Doc Talk
The Silver Lining
by Bahram Ghaderi, MD, FACS
It has only been a few months since our last newsletter came out, yet I really can’t remember much before March. The last few months have certainly been challenging. Understandably, the media attention surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic has primarily focused on the frontlines — particularly healthcare professionals, first responders, and those in the hardest-hit communities. Still, the pandemic has affected us all in so many ways.
It hardly seems possible that in the first week of March, people were still traveling to ski or attend concerts. COVID was on the news, but the word, “social distancing,” was not even part of the vernacular. Just five days later, our kids’ high schools sent students home for what everyone thought was a couple of weeks. Our oldest, already home on spring break, had her spring break extended. As we all know, those in-person school days were not just extended but ended on that random day in March. Since then, our family, like many of you, have had schedules flipped on their head, vacations canceled, a wedding changed, and sadly, we also experienced a loss of a loved one due to the virus.
However, throughout all this upheaval and uncertainty, there have been some silver lining takeaways too. Although our college daughter wanted nothing more than to be back on campus, I have selfishly loved having her home and at the dinner table every night. I know how fast it goes and appreciate this little extra time. Despite the stereotypes of doctors and golf, I am not a golfer. Nonetheless, when golf courses opened, I was happy to get out there with my son. We may have had our travel plans canceled, but we have been hanging out outside more, watching shows together, and bringing out the board games that have been tucked away. Our lives were forced to slow down, and that has probably been for the better.
I am learning how resilient kids are too. My daughter graduated from high school this year, and her class of 2020 definitely set the bar high. All graduates around the world had to adjust to not having the usual culminating events such as prom and graduation. Finishing high school is one of life’s milestones, and they did it with grace. I saw her graduation take place online with her sitting on our living room couch wearing her cap and gown and watching all the names of her classmates read one by one. The one thing I noticed is how her smile never stopped. She smiled from ear to ear as she saw photos of friends pop up and heard their names. She was enjoying the moment; it was her graduation, and no one else’s. Her class will forever have a bond that will not be broken as they will share something no other class likely ever will.
We always hope that when we raise kids that the next generation will be better than us. I do not doubt that my kids’ generation will do this. We can follow their lead and enjoy any moment that gives us a smile from ear to ear. I am sure you have all heard many clichés over the last couple of months, so I will not repeat them too much…. BUT we will all get through this, and the entire world will be better and stronger for our kids. As always, please share any comments (and now accepting videos too) at drghaderi@stcharlesplasticsurgery.com.
Grill Decisions
The age old question: gas or charcoal grill? We found some differences of each from the Taste of Home website so you can make an educated decision at your next BBQ.
Charcoal
- Can reach a higher temperature than gas grills which can give a nice sear on meat.
- Smokey meat. The drippings from the meat cooking drop on the charcoal which produces smoke that flavors your meat.
- More cost efficient. You can pick up a charcoal grill for $25.
Gas
- Quick start up and temperature control. With just a turn of a knob, your grill is ready.
- Better for the environment and you. Gas grills emit fewer carcinogens than charcoal grills.
- More versatility in cooking. You can easily adjust the temperature of the grill to accommodate vegetables vs meat.
Breast Reduction
Breast reduction surgery, also known as reduction mammaplasty, is a procedure used to remove excess fat, tissue and skin from the breasts. It has a very high satisfaction rate, as it helps improve both your appearance and quality of life. If you have large breasts, you might choose breast reduction surgery to ease discomfort or to achieve a breast size proportionate to your body. Breast reduction surgery might also help improve your self-image and your ability to exercise as well as accomplish daily tasks with less difficulty.
Breast reduction surgery is meant for healthy women with realistic expectations. Women who have large breasts and want to resolve issues such as chronic back, neck and shoulder pain, rash or skin irritation under the breasts, nerve pain, restricted activity, poor self-image related to large breasts, difficulty fitting into bras and clothing may benefit.
You can have breast reduction surgery at any age, even as a teenager. But if your breasts aren’t yet fully developed, you might need a second surgery later in life. If you are planning to have children, you may want to consider possible loss of ability to breastfeed after surgery. Also, if you are interested in losing a significant amount of weight, you may want to wait until your weight loss is complete as it may result in changes to your breast size.
