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Theresa McMahon has a lot of reasons to feel good about herself. She is a determined woman who knows how to accomplish her goals. She was the first of her 5 brothers and sisters to go to college and earned a master’s degree in social work and an MBA. She is also now the proud single parent of a 10 month old daughter, born after in vitro fertilization.
Add this to the fact that Theresa has managed to achieve the daunting challenge of losing 100 pounds simply through diet and exercise. But all of those achievements could not change the way she felt about herself when she looked in the mirror after losing the weight.
She believed that a tummy tuck and breast lift could make the difference. And she turned to Dr. Dennis Pastena to help her achieve this goal.
“I have always been someone who could make things happen for myself,’’ she said. "I’m the youngest of 6 kids, and the first to go to college. I have two masters degrees. And as a single woman I managed to have in vitro and have the baby I always wanted. So in many ways I have self-confidence, but I have always been self-conscious about what the world doesn't see. Dr. Pastena helped free me from that burden.”
From the moment she met Dr. Pastena for her first consultation Theresa felt she had made the right choice. He immediately normalized the situation and made her feel less self-conscious. Dr. Pastena wanted to get to know her as a person, to understand how her weight issues had affected her feelings of self-worth. Working in health care herself, Theresa realized what a gift Dr. Pastena has. She felt he was 100 percent with her and concerned about her personal needs.
Theresa had her surgery on July 19. She spent one night in the hospital and said that after the first day she had virtually no pain. She said that her C-section birth was actually more difficult and painful for her. While Dr. Pastena has told Theresa that it will be several months before she sees the full effects of the surgery, she says she is amazed by the difference already.
“I actually feel liberated. Set free physically, mentally and emotionally,’’ said Theresa. “I’m feeling like a new me and I’m so grateful to Dr. Pastena for what he has done for me.”
