Mommy Makeover: Stories

My Story

I am a 28 year old mother of 2(a 4 year old boy and a 6 month old baby girl) and wife to my best friend. Though I am happy and in love with my family, there is a part of me that is missing...my old self that had a great body and lots of confidence. This was the girl I was when I fell in love with my husband. My breasts weren't perfect but I was good with them and my body, included my stomach was toned. After I had y sweet baby boy who was almost 9lbs, my stomach had the stretched-out look and stretch marks and my boobs hung lower than I had ever expected. "WTH?" I thought. I worked out hard for a year and was happy with myself in my wedding gown when I married my husband. My body went on to being pretty satisfactory until I got pregnant with my baby girl last year. She, too, was a big baby, weighing in at 8lbs. And so here I am 6 months later and I didnt think my body could get any worse than it did from the first pregnacy. But guess what?? It did!!

My Decision to Get Cosmetic Surgery

After much research and being totally depressed for my summer vacation in California this summer because I REFUSED to wear a swimsuit, I was determined to get my body back, or atleast get it to a point where I am happy again. So I finally decided on Dr. Basu. My consultation went GREAT! He and Elizabeth made me feel very comfortable and were very thorough in their going through the procedure with me . He has a VERY friendly staff as well.

NERVES!

I called Elizabeth, Dr. Basu's coordinator the other daybecause a friend of mine told me a terrible horror story plastic surgery and she assured me that most horror stories are due to the choice of surgeon. I am still a bit nervous, but I was so thankful for her in that moment. I've never been under before but I have had 2 c sections, and I have heard that they are harder than a TT. Still, though, I am very nervous about the whole thing. Its going to be a 6 hour surgery-TT, BL, and LIPO in the Waist. Everyone says not to worry but I cant help it. I keep thinking of my little ones and what they would do if something happened to me, God forbid. I know its morbid, but my friend really jacked me up yesterday when she , who is a nurse, told me such awful plastic surgery stories that she knew of. I was doing so good, until I talked to her. But I know that my life is in the hands of the Lord and a very good surgery. Funny enough, I'm not nervous about recovery at all. I'm pretty darn good when it comes to taking pain. If I can just get past the surgery, I feel like I'll be ok.

I am encouraged by all of the wonderful things that I hae read by all of the brave women on here and from the wonderful reviews I have read on Basu and his team. I have been blessed with a supportive and wonderful husband and a the best faily and friends that are standing behind me every step of the way. They have all pushed me to do what they know will make me happy!

**P.S. I will add pics after my surgery.

Its Thursday...Surgery is on Tuesday. OMGosh! I am feeling very anxious. I really just want to get it all over with! I definitely am excited about finally getting a flat tummy and boobs that are not flat as heck. BUT, I am stile nervous. I know. I know. It's perfectly normal to be but I cant stop thinking about my babies. I got kind of teary last night thinking of all of the awful things that could happen. However, i know that God has my back and that I have chosen a great doctor. I think my husband is starting to get anxious too. He called me today to see if I was worrying about my surgery(because that's what I've been doing since my friend told me a TT horror story) and I told him not as much since I got on this great site! Thank GOD for everyone on here! Everyone is so supportive and kind. I truly have been put more at ease by all of you! I keep trying to pump myself by looking at this mess of a body in the mirror thinking that this will all be gone soon!

3 more days and its SHOWTIME! Wow! Things are moving so fast! Part of me wishes that I had another week and part of me wishes that the surgery was tomorrow! I'm going to the store to stock my house with soup, water, things for salads, straws, anti-bacterial soap, and some comfy clothes and blankets. The excited part of me has been making a wishlist of all of the cute dresses and pants that I want to get once I have my new body and the scare-dy cat part of me has been getting watery eyed every time look at my kids and think about the surgery. One thing that is really scary is my husband having to be in charge of my dinner while I cant cook for myself. YIKES! I love him to death but he's no master chef. But other than that, I know my guy will be a great nurse. He was great when we had our children.

