Had my reduction today. Too early to rate, but so far so good. Im sore but not too bad. Going for a nap. Will keep you posted. update. Shoulders feel lighter already. No drains, glue outside closure. Intermal stitches Updated on 13 Aug 2019: Slept pretty good a few wake ups but not bad. I'm sore but not too bad. I have not seen any blood or drainage. So far so good. Had followup with doctor today. Was surprised how uncomfortable it was with the bra. Lots of pressure ang tugging around neck. All looked good. No complaints Updated on 16 Aug 2019: Still sore, but not too bad. Dont think ill take pain killers today except before bed to get a good nite sleep. Think im healing well. Nipples are very sensitive so im glad i have sensation in them. So far so good Updated on 25 Aug 2019: Very happy! Dr P and Staff was great alleviating all of my concerns. And quick to respond to all of my questions. I had several consults with various PS, but It was difficult finding a doctor that takes insurance. Glad i finally found Dr. P!
I always had a full C bust, but after losing 55 lbs I was a full A! Deflated balloons. I loved my body but the upper portion needed change. I went for my consult and was so satisfied with the professionalism of Dr. Pillersdorf's staff! I booked the surgery with a deposit. Surgery was on Nov. 2. As I write this, I am 4 days post-op, and will post pics below. I did not know what size to choose, I knew somewhere between 450 and 550 cc. I left the decision to the doc! I woke up with 455cc Mentor Ultra High Profile Implants and he did perform a lift as well. I have no incisions other than my aureolas are stitched. The first day was the worst, bad upper back pain and of course discomfort. I hated that I was unable to sleep and found it more comfy sitting in a chair, not reclining, to doze on and off. Don't go crazy purchasing a wedge pillow etc. I bought one that was $225 and it did nothing for me. I had my first post op appt Saturday morning at 9:15am. It was awful being so tired and having to get to the office for the dressing change. Nurse said it all looked wonderful and to go home and do some exercises, very simple, to get the muscles moving. The following day, my fiancee changed the dressing for me. I had another appt with the doc on Monday, Nov. 5. He was pleased with the implants and told me to take it easy and see him in another two weeks. I have sensation to the left nipple so far, but not the right side yet. I did pay for the marcaine injection, and it has helped me immensely, as there is no pain. I do feel some muscle spasms but am taking muscle relaxers for them. I am also taking Keflex for the next week. My breasts do not look symmetric but they are huge and I can hardly put my arms to my sides because they are so big and swollen. I am told that they will be symmetric as time moves on. I will post my before pic along with a couple of after pics and will post more as I see change. Thank you for reading! Updated on 24 Nov 2018: I'm 3 weeks post op and still in moderate pain. The twins swell a lot to the point where I cannot put my arms to my sides and the skin burns something fierce! I still have some sutures because doc said they are not ready for removal. I go back Thursday for check up. They still have not dropped much and I have skin sag under the left breast that I hope changes real soon! Updated on 21 Dec 2018: I am 8 weeks post-op today and wow what a difference! I still have pain probably from the nerves growing back, I have good days and bad days. Some days when I do too much, they swell quite a bit and I do have a bit of pain under the left breast which I am assuming is also from the nerves growing back under my skin. 455 cc's in each breast, 5'4, 120 lb. Updated on 9 May 2019: Loving my tatas! Thank you Dr. P!
I talked about treating myself to a face lift for years for my 50th. Looked forward to it. Dr. Pillersdorfs staff were extremely knowledgeable and comforting. The day of surgery I was an udder basket case. My nerves overtook me and I almost backed out of the procedure. Dr. Pillersdorfs assistants were very patient and comforting. I am SO glad I went thru with the short scar face lift and eye lift. I don't even want to see the before pictures!! The Dr. was very attentive to the fact I didn't want to look fake and over done. I abused my skin with years of sun exposure and I feel much more confident in my appearance and I don't look like I'm 50!!!!!! I would have another procedure done without hesitation!!!
I have mixed felling about my procedure. Sometimes I am happy and sometimes scared cause you don't really know what they will look like and how your healing will be but one thing I do know is that I am going to leave it in God's hands. My husband was very supportive of my decision but he said he really didn't mine the size of my breast. Updated on 29 Jun 2013: 4 days post op and yesterday the Dr took my pain pump out I still have a lot of pain and I have not been able to have a number 2 took some laxative I got from Walgreens 2 days ago nothing and yesterday I bought some miralax I had 2 cups and nothing I am about to have a cup now I have get some sleep at times 2 hours at a time but have not been able to sleep long Updated on 29 Jun 2013: I will take another one with out binder and bra in a few days but I do like my results Updated on 29 Jun 2013: As you can see I had my breast reduced and also a tummy tuck pain pain pain. Updated on 18 Mar 2014:
My journey. Hi ladies. I discovered this site about a month ago while trying to decide to do my BA. And like everyone else I got hooked!! It s amazing the exchange of info and experiences!! Very helpful and comforting. So, I am 45 yrs old. 5 5", 118 pounds. Mother of 3 beautiful kids ( 26, 25 and 24) I have always had small breasts, even when breast feed my kids and being honest never bothered me too much but time to time I thought it would be nice to have fuller breasts since I m barely an A cup. Making a long story short, 4 months ago my husband and I were thinking about destinations for our vacation ( I always have the 2 firsts weeks of July off), and a little bit joking and a little bit seriously I told him: well, it s either vacation or boobies, haha. And he encouraged me to set couple of appt. and go from there. I saw 3 board cert. PS with a lot of credentials and good reputation. I had a hard time deciding who to choose. Till finally I decided to go with Dr. Pillersdorf. I scheduled my surgery for July 2. Since this journey started it s been a rollercoaster of emotions but I learned this is a process and it s natural . Thanks for reading... All the best for all of you out there! Updated on 11 Jun 2013: My pre op it 's Monday 17th! I scheduled my surgery a month ago and I can't believe I'm having my pre op in less than a week! I just saw the doctor once, and then I scheduled it over the phone.. It seems that the nurse is going to be at the pre op. not the doctor. Is this the norm? May be I should have gone for a second consult with the doc. Before scheduling. .. It s my bad. I didn't t ask. I know he is going to see me for markings right the day before or the day Of the surgery. Any thoughts about this? He uses a pain pump , that i have to have for the first three days;anyone know anything about it? I call MD now for my medical clearance. They do all the tests there. Is $495 too much.? It seems a little pricy. I thank all of you that can give me some advice here.. Updated on 20 Jun 2013: Hi ladies! So I had my pre op Monday. Everything went well. The nurse was very sweet, professional and answered every single question I asked. I signed all the releases and consents... She walked me through the whole process. My next appointment it s Monday 1st, the day before the surgery When I m gonna see the doctor again for markings and decide the size. Right now I think I want 325 cc, I m afraid the 350 is gonna be too big. I want a fuller Look but slender at the same time, if this makes sense, haha.. Everybody say go bigger, go bigger.. Oh decisions decisions.. They want me to start taking multivitamins and vitamin C, 500 twice daily. Need to buy gauze, antibacterial oinment (anybody can recommend which one) antibacterial soap. Frozen peas, drink lots of water.. So, this is all for now. I m getting very excited and anxious. I spend a lot of time reading the reviews here for what I thank each one of you, it feels so good to know we can reach out and get answers, support and courage from so many people . I will be posting my before pics. Soon. Good luck and easy recovery everybody!! Updated on 26 Jun 2013: So my surgery is Tuesday, I got my medical clearance, everything came out good. I went shopping and got my sport bra, bendy straws, gauze, antibacterial soap, antibacterial ointment. I still need