I turned 40 years old in November of 2016. I felt good going into my 40th year because I had lost 30 pounds and 6 inches in my stomach (HCG diet) and managed to maintain the loss. Even though I felt good, the tummy tuck that I had wanted for several years was still in the back of my mind. Finding this website has helped me to conquer the fears ...... 1) will my spouse understand why I want to have this surgery, 2) feeling guilty for spending this amount of money on myself and 3) worrying about who's going to keep everything on track in this family while I'm recovering. I have many things to be thankful for but even so I completely came back alive while going this process. Looking forward to sharing my journey with all of you and going along for the ride on your journeys.
Updated on 9 May 2017:
I went back and forth with myself on if DR was the place for me to get my surgery or not and I ultimately chose to stay in the states. With any surgery, done anywhere there are risks. Ultimately my decision was based on my chemistry with the doctor AND his/her nurse staff, where the procedure was being performed, post op care and being able to connect with my surgeon live if I encountered any issues. There are a ton of board certified plastic surgeons here in Wisconsin and I scheduled consultations with just about every one of them but I knew I could not see everyone of them and it was silly for me to pay consultation fee's to multiple surgeons. So I weeded out doctors by studying their online before & after pictures for each surgeon. I fell in love with one doctor's pictures because his work featured contouring. Most of the other surgeons work did not produce any curves! The unknown star that I chose was Dr. Alex Colque. I decided on a tummy tuck, muscle repair and lipo of the flanks and bra line. I'M NERVOUS Y'ALL!
Total Cost: $7,500
Includes: surgeon fee, anesthesia, hospital fee (overnight stay), compression garments and skin treatment/dressing for the scar.
Updated on 9 May 2017:
Height: 5 "7"
Weight: 204 (175 looks really good on me)
Updated on 9 May 2017:
Pre-Op went very well! Dr. Colque did not require me to have a pre-op but I wanted to make sure that my primary care physician was in agreement that I was in good enough health to have this surgery. Did a physical and blood work was ordered. Everything was good. My iron and Vitamin D were low so he prescribed an over the counter vitamin which should help to get my levels a little higher. Regardless of that I was still cleared for surgery.
Plastic Surgeon's nurse Sandy is so very pleasant. She is very attentive, returns my calls right away, is patient and answers all of my questions, shows alot of empathy and has a lot of confidence in the doctor based on his results. Surgery is in 7 days. It's getting way too real.
Updated on 9 May 2017:
Been searching for one of these to help in my post-op recovery with no luck. Rent-A-Center was popular in alot of comments that I read but they no longer offer the rent program here in Wisconsin. Anyone have any suggestions?
Updated on 11 May 2017:
Hey Ladies,
Dropping a note to give an update on a couple of things. No one is reading my updates but I don't care, creating these reviews is therapeutic for me. These reviews have helped me so much that I just want to give back to the community.
- Electric Lift Recliner: Found a place in Wisconsin that has a rental program. Yes! I had to give my height and weight so that I could be fitted for a chair. The recliners look really nice online and have four reclining positions. The cost is $195 per month. There is also a $75 delivery and pick up fee. The company is 101 Mobility, their located in Waukesha and can be contacted by calling 262-822-3412 .
- Picked up my pain prescription from the pharmacy along with a stool softner. My surgeon suggested Colace so I'll start there. I typically don't have ANY problems with BM's so I've decided to start the stool softner's the day of surgery. I don't need to have any accidents during my surgery. I'll need to take 100mg twice a day.
- Registration with the hospital where my surgery is being performed is done. This is super real!
I'm feeling so good and I'm so happy that I'm doing this for myself. In a blink, I'll be joining you ladies on the skinny side. Pray for me and my family.
Updated on 15 May 2017:
Tomorrow at about this time I will be on the skinny side, god willing! I can't wait, it's so surreal. Pray for me and my family. I need to make it home to my family. Just a couple of updates:
-Electric Lift Recliner: The recliner that I rented from 101 Mobility came this morning. it's perfect. It looks and feels brand new. I decided to have it placed in my bedroom. My bedroom also has a bathroom in it so I figured it would be the best place to hang out for the first couple of weeks.
-At Home Assistance: My daughter's first semester of college just ended so she will be home with me for the first couple of weeks. I'm so thankful to her for helping us out. With her staying home, my husband can go to work and continue to earn for our family as my leave is unpaid.
Updated on 18 May 2017:
Surgery was almost four hours but I MADE IT TO THE SKINNY SIDE! Ladies I am so glad that I spent so much time reading reviews in this community. With the information I received from my Surgeon and you ladies, I felt so informed going in......informed about pain post surgery, on the importance of resting, the importance of having help at home, the lift recliner, the uncomfortableness of the binder, the jp drains, and etc! To be honest, I didn't go down the road of wish pics because I didn't want to set myself up to be let down. I really just wanted the best ME possible and I AM SO HAPPY. I'M FLAT ALL THE WAY AROUND for the first time in ten years. I stayed the night at the hospital and I am so glad I did that. The pain was almost unbearable but I got through it. I got home yesterday and am happy to be back with my family. I'm taking Oxycodone as prescribed (2 every 4 hours) so I'm sleeping most of the time. Because I'm up I thought I would sneak in a update. Here's the down low:
- Doc removed 5 lbs. of fat NOT including fat from lipo.
- I weighed in 8 lbs lighter today than my pre-op weight.
- My appetite is very light. I've only been able to drink water and small amounts of soup and/or jello here and there.
- Caught a bad case of indigestion a couple of hours after coming out of surgery and it tore me down. TUMS didn't work but Zantac has down the trick.
- Mucus build up and cough caused by the tube that is in your throat during surgery. Coughing is very painful but manageable with a pillow or two held closely to the chest when coughing.
- Cleaning the drains is very easy.....very easy.
- I am already experiencing swell hell and my binder keeps riding up. I'm hoping I'll get a new one at my first post op appointment next week.
- Post Op PICS to come...