My Recovery Grocery and TO DO List:

Grocery List
-Low Sodium Progresso Soup
-Unsalted Crackers
-Tuna(and stuff to make tuna salad)
-Spinach Leaves
-Yams
-Chicken
-Broccoli
-Vinegarette Dressing
-Fruit(berries, apples, melons, and oranges)
-Low Sodium Snacks
-Apple Juice
-Bottled Water
-Green Tea
-Anti-bacterial Soap
-Lysol
-Tylenol

TO DO List
-Clean, sanitize, and dust my house from top to bottom
-Pack the kids for Grandma's house
-Wash and fold clothes
-Change my bed clothes
-Get a recliner
-Get a wedge pillow
-Get some DVDs
-Pick up my perscription

Am I forgetting anything??

Ok...wth? I feel like Im getting a cold...NOOOOO! What does this mean? Will my surgery be pushed back? What should I do?

It's 1am...and what am i doing? Up reading stories from people who REGRET their TTs due to swelling for months, "dog ears"(wth?), loss of blood, and all kinds of other crazy stuff. I thought that I did all of my research but did I? Literally, when I saw the first "not worth it"-which was the loss of blood story, I started to get light-headed. People are on here saying that they cant even eat what they want months and months after surgery bc they end up in "swell hell!" Also, there are people claiming that they cant even exercise without getting bloated and swollen. Now what the heck is all that about?? Thankfully, my doc has great reviews on here. No regrets from any of his patients. I know, I know, to all of you that have had it done and are feeling great about your results, I sound like a total wimp. I've actually considered calling the TT off and getting only lipo, but I've heard from many(including my PS) that lipo can actually make a post-pregnancy stomach like mine look worse with rippling and lumps and what not. My heart pounds as I write this update. Am I making the right decision? I cant help but wonder.

So today is a much, much better day. I think getting out of the house and shopping for all of my recovery stuff really helped. My husband and my kids went with me, which was really nice! We got EVERYTHING! Im literally washing my comfy recovery PJs, undies, blankets, and sheets as I type. My fridge is stocked to the max with all kinds of healing things like asparagus for swelling, garlic for anti-inflamatory and immune system builging, blueberries, and many, many other things! Wal Mart did not have a great selection of movies, so Im heading to Best Buy tomorrow. They did have great magazines though! I didnt make it to bed until 4am last night! Yikes!! Up agonizing all night about Tuesday...but here I am, only one day away from the BIG DAY. What can I say? I feel better about the situation, excited, and still some nervousness. Im actually pretty excited about getting my house together for some recovery down time now. My husband, my parents, my sis, and my friends have been great! So positive and supportive! I wish they could all be in the OR with me! LOL My husband said I looked like I was spaced out this morning. LOL after an all-nighter reading "not worth it" stories, I sure was! But better now :) I'm done packing the kids things up for Grandma's house:( Still have to pick up the pain pills and get a few things from the store. At this point, Im just praying about every few minutes for a safe surgery and honestly, hoping to have a nice and quiet recovery at home. I think I've overly-prepared myself!

The Day is Here!!!!

Wow. I can't believe the day is finally here!!! I am up, dressed, and due for surgery at 11am. Feeling good, been praying all night and all morning! I fee confident in my surgical team and ready to get my new body! Will update when I awake!