to get frozen peas ( please don 't let me forget them!!) and some button down shirts. I m planing on making some soup and freeze it, My house will be clean and I m almost done ironing and organizing stuff and leave everything handy. my last day at work will be Saturday so I still have Sunday and Monday to take care of last minute things.. I go Monday morning for markings, so I will be a whole day with my surgery "tattoos" on, lol. and go over the process with the doctor once again, make sure we are on the same page as far as size and look i want to accomplish.Still trying to decide between 325/ 350 cc's I don t want to be too big. I want a fuller look but slender at the same time...anyways my PS uses sizers while performing the surgery, i m gonna have to trust his judgement. I m excited, nervous, sleepless. What a mix of emotions!!! anybody else on the same boat?? Haha. I can t wait to be on the other side... I don t know if I can take this a lot longer. All I can do is think about bobbies, and I m on this site all day long reading your stories and comments. I will try to post some pics. this weekend before my surgery. Good Luck to all of you!!! Easy healing for all the girls that are already on the other side. Updated on 30 Jun 2013: This is the actual me.. But Tuesday is gonna change, haha. Updated on 1 Jul 2013: Hi girls!! I had my markings app. Today. Spoke with the doctor and he is thinking 350 /375!!! Showed him my goals pictures, and he said my expectations are very realistic comparing how the before and after pics I showed him were from girls with similar stats and look as I am. Just taking care of last minute things, arranging my house so everything is ready and handy. I m very excited and surprisingly not nervous ( yet, haha) Good luck to all of you!!!! Easy healing everybody!!!! Updated on 2 Jul 2013: Today is my BA at noon. I am up since 7. Can t drink or eat anything since last night... I have to be there 11.30... This is going to be interesting..going to sleep and 2hours later waking up with boobies!! Yes!! I hope everything is enough. Wish me good luck!! Best wishes to everybody !! Updated on 2 Jul 2013: I want to thank you all for the well wishes and prayers. Heading to the surgery center now. See you on the other side!! Updated on 2 Jul 2013: Ok girls. Just to let you know ,everything went great. Surgery was a breeze. Dome discomfort in my right, but nothing unbearable. The doc went with the 375.wow!! For what i can see i think i will be happy. Smooth healing everybody!! Updated on 3 Jul 2013: I got at the surgery center about 11.10, they took me right in. Had me change, put the IV, I m so happy with that I m not bruised , it looks just like a mosquito bite. They ask what procedure I was gonna have.. The anesthesiologist came to say hi, and told me surgery was gonna take around 2 Hrs. Then the PS came in. Did my makings again. Ask me again about which size I wanted, but he said he was gonna use sizers and took my goal pictures with him. I walked with the nurse to the OR. Laid on the bed. They connected me to all the equipments to monitor my vitals and put some booties in my legs to help with the circulation I guess. We were talking . ..i started feeling a little sleepy and then the anesthesiologist told me "sweet dreams".and I was out. After, I recall him saying: you did great! But I wet back to sleep to woke up later in the recovery room. They gave me some ice chips and crackers. When I was stable they called my husband in. But then my blood pressure drop so they held a little longer till I was stable again. Then we came home. Laid in the recliner most of the day. I wasn t hungry , just very very thirsty. At night I was able to sleep on and off. The girls were very sore and tight and my back was hurting. Today I went to see the doctor for follow up. My girls are looking great. I don t have any bruises, they are very high and tight, thank God I can breathe better today, yesterday was kind of difficult because of the pressure in my chest. I have a pain pump but I still need to take meds. They make me very sleepy so I have to take a nap. What is good is that when I am awake I m aware, they don t make me drowsy, My doctor end up putting 375cc. I was afraid they were gonna be too big, but so far I like them. We will see when they drop and fluff. It is all for now. Happy and easy healing for everybody!!! Updated on 3 Jul 2013: Updated on 4 Jul 2013: This is my second day post op. I had a good night sleep, waking up only to take my meds and go pee. Still couldn't go #2 so I look 5 month pregnant... Still not loving my results between being so bloated and my girls super high and tight is not a flattering look, but I know I have to give them time. I m off the pain meds for the whole day. I m gonna take them when is necessary . They make me sleep a lot and I don t like that. So far not pain today. Just soreness and tighteness. Tomorrow I have to see the nurse to remove the pain pump. Let see how it goes after that. I hope everybody is healing easily. Updated on 4 Jul 2013: I have to say that the doctor, the anesthesiologist and all their staff were great. They didn't, t leave me alone even for one second. And later that day the nurse called me to follow up. I don't have any bruises in my boobs and the incisions didn't bleed at all. Same with the IV . So I m very happy about that. Updated on 4 Jul 2013: So tonight I was at home alone And wanted to fix myself Something to eat since I didn't eat much cause I wasn't hungry. I started feeling light headed, my legs were shaking and my heart was beating very very fast. First thing i did was sitting on the floor in case i was gonna faint. Stayed there till i felt better. Then I crawl to where i had the phone and called my hubby, but he didn't answer. I just stayed there sitting. I was very scared to stand up my face felt ticklish and my heart was pumping very, very fast. My husband called me back; he was on his way back home. I felt so weird and scared so i called 911. They took all my vitals, asked me a lot of questions. Fortunately everything was ok . My heart rate was a litlle fast, my blood Pressure a little low. The thing is that by taking so much medication that our bodies aren't use to, we need to hydrate and eat even if we are not hungry. So for those girls that are about to have their surgeries, PLEASE Take care of yourselves I'm a little tired now. I need to sleep, but.i felt i needed to share this with you. Good night all. Updated on 9 Jul 2013: Hi girls! Sorry I haven t been posting lately.. Everything is good. Getting better and better everyday. Last Friday I had the pain pump removed and I was able to shower, yeahhh!!! Saturday I was finally able to go to the bathroom, with the help of laxatives for two days. So like I said before everyday is an improvement so that makes me feel better. I'm learning to like my girls. They are still high and tight. I can t wait till they drop and soften a little. I m planing on going out today driving myself for the first time since surgery; let see how it goes. Tomorrow I have an app. with my doctor. I hope I can start massaging the girls to help them loosen up . I will post pictures soon. Regards to everybody . Updated on 9 Jul 2013: Updated on 11 Jul 2013: Yesterday I went to see my PS, everything looks great. He removed the stitches. I m healing wonderfully. My girls are getting softer ...still there is a long way to go, but I m very patient . So far I m very happy with my results, still the girls look hard and high but eventually they are gonna start looking more natural. I m also very satisfied with my doctor, he knows what he is doing. He end up deciding the size in the OR. And I think he was right. I never had any bleeding or bruising and I believe his experience and the way he does the procedure has a lot to do with it. I m heading out for a long weekend before I go back to work next week, I m so excited!!! My doctor cleared me for going into the pool so I m gonna be able to show off the girls.. Yeah!! He made me soo happy, haha. I m gonna try and post some pictures when I m away. Happy healing everybody and good luck for all the that are in the beginning of this process.. Updated on 16 Jul 2013: I can't believe it s already 2 weeks since I had my surgery!! Everything is great so far!! I feel good , almost normal. I m not in pain, just some tightness time to time, but the ice pack is all I need. I have to say, only the 5 first days were the most uncomfortable; after that I started feeling better everyday. I was never in pain. Only took pills for a day or two. This past weekend I started noticing a difference as far as the swelling going down and they softened; sometimes if I m more active then the girls get "angry" at me, haha and I have to ice them. I went away for the weekend, I was able to wear my old bathing suit (padding removed), and is so much fun getting dress, even in my old clothes. Yesterday I went shopping for new bathing suits and I had a blast, the girl of the store as well. She was so excited for me!! Today I went back to work. My job is not physical, so it went smooth. Nobody noticed anything, wich is what I wanted . It is very easy to "hide" them . One more time, I m so happy I trusted my PS and he made the final decision in the OR, and went bigger. This have been an incredible experience for me so far, loving my results. The girls still need to D&F but it is too soon yet. I hope everybody is healing well. Updated on 16 Jul 2013:
