Mommy Makeover: Stories

Hi all! I'm a 32 year old mom of 2. I'm done having kids and would love to get my body back! I've been losing weight since April and have lost 12 lbs. Although my ideal weight is 135lbs, I'm currently 192lbs. My breasts are a good portion of that weight (lol). I've always been busty with an hourglass figure but after two kids (one of which was almost 12lbs at birth), I'm shaped these days more like a garbage can and my boobs look like something out of National Geographic (I hope you all are picking up on my self deprecating humor!)

I'm doing my TT, BBL, LIPO with Dr.Azurin of Miami. He's worked on a close friend of mine and I'm in love with how she looks! So I'm pretty sure Dr. A will be my guy. I have a consult with him on 06/13. However, I'm looking to do a BL with Dr. Horndeski of Texas. Has anyone ever chosen different doctors for different procedures? My reasons are that Dr.H is the only doc that does a BL without a vertical scar. Add to that that I'm of mixed race with the tendency for keloid scarring, my thoughts are that the vertical scar will show up a lot on me. I love my boob size, I just don't like the sag. I'm currently a 38F. If I were to go down to my steady weight of 150lbs which is where I expect to be by the end of the summer, I'm usually a 36DDD. I'm pretty sure though that Dr. A will be my guy for the TT, BBL, LIPO but I'm teeter totering on whether or not I should make the haul to Texas for the BL because it's almost $10k. This is versus going for the lollipop lift with Dr. A who does amazing work and is half the price. If I do, I'll obviously break the surgeries months apart because no reputable surgeon that I know of is willing to do all those surgeries in one day! I'll keep you all posted on my consult with Dr. A and I'll see if I could post up pics of my weight loss thus far!

ok ladies! today is my consult with Dr. Azurin. I'll make sure to update in the evening. I've lost another 5lbs since I put up those pics. I'm running 3 miles about three to four times a week and doing a ton of squats whenever the kids don't let me work out in peace. I'll make sure to update this evening with info on Azurin.

so upset.. I wrote a LOOOOOONG update and clicked the x by mistake. it's lost forever now... ugh!!!@

I'll get to the point. The cliff notes are that I cannot do a BL combined with the other procedures I wanted because it would put me under general anesthesia for about 8hrs. Azurin is going to be my guy for the TT, BBL, LIPO. I love the fact that he is OBSESSED with leaving you with an hourglass figure when doing the lipo/fat grafting. This is what I like, so he is my man!

I don't think I will do my BL with him though. Only because he suggested implants for me and it doesn't sound like something I want to do. His reason for suggesting the implants is that I will not achieve the 'upper pole fullness' I want from a BL alone. The only doctor right now that promises the upper pole fullness I want without putting in an implant is Horndeski of texas with his 'ultimate breast lift' procedure. My only apprehension with him is that he is THE ONLY DOCTOR currently doing that. I love the fact that he is a pioneer but afraid of being a guinea pig. It looks like a kick ass procedure but why is he the ONLY DOC doing it? Know what I mean? It's a healthy amount of skepticism!

I really really realllly like Azurin. I love all his work but just not convinced in the BL dept, especially now after hearing the suggestion of implants.

So my question for you my realself buddies out there is what do you think of this doc's before/after pics?

http://www.realself.com/find/Texas/Sugar-Land/Plastic-Surgeon/Gary-Horndeski

here are Dr. A's before and after pics of a BL:
http://www.bodyandbreasts.com/gallery.htm

Prices I've received so far :

DR. A:

BL/BR - $6400
TT, BBL, LIPO - $11k
BL/BA - $7300

Dr. H:

BL - $9,900 + hotel fees/travel

sent an email to Dr. H's office and his assistant answered right away. I even had a phone conversation with Dr. H a couple hours later! I told him that while I appreciate him being a pioneer and his before and after pics is what I desire, I still have some healthy amount of skepticism. I told him that his work is almost too good to be true. He was very nice and informative and alleviated some of my concerns. This doctor was originally an engineer. Dr. H seems to have a very mathematical approach to his surgeries. Which explains why he's able to do what he does with the female breast and coin it the 'Ultimate Breast Lift'. It's marketing for sure but it seems to be working for him! Dr. H also let me know that he'd send the references I needed my way. I want to talk to someone who's had this lift for at least 2 years. Are they sagging? are they happy? any issues post surgery until now? He went further to explain that with the amount of breast tissue I have, it'd be a mistake to put in an implant. To be honest ladies, I think I will end up doing this procedure with Dr. H but I have to do my due diligence and not have any regrets. This doctor seems innovative and a pioneer. It's my responsibility to make sure there are no smoke and mirrors and that I don't get carried by the emotion his before and after pics leave me with. I don't want to be impulsive.

On the TT, BBL, and LIPO front - I'm putting my deposit down with Dr. A next week. squeeeeeeeeee~!!!! They have last week of August open but I'm going for the second week of SEPT. can't wait!

I put my deposit down for Dr. A today!! My surgery is Thursday 09/12/2012

On the BL front , dr. H sent the references I requested. I've been doing more research and found that breast lift without implants have a shelf life when it comes to upper pole fullness. For this reason, I've asked all the references his office provided how long ago they had the UBL and if they experienced and sagging even if mild after the procedure. I'll keep you guys updated!