I'm baaaack! Let me jut sat that for some reason, I was inredibly calm this morning. Go figure. The morning started off with uplifing text messages and phone calls from my 3 clsest friends with prayers and pumping me up! ne even texted me, "VIXEN, its time!" My mom kissed and hugged me and told me that I was going to b ok because she'd been praying for me. My sweet husband was playing some of his favorite music this morning(rap...I know, crazy) and let me tell you, it was the more mellow kind and it really made things less tense! We dropped thie kiddos at my mom's and headed there. The whole time in the waiting area, we laughed and he did everything he could to take our minds off of things...he too, was nervous this weekend. When they called me back, my nurses who were there while I got my IV were the absolute best. And my surgery coordinator was too. We talked about out kids together and laughed. Dr. Basu has a perfect team over there! No wonder he's been in several mags and is so recognized in Houston!. The anestheseoogist was the sweetest lady! Everyone was so comfortng. Then, it was time. I got in the OR and the coolest alternative music was playing. I felt like I was on Nip Tuck. LOL my nurse put my circulatory boots on and started singing. She said her favorite sng was playing. Love her! Anywho, next thing I knew, I was in a wheelchair, drinking a sprite with a straw. WOW! I dont remember a thing about recovery!! MY hubby said that I rolled out looking like Frakenstein's wife by the hair right after surgery and that they were laughing at me. LOL I dont remember a thing about that! I dont even remember going on the elevator. I just remember getting into the car, and the ride home, in which i was fully awake after we got about 10 mins away from the house. BTW, I wasnt in any pain. Just a little stinging around my breast insisions and soreness in the tummy. On a scale from 1 to 10, Im a 2. When we got in, I ate soup so that I could take my meds and now we are watchting tv together. I am walking every two hours in th skiers position, and sitting at the computer, typing this update, and surprisingly, Im hungry! Havent had the nerve to look at anything bc I dont want to see any cuts yet :) My friends and fam have called to check on me and my husband has been so swet. I will post pics once I get up tmorrow! I wuld like to thank all of the sweet and supportive gals on RealSelf. What an amazing group of women.

Ok, talk to you soon ladies!!
XOXO

Its Day #2 and I feel great. Not much pain, besides the soreness in my abs(feels like Ive done 10,000 crunches-which really isnt bad at all).The little drains are a bit of a pain, but are much more manageable if you just zip them in a jacket. I can honestly say that they are not as bad as I thought they would be. I didnt sleep alot last night and not bc I wasnt comfortable. I just think I was rested from the 5 hours I was on the table and pretty amped that I'd done it and that it was finally over and such a great experience. I seriously cant believe how wonderful Basu and his team were. My hubby was so great all day yesterday, until the poor guy passed out. But made sure to wake up every once in a while and ask if I needed anything. Of course I didnt. I was fine. I went to pee on my very own (if you've had a c-section, its like you know the routine-hold on to the wall and slowly sit down). It can also be compared to when you work out really hard and you haven't done it in a while and you wake up sore. I did exactly what the doc said and got up to walk every 2-3 hours.

Things That Are Really Helping Me Out Post-Op:
-My zip-up jacket to keep me warm and control these drains

-Hot tea to help with the cough that comes after surgery(they want you to cough to keep fever away;you have a bit of mucus in your lungs from having your mouth open for so long in that cold OR. Doesnt hurt to cough if you put your hand on your throat and do a few moderate coughs instead of one hard one.)

-Water and Gatorade has been easing the super dry throat.

-Good TV because you may be like me and be up! LOL

-Antibacterial Wipes for the hands, sanitizer, and antibacterial handsoap to keep as clean as possible when dealing with dressings and drains.

-Tons of pillows and thick, comfy blankets to sleep as comfortable as possible.

-The recliner or a big chair with an ottoman really does help. I thought I wouldn't slep in the bed, but its just too tempting to want to lay down. I actually had a good night's sleep once I finally went :)

-A nice size, reachable table next to you so that you can put all of your stuff on.

-Notepad to write down all of your "pill" times so that you wont over or under medicate yourself. Vicodin doesnt really put me away like that but it does ease pain. So I definitely want to stay on schedule.

-Comfy, maybe one size too big long pants! They kep me warm and all the dressings tucke in very nicely.

-Socks with grips on the bottom. Your doc may or may not give them to you(mine did but I have extra just in case h didnt). This is NO time to be falling. OMGosh! Scary.

-Ask your hubby or whoever is staying with you to sleep on the couch next to you so that they can monitor you or be ther if you need something.

I dont think Im forgetting anything. But I will update as the day goes on!

