Finally My Tummy Tuck!

18 years ago my beloved first son was born at almost 10 pounds. A second large baby followed by years of weight loss yoyoing has left me with a deflated, sad stomach. I have been wishing, planning and thinking about it for many years and I'm finally ready. I've researched a number of doctors both locally and abroad. I hate to say that a lot of the work that I've seen by local doctors isn't really impressive and there were a lot of boxy looks. So I started looking at other areas. It seems that the Latin countries are really doing this procedure very well. After weighing the options between Mexico and the Dominican Republic, I finally decided on going to Mexico. While the pricing for the surgery in DR was less, after factoring in the plane ticket there was only a nominal savings. Also, didn't want to spend 15 hours on a plane after having the procedure done vs two hr flight by going to Mexico. That was well worth it to me. I wasn't going to write a review but I valued the reviews of so many other women on here that I thought I would share my experience. My date is February 18th with Dr. Laura Carmina Cardenas. So far, her coordinator has been responsive, informative and very helpful. I'm confident I've made a great choice. Dra. Cardenas is also one of the board certified plastic surgeons in MX and comes highly recommended. I'm having an extended TT, lipo and BBL. I'm on the fence about the BBL because I really do like my natural shape of my butt, I just want a little natural enhancement. So - we'll see. I'd really like to get a breast augmentation as well but finances and my propensity to be a big wuss is stopping me. So, I've done the research, got the money, made arrangements for time off, put my family on notice and am now gathering supplies. I'll be staying in the Beauty Care Recovery House for 7 days at Dra. Cardenas' suggestion. She wanted me to stay 10-14 days but I need to come home after a week. I'll be alone so I'm sure I'll be more than ready. I also want to say that my husband has been so supportive and awesome through this whole process. I really appreciate all his support.

Aaaaannnnddd..I'm officially obsessed. This is all I think about. I can hardly sleep and I'm driving everyone nuts by roaming the hall at night like the ghost of plastic surgery future. This is becoming more and more real. I scheduled time off work and have started to buy supplies. I read through some of the supply lists though and I can't help but wonder if I'm really going to need all that stuff! My father came to America with less suitcases than I would require by bringing everything on these advisory lists. My plan is to take my oldest suitcase, fill it with supplies and old, comfy clothes that I don't really use or wear anymore along with cheap underclothes. I just want to toss everything at the end of my stay that I don't absolutely need along with aforementioned old suitcase, board the plane with my small carry on and go about my business. My other dilemma is blood work. I had my CBC results and my iron completed last month and I'm all good there. But I need to get my other tests done that she requires. The problem is that I don't really have a PCP, just my gynecologist that I pop in to once a year. I'm a bit worried about what he'll say about going to MX. Frankly, I don't want to hear it and have him eff up my vibe. So I'm just thinking about having Dr. Cardenas office do it when I arrive. Sigh - am I just the biggest spazz in the world right now or are these totally normal feelings/actions?

Now that my relationship with mah belly is coming to an end, I've been thinking back about everything that is wrapped up in it. When I was about 8 months pregnant for my son who is now 18, his father left me. He was in and out of his life sporadically until he was about 4 and then he left for good. Thankfully, I met a great man a couple years later and we've been happily married for almost 12 years now. One of the last conversations I had with my son's father was after I had worked really hard to lose a bunch of weight and I was feeling pretty cute. I still had my mommy tummy but otherwise, I was about a size 8. He said to me, "It doesn't matter how much weight you lose or how much you run, you'll still always have that ass in the front." For years, that hurt me. And I guess in a way it still does since I remember it so vividly and how humiliated I felt. Years have passed and I'm older and wiser now and am SO grateful I didn't end up with that horrible man that I thought I wanted so badly. I would have missed out on meeting my husband and having our daughter along with a great father to both children. But, why - does just thinking about him saying that to me still have a tinge of humiliation? For years I carried that shame with me. Wearing two girdles at a time, strategically placing scarves, purses, my hands, children, any obstacle I could find in front of my stomach. Every single time I walked anywhere, I was hiding myself in some kind of way. So for me and I suspect many of us, having this surgery is about much more than vanity. It's about finally putting to rest those hurtful things and those insecure feelings. I wonder if I will recognize my body again. I told my husband the other day that I couldn't wait to finally be able to look into the mirror and see my old self. Except, I don't want the old self that accepted [RS bleep] from bad men and didn't believe in myself. I've worked really hard in my personal and professional life to grow in a way that even I never thought would be possible. I just want my old, new self. I think this is a great step and the last piece of the puzzle for me to finally be able to say that I, indeed, have come a long way baby. Anyway, sorry about the rambling. I am not sure I was prepared at how viscerally emotional this process would be. Still - I'm moving forward and on the countdown. Now...if only Delta would drop their damn flight prices again. Seriously, how the hell does that thing jump $122 in one day?? But I digress.....

This feeling is surreal. I'm getting much closer to my date and I just want it to be here already. So far, I've bought a boppy pillow and epi-foam. I've got a [RS bleep] ton of stuff in my online Walmart cart that I still need to get. My other pressing issue is that I need to get the rest of my blood work done. I already had my CBC done and sent to Cardenas and it is fine. But I still have the rest of them that I have no idea how I'm going to get done. I called and got an appt with my gyn and I'm going to ask him if he will. Honestly, I have no idea what he'll say so I'm just thinking about getting it all done in Mx when I get there. How I wish Dra. Cardenas could just set up the blood work with a local place. I hate having to go grovel to my local Dr. And in other, Murphy's law news, my teenage son has to have shoulder surgery tomorrow. Thanks to my terrible health insurance, my total out of pocket for his surgery will be...wait for it....the same amount as mine. Of course. I considered (briefly) cancelling my surgery but I didn't. Mostly because his hospital will work with me on payments and I have been waiting for this moment forever! Selfish? Possibly. I'm good to go on my vitamins and I'm greasing up my bod every day so I'm hopeful for a great surgery day. Does anyone have any insight on the blood tests?