Dr. Horndeski's references checked out! Everyone I spoke to loves the work they had done and still happy. I've spoken to several ladies on here and they are happy too! I still have one more thought lingering in my head and that is that I'd like to see post OP pics of his patients a year later with the UBL. Reason being (as well as doing my own research), the technique Dr. Horndeski is using is not new, rather it seems to be one that he has perfected than anyone else in the country - an internal bra. It's not a conventional method which is why you're not going to see other doctors shy away from it for fear of law suits. Yet, when I research this method I've found time and time again is that this method does work and avoids the lollipop scar, most patients see a sag within 6-12 months. This is the fear that hasn't really been alleviated for me. Because although I did speak to a patient who's had her UBL years ago and says she has experienced sagging, I want to see it for myself.

So what do I say? "show me your t***?" . It's a delicate question, nor would I expect anyone to send me a pic of their current breasts over email. That is my dilemma, so the last thing I will request from his office is just that, post op pics of his patients a year later. I know it sounds like I'm being a pain but I've done the same thing with my other surgeon for tt,bbl, BL and in fact if you go to his website every single pic shown in his gallery is right before surgery as the before and 1 year later in the post op.

Last week, I thought it'd be a good idea to see local surgeon. There is one doctor who is known as a "god" on another forum for breast implants/lifts. His name is Dr. Revis. I went to see him and he was FANTASTIC. He also gave me his point of view on Dr. H's UBL and he said that he personally doesn't like it to use it, however he can see that Dr. H does fantastic work (showed him pics). What I'm quickly finding out is that PS are not quick to bad mouth each other. They all seem to have a mutual respect and I guess there is a 'code' they follow (lol). So asking one PS what he thinks of the other's work is pointless if you're looking for unedited critique. I also told him that I was told to put in an implant during my BL for upper pole fullness and he agreed with the implant part. The only exception being that he would not put the implant in right away. He explained to me that I have level III ptosis. That is an extreme sag and that there are little vessels /veins (forget which one he said) that have been stretched out accordingly. During a BL , they get tucked back in and sort of sit in your breasts (as long as they were before) but in a corkscrew matter. I got a little wordy there but hope you get what I'm saying. Anyhow, he said once you put in an implant there is a chance for me lose some sensitivity and heal a little slower. That was his two cents and he really is amazing and booked out all the way 'till October. His prices for the BL alone were just as high as Dr. H's $9,100 and the price is only good for 90 days from when they gave me the quote.

That's all for now, I'm eating clean and exercising so I could get down to my steady weight of 150-160. I've lost about 20lbs.

Wow guys, I'm sorry. I'm lacking so much sleep because of my baby. Thank you to I4MJ for bringing it to my attention. I missed a couple of words in a sentence and not only was it confusing but changed what I wanted to say completely! Here are the edits my most recent update above regarding Dr. Horndeski. I put the original paragraph in and added the words I was missing in asterisks and CAPS

>>>>>Yet, when I research this method I've found time and time again is that this method does work *TO AVOID* the lollipop scar, most patients see a sag within 6-12 months. This is the fear that hasn't really been alleviated for me. Because although I did speak to a patient who's had her UBL years ago, and says she has *NOT* experienced sagging, I want to see it for myself>>>>>

I'm going to ask Dr. H for some pics of his patients post OP at least a year. I know that the upper pole fullness that I desire will not be achieved with a breast lift alone which is why most doctors here are pushing an implant on me. However, I'm just afraid of any premature sagging from an unconventional technique. Dr. H and his staff have assured me that this is not the case but I would like to see some pics. What do you ladies think?

Ok ladies, don't laugh at me but any of you thought it'd be a good idea to get a power recliner for recovery. I know old people buy these so they don't have to make such an effort when getting up on their own. They look like this :

http://www.la-z-boy.com/Collections/Lift-Chairs/?WT.ac=features_powerseries_lift@sidemenu

I think I can snag one up on Craigslist for a 1/3 of the price. Obviously, I'd get it clean and sanitized before using. What do you ladies think? I'm also looking into buying a deep freezer and going to begin the process of cooking food (lasagna, french toast casserole) and storing it in there. I don't want to leave my family without some home cooked meals while I'm healing up. All my husband will have to do is take them out the freezer and in the oven for most meals. I was also going to buy a Boppy pillow for healing from the BBL since my tush will be sore. To be honest, I don't know how the hell I'm going to lay down even if it's on a recliner, powerlift or not. My behind is going to sore, so is my stomach, and every where the doctor will lipo from. I think I'm going to spend some time reading reviews from ladies who've had the same procedures done at the same time and see what they did. Everything seems on track for the surgery with Dr. A. I keep having irrational thoughts about the surgery but I quickly shake them off and trying to keep busy . I'm pretty sure they will only intensify as my surgery draws nearer!

Ok a couple of updates! I've lost 10lbs since the last pic so I put side by side pics. Can you ladies tell a difference? It's ok if you don't! lol. I feel more cinched in and I've definitely lost some inches, that's what the tape measure tells me anyway (woo-hoo) I tried to scale the pictures as much as possible so they would be 'even' and good for comparing. My breasts have gone down in size but appear larger due to the chest exercises I'm doing. As always they look 'ok' in a bra but once the twins are loose it's a different story. I will definitely post the nudey pics a week or two before my surgery.