FAITH:
I am so happy that I did this! What I wish I'd known before is that if you have a good doc, chances are he's got a great team and that there is nothing to be afraid of with PRAYER! Its like the Lord calmed supernaturally calmed my nerves on the day of. I mean, it was like any of the other days where my friends and family were being supportive and my husband was being his same ole sweet and calm self but when I woke up yesterday, I was totally fine! I thought that I'd cry when I dropped my kids off but I wasnt sad at all. I got into the waiting room with my hubby and was good. The nurse told me how chilled out I seemed. Even as I got my IV and walked over to the OR, nothing. I know it was God who had gotten me to that point and I believe that HE annointed that great team!

DAY 3 POST OP

Last night was a pretty good night. My husband had to shower me again and that went well. The numbing cream that Dr Basu put on my incision was supposd to wear off in 24 to 36 hours, but Im glad to say that I am not having any problems with it. The most irritating part of this journey are these darn tubes going into the top of my vagina. Geez! The tug at you and you have to be really careful when you're showering or using the restroom. My boobs are a little sore and so are my abs, but not too bad. I've been getting up to walk around the house to keep blood flowing-even when Im sleepy and dont feel like it. Now that I am past the surgery part, I am scared to death to have the drains removed(I heard that it hurts!) But still cant wait for these suckers to be GONE! I dont dee how people recreationally take Vicodin. The stuff makes me feel heavy in the head and sometimes gives me a headache. No bowel movement yet(sorry, tmi) So if I dont get one today, Im doing a stool softner. Ive been eating alot of prunes, blueberries, veggis, and drinking lots and lots of water but still nothing.

Ok so its the evening of my 3rd day post op and I feel pretty darn good still! My incision is numb and the ones around my breasts are starting to get itchy, which means they are healing!!! My appetite is still pretty good. I haven't had to take one nausea pill! I had somewhat of a bowel movement but I'm hoping for a better one soon! One thing I will say to the ladies who ware thinking of scheduling a TT or MM is that plan it around your period! I would be devastated if I had to have these freaking drains in and my period I think I'd be in a very depressing place. Praying that i continue to have a good recovery!

Day 5 Post Op and its and itchy one, both under my breasts and my tummy incision. I'm easing off the pain meds bc I truly am not in a lot of pain. Tuesday I see the doctor and he will decide which if either of the drains will come out. I'm scared bc I heard that they hurt but I want em out! Can't wait to get back in my bed.

Hey Guys!

Sorry I havent posted in a little minute but my little boy came home on Sunday! Exciting! I went to the doc today and got only one of my drains taken out but it made all of the difference. I feel so much more free now and it didnt hurt AT ALL! Thank God! I'm still doing good(no pain) but I did have a little skin blister under my tape that's on my incision. That was a little agitating but nothing to fuss about. I feel so good about my decision to get both breasts and the tummy done in one day. I LOVE my boobies! My tummy is still a little swollen on the bottom but very flat on the top. I cant wait for 4 weeks post op!

TTYL

I Week and 2 days Post Op....

Well...Well...Well, was it all too good to be true? I've been around here on the moon bc of how great I've been feeling and right in the middle of my sleep this morning, I must have shifted wrong and split about a half an inch or even less of my incision! Its not bleeding or anything, just a tear. I felt it as soon as I did it. It's the part of the incision where the skin kind of bunches in the beginning of healing. But, the good news is I spoke to the nurse and she didnt seem to think that it is that serious and that it would close on its own. She also said to just keep it dry, keep the dressing on it, and keep an eye on it. Honestly, I think the bed gives me too much freedom to move around in my sleep, even though I was sitting up. Back to the chair I go I guess. Ugh...

Other than that, still doing good. That threw me for a loop though. Also my husband told me that I need to rest more...

Ok...so I went to the doctor so he could check out my little opening and the nurse saw it and said no big deal and just to Betadine(a topical anteseptic) it and sure enough its dry and just about closed. So I got a very good report! They took all of my tape off and said that all of my incisions were healing well. I have both drains out now so there is a considerable amount of swelling in my lower abdomen. They said that I can expect it for the next 6 to 8 weeks. I cant wait for this swelling to go away. Everything else looks GREAT besides that. I will post pics soon, I promise!

