Mommy Makeover: Stories

A little about me:
I have been waiting 16 years for this!!!!

I'm 5'3 160lbs. I have had 3 beautiful boys, the first was a c-section. Since then my stomach has never been the same. Even though there was only one baby in my belly each pregnacy, I looked like I was prego with twins each time. I had a breast reduction and lift back in 2006. I was a DDD, with flat pancake boobs. I wanted to go down to a small C, but ended up being way smaller than that. Plus when I raise my arms there is a void and when I lay down whatever boobs I have disappear. So I have decided to get some new ones. I have lost about 35lbs in the last year and decided now is the time to go ahead with the Mommy Makeover. I could stand to lose some more weight, but I am ready NOW! I have been married for 17 years and have a very supportive husband. He will be taking time off of work to take care of me, so I am very thankful for that. He took care of me when I had the BR done and I survived that so I think I am in good hands!
I have gone to a few consultations in the different areas we have lived in. We are a military family and have never lived somewhere long enough for me to have the procedure done and have adequate time to recover. So now that things are slowing down, my children are older and my husband is done deploying..it is finally time for ME!!!!

I had my first consult with Dr. Pousti and immediately loved him! I loved his playful and relaxed manner. He made my husband and I feel so comfortable. He has a quiet confidence that I find very appealing in a doctor. We were brought into the "lounge room" I was given a black robe to put on, which for some unknown reason my husband thought was sexy. (The man is blinded by love thank God lol). Dr. Pousti came in and was teasing us about not leaving us alone anymore :-) Dr. Pousti asked what my goals were, what I was looking for as far as results. He told me that I was a good candidate for a regular as well as an extended TT. I did not want to have the extended, because its really only the stomach that bothers me. I can work on the other parts thru diet and excersise. Plus A little lipo will help! I had a chance to see another patient who was a week PO from her MM. She showed me her results and I asked her some questions. I also talked to a staff member who was 4 weeks PO from her BA that Dr. Pousti did. After talking to everyone and seeing their results, I knew I was in the right place! I scheduled another consult.

The next consult we just talked a little more about what I wanted and I asked a few more questions. I scheduled my surgery that day.

I went in on the 18th for my preop. I even took my 4yr old with me. The staff is so great and I love that some are moms and encouraged me during the first consult to bring my kids if I needed to. Once again, we went into the Lounge room and discussed the procedure. I was so nervous!! I have been waiting for this for so long and am still in shock that it is even going to happen. I felt like a kid waiting to sit on Santa's lap and tell him what I want for Christmas. I am sure that Santa is going to make me and my husband very happy this year!
I did the naked pre op pictures EEK!! My son thought it was so funny to see his mom getting naked in front of everyone. I did the front, side, back and diving pose for the camera. My son of course had to take his turn, "Diving" for the camera to. He had us all cracking up and having him there was so heartwarming for me. It helped me to relax and to remember why I was doing this. I love my boys, they are the very beat of my heart. Yet, I want to feel like more than a mom. I want to see on the outside, what I feel on the inside. Youthful, carefree and sexy! My husband has never once looked at me any differently no matter how big or small I was/am. I was a 36-23 1/2-35 when we married 17 years ago. I'm not looking to regain that girl I was back then. I am looking to start fresh with the woman I am today.

Well the anxiety and doubts have started creeping in. A little fear as well. I had a dream this past weekend that I had my MM and my husband didn't want me anymore. I spent all morning barely talking to my DH because I was so upset. We have a wonderful relationship and when I'm not talking he knows something is wrong. I finally opened up to him and he couldn't believe I would even think something like that. The rational part of my brain knows that he would never think that way but the scared part of me, is just that..SCARED! What if I look like Frankenstein? What if my insicion looks like a character from Nightmare Before Christmas? What if I have a uniboob and they are so high they choke me in my sleep! AHHHH!!!
So, I called the PS and talked to Helen, who by the way is fantastic. She helped calm my nerves and assured me that these are all normal feelings and thoughts. She said not to worry that I was in great hands and will end up with fantastic results. So I am going to try to calm down a bit and remember that no matter what I have the love and support of my family.
I have to be at the surgery center at 545am on the 5th which is a Monday, so I am going in the Friday before to have my markings done. I am glad for that because it will give me a little time to visualize what I will look like after the procedure. Plus it will save my PS from having to do it the morning of. So we will be able to just get right to the surgery.
Best wishes and recovery everyone :-)

Wow! Time is flying by! Sitting here looking at my before pictures and thinking about how long I have carried this stomach around. My oldest son is 16, so yeah that's a long time walking by all my favorite stores in the mall sighing and mentally tormenting myself because I could not fit into the clothes. A long time tearing up and crying in the dressing room, and coming out telling my husband "It just didn't fit me right." A long time stretching out my shirts so they were not tight on my stomach. It's just been a long time..too long. I am looking foward to the minute I wake up and look down and see the ME that has been hiding under there..somewhere.