So far I've arranged for Home Care service the first 48 hours post surgery. It's a nurse that works with Dr. Azurin. She will stay overnight with me and the following day. Finding a nurse who will stay with me and teach my family how to take care of me has taken a huge weight off my back. She's amazing and gave me some great tips for getting prepared before the surgery. Her hourly rate is $25. It's an extra expense but I think it will be worth it's weight in gold. I've also arranged for my cousin to take care of my 10 month old while I'm healing. I've offered her a room to stay in my house and was willing to pay her but she refused payment! So she will stay take care of my baby at my house during the hours that my husband is at work. That was nice ! so I have to think of other ways to return the favor once I'm healed. I'll also be sending the toddler to school full time which means instead of 3 times a week , she'll go 5 times a week for the entire month of September. I'm also freezing a month's worth of lunches and dinners. I'm so used to taking care of everyone here in the house that I don't want this to be too much of a shock for my family. I know they'll manage but if there is anything I could do before hand to make it easier for them AND ME , I want to do it now.

I'm still planning on losing more weight before the surgery. I'm hoping to be in the low 170's by then. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll hit my goal weight of 150lbs by my surgery date. I'm kicking butt in the gym and nutrition department but the weight is not 'melting' off like I thought it would ::shrug::. I have to keep reminding myself that I'm not in my 20's anymore (lol).

I've also updated the title to include the work I'm doing with Dr. Azurin. Once I decide on who I will go with my Breast Lift, I will make a new review! I still haven't decided yet , I have time.

I've been talking about BBLs and butts all day on realself so I put a pic of my backside . This way my BBL sistas can see what I'm working with! Again, I promise to put nude pics a couple of days before the surgery. In the side by side pics I'm pushing back all my back fat and rolls. Then I put another of my backside posing normal. I like by backside better than my front view lol. It's the inevitable c-section hanging pouch I have that makes me cringe every time I look at my photos :/ ..

I wonder if any of you sometimes feel like cancelling your surgeries? My main reason is that I feel that I'm splurging on myself and maybe I should take that money and spend it on the kids instead. My husband reassured me that we have plenty of money to give the kids and mommy a little splurging. I'm also dealing with cold feet on a daily basis. I keep doing these constant self assessments - is this the right thing to do? how bad do I want this? you know this is going to be painful right> So I'm going to write a list with the reasons for wanting surgery in the first place so that I can reference it anytime I'm having cold feet. On the weight loss front I lost another 2lbs! I'm being sooooo good about eating clean and it looks like I'm out of my plateau for now. At this point I'm just counting down the days!

ok, I decided to email Yashira the pt coordinator for Dr. Azurin. I sent her the following (slightly hysterical) email :

>>>Here is the main thing I'm worrying about though... I'm still in the process of losing weight. My ideal goal weight is 140lbs. I'm 179lbs right now. I'll probably be in the 170's or high 160's for the surgery. I know Dr. A is going to leave me looking stunning on the areas he's working on (butt, stomach, back...) but I keep having these horrible pictures in my mind of a beautiful body attached to my still chubby/fat FACE and ARMS.

Is this how I'll look?
>>>

Well that was last night that I sent the email and she called me around noon today. I love that turnaround even for a silly email like mine! She told me that given my frame and face that I will still look proportioned post op and not the cabbage patch kid I was describing in the email (haha). She said Dr. Azurin never mentioned or put in the notes that I'm a candidate for arm lipo but that she wanted to alleviate my fears and make me feel better by scheduling another consult with Dr. A so he can look me over once more. So I'll be seeing Dr. A again next week. I love that kind of turn around! I'll make sure to update again.

FYI - if any of you are reading my review and want to work with Dr. A please email yashira@bodyandbreasts.com or ask for her when you call and she'd be able to help any out of town patients.

For my BBL buddies, my friend went for her BBL consult today with Azurin. She got a quote of $7k ($6900+) and it included sculpting in some areas. So I'm guessing it's cheaper if it's just the fat grafting and no lipo. Just thought I'd share. Anyway, I saw Dr. Azurin today too! I feel more solid/confident in my decision choosing him as a doctor. My questions for him on this visit were:

-Because I haven't hit my goal weight, am I going to look disproportionate having lipo'ed the lower half of my body but not the upper ?
-Should I lipo my arms too?
-I'm afraid of dying during surgery and have irrational thoughts about it . What advice do you have for me (lol yes, I really asked this!)
-Have any of Dr. Azurin's patients died during surgery or immediately following surgery? (I obviously looked this up online but wanted to ask anyway)
-What complications have you seen in patients that have done similar procedures to the ones I'm doing?
-If something goes wrong, what is your protocol and what hospital will I be taken to ?
-I don't want a donkey booty for my BBL , do you think I'll end up with that? (lol)

I guess since the day is drawing nearer, I'm getting antsy and a bit hysterical but I did ask my questions calmly and didn't act like too much of a nut when I saw them this afternoon. First, let's start of with the doctor. He came in the room with Yashira (pt coordinator) . I took off my gown and said "ok, show me what you would do on me if today was surgery day.." . Dr. A was very matter of fact and went to work showing me everything he'd do, He told me that while I feel I have tons of 'rolls' in my back, that there wasn't much 'fat' there per se but more skin than anything else. He will lipo all that out and reminded me that I'd have to always wear my post op garment so that my skin would tighten/firm up around the healing lipo'd areas.

