57 Year-Old-Mom of Four: A New Job & a New Body! - New York

Hey Mommy! So I had planned to wait until the summer and go to DR with a girlfriend to have my mommy makeover done. However, I was offered a new job with the state of NY. They told me that I would be in an intensive three-month training followed by nine months of probation. I realized that I was going to have to cancel the tummy tuck for a year. As I got closer to my April 7th start date for the job, I found myself getting more and more depressed. I simply did not want to wait a year looking the way I did. I had worked for the City of NY for 15 years, and was now with the State of NY. I have a new job and I wanted a new look. On March 23rd I decided to check out one of the doctors who had been recommended to me by Sonobello - Dr. Gary Berger here in NY. I explained to him that I was starting a new job in a little over 2 weeks but I was really interested in having the tummy tuck now. He stated this - "Well, you are going to need seven to ten days post-op to recover before you can start the new job. This means you need to be in my office tomorrow for me to examine you and order blood work for a Monday March 28th procedure". I went into the office on E 71st St. and I was so pleased with the comfortable living room decor and the state-of-the-art facility and technical equipment. I registered online in the office on the large touch screen computer and watched a modern video about the tummy tuck. Then I decided to just take a look at the breast lift video as well. Dr. Berger came in, examined me, then described the complete procedure to me - both the abdominoplasty and a breast lift without augmentation. I was completely confident that this was the doctor for me. Of course it is somewhat more expensive in NY than DR, but he charged me only half the price for the breast lift as I decided to have both the tummy tuck and breast lift at once. Once I committed to having him operate on me, Dr. wrote the prescriptions for the meds I would need (antibiotics and pain killers). The next day my PCP emailed him the blood work that I had coincidentally completed during a physical on March 9th. I started to become so excited; More so for the upcoming surgery than the new job. I had the surgery on March 28 and "Dr. Berger explained explicitly to my husband who picked me up how to care for me and start getting me back on my feet as soon as the next day. Incidentally, he also ordered me a novocaine drip ($450) which was installed into the flesh near my panty line and kept that area nearly pain free for four days after the surgery. It made a big difference. If anyone has ever had a C-section and had to get up the next day to use the bathroom and walk around, you'll remember that pain. It was worse than the labor. This was alleviated a great deal by the drip which hung from a little bag around my neck.
It is now two weeks post op and I was able to start the new job last Thursday. It is a sit all day training so my back gets a little stiff but I am taking Tylenol and Aleve for the pain. Dr. took the drains from my breast last Monday and the ones from my panty line yesterday. Everything is still very tight and swollen in areas but thus far I'm extremely happy with the results. I am wearing the band which helps my body take shape as the swelling goes down but the difference already is like night and day. Doctor also says within six to 12 months he may define my look with lipo around my love handles if necessary. In any case, the gut is gone and a flatter, more appealing look has replaced it. So far so good. I am extremely happy right now.