I'm so excited, but nervous too. Now has turned into the perfect time to have this done. I finally have enough money and time. If I don't do it now, it's never going to happen, and I think I will always have regrets if I don't since it is something I've always wanted and have mentioned on and off for many years. I'm worried about the pain, and the recovery time. I'm also hoping to lose some more weight and get into better shape before my Pre Op appointment which is in July. My doctor recommended at trainer since I have so little time, but instead I've joined a health club. I've signed up for 2 years, so it's locked it to be sure I stay in shape after. I pretty much always eat very healthy, except for a sweet tooth. So I don't feel that I can make very much improvement in that department except for cutting out sweets. I eat veggies, fruits, whole grains, etc. I don't eat that much, and often wonder if I'm eating enough really. I used to be a trainer myself many years ago before I had my two children, (now in their very early 20's). So, I'm pretty sure I know what to do. I'm certain I want this surgery, because I ran on a regular basis for a full year before deciding this, and my mid section never got the way I wanted it to be. Just too much skin there. I have some fat there too that doesn't want to budge though. And, over the past few months I got very discouraged and gradually stopped running, and I got out of shape again, (although not too too bad). I'm about 15 pounds where I'd ideally want to be for my surgery, but I'm worried about actually getting there. For one, I'm not sure if all the exercise I've started doing lately will really make much of a loss, since I'll be gaining muscle. I haven't worked out with weights in years, so I know I'll be gaining muscle. Also, I can't eat much less than I'm eating...so kind of worried about that too. I guess I'll just aim to get in the best shape that I can...lose mostly inches if that is what happens, and just see how it goes. I hope I can do well before my Pre Op appointment. Thanks for letting me ramble on here about this. I feel so anxious, and it's hard to wait for the time to get here; but I'm going to try and focus on getting in the best shape I can before then. The price I put here covers everything including facility fees.
Updated on 9 Aug 2013:
I know recovery is probably going to suck. I'm not looking forward to that part of it, but I'm REALLY excited about having it done. I can't believe it's almost here!!!! :) Unfortunately, I never did start running again, so my weight isn't as low as I'd wanted it to be...but it's at a stable place that I think I can maintain without extreme effort. So I'm thinking that's probably a good place to be for surgery. I've been reading reviews, and it's so helpful! I sure hope for the best for all of you, and for myself too. Cheers for new beginnings!!! :)
Updated on 14 Aug 2013:
Tomorrow is it! I'm so excited! Planning planning planning! Excited, nervous, anxious!!! :)
Updated on 14 Aug 2013:
Updated on 23 Aug 2013:
Surgery all one!!! On the day of surgery, I remember feeling that it was a lot of waiting to get things going, but before I knew it; everything was done and I was in recovery! The day is a blur. They say I was in surgery for six hours, six hours I don't remember at all. One minute I'm on the stretcher just starting to head to surgery, and the next minute I'm awake in a room with family standing in front of me with a smile. I remember asking, "Is it all done?" They said yes. Wow, so hard to believe. I was told that I was tough and could handle pain well while I was in the hospital. I stayed overnight. I remember them asking if I was in pain a few times, and I remember telling them that it was nothing that I couldn't handle. Mostly I just wanted to sleep. I was very very sleepy all the time. Once home, I was still wanting to do nothing but sleep. I think that is how my body handles recovery. I sleep and want to sleep when feeling pain. Three or four days I did feel pain when I was awake though. On the third, it seemed the worst. I remember having regrets for a small part of the day. That soon passed though, and then I just wanted to sleep again. Now I am still wanting lots of sleep, but am staying awake more and more. I haven't been all that concerned with what I look like much, since I know it'll be awhile before all the swelling goes away. But yesterday while having help taking off my binder, I caught a glimpse in the mirror and almost couldn't believe it was me! WOW! I look different already, even with the swelling! No more saggy belly for me!!! The cut seems perfectly symmetrical on both sides. I wasn't expecting that because I've seen so many cuts online that are not. Wow! I love the cut my doctor made! It's nice and low, and so straight! Skin seems nice a tight. Belly button seems like it's going to look better than ever before. I have NO REGRETS! I'm excited! I can't wait to see what a few more weeks will bring as the swelling goes down! Right now, I need a lot of help getting binder off for my shower, and then getting it back on after. I don't take much time in between, so no time for after pictures right now. I'm usually just really anxious to get my binder back on so I can crawl back into bed for more rest. I think for me, healing means a lot of sleep. As soon as I'm a little further along, I will post after pictures though. So far, I really like my results and am very satisfied. :)
Updated on 23 Aug 2013:
Ugh! I hate typos! I meant to put, "Surgery all Done!" Lol!
