Miguel A. Mendez-Fernandez, MD (retired)

I'm undergoing three procedures in one day! Altogether it's a 6 & 1/2 hour surgery. I have been very nervous & at first i was thinking am I doing too much at once, am i going to survive this?! Lol The more i read other stories & seen the before & after pictures i realized this is a common surgery. I realized more & more women are doing this & have no regrets!! I have became very excited & less nervous!! Yay!! I have 12 days to go & i have been workingout non stop everyday, preparing my home & buying all the supplies i will need ahead of time. Also, i habe purchased new comfortable clothes, slippers etc. i hope to have the body of my dreams after my surgery!! Thanks for reading, i'll keep everyone posted! :) Updated on 9 Oct 2013: Updated on 9 Oct 2013: So from my whole experience of undergoing these surgries i found eating healthy & having a good workout regimin really helps!! I workout so hard everyday up untill my surgery & guess what!!! My Dr didn't even have to sew or tighten my abdominal muscles at all & in his own words "they were anatomically perfect" i toned up so well so that saved me for a even longer recovery!! Also when he showed me the picture of the stomach fat, skin & strech marks he removed he said it weighed 6 & 1/2 pounds!! Yes, hes cut off that much just off my belly!! Wow!!! I'm so happy, i have NO regrets & i cant wait untill my healings progress because my results will only get better!! My breast lift & implants also made a huge difference, i have a complete new amazing body!! Ladies i say go for it, it the best descion i've made for myself & of course my fiance is just as happy & couldn't believe the change!! Remember the pain is temporary & will get better, took me a week to feel better & im up walking around, leaving the house but of course bot driving still on meds! Lol My first post Op appt was yesterday & Dr said im doing very good & healing well!I had my drains removed finally. I go back in one week to remove sutures & also i have been wearing a big velcro binder around my waist since surgery & have to keep it on for another 3 weeks not too fun, but you get used to it lol I'm signing off for now, but will update again soon & post more pics!! :)

I'm a 22 year old mother of two little girls, who was completely unsatisfied with living the rest of my life with my "mommy tummy." My procedure was a full tummy tuck with muscle repair. My main motivation for the surgery was my stretchmarks. I had no confidence in the appearance of my stomach, especially comparing it to my other young friends who have also had children. I felt as though I had the wost case of stretchmarks anyone had ever seen from two pregnancies. I was a full-time student during the time of my procedure and was able to have it done during Spring Break, returning back to school within 9 days. My only struggle was hiding a drainage bag that needed to stay in place a little longer than typical. I am now 8 months post operation and have such confidence and motivation in my appearance. I don't NOT care anymore. I CARE, I want to keep my body healthy and trim. It really has been like a fresh new start. I still have a few stretchmarks that were above my belly button before the procedure, but I was fully aware that this would occur. My scar is high on the sides, long, and still pretty dark. However, I would have this one long horizontal scar over the multiple vertical strechmark scars ANY DAY. My stomach is hard as a rock, something I have never had the pleasure of having even before my children. I EVEN WORE A BIKINI 3 months after my procedure. :)