Lipo of the arms will cost me an extra $600 and I'm going for it! Azurin said it was up to me but that I didn't need it .
No patients have died under Azurin's care and the only complications they've had are from people who refused to walk around every 2 hours to keep circulation going. They later formed clots that were not fatal. These are the complications that arise from doing any lipo or the like so I have to make sure I walk around a lot . As far as the donkey booty goes, Azurin said that I'm losing so much weight that the areas were he will do the fat graft don't have a high volume of fat but unfortunately a donkey booty might be in my future depending how much 'good fat' he filters out. I didn't know this but Azurin's protocol for the bbl is whatever he takes out, he filters it , and puts it right back on your derriere. Nothing is reserved, or left out, it's going right back in ladies.

And as far the 'omg omg omg, I don't want to die during surgery' question, Yashira let me know that there are major risks when we choose to have elective procedures like this and I would have to come to terms with that. She reassured me I was in good hands and nothing would happen to me but I did sign up for this and must understand the risks I'm taking. That being said, she also let me know that Dr. A's office refunds you up to 2 weeks before your surgery. The only reason they can't do up until the last minute , is because 2 weeks is the minimum time they would need to pre-op another patient who is willing to take over my surgery date. If I cancel in time, i'd get my money back 100%. I'm also allowed one reschedule if I need 'more time'. This was good to know ! That's all for now ladies.

holy crap! where do I start? Without getting into too much detail and putting too much of my info out there, all I can say is that there is an appointment Sept 18 I have to keep with the US government. Changing it would cause me not to only spend a ton of money in legal fees but get my application denied. Unfortunately, I'd be 6 days post op and let's just say I can't show up to this place high on pain killers lol. My speech can't be slurred or hesitate when I'm answering questions. I called Dr. A's office and explained my dilemma and they offered me 8/30 surgery date. This sort of puts me in a bind either way because my son's bday would be soon after that. Having the surgery 8/30, I'll be good for the 9/18 US govt appt. The other day she gave me was in OCT! I'll update my profile by Monday and let you ladies know what I decide but I'm leaning towards 8/30. eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeekkkkk so nervous about pushing it to an earlier day!

After thinking about it over the weekend, my family and I decided that it was ok to move up the surgery day to an earlier date. I'm getting my tt, lipo, bbl next Thursday 8/30. I'm trying to keep positive but I'm such a chickensh*t when it's showtime. I keep having these "holy sh** what are you doing lady??" thoughts. I had my bloodwork done today and preop is this Wednesday.

ok, paid my surgery in full today. there's no looking back now! I'm hog tied to this surgery. So scared and nervous. Had my pre op today and given all my scripts. Will update more tomorrow. I posted some nudey pics. I covered/holding my boobs in all of them because I'm not doing my boobs yet. That's next year's project, my mommy makeover is being done in parts! lol

I'm so getting my period soon. I'm on a 28 day cycle like clockwork and I'm supposed to get it this Saturday. I'm hoping by the time my surgery day comes , I'm off it or spotting lightly.

Get ready to ready gloom and doom from here on..... you've been warned!

I looked over my last will and testament today and talked to my life insurance agent. I'm expecting the best outcome but planning for the worst - FOR my children's sake. Surprisingly, doing this morbid 'work' before my surgery was a huge weight off my back and a huge sigh of relief. It's the stuff no one wants to talk about but it's a must. I think I've taken care of pretty much everything except for the freezer meal cooking I'm doing this weekend.

With 7 days to go, my emotions are a roller coaster. They go from being excited, to panicky fear, to shedding random emotional tears (i think this one is more my period). Aside from the agonizing pain I'll feel from the work I'm getting done post op (lol) is anyone else looking forward to being knocked out ? I guess since I have an infant who just started sleeping through the night, getting 5 hours of a uninterrupted sleep is a precious commodity in my house (haha).

Oh lord... I'm 'surfing the crimson wave' . Aunt flo has made a visit. I'm just hoping that this is one of those quick periods and goes away before my surgery on Thursday. 'Cause it's looking like a CSI crime scene over here !

So I'm supposed to start colace (stool softener) but ever since yesterday, I have the runs. I talked to my pt coordinator and she said to not take it 3x a day as instructed but maybe take one or two since I'm so queasy already. I told her my nerves are on end. I wasn't able to sleep last night and I don't think that I will be able to until this is all over. I really shouldn't be like this because I need my rest. She did mention to me that if I feel I wont get sleep the night before surgery to just take a valium before going to sleep on Wednesday as long as it's before midnight. I can't eat or drink anything past midnight the day before surgery. I weighed myself today and I lost another 3lbs . I usually lose about 1-2 a week but I think the extra pound is coming from me sh**ting my life out these past two days LOL. Wish I could stop freaking out. No one around me knows because I stay cool, calm and collected. My house is immaculate and that's how I've been keeping myself busy. The 48 HR COUNTDOWN BEGINS!!

so remember the cousin that was supposed to watch my 11 month old at least a week or two while I recover? She cancelled on me today saying that she finally got a job and starts training tomorrow. I'm happy for her but that leaves me with no one to watch my baby. It also left me to scramble at last minute. Thank God, my sister volunteered to watch him. She asked her boss if she could do a later shift at the hospital she works at. It works out perfectly. I only need her for a couple of days , after that, I'll put put him in preschool for half a day while I recover. The only reason I reached out to my cousin at first is because she had no job and I wanted to help her out with $ .

