Mommy Makeover: Stories

I started this journey a little over a year ago when I decided to get the lapband after many years of failed dieting and exercising, consistently losing minimal to no weight. I have lost 65 pounds, however, have only gone down barely 2 pant sizes because of all the loose skin and roll I can't get rid of in my lower abdomen. I hadn't even thought about plastic surgery before someone on a private FB site I'm on (other people banded the same month as me) posted a question about looking into plastic surgery. I thought, hmmmm, maybe that's what I need to get rid of this roll that just won't go away. It was my 1-yr anniversary check up & I asked my dr about it and he referred me to Dr. Zarrabi. I had my consult about a week later and in that week started looking at before and after pictures and WOW I was sold!! I wanted it so badly!

At the consult I decided on a TT and breast lift/reduction (I'm an F, want to be a full D-DD). I can't wait to wear pants that actually fit me. Right now, when I wear pants that fit my awful roll, they are big in my legs and butt & I look like I'm wearing parachute pants.

I have since been looking on this site and a couple others looking at before and after pics and reading about other people's journey almost obsessively because I'm so excited and the more I look, the more excited I get!

December 19 just cannot come soon enough! I got clearance for surgery from by primary dr and did my pre-op blood work yesterday, did my mammo today, and next Wednesday, the 5th is my pre-op with the PS. I'm a little nervous about having surgery so close to surgery and what condition I'm going to be on Christmas day. Hoping not to put TOO a big wrench in my family's day. Hopefully I will be up by then.

To chicken to put up before pics so far, just in case something goes wrong and surgery doesn't happen. I'll probably post the ones I've already taken the day of surgery.

20 LONG days and counting down the minutes til surgery.

SO preoccupied with my upcoming surgery......excited!! Not nervous or scared, just EXCITED!! December 19 CANNOT get her soon enough!!

I've been trying to do everything I can this far out and reading everyones posts to get as many help/tips as I can can accumulate so I'm as prepared as possible when the date finally gets here. Cleaning and Christmas shopping so it's ALL taken care of now, so all I have to do is last minute touch ups on cleaning and won't have to do anything to prep for Christmas when I get home. My daughter is concerned about this surgery effecting our Christmas and I'm determined to not let it!!!

Thank you to everyone who posts on here, it has been very helpful to me & I will for sure be posting on my progress afterwards to hopefully help someone else.

I'm so sad and frustrated!!!! My drs office called today and wants to reschedule my surgery, originally they said for the 26th. I cannot do the 26th, I have to be back to work on the 3rd!!! Even though I work from home, THAT IS NOT ENOUGH TIME!!! They are now looking at the 15th and 22nd, trying to coordinate the surgeons schedule with my LapBand facility I'm having the surgery at. The 22nd FREAKS me out, bcuz my recheck will be on Christmas Eve and my family is not going to be happy with me. HOWEVER, this is my only window of time off work to have this done until next December. :'(

I hate this not knowing. They said they will be able to give me a set date at my pre-op tomorrow. REALLY hoping for the 15th. I'd have it tomorrow if they'd let me!

Well, back to the original date...December 19 it is. Relieved I have a date to countdown to!!!!

3 days and 16 hours.....I CANT WAIT!!!!

I am pretty much done with packing (I'm a little excited). I just have a lot of last minute stuff to do the day before to get ready for Christmas since I probably won't be up to expanding my table, washing Christmas dishes and setting the table.

Since I'm getting close, and after reading more of other people's story's, I figured I should state my stats.....I am 5' 7", 177. I still don't have enough guts to post any pre pictures....I'm paranoid if I post them, something will happen and I won't be able to have it done & then there are awful ugly horrid pictures of me posted here. Yes, I'm a chicken! I feel like I look so much worse than everyone else on here. I will post them while I'm in pre-op or the waiting right before surgery. I have taken a lot, I just have to upload 'em, hopefully I can do it from my phone.

Is there anyone else NOT getting implants? I am getting a breast reduction & lift, but no implants....insurance is paying for the breasts if I don't get implants.

I am so freakin excited!!!!

Surgery day, Wednesday, started out hectic and bad, I was very emotional. I got up bright and early and was all ready to go and I got a call from my mom who was suppose to bring me and stay with me til I came home Friday.....she was sick & throwing up. My husband couldn't get ahold of the person he was working for so he couldn't cancel, my father-in-law's house got broken into so my sis-in-law, who was my back up, couldn't bring me bcuz she had to go fix his house. For an hour and a half I was crying, didn't know how I was going to get to surgery....if I could just get there and get it done, I'd be fine and work the rest out later...this was my only chance to get this done until next December. Finally, my husband got ahold of the lady and postponed the job til Thursday. He brought me to surgery, dropped me off, so he could go help with his dad's house, my mom called and was feeling better (it wasn't the flu, medications made her sick). I arrived an hour earlier than I was scheduled, but I was there and excited. Got started on the paperwork, finalized hotel details for my mom and daughter and then waited, waited, waited. Dr spent a lot of time drawing on me. Surgery didn't start until 130-2. I was wheeled back and came out a new person! I had a very hard time waking up from the anesthesia and am being told I was very mean. I've never had this problem with anesthesia before, but I remember feeling awful afterwards, so incredibly tired and couldn't force my eyes open.