I've wanted my stomach to be flat and toned again for a long time. My first child was born in September 2004 via c-section. I've had 2 more babies since then, both c-sections, in 2006 and in 2009. I had a tubal ligation with my last child so there are no concerns over getting pregnant again. Three years ago I vowed to get in the best shape of my life by age 40. My 40th birthday is in May of this year. I am in great shape now except for my stomach. Due to breastfeeding my breasts are also MIA. After a truly heartfelt discussion with my sweet husband I have decided on a Mommy Makeover. He fully supports me and has even helped me research. He's the one who found Real Self. He's also going to the consultations with me as his work schedule allows. He's awesome! I am fortunate to have a lot of support from my husband, family, and close friends. I'm excited to start meeting surgeons. I have 4 consultations over the next 2 weeks starting tomorrow. I want to be sure I pick the best surgeon that I can and that's why I have arranged so many consultations. I am also fortunate to have a friend who just had a tummy tuck who also works with plastic surgeons (she's a nurse practitioner) who has given me a lot of input. My mother-in-law and sister-in-law have both had many cosmetic surgeries so they've given me a lot of advice as well. I'm excited to share my journey. My plan is to have the makeover by the end of February so that I have enough time to heal before my big 40th birthday bash at the end of May. I live in south Florida so I'm also looking forward to my first summer of not feeling overwhelmed by bathing suit & beach season. I might just live in my bathing suit this year rather than hiding behind my cover-up. Yay! Updated on 9 Jan 2013: I've had 2 consultations this week. I knew by the time I woke up this morning that the surgeon I met yesterday was going to be a no. The doctor seemed to just skim over my concerns and plan his own idea of what type of makeover I needed despite my expressed desires and deep concerns. His patient coordinator lied to me too and I knew it. I don't know if she was just trying to make up for her lack of knowledge or if she really was directly lying to me. Either way... that was a big mistake. Today's consultation went so well that if I had to choose a surgeon right now, I'd choose him. He put his priorities right in line with mine and he listened to me. He offered his best plan based on my own personal concerns/desires and that was awesome. I asked him, "if I was your daughter, knowing what you know about me, what would you do?" I super liked his answer and his reasons for his answer. My husband was very pleased with him too. His price was also about $3000 less than the first surgeon. Even though price isn't going to be my determining factor unless I like 2 surgeons equally, I was surprised to see that much of a difference. Do your homework, ladies. Both of these surgeons have advanced credentials and have received numerous positive reviews. Their work is so beautiful, each of them. However, one is much more on my preferred approach than the other. I don't trust the first guy, but I do trust the 2nd one. I have 2 more consultations to go to. They are both next week. I'll update after I see them. I hope to have my final decision on which surgeon I'll choose by the end of next week so I can move from there to testing and then finally to day of surgery. I'm still aiming for my MM to be at the end of February. Updated on 14 Jan 2013: I've had three consultations over the last 2 weeks. I am supposed to go to another one on Wednesday, but I'm going to cancel. I found two surgeons that I like almost equally, but I've decided which one to go to. I'm hoping when I wake up in the morning I feel as confident as I do about that now. If so, I'll go ahead and give them my deposit to hold the date of my surgery. As of today, February 22 was open for them so here's hoping it still is when I call them. I've decided on saline implants underneath the muscle. I tried on a sizing bra today and I think I love what 400-450cc looks like on me. I had a lot of fun with that part. The nurse and I were like "Yes, that's the one!" when we got to the 450, but then she reminded me that my breast tissue will be on top so that's why I think I'll go with 400 so there's room for my own tissue on top without looking too big. I'm not sure how to describe that. So, here we go. I have a lot of tests I have to do pre-op -- a mammogram, EKG, and complete blood screen. I'm not looking forward to any of that, but I understand why it's necessary. Updated on 15 Jan 2013: Today I paid the deposit to schedule my surgery date. I have a follow-up appointment with my surgeon's nurse on Feb 8th which is 2 weeks prior to surgery. That's when the total amount for the surgery is due. I have another appt with my surgeon the day before surgery for pre-op. Surgery will be early a.m. on Feb 22nd. They say it'll last about 3 1/2 hours and I should be home mid-afternoon. I also scheduled my mammogram for this week and found out that my insurance covers mammograms 100%. So happy about that. Updated on 16 Jan 2013: I wanted to list the questions I've been using with each surgeon I've seen. Hopefully this will help those of you who are seeking your preferred PS. Some questions are geared towards my own wants/needs. Tailor your questions to your own desires. This is just a guideline. GENERAL QUESTIONS • Are follow-up visits a part of the price? If not, how much are they? • How long until I can resume exercise, sex, driving, picking child up? • What if there is a rare emergency and I have to go to a local to me hospital, will he meet me there? • What is his policy and what would he do to correct any surgical mistakes or treat any problems like infection or poor healing? • How do I reach someone after hours with questions/problems? • Does he use a pain pump? • Percocet makes me vomit. Can I use Vicodin? What about Valium? What prescriptions are needed before and after surgery? • What tests do I need to do before surgery? • Is surgery [on date I've chosen] possible? • Do I need to buy any equipment or garments over and above what his practice gives me the day of surgery? • How long will I need full-time help at home? • What are risks to having surgery? How do I care for myself to minimize the risks? TUMMY TUCK QUESTIONS • I want the incision as low as possible incorporating my c-section scar. • I want a natural looking belly button. • I want my muscles sewn tightly. How will that affect future workouts? • Is hernia repair, if needed, a part of the cost? • Is there an overnight stay available the night of surgery? If so, the price. • Will there be drains? Why or why not? BREAST AUGMENTATION QUESTIONS • I’d like to avoid a breast lift and I don’t want my nipples messed with. Is it possible to achieve the look I want with just implants alone? • I want a full C cup or small D cup. How will that look on my frame? • I want the incision underneath my breasts. • Will implants eventually need to be replaced? If so, approximately when? • Will I need to massage my implants? • I'd like saline implants under the muscle, is that something you're comfortable doing? I don't want silicone. • Are saline implants safer than silicone in your opinion? Pros/cons. Good luck!! I'm getting more and more excited and less and less nervous each day. :) Updated on 17 Jan 2013: I had my pre-op mammogram today. It wasn't as bad as I expected. It's humbling and uncomfortable, but not painful. I guess I better get used to people touching my boobs for the time being. Sheesh! I asked the lady who performed my mammo how things will change after my implant surgery and she said it would actually be easier for her and for me since the implant sort of pushes the breast tissue forward. She said she'd have to take extra images, and it will be much less uncomfortable for me too because she won't be able to squeeze it as tightly in order to keep from damaging the implant. She asked if mine would be placed underneath the muscle and I said they would and she repeated herself