Mommy Makeover: Stories

Hi everyone! First off, let me say that finding this community and being able to read and share these experiences with all of you ladies has really been a blessing! The fear of the unknown was keeping me up at night. =>

I just turned 37 in August and have 4 kids. 20-17-15-13. After a failed marriage I met my soul mate about 11 years ago. Needless to say, he spoiled me rotten giving me what ever I wanted. Never talking down to me, always telling me how beautiful I was. So supportive and loving. Well, I got a little too comfortable. In the last 7 years, I managed to gain 100 lbs. I finally had enough of the yo yo diets and in February of 2010 had the lap band surgery. I am now 70 lbs down and ready to implement "phase 2" of taking back control of my body. For the last year and a half, I have worked with a personal trainer exercising 3-4 days a week and adopting a new healthier lifestyle not just for myself but for my family as well.

I was referred to Dr. Niccole from a close friend and was put very much at ease from the moment I walked into the office. At first I was just going to do the breast lift and augment but after thinking about it I figured just get the TT also and get it over with!

So here I am, 10 days until the big day!!!

OK, so only 4 days until the big day...not sure if it's just nerves or what but I'm getting a little scared. I've been playing worst case scenarios over and over in my head and i can't get it to stop. BOOO! I think I'm just ready for the actual surgery to be over with so I can get to healing. Last workout with the trainer is tomorrow so no more exercise for a while (actually not gonna miss that too terribly cuz she's tuff LOL)!

Well, I'm day 5 of post op. Soreness is the big culprit here. Just before surgery he de iced he needed to lipo a bit on my "flanks" saying he was worried it wouldn't be even or smooth if he didn't. That is probably the part that hurts worst. Other than that my back feels like its going to break from being hunched over. I'm a little nervous because my boobs are super hard and seem to be high. My PS says this is normal and that I am still very swollen. I've had a few friends who have had implants and they said the same thing so I wont freak out too much LOL! Gonna be posting some pics here soon.

well, woke up this morning and my right pinky and part of the right side of my hand is numb. its been about 2 hours now. a little worried, is this normal? also, i have a few drops of blood in my urine when i go to the bathroom. i go in to see my ps today so i will definitely be bringing this to his attention.

day 9 of po. feeling MUCH better. got my pain pump as well as 1 drain removed this week and cant wait for the other 2 to go! i can really feel them up my sides and it pulls and burns when i try to stand up when i walk. got the go ahead to start massaging my breast this week. they are still pretty sore so i have my husband do it cuz i cant!

okay, so let me do a full on up to today review of what i have experienced and what anyone reading this can expect if you havnt gone thru it already.
first of all: nerves nerves nerves pre op! dont play the "what if" game! dont second guess yourself, your decision, or your ps. you did your reasearch, picked your doc for a reason and choose this proceedure because you are ready! RELAX! its all going to be fine!

second: the worst part of waking up from the operation for me was nausia and not pain surprisingly. ask your ps if they will give you a pain pump or if its an option because it made the first several days of recovery VERY comfortable. pain management is the key. i would have to say that extreme soreness and the pain in my back from walking in the bent position was the worst part. so don't be scared you wont be able to handle it. its uncomfortable, not unbearable.

third: follow your ps po instruction to the letter! there is a reason they tell you to do what ever weird thing they may want you to do. and dont be afraid to ask questions or address concerns even if you think they might be not a big deal or silly. its your body, this is new to mostly everyone and they are there for you to answer any questions you might have about the changes going on.

lastly: DONT PANIC! you will be swollen for a long time, your boobs might ride high for a while, might be firm for a while, things might look a little "off" or "not right" but this is okay and normal. im 9 days po and my boobs still don't look completely normal (still very swollen and high) but they look much better than day 1. give yourself time! good luck & congrats on your journey to all of you fabulous women!

So I finally got another drain pulled yesterday with the final drain hopefully coming out on Monday. I forgot to mention ladies, oversized baggie sweatpants and zip up or button down shirts or hoodies are a MUST for PO. I didn't have anything oversized like that and didn't want to spend a lot of $$ for it so I just went to Goodwill and picked up big sweats and a hoodie for less than $10! I also rented a motorized reclining lift chair that SAVED ME! my bed sits too high and my couch would have been real comfortable. And having the chair lift me up and down was sooo helpfu

^I meant my couch would have been UNconfortable!!
;)

So I'm 16 days PO. I think I'm going thru the blues that everyone has spoken of
:(
I'm still swollen. My boob r very firm still. My right boob has dropped but my left hasn't so I look a little lop sided, and to top it all off I think I have a dog ear on my left hip. Oh yea, and to top it off my skin on my belly feels so tight and uncomfortable I can't stand completely upright. I think I'm gonna call it a day.

Feeling a little better today. I just seem to get really winded doing stuff around the house. My belly is SO stinkin tight! I really hope that goes away. Got my next PO appt Monday morning. I'll be bringing this up with my ps and see of there r any stretching moves I can do to loosen this up a bit.