“'Mommy' Makeover - Grand Rapids, MI”

After reading so many expieriences I decided that I will document my makeover here and hopefully help others in making their decision.

My surgery is scheduled for December 9 and while I am worried I am excited too! I did have one child when I was 17 (gave up for adoption) but my problems with extra skin stem from years of being obese. I have lost over 100 pounds and decided to do this for myself. I work out every day, I eat right and I just ran my first marathon so I think I have earned the right to feel better about myself :)

I will be taking before pictures this weekend and then will document every couple of days after the procedure.

Updated on 21 Nov 2010:
Surgery is just three weeks away now. I scheduled this months ago and now I can barely believe it is almost here!

Updated on 23 Nov 2010:
My pre op appointment time was moved to 11am on Monday...can't wait! We paid for everything which makes it feel so much more real...I can't believe I am actually going to do this!

Updated on 29 Nov 2010:
I went in for my pre op appointment today and feel much more at ease about this whole cut my body up like an apple thing :P All my labs were great, we got the pictures done and she went over my questions with me. She said if I had any other questions I could call or come in or I could talk to her the morning of surgery. I have to check in at 6:30 on the 9th....OMG that is like next week!

Updated on 7 Dec 2010:
So here we are, just a day away from surgery! I started my antibiotics today, not it really seems real. This weekend I went out and bought some cheap sports bras and I still had some granny panties in the drawer as I assume they are going to get yucky! I still have one more day of work and it will be crazy but that is good, it will keep my mind off Thursday. I check in Thursday morning at 6:30 and hopefully by 7:30 I will be headed in to surgery. That is the only part I am really scared about, being put under, even thought I have been through it four times in my life :)

Updated on 9 Dec 2010:
I am home :) The surgery took a little over 3 hours and I was home about 1:30. Mike has been amazing! I am in pain but the meds help a lot. I am tucked in to bed with every pillow we have in the house LOL I ate a couple crackers and a little soup...why is it chicken noodle always sounds good when you feel like crap :) I appreciate so much all of you, knowing you are here makes me feel so much better! I have boobies and a flat tummy...not that I can really see anything right now but I have round mounds on my chest, a vast improvement from a few hours ago LOL

Updated on 11 Dec 2010:
Day 3 and I feel pretty good! Not that I am ready to go run laps or anything but I can walk from the bed to the couch so that is progress. We took the bandages off my breasts today and it felt so good to get that tape off my skin. We put four by fours back over the nipples just to protect them from rubbing against the bra. I would really like to see my stomach but I am scared to remove the binder completely; I may just wait until my post op on Wednesday.

Updated on 12 Dec 2010:
Sunday Day 5 - I kind of go in and out of feeling good and not so good. I am still on the pain meds although I am going longer in between taking them. I would say over all that recovery is going along well but is a day to day progression and can't be rushed!

Updated on 15 Dec 2010:
The tubes came out today and I feel so much better! The left breast came out much harder then the right breast and abdomen; good thing that one was the last :) I am very swollen both in the breasts and tummy. My tummy is not quite as flat as I was hoping, the keloid scar that she removed (I had for years) gave her more problems then she thought it would. Even so, I know I can do some tightening of my own via exercise and I have plans on doing just that! My breasts look good although she said if the right one does not drop as much as she thinks it should she will go back in and reposition it. Not a big deal she said, just an inch incision and I will be back at work the next day! We will just keep an eye on that breast and see how it goes. She said the fluid could have moved the implant because it does not look like it did after the surgery. I personally think it has dropped in just the last few days but we will see what happens over the next few months. As for activity she said I have to listen to my body and take it day by day so that is what I am going to do!

Updated on 15 Dec 2010:
Added 6 days post op pic!

Updated on 16 Dec 2010:
Day 7 - Got up this morning and slept on the couch; it allows me to sleep more on my side. I did sleep pretty good last night and I slept on my back but I am kind of a side/stomach sleeper so I will be glad when I can lay in a position that is more comfortable to me.

Updated on 16 Dec 2010:
Today was my first shower in a week and it felt wonderful! Mike helped me wash my hair and he washed my back too. I just stood under the hot water and didn't want to move. He gave me a couple of sponge baths over the past week but nothing beats a real shower!

