POSTED UNDER Mommy Makeover Reviews REVIEWS
42 Yr Workaholic Mom Learning to Love Myself - Folsom, CA
ORIGINAL POST
I'm a 42 year old former athlete, certifiable...
WORTH IT$15,200
I'm a 42 year old former athlete, certifiable workaholic mother of two kids who gained a lot of weight with pregnancy and then developed polycstic ovarian syndrome which essentially made it impossible to lose weight despite trying every diet and exercise plan known to man. A week before my 40th Birthday I underwent a vertical sleeve gastrectomy surgery and lost 100lbs. It was a lot of discipline and hard work, and I truly changed my lifestyle. I kept it off for nearly 2.5 years and it's changed my life. I became a more confident and happier person. I was no longer hiding myself behind layers of of fat and using food as a vice in my life. My bariatric surgeon said to me one day " you are too young to not get your tummy and boobs fixed, you have so much life to live". He was right. Despite my 100b weight loss, my body looked pretty good. I had a tummy of loose skin rolls and my boobs had gone from perky D cups to essentially flaps of skin with no breast tissue. I went to consult's with 4 different plastic surgeons, before I felt 100% comfortable with Dr. Christa Clark. She was incredible, and really listened to what I wanted and needed. She accommodated my insane work schedule and had full abdominoplasty, liposuction of my hips/flanks, and a breast augmentation with Natrelle Inpsira smooth round Silicone implants 405cc on the left and 485 cc on the right to correct asymmetry. When it came to picking the size/shape I just showed her pictures of boobs that I thought looked perfect, and I told her to use her best judgment and artistry to make them look beautiful. I left all my trust in in her, and that was the best decision ever. She came in on a Saturday (the day following my surgery) to change my bandages and check that I was okay. She also gave my husband her personal cell phone number in case any concerns came up,
It's been one week today and I had my drains removed and my sutures removed today. My stomach looks incredible. The areas she lipo'd are perfect. My boobs are still quite high and swollen, but are the perfect size and shape. I haven't worn a bikini in 20 years, but I'm pretty sure I'll be wearing one this next summer. My incisions are so tiny, low, and well done. I have been hating on the compression garments since surgery, so today she gave me a couple of different garments to try, all for free. She is friendly and personable, and I'd highly recommend her to anyone considering plastic surgery.
I'll upload pics soon
It's been one week today and I had my drains removed and my sutures removed today. My stomach looks incredible. The areas she lipo'd are perfect. My boobs are still quite high and swollen, but are the perfect size and shape. I haven't worn a bikini in 20 years, but I'm pretty sure I'll be wearing one this next summer. My incisions are so tiny, low, and well done. I have been hating on the compression garments since surgery, so today she gave me a couple of different garments to try, all for free. She is friendly and personable, and I'd highly recommend her to anyone considering plastic surgery.
I'll upload pics soon
LoveMyselfat42's provider
Replies (1)
UPDATED FROM LoveMyselfat42
18 days post
2 Week Update
I had my two week post op appt with Dr Clark yesterday. All I have to say is, do not hesitate, she is wonderful and so are the entire staff. I am still in awe and kind of in a state of total shock of how amazing my body transformation is from the procedure and I'm still swollen and only two weeks out from surgery! My incisions are nearly completely healed, the abdominal one in particular is so thin, that you can tell it will fade to nearly nothing with time. I am very fair skinned, like the whitest girl ever and I expected much worse scarring. The incisions under my boob creases are a bit more red and irritated looking, but that is mostly due to the post-op bra that rubs that area. I've been shoving some non-stick guaze pads under the bra to keep it from rubbing and yesterday they said, "OMG, quit wearing these hideous surgical bras and go find a really comfy sports bra, or quite frankly any bra at this point that you are comfy in, just don't spend a lot of money because your boobs are still going to drop and change over the next few months". (We went directly to Victoria's Secret after the appt and bought two new sports bras that were a million times more comfy than the post-surgery bras and didn't rub where my incisions were at all.)
My tummy is literally flat as a board, (which I'm pretty sure it wasn't even this flat in high school or college when I was in tip-top physical condition and a semi-elite athlete) and she said "its still very swollen and will take several months up to even 6 months for all of the swelling to completely subside which is very normal", so I can expect even better results. She did lipo on my hips, flanks, (love handle area) and around a tad towards my back on the sides to contour more of an "hourglass" type shape and all I can say is "WOW". My husband even commented yesterday and said "your shape is incredible, curves in all the right places". (TMI sidenote, he is literally chomping at the bit until I am ready to make whoopie for the first time, which incidentally Dr Clark recommends waiting 6 weeks post-op for...and I'm so not even ready to think about yet, because, ummm OUCH at this point..LOL).