I spoke to one of the nurses that will be taking care of me overnight at the hotel and it was an awesome conversation. She said Dr. A had done her tummy tuck. She reassured me I was in good hands and that Dr. A was an 'artist'. So much so, they tease him about putting his signature on each tummy tuck. Ridiculous but it made me laugh :D and feel a little better. She asked me who would be providing my anesthesia and we realized that I'll be having the same CRNA. We went over some things I should bring to the hotel with me (gatorade, crackers, applesauce, robe) . Told me she'd be monitoring my blood pressure, help me walk. I'm so glad I got the home care!

Besides the crappy news about my cousin not watching my baby, it was a good day. I asked her if she had any advice for me since I had the runs due to my nerves and she told me to take a Valium lol. "Everyone gets nervous before surgery. Even us nurses. You'll be fine" Those words were comforting and I did relax for the most part. I'm saving my Valium tomorrow though. Don't think I'll get much sleep tonight or the next...

Hey all. I'm going in this morning for my surgery. I'm leaving it all God's hands. Would appreciate your good vibes /prayers today :)

I'm alive and made it. No pics yet. I'm in so much pain. bBL is the worst pain. Yesterday was the worst. But I am moving around. I go see dr. A in 1 hour for a follow up in an hour. Getting a nurse was the best decision I made.

So high right now, pain is manageable only if I have the drugs (painkillers).

6am in the morning . Pain is getting better. The surgeries on their own don't hurt as much . The problem is trying to find comfort when you'Re trying to rest. if you did a clusterf*ck of surgeries like I did, it will feel like hell on earth. I cantsleep on my stomach due to tt or my back due to bbl. My only option is to sleep on my sides. And that hurts so much still. You want to switch every 30 mins but that's not good either because you'll end up getting uglier scars from the wiggling / movement , So i had to grab a towel, clamp down and bear it. Tt with ba would have been way more bearable. Cried a lot yesterday but am feeling sane again. My hubby promised to take pics and I will upload tonight. My tummy is flat and my butt is rounder and bigger. I don't know you ladies personally but reading your well wishes made me cry. I felt loved :) I dare say I love you all for checking in on me.

Disclaimer: this entire post is written by someone on Valium and Vicodin lol. Let's starts off with day of surgery

Dr. Azurin has his own OR. He does not perform surgeries in a major hospital which is the reason you'll see his prices be more reasonable than other doctors of his caliber. That being said. The entire facility is top notch, clean, and immaculate. Before going into surgery, Dr. A came in to talk to me about what we were going to do, made his markings. For those who haven't met him, Dr. A is a good looking guy, he looks like he keeps in shape . not that THAT has anything to do with what his talent and craft but holy crap,what I was not ready for is the dreamy
CRNA (anesthetist) that worked with him lol. His name was greg and after exchanging pleasantries , he told me to follow him to the OR. I got my IV hooked up and before I knew it , I was feeling real good and 'high' as a kite. The CRNA asked me if I was feeling good and I said "oooooooooh yeah" and they put the oxygen mask on me and before I knew it , it was lights out.

Next thing I know , I woke up to "Hey sweetie, you're done, time to go. You look great". My nurse was waiting for me in the car with a pillow to rest on and I don't remember getting back to the hotel room.

the first night was absolute sh** . I could not get comfortable. I'm a freak of nature . That is the caveat here. I was impervious to DOUBLE DOSE OF PAIN KILLERS + MUSCLE RELAXERS. Honestly ladies, what I felt like i neeeded was a horse tranquilizer. but that wasn't available. The first night was brutal because I could only sleep on my sides and it was the first time I thought that maybe the surgeries all together were a bad idea and maybe I should have just done TT and lipo. BBL EFFIN HURT SOOOO BAD. I did not feel the TT or lipo. but the BBL pain sometimes made me feel like I was having an outer body experience since I couldn't lay on my stomach for relief due to the TT.

anyway, I will continue my story more tomorrow because I have to do it in parts. I have to take a muscle relaxer right now and it's lights out for me in 10mins. No use writing anything coherent after that. . The cliff notes are that my family (although they were meaning well) would wait 6 hours to give me my pain killers although clearly my pain was coming in 3/12 to 4 hour waves. and as you know, once that pain hits...... it's hard for the pain relief to catch up. I'll write more tomorrow. with Post OP DAY 2. there is a happy ending to this story I promise :)

come on realself! I can't upload a ton of pics from my ipad. Please bear with me and let me see if I can transfer them to my phone or laptop and then upload here! can't wait for you ladies to see this TONKA TRUCK HUMONGO ASS I have... lol .... actually it's not that huge but way bigger than what I started with!

Let's finish off my last story. I wake up in the recovery room , I get taken to the car and into the hote. It's the Courtyard Marriott on 620 University Drive (3 miles from Dr. A) I hired a nurse which by the way was AMAZING her name is suzie and charges $25/hour ,I highly recommend. She works with Dr. Azurin. Her email is Bliss1717@aol.com for those interested in aftercare. I live local but coral springs is 45 mins away from me so I opted to rent a hotel room and a nurse that would help me out for about 24hours . Suzie was great . She monitored my blood pressure, flipped me positions when I needed to flip, took my temperature, blood pressure, and always kept an eye out for me ... making sure I was recovering properly. The first night was pretty bad. Like I said before the BBL hurt me bad. Don't know why. In hindsight, I think the percocet wasn't doing for me because when I was put on vicodin a couple of days later, the pain subsided substantially.