Updated on 17 Dec 2010:
Day 8 - I got up this morning and decided it was time to get on the scale; I was shocked to see my weight was right where it should be. I'm a bit concerned about my fat percentage which did go up a bit; that tells me I have lost a little muscle over the past week. Starting Sunday though I begin going to the gym to start walking on the treadmill. I thought about going outside but was afraid I would slip and fall so the TM it is! I noticed something else this morning, my abdomen looks a little less swollen which makes me feel much better. The abs are still tight when I stand straight but with each day I notice a bit more improvment with that. I may try my first outing by myself since surgery, a small trip to the grocery store for a few things we need :)

Updated on 17 Dec 2010:
New pic

Updated on 17 Dec 2010:
New pic

Updated on 17 Dec 2010:
New pic

Updated on 19 Dec 2010:
Day 10 - We went to the gym this morning and I walked on the treadmill. It wasn't a marathon and it certainly wasn't fast but it felt good! At first my abs were a little tight but as I kept moving they loosened up and everything came together. I know I have to work on the walking before I can run again but I am itching to get out there and pound the pavement :) I have noticed a big decrease in swelling of my abdomen but no drop in the right breast. I have an appointment at the end of January to recheck that implant and see if it has dropped to where it should be and my fingers are crossed!

Updated on 21 Dec 2010:
Day 12 - I went to the gym and did a half hour on the Arc trainer and 20 minutes of walking on the treadmill. The Arc was set at the easiest level and still my heart rate went up quite high but I was ok with that. I paid attention to how my abs felt and although they got a bit tight, there was never a point where I felt like it was painful and I couldn't keep moving. The breasts felt a little sore at first but that was because I used the arms on the machine so it forced those muscles to work a little bit too. Again though, it was never painful or unbearable. With each day I feel like I am getting back in to a normal routine!

Updated on 26 Dec 2010:
Day 18 - We went shopping today and I bought a ton of new sweaters and shirts. It is amazing how good I feel about myself now that I don't have this ugly fold of skin and breasts that were dubbed the National Geographic boobs by my PS :) Added a new picture too!

Updated on 28 Dec 2010:
Day 20 - My second day back to work and so far so good. I am more sore then I was at home but I am also climbing stairs more so I think that could be why they hurt more. I worked out for an hour this morning and felt great afterwards. I found that if I sit on the weight bench and put my elbow on my thigh, I can lift a 10 weight and not engage my abs :) I can feel my body losing valuable muscle and it is driving me crazy! On the 9th I get to try running again but I will have to start slow and build back up to where I was!

Updated on 30 Dec 2010:
Last day of my first work week. It was tougher then I thought it would be but I feel good about being back on some kind of normal schedule again!

Updated on 9 Jan 2011:
30 days since surgery and today was my first attempt at running. Not only did I run but I ran 5 miles :) Not at the speed I was running prior to surgery but I don't think it will take me long to get back to that. I wore my binder and am glad that I did. My breasts were a little sensitive to the bouncing, even with the heavy duty sports bra I purchased, but it was more of a pressure then pain. Within a few minutes they felt great and my body fell in to a nice easy stride! I want get some updated pictures tonight too.

Updated on 20 Jan 2011:
Well here I am at nearly 6 weeks and I can't believe how well I am healing. I started running again a week ago and am already back up to 7 plus miles. I won't be running any marathons soon but you can bet I will be running the GR Marathon on October :) I still have some jiggle around my belly button but I am starting to come to terms with the fact that I will never have this perfect abdomen that you see in magazines. The fact of the matter is I spent too much time being 100 plus pounds over weight and I did major damage to my body. The doctor did what she could to reverse that but years of abusing my body can't be wiped away that easily. I have noticed that over time I am tightening up and getting even more shape! I love my new body and when I feel down I look at my before pictures, what a major difference! I think it was totally worth it, I have this whole new confidence that I didn't have before and let me just say, this girl can rock a tight sweater :) I will be posting updated pictures soon!

Updated on 20 Jan 2011:
New pictures. I shouldn't have worn the black bra, it makes it harder to see my breasts. I still am having problems with the right implant being to high. I have an appointment next week with my doctor so we will see what she wants to do then.

Updated on 26 Jan 2011:
So I had a follow up appointment today and Dr. V was very happy with how I am healing. She is still not satisfied with my right breast implant being up higher then it should and she would like to do a little revision work on my abdomen. Nothing major and both can be done together. She will cut a small incision under my right breast and pull that implant down and then a small incision on my left side to tighten down the area next to my belly button which she believes can be tighter. She also said she may do a slight bit of lipo on that area as well. I am planning on getting this done after my trip to Florida in March so it will be nice for Cancun. The side where it is still to puffy for her liking is the same side where she fixed the old surgery scar I had so this is not too surprising. Also, it is nice that she recognized the same trouble area I did, this makes me feel so much better about the entire process. I think she is great!