I am not taking any pain medication at all, and I'm fine. Not even Tylenol or Advil. The only thing I'm taking is a multi-vitamin and Vitamin C every day. I'm walking upright, normally, but when I do, my stomach definitely feels tight and seems to get less tight feeling the more I walk around. Although, I've been trying to keep cruising around to a minimum to prevent swelling and get as much rest as possible. The areas where she lipo'd are slightly bruised looking, and they are very tender to the touch still. The skin on nearly my entire stomach where I had the tummy tuck is still pretty much completely numb, including my entire cute new belly button, which feels super weird, but its certainly not painful at all. Underneath that skin, I'm sore only at the internal suture line, where she repaired the rectus muscles vertically from my pubis up to my sternum. Things like laughing, coughing, sneezing, etc give me a definite "whoa, that hurt" feeling right down that line. They removed the final two sutures I had in my tummy tuck incision, and belly button yesterday.
My boobs don't hurt at all really, they just feel kind of "tight" I guess. No pain, just odd. I have not lost any nipple sensation at all, which honestly was one of my biggest concerns about having augmentation. I've been doing the breast massages twice a day as she recommends, and she said it takes a few months for the muscles to relax, and the implants to drop into their final resting place. I have smooth round cohesive silicone Natrelle Inspira implants, L 405cc and R 485cc and they match perfectly. They are soft, and I think 99% of folks would not be able to feel them and know they are store bought. The contour lines at the top of my boobs and my cleavage look completely natural (Huge reason I chose Dr Clark, she is kind of known as an artist in this area) and I'm so pleased with the result. I don't go back until early February now until my 6 week check up since things are going so well. Yet she still said "if anything at all comes up, call me immediately if you need me". Amazing comfortable bedside manner from her and really the entire staff who have made me feel so at ease with this entire process.
Overall, I'm feeling very good. After the appointment my husband took me out to lunch, and then shopping for new bras and we went in a few other stores to look around. I felt fine, but got a little tired near the end. I am planning on going back to work next Monday and I feel like I'll be ready and I'm not worried.
I'm sorry I haven't posted pics yet. I will certainly try to get that accomplished soon. I haven't been good about taking pics to document the changes at all, but I realize this is helpful to others so I'll do my best to get some pics put up soon.
My tummy is literally flat as a board, (which I'm pretty sure it wasn't even this flat in high school or college when I was in tip-top physical condition and a semi-elite athlete) and she said "its still very swollen and will take several months up to even 6 months for all of the swelling to completely subside which is very normal", so I can expect even better results. She did lipo on my hips, flanks, (love handle area) and around a tad towards my back on the sides to contour more of an "hourglass" type shape and all I can say is "WOW". My husband even commented yesterday and said "your shape is incredible, curves in all the right places". (TMI sidenote, he is literally chomping at the bit until I am ready to make whoopie for the first time, which incidentally Dr Clark recommends waiting 6 weeks post-op for...and I'm so not even ready to think about yet, because, ummm OUCH at this point..LOL).
I am not taking any pain medication at all, and I'm fine. Not even Tylenol or Advil. The only thing I'm taking is a multi-vitamin and Vitamin C every day. I'm walking upright, normally, but when I do, my stomach definitely feels tight and seems to get less tight feeling the more I walk around. Although, I've been trying to keep cruising around to a minimum to prevent swelling and get as much rest as possible. The areas where she lipo'd are slightly bruised looking, and they are very tender to the touch still. The skin on nearly my entire stomach where I had the tummy tuck is still pretty much completely numb, including my entire cute new belly button, which feels super weird, but its certainly not painful at all. Underneath that skin, I'm sore only at the internal suture line, where she repaired the rectus muscles vertically from my pubis up to my sternum. Things like laughing, coughing, sneezing, etc give me a definite "whoa, that hurt" feeling right down that line. They removed the final two sutures I had in my tummy tuck incision, and belly button yesterday.