Problems the first night:

I CRIED. I YELLED. My ass hurt so bad. Most girls rest on their stomach after the BBL which I can see why they say they felt no pain or it wasn't that bad. but I had a TUMMY TUCK too. So what did that mean? I had to sleep on my side, careful not to rollover on my drains. But my ass throbbed and had it's own pulse that night. It hurt. I can't even describe it. Dr. A goes deep into the muscle . He inserted 425cc. . Suzie my nurse earned her money with me though. I was in so much pain. I wanted to keep switching sides from left to right so I could get some relief. She even tried to hypnotize me so I could forget the pain but it didn't work. She kept reminding me that if she listened to me and kept flip flopping me from one side to the other , I would sabotage the tummy tuck incision and get an ugly scar. At that point though, I didn't care. I YELLED AT MY NURSE LOL. With tears in my eyes I said "suzy, I don't care anymore. switch me! my ass has it's own pulse, I can't take it anymore!! fu**** hELP ME!!" ugh..... I thought I could hang ladies. I thought I was tougher but the pain from the BBL was unbearable in combination with my TT. I really believe that if I could lay on my on stomach , the pain would not have been so insane. Eventually all she could do was hold my hand and told me everything was going to be ok. She stroked my hair. I cried myself to sleep. Not as much as my nurse would have wanted me to but it was a rough first night. If I have some piece of advice is that That's the most important thing. Try to sleep after your surgeries. You'll feel a lot better. And it will help you transition as the anesthesia from the operating room wears off. I'll also say that if percocet isn't working get your doctor to swtich you to vicodin (has more codeine) because eventually we found that Vicodin LULLED me more than the percocet and I was able to fall asleep.

The next day, Suzie drove me to dr. a 's office. I don't remember much because I was so drugged. Suzie drove me home and taught my family how to take care of me and it was farewell after that. I have to make sure to send her a thank you card. She really was a lovely lady.

Once I was switched from percocet to vicodin and put on a 4hour pain relief schedule, I was starting to feel better as far as my BBL goes. I don't even mention my TT or lipo because the discomfort from the BBL overshadowed the other operations. It wasn't until today (7 days post op) that I started to feel my tt incisions and lipo but they were only annoyances rather than actual pain.

But may I say that, I can't stop looking in the mirror at the VOLUPTUOUS , hourglass body DR. A has given me. I'm not a petite girl, my body resemble something out of 40's pin up magazines. I'm swollen, and look like crap but I'm happy with everything ESPECIALLY the booty and that hurt the most. What's even better? My husband said, I LOVE YOUR NEW ASS today. That felt good. I did this for me, but I'm so glad he loves it too. There is one thing I'm not 100% with and I'll explain in my next entry and that is my tummy tuck. I basically have to wait 3 months for the flat stomach I desire because I had so MUCH SKIN left over. I 'll explain in the next entry with pics. Hope this review is helping you guys!

Really hating life today. So tired of these drains. I miss working out. I miss holding my 1 year old. My two year old is afraid of me because i look weird to her with the bandages. Rough day today but will stay positive.

Ok, so last post I said I was unhappy about one thing about my tummy tuck and I described it as 'extra skin'. Let me preface this post by saying,

- I can't post pictures for you to see until next Thursday, so I will use another user here on RS that is similar to the 'issue' I'm having. Reason being, I actually ripped one of my sutures holding #2 drain, so for now I'm sitting tight, keeping my white bandage/cincher but I promise they will be posted!

-Dr. Azurin is such an expert at what he does, he was able to keep my incision low and avoid a fleur de lis (vertical scar) ... much like this http://www.makemeheal.com/news/images/kaiya-tummy-tuck.jpg

-Skin folds usually go away by 3-6 months time. If not, your doctor might need to do a revision.

So you say... Miamimom why would there be any extra skin? Aren't tummy tucks suppose to tighten your skin? There SHOULD NOT BE any loose skin! For the most part THIS IS TRUE. But (and there are two but's here) 1. there is more than one way to do a tummy tuck and 2) If you had a BIG stomach distension like I did ABOVE (not below) your belly button, see this image of my before here:

http://dkm80tng5uqm9.cloudfront.net/full/d402631c4ba976aa1cd66453238e6a8a/542149-706060.jpg

vertical skin folds are sometimes the risk you take with a full tummy tuck without a vertical scar (fleur de lis). I'm not an expert so I ask you to look at this question asked by a RS member and look at the Doctor responses

https://www.realself.com/question/tummy-tuck-skin-folds
https://www.realself.com/question/tummy-tuck-vertical-bunching-skin
http://www.realself.com/question/vertical-loose-skin-loose-strech-marks-after-tummy-tuck

Once, you look that over, you'll get expert answers as to why skin folds happen. To the untrained eye, it just looks like a botched surgery. They are ugly as hell I tell ya!!! But simply put, if I had advice for anyone here is to research, there is more than ONE WAY to do a tummy tuck. Find out which one is right for you. I could have avoided the skin folds by moving my horizontal incision higher and or adding a vertical scar (fleur de lis). I wasn't willing to do that and Dr. Azurin is not only a expert at what he does but he had full confidence in my skin flattening out.

However, this still did not prepare me for when I went into the office and they removed the bandages and I saw my skin folds for the first time. We're talking doing the UGLY CRY in front of the nurse who was doing my week check in. This poor woman, I put snot / tears all over her (lol) and asked her if I was going to stay this way EVEN THOUGH I already knew that the answer was "NO".