Updated on 23 Aug 2013:
"Skin is nice and tight". :)
Updated on 28 Aug 2013:
I'm getting around better now. I went to the doctor Tuesday, and he gave me a new binder. I can get in and out of this one on my own, so I'm really happy about that. :) Here is a picture I took today after my shower. When I get to three weeks post op, I can take the tape off my cut and start working on scar repair. The doctor gave me a lotion to put on and massage with for five minutes twice a day. I'll start that next Thursday.
Updated on 5 Sep 2013:
I have a good bit of swelling in tummy area, but even more so in the lipo area. It's fine though. I still look better than I did before surgery! :) Today I took the surgical tape off. The nurse said I could take it off at 3 weeks. I did it in the shower, because I thought the water might make it come off easier. After I got it off, I started my scar massage as instructed by the nurse. It hurt at first, but I noticed that it hurt less and less as the five minutes passed. I have to do the massage for 5 minutes two times a day. I'm timing it to be sure I do exactly as instructed. I'm using a cream the doctor gave me called InviCible. It gets better, day by day! :)
Updated on 11 Sep 2013:
I'm feeling better every day! :)
Updated on 23 Sep 2013:
I'm at five and 1/2 weeks now! I just started using ScarAway Sheets a couple of days ago. No real changes yet, but I'm hopeful and looking forward to seeing them. From what I've read, this works really well for scaring. I'll send updates with photos when I can. Here is what my scar looks like right now.
Updated on 9 Nov 2013:
Whew!!! I finally made it to 12 weeks! :) That means I no longer have to wear a compression garment unless I want to. It's pretty exciting, and it feels so nice! Now I can REALLY feel what the surgery has done because there isn't anything else holding me tight but my own body! My waist feels like I'm sucking in my stomach all the time, so my muscles are surely sewn snug in the front. I have a little fat under the skin still in my front waist tummy area, but to be honest...it would probably look funny if it were any less because I have larger shoulders, ribs, hips etc...so to look normal I needed to have some. I love it and have NO REGRETS! If you are still planning to get surgery, good luck, and I hope you enjoy your results as much as I am. It's very exciting! :) I'm running agan now too, and I LOVE it! No jiggle in the front! Lol! :D
Updated on 16 Aug 2014:
I'd always wanted to have this done, and I'm glad I did. I can wear clothes that I could never wear before, and I'm so much more comfortable with my body. I am very far from perfect and have many other things about my body that aren't so great, but I can deal with those things so much better than I could the loose skin on my belly. It has always really really bothered me. Now my belly is the best part of my body, and I can wear comfortable fitted clothes to show it off. :) I feel good and feel pretty, even though other areas aren't so great. My boobs look SO much bigger too, even though I've never had anything done to them. Keep in mind that it's something that happens. If you are also considering a boob job, maybe you won't need one. I'm telling you, my boobs look so much bigger now that my tummy is flat. Some people have commented on it, and I think some people may think I've had them done, but I haven't. I'm certain that aging will feel much better now, and I will be able to just go on with life without worrying about that issue that has always bothered me. I even really like the scar! It's so much better than a smiling belly of sagging skin. I MUCH rather a flat smiling scar. My doctor did a fantastic cut that I think looks nice. :) It's flattering to my figure. I'm not board flat, but if I'd be any flatter I think it might look funny on my body, so he did it just right. :) I seriously LOVE it! :)