? And we want you to have good information. So what would you tell somebody who's thinking about having any kind of plastic surgery done?

Tammy (28:34):
The first thing is why? That's a really important thing. When we talked about this right in the very beginning, if you think plastic surgery is going to fix everything, that's not the right reason to go into it. Now, if your thing is years and years and years ago when I got an augmentation, it was because I was tired of jumping in a pool and my top coming off. Or you have a shirt and it's really nice, but it doesn't fit you right? That's why I wanted it. I wanted it for me. So that is fixing a problem in a way. But what I mean by that is if I get my nose done, then my life will be perfect. No, if you get your nose done, you'll feel better about your nose.

(29:13):
That's what you have to do. So look at the why, and then once you have that, you need to find the right doctor, and it's okay. And you might go through a couple of doctors. No one's going to be offended by that. I think we're all in, especially women, we're always afraid of like, oh, I don't want them to think I don't like them. But if you don't gel, that's not a good combination. You're not going to ask the questions. That's not going to work. So sit down with that, find the doctor that works well for you, and then ask all the questions.

Monique Ramsey (29:41):
Yeah, I cannot agree more about, we have had patients who say, I'm going to have five consultations and I'm okay. It's good. And even if you had five consultations out of the six doctors in our office, or you do five around the San Diego County, it is so much about the relationship that you feel comfortable with that doctor, with their team, with looking at their reviews or looking at their before and after photos. Did they blow you off or did they really listen to you? Or did they try to talk. like to your point, did they try to talk you into something that you were not really comfortable with? And all of those things together. And sometimes you have to sit with the information for a little while before you're ready to make the next step. Sometimes the hardest step is the first one, and it's that consultation. And so tell us a little bit about, last before we wrap up, that time with Dr. Breister sort of before, during, and after, and what does she bedside manner and all that?

Tammy (30:44):
Well, when she walks in, the first thing I noticed about her was her smile. And she looks right in your eyes. It isn't, you know how sometimes, and it's just because they're super smart. Sometimes doctors, they don't even look at you because they're doing their things. She looked right at me and what are you thinking? And then would wait, and listened. She listened really well and answered all my questions. And then when I came back again and we sat down and I said, okay, this is what I think I want to do. And she said, this is how I feel if we do that, which is important too. I want her feeling confident about what she's doing. And then coming in, I felt like the last thing you want to do is, do I have to go back to the doctor? Do I have to go back to the doctor? And I live out in Crest. So coming to La Jolla could sometimes be a pain in the butt. But I was glad how many times that I came in, okay, your next appointment is here so I can check this. Okay, now your next appointment is here. And I liked that. I didn't feel like, yep, you're done. We'll see you in two months later. You know what I mean? There was that, that was very comforting. Very comforting.

Monique Ramsey (31:52):
I am like you. I want to know why we're doing it. I can mentally prepare like, oh, oh, because we're going to look at this. And we take pictures along the way, which is so helpful because we forget what we look like. We forget what we look like before the surgery. We forget what we looked like three weeks ago. And you'll see as time goes on, your tissues become softer and more pliable. Cuz at the beginning, everything's a little firm like you were talking about in that massaging. You're like, what am I going to do? So all of those things over time, and then pretty soon you forget all about it. You just feel really good and you look really great. So it's going to be fun for you this summer, coming up with spring and summer with a little new you jetting out there to the different country festivals. Is there anything happening coming up soon?

Tammy (32:43):
Oh, there's a ton of stuff. We have Country Fest coming up this weekend, and then the concerts really start after our big one this weekend at Viejas. And I've already been out for a few appearances, and people will comment now on the pictures underneath, because I talk about it. Why not? Why wouldn't I? Because it used to be kind of a stigma, and I think that's silly. And I want people to know why and how and what's going on, and they're thinking about it too. And even had a former patient of yours write something underneath a post that I had done, and she's like, oh, I love them so much. I had so-and-so, and she had the same anesthesiologist and.

Monique Ramsey (33:16):
Oh my gosh.

Tammy (33:17):
Yeah. So people already are noticing, which is fabulous.

Monique Ramsey (33:19):
Oh, that's nice. That's kind of fun. There's nothing wrong with that. Well, thank you Tammy, for sharing everything. And again, for people who are, if you're a country music fan and you don't know about KSON 1 0 3 .7, you should, because John and Tammy are really a fun duo. And I'm not a huge country music fan, but I love following what you guys do.

Tammy (33:39):
Thank you.

Monique Ramsey (33:40):
Yeah. And so for everybody in the show notes, check below, you will see posts to before and after photos. We'll have information about Dr. Breister. We'll also have, we should link up, where do you like people to follow you?

Tammy (33:55):
They can follow either John and Tammy on Instagram, KSON San Diego on Instagram, or you can even follow me, San Diego Tam on Instagram.

Monique Ramsey (34:02):
Oh, San Diego Tam. Okay. Well, thank you again, Tammy.

Tammy (34:05):
You bet.

Monique Ramsey (34:05):
And we are so happy that you shared, and we will see you all next time.

Announcer (34:11):
Take a screenshot of this podcast episode with your phone and show it at your consultation or appointment, or mention the promo code PODCAST to receive $25 off any service or product of $50 or more at La Jolla Cosmetic. La Jolla cosmetic is located just off the I-5 San Diego Freeway in the XiMed Building on the Scripps Memorial Hospital campus. To learn more, go to lj csc.com or follow the team on Instagram at lj csc. The La Jolla Cosmetic Podcast is a production of The Axis, T-H-E-A-X-I-S.io.