I can't believe I only have one week left. I have spent half my life waiting for this. What a sad revelation that is. I go in this Friday to have my markings done. I went this morning and got all my meds filled and I think that I have all the stuff I need. Hubby will be home with me so if I need anything he can run and get it. My PS office and surgery center is just a few miles away from me so that is such a blessing. I will be able to go home right after surgery. My DH is starting to get worried. He asked me yesterday how I was going to get in the car afterwards lol. I told him don't count me out.
I just finished up another 6 week team challenge at my gym. It saddens me that looking at my pics you can't see the hard work I put in. I do TRX, weight lifting, and have cardio for days. I can run a mile and not even be breathing hard when I get done. I can't wait to see how much my body changes after this surgery.
:-)

Headed to the PS office in a little bit to get my markings done. So excited. However, when my husband realized I would have the drawings all over me for the whole weekend he let me know that "our time" would be done in the dark lol! Silly man. I think for us, it will be the hardest thing not being able to be physical with each other. We have done 9 mth deployments, but it's different when you are together and can't hold each other. I know that in the long run, we are going to have a ton of fun with the results. I just wished that road to recovery wasn't so long.
I have finally relaxed and stopped stressing about the surgery. My husband said I have become obsessed with RS lol. Why, yes, yes I have. AND thank goodness because now I feel like I am totally prepared for what is to come and know that if I need anything or have any questions you all are here to answer them. I am not the first one to partake in this journey. So here's hoping to a relazing weekend!

The weeks have flown by and now here it is! Best if luck to all of you having your surgeries this week. I feel so prepared because of all of YOU and your stories! Thanks so much to everyone who has shown me love :-) There is no greater feeling than self worth. Tomorrow will be the last steps to finally being the Me I've always strived to be. Much love

I had to be at the surgery center at 0545 I was prepped and ready to go by 0700. Dr. P came in and marked me and we discussed implant size. I told him as I was being wheeled into the OR that I was ok with 500 cc's. recovery took longer than expected because I had a hard time waking up from the anesthesia. Patty, my recovery nurse was very wonderful and patient. I kept asking her if my breasts were too big or too small and she kept reassuring me that she thought they were perfect (-; My DH waited for me the whole time, anxiously awaiting word on how I was doing. I finally left the surgery center around 2:15. Thank God I had a walker to help me get inside the house! My couch was stuffed and fluffed already waiting on me, my husband and my 16 yo son each grabbed a butt cheek and helped lower me to the couch. I do have the pain pump for my tummy which is a blessing. The only issue I had on day 1 was the EXTREME pressure on my upper rib area to the point where it was hard to take a breath. I'm not sure if that was the elephant sitting on my chest which everyone talks about but if so it's no exaggeration!

Post op day 2:
Woke up feeling much better today, I think it has a lot to do with the Valium helping my muscles to relax. Not really in pain just very uncomfortable- I do have some pain in some of the lipo areas. My DH moved a mattress down in the living room so he could be close to me. He has pretty much been doing everything for me, he's fantastic and I couldn't have done this without him. My boys have been getting a kick out of feeding me. My PS is making a house call this evening just to make sure everything is ok not sure how many other PS's would be willing to do that. Just proves what a stellar doctor and person he is and that he truly cares about his patients. Both of my silicone implants are over 500 cc's not sure how much fat and skin was taken from the TT. I'm anxiously awaiting the moment I get to see my new body! Thanks so much everyone for your well-wishes will continue to update as I feel better. Happy healing!

Post op day 3

Man what a difference three days makes. This morning I woke up feeling way better. I got up a few times at night to go to the bathroom, no B.M. yet. My DH moved his bed downstairs to sleep by me and that has been truly a blessing. I am sure he is a little fed up with my constant needs but isn't showing it. My drains are still aroung 25/50 each time. On a positive note I have been able to go to the bathroom without any support because i turn around on the toilet and use the backside of the toilet for support I learned this trick while teaching my sons to use the bathroom. So no toilet seat riser nessesary. I have tried several times to watch T.V. but my drugs will not let my eyes focus enough which is very aggravating because I missed Sons Of Anarchy last night. I am not experiencing any pains except at the drainage sites. I am so glad that I bought a walker it has been a godsent. I highly recomend getting one they are very cheap on Craigslist. Even though I am very uncomfortable I would do it all again in a heartbeat. My PS made a house call to me last night just to make sure everything was running smoothly he even brought his wife I feel truly blessed and honored that he would take time out of his day to come to my home to see if i was ok.

