from Richard M. Levin, M.D., PSC at 1-800-766-0304
Volume 49: June 2006
The Spring Edition
The testimonial below is the forty-ninth in a series of remarks from real people who found Dr. Richard Levin on the Internet and have had a tubal ligation reversal. Shelley and Paul Paternoster of Chenoa Illinois have been so kind to allow us to share their story with others who are thinking of having a tubal ligation reversal and they have consented to accept your email inquires at: shelleydohman@hotmail.com. If you are interested in having this procedure performed then please visit our web site listed below by clicking on "Get Started . . . have a baby!".
Shelley and Paul, thanks for sharing your story with us!
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Case Facts: Shelley Paternoster had her tubal sterilization April 5, 2001. The doctor performed the banding procedure with falope rings to both tubes. On December 1, 2005, at the age of 37, Shelley had Dr. Levin perform a microsurgical tubal anastomosis. She had a total of 9 cm of tube on the right and 7 cm of tube on the left which resulted in a very successful surgery. Please enjoy Shelley and Paul's story in Shelley's own words . . .
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There are just no words to say what Dr. Levin has brought to our family. To this day everytime I read his testimonials I cry. I am thrilled to share my story with everyone. I had been married twice before which resulted in 3 beautiful children, a daughter and son with my first husband, and a son with my second. My marriages had not been great so after my second divorce I chose to get my tubes tied. Marriage was out of the question again for me, as well as more children. Several years later I met this incredible person who changed my way of thinking. Paul is several years younger than me and had never been married and had no children. Paul and I married on Valentine's Day 2004, my children were ages 12, 10 and 6. We had talked about how great it would be to raise a baby together, but never acted on it. I was 35 when we got married. However, all I could think about was what a wonderful father Paul would be if given the chance. We had such an incredible marriage and a baby would just make it that much more perfect. Summer of 2005 we started talkiing about a baby seriously, and at that point started researching the possibilities. If this was going to happen I wanted to act quickly, that 40 year old mark was approaching fast!! We talked to my OB/GYN who hadn't done a reversal in 6 years, but was willing to do it for me. We also consulted a specialist near Chicago, however, it would end up costing around $20,000. That wasn't an option. We also did some research on the computer, and ended up finding Dr. Levin, however, the thought of a doctor we had never met performing this surgery wasn't very comforting. So, we went back to my OB/GYN and scheduled surgery. One misunderstanding after another with scheduling conflicts led us to forget the whole idea, for now. We decided maybe it wasn't meant to be. The problem was my husband and I had already scheduled time off work to have the surgery done and couldn't take it back. I contacted Dr. Levin's office to see just by chance if he could work me in within 2 weeks to accomodate the time we had already taken off work. He could! We did our consultation over the phone, borrowed the $6500. and drove 5 hours to Louisville, Kentucky. It was an incredibly great experience. Everyone there was so friendly, it just felt so right. We met with Dr. Levin the next day before sugery for the first time and I felt like I had known him forever. All the feelings of nervousness instantly disappeared! Everything went great. Dr. Levin came to see us the next morning at the hotel and we were on our way home. This was on Dec. 2, 2005. We had to wait a couple of weeks before we could try for that baby. I was worried it would take a long time to conceive because it took me close to a year with each of my other children. We had decided if it was meant to be it would be. I found out I was pregnant early January, and since we had only tried once, we knew we got pregnant on Christmas Day!! My pregnancy went great and it was so much fun sharing it with Paul. He loved making reference to how big my belly was getting and couldn't get enough of feeling the baby move inside of me. It was wonderful!! Matthew Paul was born unexpectedly almost 4 weeks early on Aug. 24, 2006. He weighed 6 lbs. 4 oz, 19 1/2 inches long and is beautiful. He started off a little bumpy being premature but is doing great now and weighs over 6 1/2 lbs. Everything about this experience has been incredible. I never thought something like this was possible, but it is. Dr. Levin and his staff are wonderful and we can never thank him enough for what he has given us!!
Paul & Shelley Paternoster
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