I got to the aftercare facility which was VERY nice, very classy. The nurses there were wonderful and very helpful. I stayed there until 3 Thursday then went to the hotel where I stayed until my postop visit on Friday. My doc came to check on me Thursday at the hotel, adjusted my binder, checked the dressings and made sure I was doing good and that's the first peek I got of my new tummy.....

I made it to the flat side and WOW I am flat!!!! I am swollen, but 1000 Xs flatter than I was before. What a huge difference, I am so happy and so pleased, and I have normal size boobies now too! Bye bye Gs, hello little cuties upright at attention and lookin good! My boobs don't hurt at all, all my pain is in my tummy, but its getting better and better.

Had my booby drains removed at my postop on Friday and he thinks the first abdomen drain will be ready next Wednesday.

Now that I've had it done and my tummy looks fabulous I am posting some pre-pics. I will take some post-pics when I take my shower this afternoon.

Thank you everyone for posting on here. It really helped me know what to be prepared for and all the packing lists helped tremendously. I was not without anything. The lift recliner chair has been wonderful, has made a huge difference from trying to get in and out of bed at the hotel. The flushable wipes were a great idea & I was very thankful I had those. Well, here it goes, humility aside, here they are....all hangin out!

PO7 ~ Having a day of swell hell today, but all my fault, I WAY over did it. My hubby has still been very helpful, which has been a very nice surprise. He was really nervous about me getting this done and was worried about the results. The night before he told me "you know, you are perfect to me, you don't need to do this. Your boobs and tummy are both perfect to me." It was so sweet. I explained to him that though I am thankful he loves me AND my rolls, I needed to do this for me. The night I got home, 2nd day postop, I still wasn't really swollen yet, he wanted to see, I took off my layers and my binder and showed him and regarding my tummy he said, "wow, it really does look better than before." Hahaha, my first bad laughing experience.....I guess I wasn't so "perfect" before!!!! It was so funny! He doesn't do good seeing anyone he loves in pain and seeing me like this has been hard for him, but he has been dealing well and waiting on me hand & foot. I, on the other hand, am NOT handling this dependency on others very well. I hate asking for someone to pick something up for me off the ground (wish I had gotten a grabber), I hate not being able to open my stubborn back sliding door, I hate not being able to feed my dogs (or cuddle with them), I hate not being able to drive....blah blah blah!!!
On the upside, I took a shower by myself today and felt SO accomplished!!! I was so proud I did it all by myself!!! I was doing good, improving every day, until today. Hope resting tomorrow helps! Looking forward to getting my last drain out next Monday.

Can't believe its been 10 day already! BMs finally getting a little better, but still not good. Last pain pill 11 hours ago and doing good. Still quite swollen, especially over lipo areas. Boobs started hurting for the first time yesterday; not really pain, just sore and uncomfortable and ITCHY! All my incisions are itchy. Can't to get this second drain out Monday!

22 days PO and loving my results! I cannot believe that is MY body I see in the mirror!!! I am healing well, mostly, not in pain anymore and I'm standing straight. If I overdo it or turn wrong in bed I hurt, but not real bad pain. Driving and riding in the car is still most uncomfortable. I am still not back to normal activity and I get SO tired SO quickly. Even after reading other people's posts on here before my surgery, I DID NOT believe it was going to take me this long to get back to normal. I have had other surgeries and always heal quicker and get back to normal faster than most people. But this.....THIS RECOVERY IS NO JOKE!!! I cannot believe I am 22 days PO and STILL need a nap, still have to pace myself SLOWLY even doing housework (light housework) and I'm still so tired all the time!
The only problems I am having problems is with my breasts. I had a BR/BL only, no implants. My doc does a lollipop incision and at the base of my left breast the excess skin in the fold has died and turned black....about an area the size of my thumbnail. Doc will debride this and remove the dead part on the 30th. My right breast had been accumulating fluid and has been drained twice and doesn't seem to be accumulating fluid anymore. I have random pain that shoots through my boobs periodically, only lasting a few seconds at a time, but other than that, no pain.
I went back to work last week, thankfully I work from home & have been able to pace myself and work from my recliner/couch. I couldn't imagine going back to a high paced/high activity job.
I took PO pics in some panties I couldn't get pulled over my horrendous roll pre-op & not only do they fit....I'm not spilling out of them AND a couple of them might even be too big once all my swelling goes down!!! OMGness I just cannot believe it!! Can't wait for my boobies to heal so I go bra shopping for some cute normal sized bras and bathing suit shopping!!!