HAPPY HEALING =)

The days keep getting better and better. Today I cried for the first time, not because of how unhappy I was with my figure but because of how happy I am. Every penny was well spent. Not sure if i was suppose to take the bangages off but I was itching so bad, so my DH undid my binder and saw that the that was all bunched up. Well that led to undoing just a little bit more and bam!!!! First look at my new tummy! I cried my eyes out. There it was! The stomach that I new was hiding under all that loose skin and fat! I cried because for once I could actually see all the hard work that I had put into the gym..right there in my face staring back at me. My family has been amazing. My boys are 16, almost 12 and and 4. They have enjoyed helping me in any way they can. I am truly blessed. My preop is on Monday and I am estatic to actually take some of the bangages off to see what everything looks like. IF you are in need of a PS you seriously can not go wrong with Dr. Pousti. I mean what PS makes house calls???? And one of his staff members calls me everyday, Vanessa, Helen, Daisy, all have been amazing.

Ok so I had a peek at the "girls" and cried my eyes out thinking the worst. They however look great considering I have already had a BR and lift. So there was scar tissue there already that the doc had to work with. I had asked my PS to make sure my aureolas could be evened out because when I had my first BR/lift they were a tad uneven. So of course when I saw them all I saw was stitched and swelling and those big honking sacks of balloons on my chest. Thinking he will never want to touch me again. My husband lost it and told me I'm driving him nuts and that he was perfectly happy with the way that I was before. Guess I just expected a big shock and awe from him and didn't get it. He later explained its because he is to worried about me to be shocked about anything. He just wants me well so he can "reap" the rewards later on. God I love this man. Lol

Well today, day 5 has been nothing but a blur for the most part. I stopped taking any narcotics last night and woke up feeling pretty rested. Except for the 3 bathroom trips from the insane amount of cucumber water and smart water I have been drinking, hydration is my best friend. It was a beautiful cool morning here so I ventured outside with my hubby to enjoy some coffee and lasted all of 10 minutes. I forgot to mention I took 1 tbs of MOM when I woke up. JUST ONE!!!! Holy explosion!!! You would have thought I drank a bottle of Prune juice and the whole bottle of MOM. My stomach has been pissed off at me all day!!! So not much eating today and for some reason my binder feels really tight today. Did loosen it up a little bit but that didn't even help so I'm thinking swell hell has hit me.
For some reason every time I get in my recliner I fall asleep. This is where the blurry part of the day kicks in. I seriously took about 5 naps today. I couldn't even begin to type this out earlier today or get thru one tv show. With no narcotics, so I'm assuming it was just my body tellin me I needed to slow down and take a break for the day. I have about 17 stairs to climb to go to my bedroom and with no drugs did them easily. I am so glad that I worked my ass off to get in so much better shape before this surgery. My arms and chest muscles are so much stronger, able to handle the pressure from the implants and my legs ( having finally gotten a good look at them without the fat flab over them) look great and strong! My hubby made me a "recliner" in our bed so we could nap together. Best sleep since 3 months ago when I started planning this adventure.
My kids have been amazing. My 12 year old thought it was hilarious that the front of me looks like I'm wearing a diaper. Have I mentioned how freaking funny my kids are? I tell people all the time we need our own TLC show. It's constant chaos in my house but they will be the first ones to say yes Ma'am when it's needed. My 16 yr old helped me do my drains today and thought it was "cool". I have asked him if he was pissed off that I used the money to get this done instead of buying him a car. He said, "No Mom. I know this is what you wanted and I am happy for you." *tear* My 4 yr old has been so gentle and comes home from school everyday and tells me "I was very good today at school for you mom!"
So I was looking to maybe start my own list of do's and don't for those of you who haven't had your surgeries yet. BUT the best advise I could ever give is make sure you get as strong as possible before your surgery and try the 17 Day Diet when your about 3-4 weeks out from your surgery. It is a no brainer diet. Totally safe. You can buy all the stuff you need from the regular grocery store. It is a carb restricting diet but for me helped me to STOP being an emotional eater and take control of my life once again. I lost 35 lbs before I had my surgery the safe way and have no worries of putting any of the weight back on because I am in control. Not my emotions.
Happy healing and sorry for rambling. Lol

