6 weeks 6 days - I don't recommend shoveling

I will be 37 this month, I am 5'2 140lbs, I wear a size 6 pants and small/med tops. I've had 3 amazing children (15, 12, 10). During my pregnancies, I unfortunately developed Hashimoto's Hypothyroiditis, pre-diabetes and PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrom). Needless to say, I put on a lot of weight which was very difficult to take off - at my heaviest I weighed 187 lbs and wore a size 22! As I mentioned previously, my journey to where I am today (47 lbs lost) has been long and full of small behavioral changes over time. I probably could stand to lose 10-15 more lbs, but honestly, I'm happy with where I'm at weight and fitness wise, but totally hate my sagging belly skin and boob flaps! I've worked really hard for a long time to get to where I'm at - I want to be proud of my body and for my outside to reflect how healthy and proud I feel on the inside! My surgery is scheduled for 2/29/12 - I'll be getting breast implants (full C, small D), a full tummy tuck with muscle repair and lipo of my flanks. It's amazing how many emotions I've experienced since making the decision to do it - fear, guilt, elation, guilt, excitement, guilt...did I say guilt? - crazy! My pre-op appointment is in 7 days (2/8) - the clock is ticking. I'm excited to share my journey with others - it's cathartic, really. Sharing my story and hearing others' helps put this decision into perspective and reassures me that my feelings are "normal" :)

Hey ladies - I'm a little concerned that the Lipo and TT (taking fat/skin out) might cause my hormones to go nuts again - mess up my bodies hormonal equalibrium - does anyone have any feedback on wether or not that's a valid concern? I'm sure many of you would agree...if you hormones are out of wack it can cause all kinds of issues: abnormal swelling, insulin resistance, weight gain, etc. It would be horrible to get this done and then gain a bunch of weight over the 6 week recovery period (and after) because my body can't figure out how to regulate hormones again!

Just finished up my pre-op appointment. I have a book (literally) of information, warnings, suggestions, information, etc. from the surgeon (45 pages) - I had to read and inital every piece of information in it during my visit. Then I sat down and spoke with the patient coordinator who is great by the way - super sweet, but gets down to business! She went over the Vitamins they provide (a morning multi vitamin, an evening multivitamin, Bromelin and something else that starts with an "A", but I can't remember exactly). She also went over the hospital stay afterwards, gave my hubby some instructions, then took another set of pics and tested me for anemia...I was also given a book to read from the implant manufacturer and a pamphlet on my implant warrenty (10 year full replacement - up to $3500.00 value) - I thought that was pretty cool - reminded me of when I purchased our last air conditioning unit ;). Anywho - I have LOTS of reading material to keep me busy between now and the 29th, which is good since I'm practically obsessed over this whole thing, right now.

The doctor is going to do an extended TT - which extends around the sides a little bit further - I'm sure you can tell from my pics that my skin on my thighs is not great - the 45lbs I've lost has caused everything to sag (i was not blessed with great elasticity in my skin), the extended tummy tuck will help pull the thigh skin up a bit on the front and sides...I'm really looking forward to that!