Tummy Tuck & Thigh Lipo Scheduled for April 6th - Cherry Hill, NJ

I always had a "pot belly" as a kid but never really a problem until I had 2 children. I am 5'10" and a size 8 and have always maintained a healthy weight. I have extra skin, stretch marks and fat under my belly button that hangs and leaves a red sore line underneath. Also my ab muscles stick out and no matter what I do...exercise, lose weight....nothing changes. Over the years when I've talked about getting a tummy tuck everyone always say's oh no your fine, that's crazy to spend that kind of money...you don't need one, which is very frustrating because I hide it well and they just don't see it. In the summer I wear tankini bathing suits with little skirts to hide it. I have gotten to the point where I flash my friends because I know I do need one and once they see my stomach they agree. I finally made an appointment and went to a plastic surgeon and his exact words were "finally...someone who actually needs a tummy tuck"..! When I repeat this to friends they find the doctors comment mean but I was just happy to be validated. He said he gets a lot of overweight people who think he can just cut it all off and give them a flat stomach. Apparently I am the perfect canidate....within 10 lbs of ideal body weight, extra skin and fat below the belly button, muscles have seperated and I have enough skin to cut and stitch back together. I then met with 2 additional doctors and made a decision to go with the last doctor I met with who fit me in at 4:45 on a Friday afternoon. He had just come out of surgery and still had a great demeanor and answered all of my questions and walked me through the entire process, I felt very comfortable. His patient liason was so nice as well and replied to my email on a saturday. I read great reviews and he's within 30 minutes of my house. I even decided to add thigh lipo since that area doesn't seem to change as well and it seemed worthwhile with the discount they provide for additional procedures and the 1 year no interest financing.

I'm doing as much research as I can on recovery and what I can do to make it more bearable. I've only talked to one doctor who keeps you in the hospital overnight, this doctor does not, he has an OR in his facility and you go home the same day which makes me a little nervous going home the same day. I've read things about certain foods to eat, lots of vitamin C, lots of water and protein to help repair the muscle. If anyone has any suggestions, let me know. I will be sure to post before and after photos once the procedure is complete on April 6th.

Procedure is paid for and now I'm even more nervous. I handle stress very well and am not a drama queen but this is definitely a bit overwhelming. I had 2 easy deliveries and had my gallbladder out but other then that haven't really dealt with any type of surgery. I'm feeling the nesting thing kick in and the need to shop for everything that will make me comfortable and the need to clean...clean...clean! My boyfriend was very supportive of me getting the surgery but is getting tired of me talking about it...even though I don't think it's that often. I think he's nervous too so talking about it just makes it more overwhelming, especially b/c he's not great with the blood and gut's type things:-) I don't have a recliner so it's just me and the sofa or bed with a ton of pillows, I hope that works. I'm getting my thighs lipo'd as well so that will just add to the discomfort but might as well get it done together. My mom still looks at me like I'm crazy to do this but she is more then willing to help in any way that she can. I'm lucky to have the month of April off b/c I start a new job in May so that takes a little bit of the pressure off. I have my kids squared away with relatives for the first 5 days and then we'll see what happens. They are 11 and 5 so they can do most things on their own with supervision and I know they will do whatever they can to help. I told them I was having surgery to fix my stomach but didn't really get into the specifics....what are you supposed to tell them...? My 5 year old son said I could borrow his walkie talkies and call him on it whenever I needed something:-) 12 days to go.

9 days till surgery, the mix of emotions is tough....one minute I'm excited and read all the reviews and see the amazing before and after pictures......and the next I'm scared, thinking about my own mortality and wondering if that small risk is worth it. I'm blessed to have 2 beautiful children...shouldn't that be enough..? I know the risk is no more then getting in my car and driving to work tomorrow but I'm choosing to do this and it's a bit scary. I hope that my post op posts are as good and better then the ones I have been reading:-) I did take photos on my phone but can't upload from it.