42 - Breast Reduction, Tummy Tuck & Liposuction Oh My! - Atlanta, GA

Hello all, I'm pleased to report that all is still well 3.5 years out from my surgery. Over the first year and a half I did regain some of the weight (so I have bra rolls on each side again even though Dr. Song had liposuctioned that area as part of my main surgery in November, 2014) but I'm also more active than ever and still loving my body beyond what I ever thought possible. I don't deal with swelling on a daily basis but when I'm on my period and bloating I can tend to look pregnant and if I eat a lot of salt it's the same thing. I don't wear binders at all anymore though (unless it's a corset cause I'm tryna look sexy)! Some of that is due to the surgery, and some is due to the healing impact of going to Hedonism and finding that my naked self is pretty normal and actually pretty amazing AND the fact that I have become a burlesque performer and have found an amazing community full of empowered and empowering women of all shapes and sizes who express their sexuality and share their bodies on stage. I have learned through the Atlanta School of Burlesque what it means to NEVER apologize for taking up space and that I am fully in charge of how I move through that space. It really feels like burlesque is the art form that I needed to be in my 40's to embrace and happily I am not an outlier for my age. Also happily I've formed multi-generational bonds with the other women and men in the burly community that have enriched my life in amazing ways. Also, Hedonism didn't turn out to be a one time thing, we went back in the Spring of 2016 and connected with an amazing group that goes every April and we've been back every April since, headed back down there in just a few days for our annual trip, cannot wait to be naked in the sunshine again! Good luck to everyone on their journeys!!!!

Yep, to celebrate my 43rd Birthday and our 5th anniversary we spent a week at Hedonism in Negril, Jamaica. I've been naked in front of others before but never for 7 days on end, in the sunshine. It was glorious. First of all, the resort was fully booked and it was full of ALL ages (and I mean all, there were people there from early 20's all the way up to early 80's!) and all races and all sizes and body types. It was a wonderfully welcoming and affirming environment and I don't think anyone ever felt judged. The resort is mostly clothing optional but with a bit less than half devoted to the "nude side" beach and pool and hot tub area where it is required that you be nude. That way there are no gawkers but everyone is just as vulnerable as everyone else. It was almost all couples and though there were plenty of swingers there and it was a very sex positive environment the men were all gentlemen, I actually felt less creeped out than I have in normal bars. And I felt so gloriously free, and beautiful. I'm still struggling with swelling but strangely it wasn't an issue there. Maybe it was because I was drinking a ton of water (and alcohol but I was trying to keep a good balance) and I was eating a good mix of veggies and fruits (better than I do at home to be honest, it's easy when someone else is doing the food prep and cooking!) or maybe it's because I drank almost exclusively pineapple juice with my Grey Goose but I had very little trouble with swelling all week. I threw on a sarong for breakfast and lunch but otherwise was naked almost all day. We did dress up for fun theme parties at night. I literally felt like crying when I had to put on my bra and my binder and my pants the morning we left.

Anyway, I want to thank Dr. Song for helping me to feel more comfortable in my own skin than I have EVER felt in my life. And I also got to meet several other ladies with BR and TT scars! There was no stigma or judgment about those either, we enjoyed checking each other out! I'm posting a few pics, enjoy!

All went well, took a little over an hour but I was under general so I didn't mind him taking his time! He said he was very pleased with the results. I did struggle with nausea after. Made it all the way to our driveway before using the barf bag they gave me which was embarrassing because the landscapers were there, ugh! Also, when we got out of the car we saw my left hip had been bleeding thru my clothes, Dr. Song had told me to expect some bleeding and oozing. It was more than I expected but I just put towels down and applied some pressure and ice. Last night I changed out the gauze on both hips (some bleeding on the right by that point too) and everything seemed to have stopped. Loved the shape of my hips but I didn't have my phone in the bathroom with me. I'll post update pics soon. Didn't see any bruising yet last night. Pain was worse than I expected when I first woke up but it's all surface pain, NOTHING like the original surgery! Just more of an aggravation. No bleeding from the incisions under my arms but I do feel a bit restricted, I am going to wait a bit before trying to lift my arms over my head. I am sleeping in my recliner just because I didn't want to roll or sleep on my sides and I don't enjoy sleeping flat on my back. Don't expect to stay in recliner more than a few days.

Love Dr. Song, I had told him about my nude beach experience at the pre-op appt and while he was marking me up yesterday he said I had inspired him to put visiting a nude beach on his bucket list! He also was cracking me up admiring his own work, commenting on specifics as he went and finishing with "you are looking great, girl!" While stepping back, cocking his head a looking me up and down! :)