I am 39 days PO & feeling pretty good. I just can't wait to get this area under my boob fixed on the 30th. I had a piece of skin die & turn black from the breast reduction/lift that my PS needs to remove. I'm finally feeling better, not as much fatigue.
I am back at the gym, only light cardio.....stationary bike & treadmill; I tried the elliptical yesterday and YOUCHY!!! I felt good while I was on the elliptical, but when I go home I hurt; I even woke up in the middle of the night last night in a lot of pain. Who'd have thought 12 minutes could do that! So, I guess I'll be sticking with the bike & treadmill for a while.
I had switched my usual nighttime work schedule to a daytime schedule, bcuz I just couldn't stay up at night past 1030......so so so tired all the time. I will be attempting to work tonight & hopefully I can make it through. So thankful I have this flexibility to be able to work when I want (for the most part). I'm still working from my reclining couch, bcuz sitting for hours straight up makes me hurt a bit.
My tummy scar is looking good, using Biocorneum once a day and vitamin E oil once a day. If it continues to progress as it has, it should be white and barely noticeable in a few months. I'm very thankful of the position of it, it's down real low and pretty straight, covered with skimpy panties.
I have 23 more pounds to lose to get to my goal weight & looking at my flat tummy is motivation!!! I smile every time I look in the mirror now. I measured myself tonight and even with swelling I measured 4 inches smaller around my hips (where my horrendous pouch was)!!!! 4 freakin' inches!!!! YeeeeeHaw!!!!!!!
I wore jeans today for the first time. I was only able to wear them bcuz they were so dang big on me....probably almost 2 sizes too big!!! Looks like I'll need to go jean shopping! YAY!

Today is PO day 44......

I am feeling good. Of course, swollen still, more on some days than others; sometimes from overdoing it, sometimes for no apparent reason at all.
My tummy incision is healing well. I am using BioCorneum on the scar. I am spitting sutures around my scar still, but these sutures are thick white ones, not the blue ones I was spitting 1-2 weeks PO. My tummy is flat, definitely flatter than pre-surgery, but I know it will be even flatter when the swelling goes away. Even with the swelling, I am happy with my results...HUGE difference from pre-op. I am not in any pain, unless I move wrong. I am still doing light cardio only at this point. PS cleared me to go back to my usual workouts, starting LIGHT, at 8 weeks PO. CAN'T WAIT!!!!
My boobs from my BL/BR look fabulous!!! I am so happy not to have a constant pulling on my shoulders and neck!! It's so nice to have normal size boobies....and up on my chest where they belong with my nipples looking straight ahead, not stargazing and not looking outward, but perfectly straight where I wanted them! I bought some cute VS bras for the first time EVER!!!! I'm a 36DD...just what I wanted, so I hope swelling doesn't go down too much more. They are just perfect right now!! However, the healing is a different story. On my left breast the piece of skin that died in the fold that turned black was debrided on Wednesday and now is a fleshy open wound.....GRRRRR. My right boob still has not healed at the bottom of the incision near the fold and seems to be getting worse. It's not infected, but just isn't healing. I will post some pics. PS prescribed Silvadene, so hopefully this will do the trick. I go back in a month and if they aren't healed, he will do a revision, which means more healing time & more stitches. Thankfully my nerves haven't regenerated in these areas yet, so I don't feel it...no pain at all.
I am finally not as tired as I had been. I was able to work my nighttime shift twice this week & actually made it to 4 am both nights. Hopefully I can add a third night next week, bcuz this daytime working isn't working for me. LIfe happens and I just don't get work done in the day. I still hurt when I sit straight up for long periods; this may be from my binder cutting into me, but man is hurts after an hour or two. So, I am still working from my recliner so I can lean back a bit and flatten out for 10-15 minute breaks every hour or so. Yep, I'm taking complete advantage of working from home!!! And may be being a baby bout it, but I'm glad I have that option!!!
I have confidence I have never had before. I can't wait to walk in complete confidence next to my hubby & not be self-conscious about my body. (He looks like a freakin anatomy chart and has a fabulous body, especially for 40!) C'mon life slow down so I can have a date night!! I wore jeans again today and had to wear a belt. I don't' even own any belts, would never dream of wearing belts before!! I tried on my daughter's belt....AND IT FREAKIN FIT!!! I couldn't believe it! I about passed out! I am going belt & buckle shopping this weekend....can't wait to rock a belt buckle!!!