It has been a while since I have posted...I know. I am about 6 or 7 weeks post op and saw that I had redness around my incision(which is now closed completely). Its also swollen and VERY tender-actually kinda hurts. I went to see my PS today and he unfortunately tells me that I have cellulitis which is an infection under the skin and it is due to the sutures. They poked it with a needle and pushed out about 60ccs of yucky reddish fluid. This hurt like HELL! Not the needle but the pushing it out bc I was so tender and sore. Now I am on antibiotics and quite frankly, I am depressed and very scared after reading about cellulitis and the risk factors. Its nothing that my PS did wrong. Its just how my body is reacting to the sutures. They say come back in 7 days to see if things have gotten better. For now, I am watching my temperature which is very good and trying to eat as many anti-inflammatory foods as possible. And drinking lots of water. Anyone else been through this?

Hey All!

I am almost 2 months post op and boy is it confusing...I am still loving my PS and his team. Without their patience with my many phone calls, questions, and visits, I don't know if I'd still be sane. You definitely have NO idea what the gals who've had tummy tucks are trying to say when they say "its a roller coaster" or "its a LONG process-healing wise" until you go through your first set back. Mine was when I suddenly started having a flair up in the right side of my incision. It was red, hot to touvh, and VERY tender. Scared the crap out of me so I called Dr. B in the middle of the night and he called me in some antibiotics. He asked to see me the next day and sure enough, it was a minor infection due to fluid collecting around sutures that wouldn't dissolve. So they poked it and squeezed everything out of there. Boy, that HURT! The stuff that came out was thick and a weird color of red. Like magenta or something. Lol! Then, they gauzed it and said finish the antibiotics and come back in a week. Well here I am at home on a Saturday night waiting for my appt Monday and the "poke" looks more like a slit now which by that I mean the hole is getting bigger. Scary! WTH? My doc says that's normal and that the skin is thin and I may need a revision done later. Whatever! I just wanna be healed. Not really thinking of the cosmetic stuff. I just don't want an infection. Also, next to the area that was weeped, I started developing another little area of fluid that burst on its own. Again groSs red stuff coming out. *sigh* so now I have two holes and its dragging me down. But I keep remembering everything people said about TTs. "They take a LONG time to heal COMPLETELY" its so frustrating bc you really believe that you're "healed" at like 6 weeks, and then, here come the set backs out of nowhere. You start doubting why you ever did it, especially with infections happening. The thing is, I don't know what I could've done to get an infection. And the answer is nothing. Some people's body start spitting those sutures and you just end up with fluid. I'm trying to stay positive and be happy with what I do have which is great boobs, a flat tummy and an infection that's in remission.

I went to the doctor today. The nurse said that the two holes( one is the size of a pencil led and the other is about the size of an eraser to a dime) looked "very good." What?! I was totally surprised! I was for sure that they would be disturbed by the growing hole that is the size of an eraser/dime. Well, she still said I needed to pack it. NOOOOOO! It is the most awful thing I've had to do through out this entire process. It just seems so strange to be stuffing these fleshy opn wounds with something. And, it kinda hurts! When will this end??? Hopefully soon! I am in the doctor's office every week now, but I absolutely feel much better everytime I leave. I just love the entire team.

Anywho, the great news is that I have been going braless when I go out these days! How awesome is that! I havent been able to do that EVER! LOve my boobs. And honestly love my shape and tummy despite my little evil intruders(the holes).

I am still packing these darn holes and the newest one is getting bigger. The other one is getting a little better. Packing is stretching the newer one and it is sooooo frustrating. This weekend is my husbands's 10 year class reunion and I am limited to what I can wear bc of these bandages. I just wonder how long does it actually take for them to close?? I was one antibiotics for a week for and infection which is why we opened the first hole. But I'm wondering if I need them to avoid infection since I'm open in two areas now....I see the doc again on Monday. This is so depressing. I just want to be closed. I'm not even concerned with scar revision right now.