Breast reduction surgery is usually done under general anesthesia, either in a hospital or outpatient surgical facility. The specific technique may vary but typically is done through incisions that resemble a ship’s anchor. Some patients, typically after menopause, who want a smaller change in their size, may benefit from liposuction alone to remove the excess fat in their breasts. The nipple and areola usually remain attached to the breast but a small percentage of patients might need to have theirs removed and then reattached at a higher position as a skin graft if their breasts are very large.
Your surgeon will try to achieve symmetry between your breasts, but some variation in breast size and shape might occur. The size of the areola also might be reduced. Your incision scars will fade over time but may never completely disappear.
You will see your results immediately. All patients feel the benefit of less weight on their neck, back, and shoulders the next day. The joy of feeling the relief makes the recovery, which is about a week before getting back to daily activities, very manageable.
Because of the functional improvements gained by the surgery, insurance often covers the procedure based on certain criteria, the main one being how much weight is removed at the time of surgery from each breast.
The comment that I often hear from patients during their follow-up visits is, “Why didn’t I do this years ago?”. If you are interested in learning more about breast reduction surgery, please contact the office for an appointment. We can schedule a consultation to review all the information, including possible insurance coverage. As always please call or email with any questions.
Influencing Our Patients
Our world is flooded by social media. It is a great tool to stay connected to people and businesses you enjoy. Our office is part of that world and more active on it than ever!
We love actively updating our Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube pages. Not only does it help new clients get a feel for our office culture, it lets current patients keep up with what’s happening with us. Once you have surgery with Dr. Ghaderi, you are not just a patient anymore, you are family!
Please follow our social media pages to get updates, see our videos, and stay connected.
Enhanced Refreshment
Gabrielle, our office manager, loves sparkling water. She wanted to enhance her usual sparkling water while she was enjoying the warm weather in her backyard. She got creative with ingredients in her house. She combined flavored raspberry carbonated water, fresh mint, fresh lime juice, and fresh strawberries into a pitcher with ice. She stirred and let it sit for about 30 minutes for the flavors to really combine.
You could also make it a spitzer by adding white wine.
Gabrielle’s favorite part is eating the sweet strawberries when she finishes her drink!
Cold Brew Crew
Yes, another blurb about coffee in our newsletter. We just love it that much! If you read our Fall 2019 newsletter, you learned about the difference between cold brew and iced coffee. Since then, we got a cold brew coffee maker in the office, and it is a game changer!
We are now officially a part of the cold brew crew. It is super simple to use. You take course ground coffee, pour it in the metal filter, and then pour water over the grounds, filling the carafe. The coffee needs to steep for 12-24 hours. We prepare it the night before, and the next morning we enjoy a nice homemade cup of cold brew! During the hot summer months, this is a product we all highly recommend.
Rockin’ Summer
Looking for an activity to do with your kids that spreads joy? Paint some rocks and hide them throughout your town. There are groups on Facebook that promote the findings, which makes it really fun. One of the pages we know of is called “ElginILrocks.” We have found rocks outside our building that were painted. On the back of them, it said, “Please post to ElginILrocks page.” It is exciting to find the rock, but also exciting for the painter to see that their rock was found.
Totally “Do-able” Guide to Health
Many of us tend to have an “all or nothing” approach to our goals. It is great to have lofty goals, but that approach usually ends up with us falling short. Smaller, more modest goals tend to have a longer commitment and more success . We have found some totally “do-able” goals for over-all wellness from Health magazine.
All or Nothing: Walk 10,000 steps per day .
Totally “Do-Able”: Walk 8,000 steps per day.
Per Mayo Clinic, the average American walks about 4,000 steps a day. A goal of simply doubling your average steps could help your health long term. Try taking the stairs rather than the elevator or parking further in the parking lot from the entrance you need to go in.
All or Nothing: Eliminate added sugar completely .
Totally “Do-Able”: Reduce sugar by one-third.
Sugar is hidden in many food items that you eat daily. Instead of not eating anything with sugar, focus on limiting these hidden sugar foods. An example would be Greek yogurt. A flavored Greek yogurt is a lot higher in sugar than plain Greek yogurt. You can add a natural sweetener such as Stevia to plain Greek yogurt that would help reduce your hidden sugar intake for the day, but still make your yogurt sweet.
All or Nothing: Sleep eight hours each night.
Totally “Do-Able”: Set a consistent wake time.
We are told that adults should get 7-8 hours of sleep a night. For many, that amount does not happen. To help the amount of sleep at night, you can focus on waking up at the same time every morning. That will help your body get into a routine to start getting tired at the same time every night in order to achieve 7-8 hours of sleep.