I wasn't supposed to see Dr. A that day but when he heard one of his patients was 'upset' and requested to see him, he was inside my room in 5 mins. What he did next, makes me so glad I picked him as a surgeon. He came in and in the most loving, nurturing way told me that I was 'healing' and to be patient. Results aren't always instant , especially with the stomach distention I had from having a 12lb baby and gaining over 100lbs during pregnancy. This kind of up and down weight loss left me with excess skin above my belly button and if wanted instant flat tummy results, a fleur de lis would have been in order. I didn't want that.

How will my vertical skin folds disappear? I must wear a waist cincher ALL THE TIME until my skin flattens out. I actually purchased one made specially with my measurements and for all the surgeries I did. So it has sleeves for my lipo'd arms, cheek cutouts for my bbl, and a built in corset. I must wear it day and night even when I sleep.

So what kind of results are typical? how much of the folding will disappear? I got a good idea from looking at this user

BEFORE:
https://www.realself.com/files/3-8-09-049-21327.jpg

AFTER:
https://dkm80tng5uqm9.cloudfront.net/full/a5761bdc60ee5dec1baf6c0597c71412/images/me5-26115.jpg

RS member : http://www.realself.com/user/27084

Thank God the universe for realself.com because it was like looking into the future and seeing what to expect. ....and while I read over what I just wrote, it sounds informative but can't help the the debbie downer tone :/ because this is part of the healing process. It's not all puppies and rainbows after surgery. There can be times that even when we have mentally prepared ourselves for the results, and research the HELL out of a procedure - there will be down times and feelings of doubt. I always say 'give time to time' and that's the mantra I keep repeating to myself as I heal. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday ladies !! :)

Where I got my custom girdle: Tara's Miracle Girdles. They come highly recommended from Dr. Azurin's office . http://www.tarasmiraclespa.com/english/

************15 DAYS POST OP*********************
I have to make this post quick. So here are the highlights :

-My hoo-ha is hella swollen. I know this happens but it is like 3D now. Can't wait for this to go down
-I had to give my walker back to Azurin's office. I did too many chores without it. Now I'm sore as hell. Worst back pain
-Drains being taken out was the MOST odd thing I've ever felt. Like a little snake wiggling out of your body
-*TMI WARNING* My body is still trying to ovulate and is right on schedule even after the trauma from surgery
-I don't have my tubes tied and the though of being pregnant after a tummy tuck is scary. So I'm getting an IUD as a back up BC.
-Energy come and goes but I'm not 100% yet wish I could speed this process up
-Tummy is still swollen
-Have decided to completely eliminate salt from any food
-I miss working out but I can barely walk for 10 mins at a time so I know I have to take it easy
-Vertical skin folds are still there but I can them going in. I'm calling 4 months and they will be gone. Can't wait!

Was talking to my husband about doing my BL soon and we had an argument. He said 'NO MORE SURGERIES! I CAN'T DEAL WITH THE CHILDREN BABE! I'M GOING NUTS!" This was sad, yet satisfying. Since I'm SAHM, I'm glad he sees that it's tough because I always think he doubted why I could get so little done in my day with an infant and toddler. LMAO. anyway, bad timing . I'm planning my BL for spring 2013 whether he likes it or not!

forgot to add that azurin lipo'd the hell around the area of the sacrum/lower back. Holy crap. so much so, it's turned into a cup where all the excess fluid post surgery is collecting. The post op garment is helping a lot with that. Did I mention I have to take a pain killer and then a muscle relaxer before putting on the garment? It is TIGHT AS HELL! You feel like you can't breathe at first. But I know how important it is to minimize the swelling. I started off saying I was only going to wear it 15 mins. I actually lasted 3 hours. I took it off and then before going sleep, put it back on again. Today I had it on for a total of 8 hours until I couldn't bear it anymore. I took a 3 hour break and then put it back on again tonight so that I could sleep in it for the first time. Let's see how this goes!

Azurin let me know that the 'back rolls' prior to surgery had weren't really filled with too much fat. In fact, he didn't want to be too aggressive around that area because my problem was an extra skin problem from the rapid weight loss. It's the same reason he didn't want to lipo my inner thighs. My skin is already loose around those areas, so going forward with aggressive lipo would only give me extra wrinkly skin. Last thing I needed was a thigh lift too! However, he did say that if I made it a point to wear my post op garment , these issues would be resolved within a couple of months time. Right now the back rolls are swollen, just as the rest of my body is. 75% of the swelling should be gone by 8-10 weeks. I'm really looking forward to that because as one of RS friends put it here (hey cocopuff :) , I'm very much in the Frankenstein stage of post surgery.

I'm having a lot more 'low' days than highs. I guess you could say I am depressed. Here are what the low days consist of :

-being insanely bloated with fluid retention
-impatiently waiting for the 3-6 month mark where I will be past the frankenstein stage (vertical folds on stomach, insane bloating)
-tired of being hunched over from the TT
-miss holding my kids and picking them up
-compression garment can be so annoying
-relying on people for help
-feening to workout but I can't

So I'm

-drinking 64oz of water a day to help with hydration
-upon approval from Dr. A , I'm getting a lymphatic drainage massage. Feel like I need this!
-reminding myself that I knew results weren't instant
-go on 2-5 min walks to strengthen and improve circulation. This has helped with the hunching over
-I ask someone to grab my kids while I sit on a chair , I put a pillow as a barrier and give them hugs and hold them for a while.
-the compression garment is helping a ton with bloating and vertical folds disappearing so I remind myself of that when I complain about it feeling a medieval torture device
-relying on family members /others for help is my only option. I can't do this without them and I'm thankful I have someone to rely on.
-patience! patience! patience! Working out now will sabotage my results.