My boobs don't hurt at all really, they just feel kind of "tight" I guess. No pain, just odd. I have not lost any nipple sensation at all, which honestly was one of my biggest concerns about having augmentation. I've been doing the breast massages twice a day as she recommends, and she said it takes a few months for the muscles to relax, and the implants to drop into their final resting place. I have smooth round cohesive silicone Natrelle Inspira implants, L 405cc and R 485cc and they match perfectly. They are soft, and I think 99% of folks would not be able to feel them and know they are store bought. The contour lines at the top of my boobs and my cleavage look completely natural (Huge reason I chose Dr Clark, she is kind of known as an artist in this area) and I'm so pleased with the result. I don't go back until early February now until my 6 week check up since things are going so well. Yet she still said "if anything at all comes up, call me immediately if you need me". Amazing comfortable bedside manner from her and really the entire staff who have made me feel so at ease with this entire process.
Overall, I'm feeling very good. After the appointment my husband took me out to lunch, and then shopping for new bras and we went in a few other stores to look around. I felt fine, but got a little tired near the end. I am planning on going back to work next Monday and I feel like I'll be ready and I'm not worried.
I'm sorry I haven't posted pics yet. I will certainly try to get that accomplished soon. I haven't been good about taking pics to document the changes at all, but I realize this is helpful to others so I'll do my best to get some pics put up soon.
Replies (1)
January 1, 2016
You look fantastic and are so up beat which is surely helping to make your healing process so smooth. Congrats. I can't wait to see pictures...Happy New Year!
UPDATED FROM LoveMyselfat42
23 days post
What I'm using
Just a few pics of things I'm using in recovery. When I was ok'd to take off surgery bra I didn't want to spend $$ on nice bras so these cheapo's from WAL-MART have been comfy and are virtually disposable later on if they get icky.
Also a pic of my supplements.
Also a pic of my supplements.
I will say that I work in medicine, and I consider Dr Clark to be top notch. She does beautiful work and her bedside manner is lovely.
My tummy is literally flat as a board, (which I'm pretty sure it wasn't even this flat in high school or college when I was in tip-top physical condition and a semi-elite athlete) and she said "its still very swollen and will take several months up to even 6 months for all of the swelling to completely subside which is very normal", so I can expect even better results. She did lipo on my hips, flanks, (love handle area) and around a tad towards my back on the sides to contour more of an "hourglass" type shape and all I can say is "WOW". My husband even commented yesterday and said "your shape is incredible, curves in all the right places". (TMI sidenote, he is literally chomping at the bit until I am ready to make whoopie for the first time, which incidentally Dr Clark recommends waiting 6 weeks post-op for...and I'm so not even ready to think about yet, because, ummm OUCH at this point..LOL).
I am not taking any pain medication at all, and I'm fine. Not even Tylenol or Advil. The only thing I'm taking is a multi-vitamin and Vitamin C every day. I'm walking upright, normally, but when I do, my stomach definitely feels tight and seems to get less tight feeling the more I walk around. Although, I've been trying to keep cruising around to a minimum to prevent swelling and get as much rest as possible. The areas where she lipo'd are slightly bruised looking, and they are very tender to the touch still. The skin on nearly my entire stomach where I had the tummy tuck is still pretty much completely numb, including my entire cute new belly button, which feels super weird, but its certainly not painful at all. Underneath that skin, I'm sore only at the internal suture line, where she repaired the rectus muscles vertically from my pubis up to my sternum. Things like laughing, coughing, sneezing, etc give me a definite "whoa, that hurt" feeling right down that line. They removed the final two sutures I had in my tummy tuck incision, and belly button yesterday.
Overall, I'm feeling very good. After the appointment my husband took me out to lunch, and then shopping for new bras and we went in a few other stores to look around. I felt fine, but got a little tired near the end. I am planning on going back to work next Monday and I feel like I'll be ready and I'm not worried.
I'm sorry I haven't posted pics yet. I will certainly try to get that accomplished soon. I haven't been good about taking pics to document the changes at all, but I realize this is helpful to others so I'll do my best to get some pics put up soon.
My boobs don't hurt at all really, they just feel kind of "tight" I guess. No pain, just odd. I have not lost any nipple sensation at all, which honestly was one of my biggest concerns about having augmentation. I've been doing the breast massages twice a day as she recommends, and she said it takes a few months for the muscles to relax, and the implants to drop into their final resting place. I have smooth round cohesive silicone Natrelle Inspira implants, L 405cc and R 485cc and they match perfectly. They are soft, and I think 99% of folks what not be able to feel them and know they are store bought. The contour lines at the top of my boobs and my cleavage look completely natural (Huge reason I chose Dr Clark, she is kind of known as an artist in this area) and I'm so pleased with the result. I don't go back until early February now until my 6 week check up since things are going so well. Yet she still said "if anything at all comes up, call me immediately if you need me". Amazing comfortable bedside manner from her and really the entire staff who have made me feel so at ease with this entire process.