Two days ago I was 3 months postop. I still have swollen days, but even swollen days are exceptionally better than pre-op!! I still look in the mirror in amazement & can't believe it is MY body I'm seeing in the mirror!!
My tummy scar is nice & low and covered by all the panties I wear, even the itsy bitsy ones!! I have shopped for lingerie, happily!!! And my hubby is LOVING my new confidence & not feeling like I need to cover up all the time!
I still have numbness around my bellybutton & from my bellybutton down to my scar. Who knows when or if I will ever have feeling there again!!! Oh well, small price to pay for a flat tummy!! The wounds under my breasts finally healed; although I still have excess skin in my right breast fold. I have a dogear on my right side & doc said he'd fix that & the excess skin under my breast at 6 months if its still needs to be fixed.
My boobs look teeny tiny, especially compared to before, but I'm filling out a DD cup nicely!!! You'd NEVER know it my looking at my boobs, they look like a B/C. I'm just happy not to have neck/shoulder/back pain any more & it's exciting to be able to wear shirts that fit my body, not just my boobs!
I am exercising & almost back to where I was pre-op & my energy is finally back to normal. The only exercise I can't do now is pull-ups....they HURT my tummy, which is weird bcuz sit ups and doing the crunch machine don't hurt. That was one heck of a recovery!!! I know I'm not out of recovery completely yet, but my life has pretty much resumed back, thank God! The only thing different now is my confidence & my pant size!!! Since surgery I have gone down 3 pant sizes!!! From a 16 to a 10!!! That roll of fat/skin I had was horrendous! I'M SO GLAD ITS GONE!!!
For the first time since I was a teenager I ENJOY shopping for clothes!! I haven't gone bathing suit shopping yet, but plan on doing that next week!! I'm actually excited....might even get a bikini!!!
I have continued on my weight loss journey, losing 10 pounds since surgery. I am so super close to my goal.....18 more pounds!!! And then just LOTS of toning!!

HAPPY HEALING EVERYONE!!!! I HOPE EVERYONE IS AS HAPPY WITH THEIR RESULTS AS I AM!!!!

I am just over 4 months PO (17 weeks). I have gone down 4 pant sizes, from a tight 16/comfy 18 to a tight 8/comfy 10; I have 10 pounds to lose to get to my goal weight & have lost 90 pounds so far!! LOVE LOVE LOVE the way jeans fit me now....and everything else too!! This TT/BR/BL was SO much more for me than just cosmetic. After losing 75+ pounds I had only gone down 2 pant sizes bcuz of the huge roll of hanging skin/fat in my lower abdomen. I had to buy my pants big to fit the roll, which fit like parachute pants around by butt and legs. Now, my pants fit all the way around everywhere!! I LOVE IT!! And as I mentioned before, probably the MOST excited thing I can wear now are big western belt buckles!!!

Prior to my TT, I got a Lap-Band in Nov 2011. I was 246 pounds & absolutely miserable. I had tried several different diets, all failing and all discouraging me more, making me more depressed, which made me want to eat more. It was a vicious cycle for me. For so many years, I felt so out of place from my family. My husband & 2 daughters are thin with athletic builds and all very active. I couldn't be active with them & I would be so embarrassed and self-conscious when my husband would hold my hand or put his arm around me in public. I felt like people were looking at us thinking "why is he with her" or "they definitely don't look like they belong together". My husband never cared how heavy I was & my kids were never embarrassed by me....but I was embarrassed for them. I got my Lap-Band & losing the weight was so easy! IT has taught me portion control & I have never had to completely deprive myself of anything I want to eat. The band has helped me lose 90 pounds. I have done my part of the work....working out hard at the gym 5-6 days a week & watching how much I eat.

After all that hard work to lose 75+ pounds & only going down 2 pant sizes, I found myself again getting depressed with my body. Although I was thrilled to have lost that much weight, being in such a big pant size was so frustrating! I looked into a TT & the dr mentioned a BR/BL to go with it. I AM SO HAPPY!!! My back/neck/shoulders don't hurt anymore from my boobs & I can wear normal shirts....ANY shirt I want! My pants look fabulous!!!! BUT more than ALL that!!!! I finally feel like I fit in with my family!!! I can go to the gym with them & work out with them, doing the same exercises as they do; I have been skateboarding with my daughter; I plan to surf this summer!!! I walk in confidence holding my husband's hand & hold my head high when walking with my daughter, no longer being embarrassed for her. I am even sharing some clothes with my teenage daughters! I have recently filmed a commercial for my LB docs. Dr. Michael Zarrabi did so much more for me than just fix me cosmetically....he literally changed my life!!! His work is like a masterpiece, he transformed my body like magic!

I still have days here & there that I am swollen, but less & less often. My scar is healing well & I am SO thankful it is so low! My results have FAR exceeded what I even imagined! I have never been happier!!!