SO Day 5 was a breeze. I should have known things were to good to be true. I stayed up way to late on day 5 because I was feeling so great, had some stuff to eat that I shouldn't have and decided to stay up till 4 am playing cards with my hubby. So day 6 hit me with a a headache. Of course I am a the first one awake being it's a Saturday. I had tried to slow down on the pain meds because they are the very devil and for some unknown reason I tend to ask the weirdest things from my husband when I am on them. So then I am left answering "So do you remember asking me to scratch your crotch with a spoon?" SAY WHAT?!?!?!? Apparently the swollen beast of a thing with the drains coming out of it was having an itch and needed it to be scratched since I was to doped up to do it a spoon would have obviously been the best choice!!!! Seriously I am glad I am confined to the house or else I could have driven to the nearest Walmart and me and Martha Stewart would have become very acquainted. Anyways on to the rest of day 6....
I carried on like the "beast" of a woman my children like to call me. I think in the long run I just tried to do "to much" whatever the hell that is suppose to mean. I didn't cook, didn't clean, didn't even pick up all the things laying around the house that are driving me crazy because I live with 4 men who can't take are of themselves or this house without me. What i did do it get up and down to much, go up and down the stairs twice to see my kids (who yelled at me for being "retarted" because I just had major surgery and should be resting), I used my walker and walked down to the end of the road and back but I was covered up with a beenie on so no one would recognize me ( So worked..NOT) and I only took a 2 hour nap. I talked my hubby into finding the bikini that I have been waiting to wear that I bought 5 years ago, and putting on the top. WOW Oh WOW!! I was starting to feel all the woah's of the day until he looked at me with the top on and said, "You are not wearing that to the beach. Only here in the bedroom!" CAN YOU SAY SATISFACTION!!! All of this with just 600 motrin, that I took that morning for the headache. So as the nostalgia of the day wore off the pain slowly started to set in.
My binder was so tight and hurt so bad, my boobs probably had swollen due to the touching of the husbands hands all over them, and my "Spoon" (it's her official name now) was so swollen!!! SO day 6 swell hell?? Yeah I would say so. I couldn't sit, stand, move, nothing without being in pain. I did not want to take the vicoden because of said reasons above lol but my husband stood his ground and told me "Even the strongest people have weak moments and need some help." So I took 1 pill. BUT not in time! I sat down, reclined on the couch, and started getting the chills. No fever, just chills. Then I started freaking out. What if this is the start of and infection? What if my body is fighting the implants? What if under the binder and the 7 layers of gauze there is a rip, tear, or an infection setting into my insicion?? SO I stood up, and ripped it all off of me. Low and behold my stomach was so swollen you could litteraly see my bowels moving around under my skin. It was like I was pregnant all over again watching a kid moving in there. With the help of my hubby and oldest son, we changed some gauze and trimmed some tape and found the culprit!!! The source of all my pain that I had been having the whole time. IT was the cords from the PAIN PUMP and the gauze that had attatched itself to it. The cords are curled around and around then taped to the crease of my leg/stomach with the same stuff they tape the iv to your arm with. You all know how bad that crap hurts!!!! So we chopped chopped away placed some new non adhesive gauze over the cords and over the places where the thicker gauze was rubbing me raw under my binder. By then the pain pill had kicked in and I said what the Hell another one won't hurt. So down the hatch another pill went. We put me all back together and man I felt like a new woman. I slept so good and am waiting on my husband to wake up to find out if I did anything while on the drug train. Let's hope I stayed in my recliner all night and save myself a lawsuit from Walmart!
Happy Healing!

First PO visit today- it's been 1 week since my surgery. Had my pain pump removed and stitches from around my nips removed have to keep the drains for 1 more week )-: still have quite a bit of swelling and bruising. Totally satisified with my results even at 1 week! will update more tomorrow, busy busy day! Happy Healing and well wishes to all!

First PO visit today- it's been 1 week since my surgery. Had my pain pump removed and stitches from around my nips removed have to keep the drains for 1 more week )-: still have quite a bit of swelling and bruising. Totally satisified with my results even at 1 week! will update more tomorrow, busy busy day! Happy Healing and well wishes to all!

Just wanted a quick update. Things are progressing nicely. I still have a ton of swelling. The "girls" are looking great and settling in nicely, and my insiscion is super low!! I have been super busy. Can't sit still to save my life. I will update more later on this weekend. Wishing all of you a great weekend full of rest and recovery!