Ok so I made 8 weeks this past weekend. One of my holes is just about closed and the other is slowly closing. However, now I've got a new issue. I have a little knot/lump that's very sore in my upper abdomen. My tummy is very tight and sore up there all of a sudden. I wore heels all weekend and when I got hone I was exhausted. Could this mean anything? I read how some other people had this and that their PS said it was sutures or muscle repair.

How I Healed My Incision Openings:

1. I washed my incisions with Antibacterial Soap and dried them well after a shower. I even squeezed them so that the excess water that was in there came out.

2. I drenched gauze in Betadine and cleaned the area thoroughly. I then, took a q-tip and dipped it in the Betadine and swabbed my holes.

3. Ok, so packing the wound really was strange and only seemed to make it bigger. So, what I did was not stuff the hole with it but just put it in there enough to absorb what was on the surface if that makes sense.

4. Then I covered each wound with a dressing.

Do this ALL twice a day. The betadine should only be done for 5 days. Then give yourself a break (about 3 days) Then continue.

Healing from these took forever. But here I am 3 or 4 weeks later and they are finally healed.

So I am almost 3 months post op and the problems keep coming. Again, NOTHING that my plastic surgery team did. They've been awesome and totally available. Believe me, I have called my PS in the middle of the night several times. And on weekends and he has really been patient with me.

I was absolutely one of those patients that started off GREAT! my surgery was super easy and the first couple of weeks were great. No problems. Then, here come the problems at about 5 weeks. Now that I am about 11 weeks out, I have swelling only on the right side of my stomach and its in my belly button too. So weird. Then after I had two holes finally close, here comes another. WTH? Its teeny tiny but lets hope that it doesnt get any bigger. I also had a pnumonia scare. I ended up in the ER on Monday night and the er doctor did an xray and said he saw a slight case of it in my right lung. Well, after I saw 2 other doctors, my primary care doc and my dad's internal medicine doc, turns out it wasnt. Just an upper respitory infection. I just finished my last antibiotiic and feeling better. But, being sick made me swell quite a bit. My PS nurse said that absolutely will happen if you get sick. Fluid can fluctuate throughout your abdomen. So, back to my compression garment. UGH! When will this end???!! I knew that a TT took at least a year to completely heal but geez! It's like its something new every week. Anyone else felt like this?

Just when I thought things couldn't go down hill even more, turns out, I was wrong! I was standing in my living room talking to y sister and my husband and there was brownish fluid running from somewhere...it took me a while to lift my shirt up and see that it was coming from the little swollen area around my navel. It started gushing out fluid everywhere. I meaning pouring! I was totally freaked out and of course called my PS. He said that it was a little seroma and it found its way out eventually. Funny enough, I dont even see a hole.

So Im gauzing the area and wearing my compression garment. *sigh* I have no words. Will go see my PS on MOnday. Can this really get any worse? I suppose I didnt take things to heart when they say it takes a full year to fully heal from a TT. There is a possiblity of all kinds of setbacks until then I guess.

Ok so my stomach has been leaking this fluid since last Saturday(when a build up of fluid due to a suture spit spued out of my navel). It is so annoying having to keep butting gauze on. The nurse says she doesnt know when it will stop. Great. I have a party this weekend and I have to be all wrapped in gauze and bandage for that.

Starting to wonder if all of this is worth it. I know they say that it takes a full year to completely heal, but I feel like I havent been able to enjoy "my new body" at all. Well, I have been enjoying my boobs :) But this TT business is really draining.

It's been quite a while since I've posted.

I thought I was past the openings and all the swelling that goes with it but clearly I was wrong. I have a small opening on the right side of my incision and its making me strangely swollen on that side. This is totally depressing me bc no suture comes out nor can I get any reason from my PS as to why this is happening.

I also have a teeny opening in my belly button again that started to seep when I put on my garment. I put the garment on so that the swelling would subside but it created a whole new problem seems like.

Honestly I'm feeling hopeless and like having the awful stomach I had before wasn't as bad as the crap I keep dealing with with suture spits, openings, etc.