nodding her head yes that it would be fine and no worries. That made me feel so good inside. My grandmother died from breast cancer that spread to her lung in her 80s so I've always been so concerned about implants causing a problem with a mammogram. Looks like I never had to worry at all. Happy dance. Updated on 22 Jan 2013: One month until my makeover. Very excited and anxious. Enjoying the time I have left before more doctor visits, tests, and pre-op stuff though. I think this journey is mostly fun although I am looking forward to getting it over with. Have a great day! Updated on 23 Jan 2013: Mammogram results are normal. My breast augmentation gets the green light. Just a few more tests to go, but they don't happen until a week and a half before surgery. Excited!! Updated on 25 Jan 2013: Four weeks from today and I'll join those of you who've made it through. Today I paid half of the cost for my surgery. I'll pay the other half in 2 more weeks. Each day I get more and more excited!! Updated on 8 Feb 2013: I had my pre-op appointment today. I'm so excited. We finalized all of my decisions. I am getting a full TT and BA with saline, under the muscle, 400cc in my larger breast and whatever it takes to even them out in my smaller one (maybe 425cc). I have my prescriptions all ready to be picked up at the pharmacy. I'll get them tomorrow. I've been told to discontinue all aspirin and ibuprofen products, double my multi-vitamin, take 1000 mg Vit C, discontinue fish oil, and continue as prescribed other meds. They also said start the stool softener 2 days prior to surgery and then take them with every pain pill after surgery. I have a few supplies to buy, but it's really just first aid kit stuff. Easy. I also paid the entire balance due today. Wow. I'm really doing this. Happy dance!! The greatest news I got was that my surgeon does the incisions super low so that I'll be able to wear a bikini if I want to. A BIKINI???? I haven't worn one of those since my 20s. I'm not sure I'll feel comfortable in something like that, but maybe? See... I just haven't been used to having that much confidence in my body, especially my stomach. Smiling ear to ear today. Updated on 12 Feb 2013: All of my pre-op doctor visits are finally done. Yesterday I did the EKG and chest x-ray. Today I did the blood and urine tests. The results should be to my surgeon by the beginning of next week. I'll have a pre-op visit the day before surgery to get my markings, ask any remaining questions, and talk to the anesthesiologist. I'm very anxious now. I hope the next 10 days aren't filled with anxiety, but I honestly can't wait to get this over with. I have a fear of anesthesia even though I know so many people "go under" every single day and I've never had any complications. Still. Ugh! I have my week and weekend planned to the max. Next week is filling up quickly too. I've already started doing final projects around the house. Next week I'll be cleaning like a mad woman. I want it all to be ready for me to just kick back and do nothing for a couple of weeks. Excited, nervous, anxious. That sums it up. Updated on 14 Feb 2013: I posed this question to the docs on here, but it's stuck in moderation hell so I'm going to ask you ladies. I hit my head hard on Saturday. I didn't lose consciousness or see stars or anything like that, but since then I haven't felt right. The tv, computer, and phone screens bother me most plus loud noises and bright light. Each day I get better and better, but it's slow progress. I told the doc I saw on Monday (pre-op clearance) about it and she checked me out and then didn't seem at all concerned. My sister got me all worked up this morning about it so now I'm wondering if I should alert my surgeon or not or just wait and see how I feel Monday. I don't want to put myself at risk, but I also don't want to cause an uproar over nothing. Thoughts? Thanks. Updated on 17 Feb 2013: I went on a date with my sweet husband last night to try to take the edge off of my nerves. I talked mostly about my upcoming procedures and he was a calm and patient listener. It was nice to get it all out. We had a great time. I keep thinking that next weekend at this time I'll be post-op and bed bound. It's always in the back of my mind just below the surface of everything I'm doing. Racing thoughts. Reminders. Ugh. I have made several lists so I forget nothing. I'm mostly nervous about anesthesia. I know I'm not alone in feeling that way. I always get nervous about it even though I've never had any issues with it. I wrote about hitting my head in my last post. I'm feeling much, much better. I spoke with my surgeon's nurse and she asked some questions, but she's not worried. She said she'd tell him and call if he wanted further evaluations, but she didn't call me back so I'm taking that as he isn't worried either. I'm five days from surgery. It's on Friday. I have a couple of appointments, a play date for the kids, and 2 full days where I get to clean my house in preparation. I think I'll do a final grocery shopping trip on Wednesday. I'm trying to fill up the week for two reasons... one, so time will fly and two, so I won't have much time to sit around and be nervous. Have a great day ladies! Updated on 19 Feb 2013: My anxiety level is back to normal today. I'm no longer freaking out. I spoke to the nurse this morning and she calmed my nerves considerably. She told me my surgical clearance came through and I'm all set. She also said being nervous about surgery is very common, but assured me that I'm in good hands. I feel much, much better. Today and tomorrow I'm concentrating on cleaning and getting things in order at home. Thursday morning I have my pre-op appointment to get marked and then Friday super early I will have my procedures. This week has been the hardest as far as anticipation goes. I can't get over what an emotional journey this can be. I am 100% without a doubt sure that I want this though. Come on Friday! Updated on 20 Feb 2013: I just wanted to say THANK YOU to everyone brave enough to create a story, post pictures of themselves, and/or post comments on RS. This site has been such a blessing to me. Surgery pre-op for my markings tomorrow morning, then my much anticipated MM is early Friday morning. I almost can't contain my excitement! Updated on 21 Feb 2013: Just adding some new before pictures since this is the last day that I'll look like this. Wow. Last night I took all of my bras and put them in the wash so that I can donate them. I laughed as I thought about how much money was spent on them just a year or so ago. Gulp! Ha ha. That's nothing compared to how much new boobs cost, right? :) I'll probably add a couple more photos of my markings later if I get time to sit down. Today is super busy and my PS is an hour away. Updated on 21 Feb 2013: This will likely be my last post until I'm feeling up to doing an update post-op. Surgery is tomorrow morning early. Here's what I decided. I've seen so many reviews and was dying to know what each woman chose and having to scroll through gobs of posts to find out was annoying so hopefully this helps someone who is sick of scrolling. :-) Breast Implants: Saline, under the muscle, incision underneath breast. No lift. Asked for 400 cc in larger breast and to even up smaller breast to be symmetrical. However, I gave "after" pics to my doc that I found online to show him the look I like best and he said that I shouldn't get stuck on a # because he may have to use a little more. I said go for it. Tummy Tuck: Full, hip to hip. The incision will be very low. My doc is awesome! I have had hernia repair with mesh in the past, but he said it's no problem. Looking most forward to a flat stomach. I can't wait to fit into my favorite clothes like I feel I should. So sick of the muffin top. NO LIPO! Pain Relief: TWO pain pumps. One for my breasts, one for my stomach. They will be in for 3 days. After that I have Vicodin. I chose Vicodin because everything else makes me nauseous. Drains: I will have 2 and they will stay in until they aren't draining much. I'm going to try very, very hard to just deal with having them because I want zero complications. My at-home care: My husband is off work Fri through Mon. His Mom is also coming to stay with us for about 10 days to care for our three children while I lay around healing. I plan to enjoy my time off. You won't catch me cleaning or doing anything while I'm in the most critical time of healing. At all. I'm sure I'll be bored to death, but so be it. They can handle it and I don't want extra swelling. My friend is a specialized nurse who has also had a tummy tuck... she gave me gobs of medical supplies for free and she's available at the drop of a hat should we need her. That's all. I'm so excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See you all AFTER. XOXO Updated on 22 Feb 2013: I'm thrilled to the moon with my experience so far. My surgical team was the best!! Great team. Trying to stay ahead of the pain. Wow it gets awful and I even have 2 pain pumps. Taking 2 vicodin every 4 hours. I chose saline implants under the muscle with an incision beneath my breasts. The left side is 450cc and the right one is 460cc. I also got a full TT and I just can't believe how tiny I look. Yay! I have a follow up appt at 9:00 a.m. and can't wait to see underneath all this brandishing. I'm super happy and have zero complaints. Updated on 22 Feb 2013: I'm thrilled to the moon with my experience so far. My surgical team was the best!! Great team. Trying to stay ahead of the pain. Wow it gets awful and I even have 2 pain pumps. Taking 2 vicodin every 4 hours. I chose saline implants under the muscle with an incision beneath my breasts. The left side is 450cc and the right one is 460cc. I also got a full TT and I just can't believe how tiny I look. Yay! I have a follow up appt at 9:00 a.m. and can't wait to see underneath all this bandaging. I'm super happy and have zero complaints. Updated on 23 Feb 2013: Day 1 PO going better than I expected. I am so glad I got 2 pain pumps though. Wow! Sometimes my boobs feel like they're on fire near my armpits. Taking pain meds every 4 hours, but the last hour is really tough. Walking and using the bathroom unassisted which is nice. Not eating as much as usual. Swollen all over my body. I posted a pic yesterday and I'm about to add another one. Even though I'm swollen I'm so excited at how tiny my tummy is and how full my boobs are. Yay! Updated on 23 Feb 2013: Day 1 PO going better than I expected. I am so glad I got 2 pain pumps though. Wow! Sometimes my boobs feel like they're on fire near my armpits. Taking pain meds every 4 hours, but the last hour is really tough. Walking and using the bathroom unassisted which is nice. Not eating as much as usual. Swollen all over my body. I posted a pic yesterday and I'm about to add another one. Even though I'm swollen I'm so excited at how tiny my tummy is and how full my boobs are. Yay! Updated on 24 Feb 2013: I'm sick of the Vicodin already. Would like to cut dosage and see how it goes. Boobs hurt more than tummy for sure. My lower back hurts too. Can't wait to get over the hump of the first few days PO, but still so happy and excited. Emotionally I'm doing fantastic. Feeling super hungry this morning. Gonna wake hubby soon and ask him for a big breakfast. Mmm Mmm. Updated on 25 Feb 2013: The last 24 hours were hell on earth, but saw doc again and now I'll be fine. Pain pumps have been removed, everything is healing as it should, cleared for a shower. Taking one as soon as I get home. Exhausted. Updated on 27 Feb 2013: What a difference a few days can make! I'm standing almost perfectly straight and the pinched nerve feeling under my armpit seems to be mostly resolved at least for today. Still laying low but I can fix my own lunch and get my meds, water, and wear a tshirt without needing something that buttons now. Appt tomorrow to remove drains. Looking forward to it. Almost done with antibiotics and narcotics and super happy about that. Sick of waking in the middle of the night to take meds. Still sleeping in recliner for now. Dying to get back in my own bed though. Excited to have turned the corner and getting better each day instead of suffering so much. Happy healing everyone! Updated on 28 Feb 2013: I'm adding this info mostly so I won't forget. Diastasis was 25 cm and is now 7.5 cm. 1000 grams of tissue was removed and the implants weighed 1000 grams so even exchange. Updated on 28 Feb 2013: Day 6 drains removed, pain pills stopped, antibiotics gone, standing straight, so happy!! Updated on 1 Mar 2013: Today was fabulous! I'm standing and walking completely upright. I cooked or prepared all meals for my family, made trips to the mailbox outside twice, and only needed 1 short nap this afternoon. Breasts are riding high and so silly looking. I'll be glad when they drop. I'm swollen just like everyone else, but quite happy still. I shaved my legs and armpits today for the first time since surgery and I can't tell you what a relief that was. Yippee!! Updated on 4 Mar 2013: Hi everyone. I saw my PS again today. He had the nurse remove all of my stitches and told me it was time to shop for Spanx. He said for a little while I could wear my binder with the Spanx, but when I'm ready I could just wear the Spanx alone. I was seeing him every 3-4 days, but now he said not to come back for a week. He said to continue to take it easy and no exercise, strenuous activity, or heavy lifting for awhile longer. He also said my breasts (esp the left one) are starting to soften which pleased him. I'm feeling stronger and I have more range of motion each day. Last night I slept in my own bed instead of on the recliner couch for the first time since surgery. It felt so nice and I slept so well. This week I plan to shop for Spanx and a new halter bra that has front enclosure so I can wash this one that the OR gave to me. I can't wait to buy a real bra, but all in due time. A Mommy Makeover is totally worth it. I took good care of myself beforehand and I'm convinced that's why my recovery has been such a breeze, all things considered. Good luck to those of you on your way and happy healing to those of you on the "flat side". :) Updated on 5 Mar 2013: I bought this today so I could have an extra in order to wash the one I got after surgery. It feels like wearing almost nothing. It's so comfortable. I don't want to go back to my surgical one now. The only downside is it's back-fasten instead of front. Since I'm 11 DPO now I don't struggle, but I would have in the beginning. Playtex makes it. Found it at Target for $12. Oh happy day! Updated on 8 Mar 2013: Two weeks ago today I had my Mommy Makeover procedures - extended tummy tuck & breast implants. I am happy to report that I'm doing better than I expected to be doing at this point. I still get tired easily and I stay home most of the day, which gets really boring since I also can't lift anything heavy or do much housework beyond the basics of laundry, dishes, and dusting. To rest is so important, though, and so I keep my activity to a minimum in order to get through the day without being exhausted by 5:00. Tomorrow I plan to go watch my son play football in the morning. I haven't been able to do that for the last 2 weekends so I'm very excited about it and I'm trying to save my energy so I can enjoy the whole game. Sunday I plan to return to church. I'm looking forward to becoming more and more "normal". Monday I have another doc appt. I plan to ask about breast massage and continued wound care. My incisions look great and are all closed up so I'm wondering about scar therapy. I also want to know if I should wear Spanx with my binder or if just Spanx alone is fine. I have a few questions. My breasts are still high and tight, but they are no longer painful and I have most of my range of motion back. I don't have full strength back yet though. I'm still taking it easy and I'm very careful about lifting/reaching/carrying. When my pec muscles move I am aware of it and so I try to let them rest as much as possible. I don't want to mess anything up. My left breast is dropping and softening quicker than my right breast, but my surgeon says that's because I'm right-handed and the side that's most used usually takes longer to drop into position. I am still very happy I had a MM and I would recommend the procedures as well as my surgeon to anyone. Two thumbs up! Breast Aug = saline, under muscle, high prof, 450cc left, 460cc right Updated on 11 Mar 2013: I had an appt with my PS today. All went really well. I have graduated to Spanx without my binder. So happy about that! It is a bit uncomfortable pulling it up over my incision and stomach, but I think it would be that way whether I had a huge incision or not. They are tight. I like how they feel. It's not much different than the binder, just way less bulk. I purchased scar therapy from his office too. I bought bioCorneum+. It was expensive, but I am worth it. :o) I can start light exercising like walking and yoga-type stretching. I'm glad. I feel so mushy in some areas of my body now that I haven't been active for so long. I'll start tomorrow. I am feeling great. I almost have full range of motion back. I am functioning slower than normal, but I can tell I'm picking up the pace each day. I do light housework and all laundry now. I don't carry heavy things, but I do what I can. I haven't swept the floors or run the vacuum yet. Too afraid to try that still. Hubby takes care of that stuff for now. So far the time is flying. I don't see