Well I have been a bit out of touch with RS this week. I have been reading everyone's updates and such I just could not for the life of me sit down and update my own! When I went to the PS on Monday they told me that the 2nd week of PO is very emotional for people and to just prepare myself. I am happy to report that this week, week 2 has been full of laughter and fun and no drama or negative emotions. I am a pretty positive person, a fighter till the bitter end. No amount of negativity is going to sink in and cause me to forget the reason why I did this and how bad I wanted it. So I went for coffee dates, park dates, playdates, just kept myself really "busy" as much as I could. I got out of the house as often as I could and made sure to remember to listen to my body when it needed a break and to stay a little hunched over because there is no way I am going undo any of the work my PS did!
SO here is a little of my fun I had this week.
My husband has been off work for the 2 weeks and has been a fabulous Mr. Mom. He takes the kids to school, does everything and anything I ask of him. The only thing I was worried about this week was him getting fed up with my constant asking him of things. It's been 2 weeks now and he is going strong still. I told him his cardio is def improving with all the running around he has been doing for me!
So he takes my 16 yr old and 4 yr old to school everyday. It has been a bit nippy here in the mornings. As they were headed out the door I tell him to grab his jacket, and he walks out the door. He didn't come back in for the jacket that I'm holding in my hand as I am leaning on my walker. My oldest looks at his dad out the door and then looks at me with this look on his face that tells me my husband has said some smart ass comment. Then says, "I'll give the jacket to dad." I was like OH HELL NAWW!! So I take off with the jacket in hand, out the front door...in nothing but my white granny panties, marshmellow binder (grenades attatched), surgical bra and greasy ass hair. I stand on the front porch waving the jacket at him saying, "What you don't want the jacket I was gonna give you??!!!" He turns around and was like "OH MY GOD WOMAN what are you doing? Get back in the house!" I of course take my wonder woman stance and said, "NOPE!!". He started laughing took the jacket from me and laughed my ass all the way back into the house. It was a great morning!
Then onto the Target trip....
So I decided I needed to get some shopping TLC and so my hubby and I venture to Target. Happiest place on earth right?!?! Well I know that I could not walk around so I get one of the automatic chairs and start browsing around. My husband got a ton of laughs at me rearranging all the racks from running into everything because I have never driven one before. My husband had mentioned that he noticed people staring at me in the chair, and of course I am not one to really care what anyone thinks. So I told him don't worry about it. We were there for probably about an hour and about that time the vicodin started wearing off and even the sitting down wasn't feeling good. OH and btw, if you ever have to be in one of those chairs, head over to the toilet paper aisle and pick you up a 3 pack roll of paper towels and stuff them behind your back. It helps sit up straighter in the chair. Anyways, we get done and head to the check out lines. I'm sitting there waiting, hubby is unloading the stuff on the conveyer belt and I look over and this woman is looking at me...like seriously eyeballing me. She has glasses on but I could see her eyes. So I look away, and then look back and she is sneering at me. I look away, and look back and she sneers and squints her eyes at me like she is totally discusted with the fact that I am in the electric chair. OMG>>>>> I came unglued. I yelled at her, "DO YOU HAVE A PROBLEM??? I'm IN THIS FKN CHAIR FOR A REASON BITCH!" My husband was like, "I just can't take you anywhere." lol
Target was fun lol!!!
So my family and I are all clowns, we love to laugh..laughter is what keeps a familly close. My kids have been so great, not the monsters they usually are..J/K..
So last night I was feeling pretty good. I decided it was time to beat the crap out of all of them. SO I took off like a sumo wrestler and managed to have everyone in tears by the end of it. They all thought it was so funny with me running around in my marshmellow binder, drains swinging and the crotchless spanx. They of course had to take all the punishment because they know mom is "fragile" right now but swear my time will come when I'm better. It was much needed relief for all of us.
So here is the downside of week 2:
1. Still haven't had a bath. My hubby has washed my hair for me 4 times and sponge bathes me off.
2. My swelling is still there, and very much of it especially on my hips. I had a lot of lipo and wasn't given a compression garmet. My husband says I have secretary spread lol
3. Lots of popping and muscle cramping from all the left over air in my belly from the surgery.
4. The boredom is insane!!!!!!!!
5. Love all the help but so sick of having to depend on others to help me. I just want to feel well enough to do it myself.
Really I don't have much to complain about. I truly believe that you have to mentally prepare yourself for this type of procedure and to mentally prepare those around you that are helping you. I am looking forward to getting my drains out tomorrow which hopefully means a shower!! WOOOOOO HOOOOO.
Best wishes to you that are headed to the flat side this week.! Happy Healing everyone!

Today was a great day. I had my 2 wk follow up and had the tape removed and got to see the TT scar for the first time. I almost passed out. I think it was from being so excited and the had a major adrenaline dump. My drains were removed and I so expected it to hurt like it did with my BR. Not so! The area was numbed up and I didn't feel a thing! I will update more tomorrow but just wanted to share how things are progressing as far as actual pictures. Still a long road ahead but I'm ok with it. Happy Healing and much love to all!