On other news my toddler went back to preschool and came home with what seemed like the bubonic plague. She was so sick! But then gave it to my infant, and the infant then gave it to my husband. It's been a rough 2 weeks. I'm just hoping that I don't catch it. It's the last thing I need lol... and I have to laugh so I don't cry... lololololol

If you made it reading this far, bless your heart.

thanks for 'listening'....

Just curious. Anyone here was brave enough to weigh themselves after surgery? I was ! lol

Before Surgery -175lbs
2 PO - 182lbs

omg, what is up with RS today!? It ate my entire previous post and truncated it to 3 sentences. Continuation from last post

I'm currently 172lbs @23 days PO. The PS office strongly suggested that I avoid the scales but I did it anyway because I'm on top of my nutrition. So i know that the weight gain reflects mostly fluid retention. For the fun of it, I'm going to keep monitoring it just to see if I continue to go down each week and when it plateaus!

26 DAY PO *****
I have to do a post and run again. Just took some pics today! I'm approaching my 1 month since my surgery. Here are the cliff notes again :

- I actually got my period again. I was hopping the trauma of the surgery would keep it away. My swelling has decreased quite a bit after Aunt Flo got here . Weird!

-#1 regret is not going bigger on the BBL. Remember how worried I was I would have too big of a butt? Well, I wish I had the donkey booty now! Kicking myself for telling Dr. A to go more conservative on me. On the up side, I love the projection I have now. I just wish it was filled in more

- Hunchback stage is officially over. I started walking @ 2 weeks 5 mins at a time. I'm up to 15 mins walking on the jogging stroller. I don't push myself too hard and take it easy.

-I'm able to hug the kids again and hold them! No rough housing with mommy just yet but I'm able to snuggle with them on the sofa laying sideways.

that's it for now! I'll make sure to update again

3 MONTHS POST OP!

First I apologize for the dirty mirror in my pics! :D I only realized it was disgustingly dirty when I emailed them to myself. Rather than keep you ladies waiting in suspense longer, I put them up anyway. It was post these now or never! I've been gone too long! and that's because I've been enjoying my new body and serious loving life. You know how much I love cliff notes , so here it is:

- I'm getting so much attention from strangers. I feel like I'm back in my twenties. It feels so GOOOOOD!

-Dr. A left me a teeny tiny waist. The man is a LIPO SCULPT GOD. I have an INSANE LOOKING/CARICATURE SILHOUTTE!

-Vertical folds are still there, less prominent looking and fading. Will post nekkid pics . I almost never remove my corset (except for shower). I think it's helped a lot in keeping my hourglass shape post op

-I wish I had a bigger butt! I haven't lost ANY OF MY booty. What Dr. A gave me, It's all still there! What I'm experiencing is MAJOR BOOTY GREED! Now' I'm wishing I hadn't gone as conservative and made Dr. A lipo my inner thighs so he could have possibly stuffed all that fat in my butt too! LOL! BOOTY GREED LADIES! I also think that my THIGHS are hella huge. If they were smaller you'd see more projection. However, I will say that if you were to see me in person, you'd notice right away what a colossal huge ass I have but it goes perfect with my frame. So I never get asked if I've gotten any work done but more "OMG, your butt looks so good in those pants! It looks big! You need to wear more pants like that!" ..... I'm giggling inside but never reveal my secret... ;)

-My husband is so happy with his hot new trophy looking wife. If you want to get an idea of how happy he is, just look at my before pics (haha). He chases me around everywhere and is always asking for sex lately. Guess these are good problems right?

-My scar is thin and low, and even though I'm only 3 months post op, it's starting to fade a bit. I will post more nudey pics so you ladies can see what I'm talking about. I just never remove my corset unless I take a shower and it wasn't shower time yet. It was actually time to clean the bathroom as you can see from my dirty mirror pics.

I'm sure you all have questions but bottom line is :

I'm so OVER THE MOON HAPPY with the way I look now. The attention and compliments I'm getting are bittersweet. I say this because I'm still the same happy upbeat person but people treat me differently because I look different. Unfortunately, for some people, beauty is currency. I recently went to a trade show and I can't tell you how easy it was for me to sell my product because I was the 'hot' girl at the booth. I did nothing different. Same sales pitch. Again, it's bittersweet. I did this surgery FOR ME and my mental health. I was tired of working out and not seeing results around my mid section. However, it feels good to turn heads again and "stop traffic" again!

I take the compliments all in, fully enjoy them because lord knows we all spent so much money on these surgeries! but I also make sure to keep this "self awareness" about me. So cliche but I know that it truly is what's on "the inside that counts". I'm just holding up a prettier looking billboard as of late ;)

Please inbox me if you have any questions. I'm sure I'm missing some updates you all were waiting for but this is what I could think of for now!

added some more pics.

If you want to see what a lipo sculpt god my man Dr. Azurin is - go look at my RS friend zizi's profile. If you compare her pictures to mine, you can totally see the man is obsessed with leaving his patients with an hourglass figure.