my PS again for 3 weeks. Since he's an hour away from home, I'm happy. I'm still so excited about everything to do with my surgery, surgeon, surgical team, and before/after care. The swelling is going away some and my breasts are dropping. It's a sloooow process, but absolutely worth it. Happy Happy Happy Happy Happy! Updated on 15 Mar 2013: MM was 3 weeks ago today. I am feeling great. I get tired and swollen by the end of the day, but that's all normal at this stage. I saw my PS on Monday and he released me to wear Spanx full-time instead of the binder. That is going just fine and I'm happy to be done with that binder. He also said I could do light exercises, but I honestly haven't done much because I still get so tired. I have done some light stretching mostly. I hope to start going on short walks next week. I see my PS again in a couple of weeks. My breasts are taking their sweet time descending. My left one is ahead of my right on in the race to settle. I'm right-handed, though, so that's also normal. I started scar therapy this week. I'm using BioCorneum+. So far so good. I have no complaints or concerns. This experience has been a positive one for me and I'm grateful to God for that. I appreciate these reviews and forums on Real Self too. You ladies have helped me in this journey more than you know so thank you. Updated on 22 Mar 2013: I feel great! I am almost 100% back to normal. My daily routine minus exercise is basically normal. My kids are on Spring Break this upcoming week so we have many plans including the zoo. I feel up for it and I'm excited to be able to share in fun family times again. My breasts are inching down towards their final destinations ever so slowly and I have noticed they are softer. My scar is doing great and I have full range of motion back completely now. I do stretches everyday and try to get some walking done. I've started cleaning up my diet again especially since I can't exercise yet. I have another PS appt in about 10 days. I hope he'll let me out of the Spanx for good, but trying not to put too much hope into that. They are a PITA, but I understand why I have to wear them. I'm just dying to be done with all this extra effort getting dressed and using the restroom each day. Otherwise, not much to say. I feel great and I LOVE LOVE LOVE the way I look. I seriously love it. The honeymoon is still ongoing. I am constantly in awe of the new me. I hope that feeling never fades. Updated on 29 Mar 2013: Each week I get stronger and less tired and more able to resume normal life. I'm still very, very pleased and I highly recommend these procedures to any healthy woman. I have another PS appointment on Monday. I hope everyone has a blessed Easter! Updated on 1 Apr 2013: I had a follow-up appt with PS today. He released me to start my regular workout routine (slowly) at 6 weeks, which is this Friday. I'm happy about that. He said everything looks great and he's so pleased with how flat my stomach is -- and so am I. That is what I wanted the most. Now when people who don't know me see me with my 3 kids they can't believe I'm their mom. That's some awesome sauce! He also said I could buy bras. Finally! So, I went to Victoria's Secret after my appt to get measured. I am a 38 C according to their measurements, but when I tried on the bras the C was too snug and uncomfortable. I tried on the D just to see and it felt great! The only problem is that I want NO underwire so in order to get my size (38D) in wire-free I had to order online b/c they only had one in the store. No good. I left and went to Macy's instead. I tried on about 10 bras that didn't have any underwire. Thank God for their selection. Some of the 38D bras fit great and some were too big. Some of the 38C bras fit great and some were too small. Funny, huh? Long story short... I bought two 38C bras today and plan to wait it out to buy more since my breasts are still not fully dropped or fully soft. I had my 4 yr old with me too so I had to move quickly before boredom struck him. In a few weeks I'll go bra shopping alone and really take my time. I'd like to get a few with very little fabric since my breasts are already a great size and I don't need bra padding at all. I'll see my PS again in 3 months (July 1st). Until then I have to keep wearing Spanx. I'm not sure I'll be able to hang in there esp if I want to go to the beach so I'll see how I'm doing in about a month and call to see if I can go without it from time to time. I live in FL and wearing Spanx under clothes is going to get really sweaty soon. Today's high is 84 already. Everything is going wonderfully for me. I still have no complaints. I wouldn't say my experience has been easy, but it hasn't been anything like some of the stories I've read on here. For me, it has been exactly as I was told it would be and everything I've experienced was "to be expected". My left breast is softening and falling into place faster than my right one, but the right one is still headed there. I am right-handed so I knew that could happen. My left breast also has the most numbness. That part is a small annoyance, but no big deal in the grand scheme if you know what I mean. My lower abdomen is also completely numb which doesn't bother me. I've actually been grateful that it's numb b/c I feel nothing when I massage or rub the silicone ointment on it. That's been a blessing in a way b/c that means I feel no pain there. Many blessings to those of you on this journey. Hope you all heal just as you should with no complications. I'll update again in a few weeks. Hugs! Updated on 5 Apr 2013: I am excited that I get to start working my way into my regular exercise routine and plan to start Monday. I tried to go without Spanx the other day just so I could wash them all and I didn't like that. After about 2 1/2 hours I was glad to put one back on. I love wearing normal bras now too. My "size" ranges from a 38C to a 36/38D. I have 2 bras that are 38C (no underwire) from Macy's and one strapless bra that is a 38D (with underwire) from TJMaxx so far. I plan to buy more in a couple of months once my breasts have settled and softened a bit more. I bought 3 sports bras that are all size L. It's fun! Happy healing everyone! This has been the best money I've ever spent on ME. Worth it worth it worth it. Updated on 18 Apr 2013: Wow! Eight weeks already. Time is flying now. I love my breasts a ton. I am swollen in my stomach more than normal and I believe it's because I am back to working out regularly. I still wear Spanx all day and night except when I'm showering. I'm quite sick of it too, but it is what it is and I know someday I won't need them anymore. I love all the cute clothes I can wear now and I plan to go bathing suit shopping in a few weeks. I can't believe I'll be able to wear a bikini. So cool. I have a lot of numbness still in my abdomen around my BB and scars. My R breast still has pains and discomfort from time to time and my nipple on my L breast is still numb. The underside of the L breast is also numb. When I do chest exercises I want to crawl right out of my skin. It doesn't hurt, but the feeling of my muscle contracting over the implant is wretched. I am so disappointed in that and I hope and pray it resolves. Otherwise, I am doing SUPER great and I love my confidence -- esp (TMI) in the bedroom with my husband. Wow, we are having FUN!! ;) I'll update pictures on my 2 month anniversary. Hope you're all doing well. Updated on 22 Apr 2013: My how time flies after the first 4 weeks. I love my new bras. I wear a 38C or a 36D depending on the make and brand. My boobs look awesome. My stomach is swollen again, but I think that's due to working out. I don't think I've gained any weight at all. Happy healing everyone! Updated on 22 Apr 2013: Just wanted to add as a reminder... Saline implants, under the muscle, 450 cc left, 460 cc right, high profile Mentor. Updated on 22 May 2013: I am doing great! I even had a full body massage last weekend and had no trouble lying on my stomach as she pressed into my back. I have saline and I'll admit I was afraid she'd pop my breasts like a balloon, but they're fine and I needed that massage a lot. Ha ha!! I'm back to normal in all things including workouts. I lift the heaviest weights I can manage and I go hard with whatever workout I have planned. I'm still uncomfortable doing certain chest and ab exercises so I stop when I don't feel right. It hasn't hampered my ability to stay in shape. Honestly, I don't think much about my surgeries anymore. Life has resumed. I can tell you that I am absolutely appalled that 2 doctors I had consultations with suggested a crescent lift. The doctor I chose said I did *not* need a lift and he was right. Check out my new pics. Everything is beautiful and I'm super, super happy.