Happy Turkey day all! Well when I went into the doc's office for my Follow up Dr. P told me that this surgery is equivellent to being in a major car accident. I was like WOAH! I would never have thought about it that way. I just looked at it as a scar here and there. So I think it helped me to understand why I am not progressed as far as my mind thinks I should be. I know that a lot of times we think that when we do something like this we expect instant gratification. We see all the before and after pictures and expect our results to look like that instantly. Not so as I know now. I knew this would be a long road, but my road is a short one in my mind lol. It refuses to be any longer than necessary. So Dr. P helped me to understand that I need to go at my bodies pace not my mind's pace. HE told me that I needed to start reconditioning my body. So day 1 walk 1 block, in the morning and evening. Day 2, 2 blocks and so on and so on...so I started walking. I have maintained the same weight I was the morning of surgery. I have had major swelling in my hips from the lipo. I am NOT wearing a compression garment. Just my binder I came out of surgery with. I weighed myself this morning and since yesterday morning, I am down 5lbs! That's a lot of swelling gone. I was so happy, to finally see the swelling going down. I was drinking a ton of cucumber water with lemon, and have stopped doing that. I just drink regular lemon water now. I even had a Diet Dr. Pepper yesterday that I nursed on when I was sick of drinking the water. I have been watching how much salt I am taking in. It is important for your body to have some salt so I just don't add salt to my food. Just whatever is already in the food I'm eating.
Some spots on my TT insicion have opened up and are "weeping". IT did freak me out. Dr. P said it is normal to have, but thankful I am going in on Monday again for a Follow up just to get checked and make sure everything is ok.
SO some tips and tricks I've learned so far:
1. Sit backwards on the toilet for the first few days. You can use the toilet lid as a "crutch" and it's much easier to get up and down.
2. Sit on the side of the tub to wash the nether parts. Use a stretchy headband to attatch your drains to so they are up and out of the way.
3. To wash your hair, get a towel put it on the floor then put a pillow on top of that. Lean over the tub and have someone wash your hair for you. The pillow helps so much!!
4. When getting in and out of bed, swing your legs over the side of the bed while at the same time, dig your elbow into the bed to help give you leverage to get up. Just like when your pg! Same concept.
5. Go to Costco and get their tank tops!!! Super soft, they come in a pack of 2 and they are wonderful against your skin. I wear one under my binder so there are no compression marks on my skin and everything is evened out.
6. A graber is the way to go. It's probably the thing I have used the most. It's hard to bend over and pick stuff up.
7. If you can get ahold of a scooter, Like a kids scooter..it's awesome to take walks outside with. Instead of the walker, I have used that. No one knows what is going on and it glides right on the road perfectly.
8. Drink protein shakes!! your body needs that protein, just as if you went to the gym and lifted heavy weights. It needs the protein to help rebuild!!
So that's it for now! Wishing you all a great holiday weekend. I am most thankful that my husband sent me a text this morning that said, "This year I'm thankful for your new boobs!"
Happy Healing all and just remember to be good to yourselves!

So I have a little opening in some areas across my TT incision. Some places are raised, and the middle near the mons area has opened a bit. There is some thick yellowish stuff in the opening. Anyone else had this? I am on antibiotics and there isn't a smell from it.

I am getting so frustrated but still trying to remember its a process. I have openings all over my scar. Anyone else have this happen??

Pic posted....
Well I've been all over the Internet and there are so many different opinions about how my incision is looking and treatments and such. I am so freaking aggravated. It takes a lot for me to get to the point of tears and tonight my DH just held my hand and tried to "talk me down" from flipping out. I do not want this to get worse and have seen some crazy pics and read reviews about what my incision has started doing. Just beyond frustrated. Ugh!!!

Hello all. Sorry haven't been on much. I have been super busy and honestly sitting down for me to write an update aggrivates the crap out of me. Mainly because I want my update to say, "Today I am feeling fabulous and everything looks great!"...Not so I am afraid. It pisses me off. Last week, Week 3 PO was so hard for me. I am usually a very positive and unbeat person. The kind that says, "Screw you world, I'm having a great day no matter what!!" OH week 3 was not good to me. A lot of places on my TT incision opened up and I was terrified I was going to have big gapping holes all over my belly. As much as RS helps, man it does not when you are terrified like that seeing some of the pictures of peoples bad experiences on here. I was beside myself, crying and almost having a break down. Well a break down for me is throwing crap and screaming at the empty walls, because no one is here with me during the day lol. I ended up crying a little, and felt a ton better because I got to go in and see Dr.P who assured me that the openings are all NORMAL things that happened. The yellow goo as I like to call it (see picture above) is just all part of the healing. Some women never experience that. Some have a perfect recovery and have the luxury of not having to deal with it. IF that's you congrats. I'm envious,...well not really. This whole process has tested me like I've never been tested before. AND man do I love a good challenge. But seriously, as DR. P said, This is something that I do not do, or work with everyday,....he does. I trust him completely and know that I will have great results in the end, it's just taking a little longer. My husband asked if I wanted to take 4wk pictures and I said NO!! He told me he wished I could see what he sees. He compared it to when someone is dieting and losing weight and when they look in the mirror they can't see it but everyone else can. Sadly he is right. He's always right dammit man!!!!
Anyways, I have an opening above the mons area that has continued to open further and further. Upon further inspection (VIA tons and tons of photos lol) I realized it's a stitch that is trying to make it's way out or in or whatever it is doing!! I called the PS and was told to just keep it covered. Well today, the opening is bigger and you can see more of the stitch. It's white and looks like plastic. So I am going to call again and see if I can go in and they can remove it or something. Everything else if finally healing up but that one spot. My lipo areas (Hips) still are hard and swollen and by the end of the day I just want to sit in a hot bath, but can't because of the openings GRRRRR...
I have started dieting again. I love the 17 day diet. It's perfect for me and I don't even consiider it a diet anymore. I just love the foods your allowed to eat the first 17 days and it's become a habit for me. I have dropped down some weight, not sure but I can tell that by the end of the day I am not as swollen as I was last week. So that's a positive. Last week was my birthday, and my youngest two also. One shares a bday with me, the other one the day before. I know, I know..running joke my husband is only fertile once a year HAHAHA!! So for my bday I got, guess what??? A mommy makeover. HAHA! best present ever besides my babies.
Anyways, thanks all who have been checking in on me. Wishing all of you who are about to take this journey a speedy and uneventful recovery. lol!!

Almost forgot to update about the boobs!! They are fantastic! My hubby says they look and feel like real boobs and they are a true work of art. Keep in mind that I had a BR/lift back in 06. I ended up with Natrelle Silicone and the Left is 533cc's and the Right is 575cc's. I am all of 5'3 and they fit me perfectly. They don't project to much. They look natural. I have showed a few of my friends and they all want boob jobs now lol. I told them that everytime they touch they have to put $5 in the boob jar haha!! I had a freckle removed off the left one and still have a stitch in it to make sure it heals properly. Dr. P also made the aerola smaller to match the left one. I do feel some pains and pressure I believe from having more work done on it than the left one. I also had a dog ear removed off of my right boob that was from the BR. All in all I am extremely happy with the new girls!! And so is my husband lol!!

So I'm still having a hard time standing up straight and the openings are still there, so I needed a little pick me up. So off to Kohls I went. I tried on 1 dress. That's it. Didn't have the energy or the patience to do more than that because the overwhelming feeling of knowing I could wear WHAT I WANTED almost was toooooo much. So I found this JLo dress and thought why not!? I picked up a Medium and off to the dressing room I went. Let me just say that there is a huge difference in crying because you CAN'T wear something Verses BEING able to wear anything. I still have bandages around my whole insicsion, stuffed into my underwear so it adds a little to my waist but HOLY MOLY..tears of joy for feeling fabulous in a dress for the first time in 17 years.

TO say I am unhappy is an understatement. I am beyond frustrated. I waited so long to have this done, and am so pissed. I have since week 3 had places opening up on my TT scar. Come to find out it is because I have disolvable staples that do not like me. So far I have had 6 surface and 3 that have caused openings. One is above my mons area. It started small and has continued to get bigger and bigger. How much bigger does it have to get before I start getting more worried than I am now? The one on my hip is getting bigger and bigger also. I am tired of hearing it will just start looking better week after week. Not so. Since week 2 I have been swollen and still can not fit into my pre op clothes. I still cant' stand up straight. I am worried that the openings are going to have to have scar revisions which will piss me off to no end. This morning I woke up with my right side, which has had 99% of the openings, twice the size as the right. It's so swollen. AND my belly button does not look centered. Not sure it that is from the swelling or what. I am going to see DR. P today. I have cried more this week than I have in forever. Which is nuts because I am so not a debbie downer. I am so sick of this. I know everyone heals differently but shit son... Enough is enough.