Hi Everyone I have been on Realself for the past 2 years looking at all the various people who have had excess skin removal surgeries. I have yet to see anyone who has done as much damage to their body as I have to mine. I have include before and after weight loss plus all the before and after plastic surgery pictures. I am sure just a description would not be enough to truly understand how bad my body looks without clothing. I am ashamed and embarrassed to post these pictures but if it helps just one person, it will be worth it. They say a picture speaks a thousand words. Here is a bit about my life and how I got to the point I am at in my life. I was 34 years old when I was injuried by a drunk young man who used my back to stop them from falling over a tent stake. He had been running like a bat out of hell and used both his hands to stop himself from falling. I went over the top of the metal chair I had been carrying. I had gone to a band competition and chili cookoff in a community park and we needed to bring our own chairs. I didn't feel any pain at the time but on the drive home I was in a lot of pain and my friend took me to her chiropractor. Turns out this drunk man caused me to have 4 herniated disc, and spinal stenosis. During all these testings it was discovered I also had a birth defect of only half a right hip bone. Over the next 4 years the Doctors tried all sorts of treatments but nothing worked. I was miserable and couldn't do the activities I loved to do like: ball room and belly dancing, bowling, miniature golf and volleyball. Due to the medicines and depression I gained all the way up to 497 pounds. At that time I could hardly get myself out of bed much less walk. With in less than 5 minutes I had horrible back pain, which took my breath away and caused tears to stream down my face. It took four year but finally when I was 38 years old the Doctors and I convinced my insurance to pay for an electric mobility device. I am now 61 years old and still have to use the mobility device to go shopping. If I can park close enough to the front door, I am finally able to walk with a cane into the Doctors offices or a restaurant. In 2005 I weighed 497 and over the next 11 years I managed on my own through diet and exercise to get down to 315. Once I got to that weight I was approved and had a gastric sleeve as well as my gallbladder removed and a hernia repaired on Jan 26 2016. At my highest weight my breast band measured a 70 and I wear an I cup. Thank God my Mother taught me how to sew as I couldn't find a 70 I bra so I would buy 2 Magic Lift Plus® Front Hook Posture Bra by Glamorise size 58 I and cut 6 inches out of each side of the second bra and sew it into the first bra. I would take two 5X blouses and cut out about 10 inches on each side of one and sew it into the other 5X blouse to make it into a 10X. Thank Goodness I was able to fit into 5X pants and didn't need to add an additional material to them. So now you see how huge. However over the past year I have managed to get down to 217. That is a total loss of 280 pounds from my highest weight. I am still not to my goal weight of 180 but the Plastic Surgeon said I am low enough now that I can have a breast reduction with free nipple graft. It is hoped that this reduction will help my back pain and all the other pains associated with having all this excess skin hanging. This is just 1 of the 4 surgeries I need to have done. Insurance is paying for this one and I hopefully all the others as well. My surgery is scheduled for June 26th. I was suppose to have this surgery in March but the mammogram and ultrasounds showed that I had microcalcification and had to have a biopsy done. Thank the Lord the biopsy was benign. My next posting will probably be the day of or after the breast reduction. My surgery is scheduled to start at 1: 30 and I will have two Doctors from the Plastic surgery staff. Both of these Doctors have done numerous weight loss excess skin removal surgeries. I I am excited and really looking forward to having all the surgeries so I can be the one I have dreamed to be. Updated on 3 Jul 2017: Went for the one week follow up. Dr took off the nipple bandages and said nipple graft looked good and the other incisions looked good too. As he was removing the bandages I had some sensation in the nipple area and he said this was good. He was very gentle and explained everything was going well and what I needed to do over the next week. Now I need to use the cream, petroleum bandage, gauze and tape each day and back into the surgical bra. I tried to take pictures myself during the followup exam but they weren't good. I feel good but had some pain during the week and was taking meds 4 times a day. Also had terrible itching but no redness and rash. Used itch cream and pills and iced the upper chest 3 or 4 times this week. Started reducing pain and anti itch pills to 2 times a day. Took some measurements tonight. Despite the swelling I believe I will turn out to be a B cup, the band now is 46. I am still swollen and have 34 pounds till I get to my goal weight. But I see a huge difference from what I was at my highest weight and I like what I see. Unfortunately now my tummy and excess skin there is showing more because the boobs are gone. The Dr said tummy would be the next surgery we will try to get approved when I am closer to goal. Today's trip to and from the Dr plus the trip to the drugstore was for about 3 hours and I fell asleep for about 4 hours after I got home. My community is having a 4th of July celebration tomorrow and I am feeling well enough to attend. I will go for about 2 hours as I don't feel any need for longer than that. My next appointment is scheduled July 10th. Updated on 11 Jul 2017: Got about 3 or 4 of the blue stitches removed from each breast today. Not really sure where the blue stitches were as I do not look as the nurse is removing them. One of the right ones was in pretty deep as it hurt a little bit coming out but nothing major. I think the rest of the stitches are the dissolvable kind. Was finally given the go ahead to shower and wash my hair. Just need to be sure to avoid a hard spray and not directly on the breasts. It will be great to finally be able to wash this grease head of mine. I finally got to ask Dr P about the surgery and who did what. He said he did the nipple removal first than the cuttings and pulling and reattached the nipples. Dr N did all the stitching. They started with my right side first. I did comment that the left side had more under arm pain and swelling and was causing me more pain than the right one. I found that to be odd as my right boob was bigger. They did have some issues with getting under the armpit because of all the excess skin on my arms so I think the cutting there was difficult. Considering all they were faced with I feel they did a great job. I was a very difficult case and the FNG is hardly done any more but in my case he had to do it. Still need to keep icing down that left side and taking the tylenol when I am hurting too much. This healing process is going to take time as a huge amount of skin was taken off and I have a lot of healing to do. The left nipple is healing but has a vertical cave in a bit. The right nipple is flush no cave in. Still need to cleanse each one with the cream and the dressings and report back to the Doctor next Monday for the 5th follow up. Some days I feel better than others. Yesterday was a good day but today I am sore, tired and just not feeling that well. I thought I was going to take that shower and wash my hair but not sure if I am physically able to do so. As for the 4th of July celebration in our community, I didn't go. When 4:00 pm came around I was just too tired and sore to go. Glad I didn't as my roommate said the clubhouse was crowded and very hot. He did bring me back a small plate of food and dessert. I haven't gone anywhere this week but now that I am allowed to shower and wash my hair I would like to go play my usual cards with the ladies on Wednesday night provided I am not tired. I had several ladies from the community visiting me and everyone is surprised by how much smaller my boobs look. The thing that is bothering me most now is my tummy. That is the next procedure to be done once I am fully recovered and if insurance approves it. I am assuming this may be done sometime in the Fall. Right now I am pretty self-conscious that my tummy is bigger than my boobs and even though my tops are still very big, my tummy excess skin is noticeable to me. I know once all that excess skin is off I will feel and look so much better. However will still have 2 more surgeries to go. I will be staying with these Doctors as they specialize in excess skin removal from weight loss and I am happy with the results and the way they are caring for me. Next appointment is July 17th. I also need to get some blood work done this week as on the 31st I have to report back to the Weight Loss Surgeon for my 1 1/2 year follow up. I sure hope he will notice the change in my top half and will understand that due to this surgery I haven't been able to exercise much thus resulting in me not getting to goal yet. But I am closer than I was in January and I will get there. Maybe not on his time schedule, but getting these boobs done was very important to me. I know in the long run it will help me to be able to better exercise and do more physical things. Hope everyone reading this has a great week. Will update again after the 17th. Updated on 18 Jul 2017: Got 3 more stitches taken out of the right nipple area. This time I looked at they look really good and the Dr agreed. I am doing so well he feels he doesn't want to see me again until Aug 14th. However if I have any problems I am to call and if need be come schedule a visit. I am finally able to sleep on my side, lift more than 5 pounds and start riding my adult tricycle again. I started walking on Friday with my walker to try and gain some strength as I didn't know if biking would be allow so soon. I walked 1/4 mile in about 20 minutes without any back pain. It feels so good not to have that back pain. However what seems to hurt me now is arms from the elbow up to the shoulder when using my walker. I am wondering if my walker handles are set to high. I will have to experiment a bit tomorrow and see if I lower the handles if that takes away the pain. Tonight I went to play Bingo and when I walked in several of my friends started clapping and came and hugged me. One hugged so tightly she was hurting my boobies. It was funny as she said oh my gosh I have never been able before to get that close to you when hugging you. We laughed but despite the pain it felt terrific. I still have to cleanse the nipples with the cream and the petroleum dressing each day. The dressings seem to be drying out faster than they did at first so I am reapply additional cream during the day. I am still swollen under the armpits but the swelling seems to be going down each day. The Doctor said some of that side skin is going to need to come off in the additional excess skin removal surgeries I will be needing. I guess that will be taken when I get the lower body lift. I think that is what that surgery is called. The Doctor said when I cam back in Aug he would explain more about the next surgery and maybe get the approval process started so I could have that done in The Fall. I still need to get off these last 35 pounds off of me before the Fall. I want to be at 180 before the surgery. So folk the next followup is Aug 14th unless something happens (I pray nothing does). Oh I do plan to return to work on Aug 8th so that will have been 7 weeks for recovery. I work with elderly physically handicapped adults and just want to make sure I have enough strength to get through the whole day, am completely healed, and able to help my clients without splitting any of my incisions open. Updated on 20 Dec 2017: It has now been 6 months. I had a good recovery and was back to work Aug 8th. I am doing mucuh better with my ability to stand and walk. Now I can walk for about 10 minutes before I have to sit down due to the terrible back pain. As for the boobs, I don't need to wear a bra as they are so small. Less than a B cup. Didn't want implants so I am pretty flat up front. However the side swollen turned into side boobs. I am hoping when the arms are done the DR will go a bit down on the side and take away that excess skin as well. My belly is bigger than my boobs and I am finding myself sitting with my arms on my belly to try and hide the excess skin mound. I am wearing smaller size shirts but not as small as they could be due to the excess skin on arms and belly. Still in the transformation phases so I am not really happy with my body. However I know I am transforming and need to be patient. Due to the way I look I am not putting after pics up at this time. I went from a 70 I to a 42 B which is quite an accomplishment. Updated on 8 Apr 2018: Tomorrow will be 3 weeks since I had my extended Brachioplasty. Each day I am getting better but it was not an easy surgery or recovery. Here is my story: It has been a difficult 3 weeks but I am finally turning the corner and feeling better. I went in March 19th at 2 pm for my bilateral extended to forearm Briachioplasty. Opened my eyes in recovery ay 6:45 and was home by 8 for 10 minutes when the ambulance was called. I was bleeding profusely from my left arm and had passed out in my recliner. Had to walk to the stretcher as they couldn't get it into the house. Got to ER around 1/2 hour later, Plastic surgeon from the Center (not the one that did the operation but had assisted with my breast reduction in June) came a looked at what was going on. almost passed out again while he was there. He told me I had a hemotoma the size of a baseball and would need to go back into surgery ASAP. No operating room was available until 4:30 when he went in and did whatever had to be done and gave me a drain. Finally at 7:30 am Tuesday morning I was in a shared room. They tried to send me home Tuesday night started bleeding again. They did whatever had to be done. My blood count had dropped down to an 8 and my veins were blowing every time they tried to take more blood from my hands. I had an IV in each hand in case the right one blew. My bloood pressure was being taken from my right ankle area. No matter what the staff did I could not get comfortable in the bed. By Tuesday evening between my arms andmy back I was in so much pain I was crying and leaning forward with my head netween my legs. They moved me to a manual recliner chair. MANUALLY you have to be kidding me. How the heck am I suppose to raise my legs? They had to do it and by the morning my legs were down. So what did they do put a trash can under the legs, now I can't get out of the chair without help. I guess they figured withmy dieseased back and no arms I needed help anyhow to get out of the chair so what difference did it make. I was seen by the PS again Wednesday night and he and the hospital Doctor finally released me to go home on Thursday. From the hospital I was taken directly to the PS DR office on Thursday as when the hospital staff was loading me into the van I started bleeding again. AUpon arriving at the Dr office, he and 5 nurses saw me immediately, did whatever they had to do and bandaged me back up and sent me home with Iron as I was amenic. I had a nurse the day after I came home every day after that to empty the drain, clean the skin and rewrap. I had a horrible weekend at home with intense pain despite the percocet I had. Not only were my arms in pain but my back as well. I was itching like crazy because of the gauze and ace bandages used by the Dr on Thursday when I had gone to him. On Monday during my 1 week followup when they discovered I had this reaction they came up with a different way of bandaging up my arms. My drain was also removed, thank the Lord as that thing hurt. I was still way to swollen to fit into any sleeve compressions so I have just been bandaged. I went back april 2nd for my 2 week followup. They clipped off a few of the long threads of the stitches and tried to clean up my arms. I was still too swollen so they didn't even try to get me into the vest sleeve compression garment. I have been resting my arms on soft blankets rolled up into pillow cases. soft pillow and soft neck pillows. They have a feeling of like pins and needles when your legs fall asleep. Not a great feeling, but at least I can raise them over my hed now. I go back April 12th again and hopefully I will be able to get into the garment at that time. My right arm is healing nicely but the left one is still hurting and the glue has not come off yet but the stitches seemed to have dissolved. If I could get the glue off of my left arm I think it would feel a lot better. I have attached some photos showing the left arm hematoma area, drain area and the right arm, during the first week. Also included some during this past week. They aren't the greatest but hopefully you can see the right is doing pretty good but that left one is still noot looking good. I was so bruised, black and blue and swollen I have no idea of what the outcome will be. I have a feeling this is going to be long difficult recovery. I just hope and pray I will be happy with the final results. Will post again after next followup on April 12th. Updated on 8 Apr 2018: Sorry I forget to upload these before pictures first. This is what they use to look like before surgery after a 280 pound loss.
The overall shape of the nose plays an important role in how you look. You have a nice long slender face with a slightly long face. There is no break of the supratip. When one does an open rhinoplasty there is a technique of sweeping the muscles of the upper lip downward and thus avoiding the severe changes that occur with smiling. You need to find an experience Rhinoplastic surgeon who understands that. Look at similar patients that they did and see if you like the improvement.
You need skin excision. I would not tighten the diastasis recti. The skin excision will get rid of the flaccid skin and the scar will be hidden by underwear. The umbilicus stays the same location, the skin above it rotates downward.
How does your breasts look when you raise your arms above your head. The muscle may simply be in spasm, or they are being pushed up because the pocket needs to be expanded for the lower pole.
Two questions: did you have a normal pre-op mammogram? Did you have a hematoma (alot of bruising on that side). This may be just a local problem, of old blood oozing out of a small area. Take a photo and resubmit your question
The implants are perfectly aligned behind the nipples. Great job. When they were first put in, the implants ride high because the implants behind the muscle can only push the implant up, and as the muscle relaxes, it jobs, but they are perfectly aligned.