First off let me say that I love Dr. Pousti. No matter how big or small my issues are he is always attentive and straight forward with his delivery. I am so thankful that I found the perfect PS for me. I need a PS that can handle the ups and downs that you experience with a surgery like this. One that can help me thru it and keep my emotionally on the right path. As supportive as my husband and best friends are, they do not do this everyday.
I went in to see Dr. P and he assured me that everything I am going thru emotionally is normal. Almost like postpartum depression. I am a very active person and me physically not being as far progressed as I would like to be is driving me to the point of borderline depression. I will say that I have not been on RS as much as I would like because IT is very frustrating to see people who are the same week as me or a week less and already hitting the gym and in their "Sexy" clothes. I'm screaming, "WHY NOT MEEEEE!!!!!" Then I was reminded today by my best friend who knows me so well that I am not normal. LOL. I know, not the typical thing a friend says to you but for me, it's true. My life, has never been easy. Nothing I have ever done or try to do is easy. Everything is always a challenge. She reminded me that I need to be patient and stop comparing myself to everyone else in how progressed they are. Thank goodness for great support.
As far as the openings go, they are all superficial. They look worse than they are. I have no infection, no seroma, no necrosis, no serious health issues. Dr. P told me that he could have not taken as much skin off my tummy, and I probably wouldn't have even had any of the openings. BUT then I wouldn't have the best final results and would probably have a little belly still.
I was once told that when something happens in your life and it's something that causes your world to become unbalanced, you have to look beyond that and find your "new" normal and count the blessings you have. So I'm gonna take a step back and remember this when I go to bed tonight. I'm going to bed thankful that I have a wonderful supportive husband, a fantastic bf, and a phenomenal PS. Happy Healing to all, and to all a good night haha!

I am in disbelief still that I finally have this "New" body. It's been over 7 weeks. What a rough,emotional, exhausiting, exciting few weeks. It is still frustrating daily on some levels. I have had to stay off of RS for a while just to get myself emotionally together again. It was super frustrating to see people the same week as I was and see how far progressed they were compared to me. I had to be reminded over and over by my husband who has been fabulous, that each person is different. My healing has been on track, but with a few set back. I still have not tried on any of my clothes except for one pair of shorts and one old bra just to see how different things fall. I am still wearing my yoga pants everyday. Mostly because my hips are still super swollen from the lipo, and I have 1 opening still in my mon's area. It is slowly healing. Last week alone, I pulled out 7 staples and 4 stitches. These are whole staples. My body did not like them at all. I would have a staple come to the surface, then I would pull it out. Overnight, a scab would form and then the spot would slowly heal. The difference in a week is amazing. The biggest opening, I had 2 staples and 2 stitches come out. The last thing that was keeping it open was a stitch that was hung up in the scab at the top. Took a shower and the scab came off. It has started to close slowly. I want to post a picture but at the same time do not want to freak anyone out lol. It is still leaking so I have to keep gauze over it. Will be so glad when it heals. I do wear a singlet, 24/7. When i take it off for a while for a little break my lipo spots start burning!! They only feel better when I have some compression. My tummy is super flat, but I still have a bit of swelling on the right side because of the opening. I am slowly seeing my waist shape itself. I do my measurements instead of weighting myself. I am down 3 inches on my waist! yay!!
Now on to the boobs :-) They are doing great. I had different expectations than some people I think. If you look at my pre op photos you can see that I have less breast tissue in the left boob. I pretty much had a botched boob reduction and lift before. I had pretty big voids in the bottom part of my breast where the insicion is. It was probably about a finger width wide. My goal was to have that filled with the implants. I also had my left nipple repaired and some skin pigment taken off my nipple. My left one has def taken a beating and is slower to heal than my right one. The right one is the "good" boob lol. My left one, you can feel the implant in some spots where my insicion from my BR was. The previous insicion is also causing the bottom of my breast to not look as rounded as the right. I have also had some mild pain. I had my arm raised above my head in the bed and put it down and felt and heard a pop. Not really sure what it was, but I'm thinking that the implant went into its pocket. The left was looking higher than the other so I'm hoping that it is what happended. Dr. P also said that the muscle also cuts off half way across the implant so you sometimes will feel the implant more below that spot. Makes sense. The left one is a bit sore since It popped. Just thinking it is some previous breast tissue from my old surgery that is sore. I wear an under armour zip up sports bra almost all day and night. I do have a softer pull over sports bra that I take breaks in.
Headed back to the gym today for the first time. Just for some cardio. I have been walking everyday and last night I told my husband that i can't believe just 2 weeks ago I was still hunched over. My stomach was so tight I didn't stand up straight until almost 6 wks! IMO it really helps the stomach to be that much flatter. Don't be in such a hurry to stand up straight. Your tummy needs that time to restretch as well as your muscles.
Hope everyone is doing well and happy healing.