35th Birthday Present, a Rockin' Booty! - Bay Area, CA

Over the last year, I lost almost 50 pounds. With the weight loss, there were some positive changes: clothes fit better, my face is slimmer, I have more energy. But also a big negative change: my butt has deflated. Like a lot. I'm still about 30 pounds away from my goal weight, so I was worried that it is only going to get flatter. I'm mostly happy with my shape overall, although I have stubborn back fat that seems like it hasn't changed at all from 50 pounds ago. After stalking real self and yelp and liposuction websites, I finally decided I was almost 100% sure I wanted a BBL. Not to have a huge behind, but to sculpt it and surrounding areas to make my existing butt a little bit fuller and just give me a nicer shape.

A few months ago, I started researching doctors all around the Bay Area, looking at their websites, reading reviews, staring at their pictures and then re reading the reviews and looking at all the pictures again. It wasn't hard to decide that I wanted Dr. Beck to perform my surgery. The before and after pictures amazed me and the reviews were fantastic too. I scheduled my consultation for January 26th.

Everyone I interacted with in the office was great, and the patient coordinator Kelly was so helpful answering my questions and showing me so many more before-and-after photos than I was able to see online. When it was time to actually view and discuss all of my insecure nakedness, both Kelly and Dr. Beck made me feel comfortable and positive.

We talked about my current stage of weight loss, where I wanted to be and what I wanted to achieve, and Dr. Beck suggested that rather than losing 30 pounds, I only need to lose maybe 10 pounds, and with the procedure, I will be close to the results I want. And if I choose to lose more weight, it will be proportioned to my new shape, not my weird post baby body that hasn't felt like me for years. I was given so much information during the consultation and pretty much decided on the spot that now I was 100% sure, and that I didn't need to consult with any more doctors, because I have found the one!

Before my consultation, I had a long timeline mapped out because of the weight. Losing the first 30 pounds was easy, it just melted off. The next 10 pounds after that was a little tougher, and the most recent 10 pounds was a lot of hard work. I wanted to give myself plenty of time to lose another 30, because I knew it would be rough. I initially planned on January consult, lose weight and save money, December procedure. But since my new goal weight was only 10 pounds away, I was very confident it could get done sooner than December. Kelly said to schedule at least 3 months in advance, so I kept that in mind as I started hitting the gym again to shed this last 10 terrible pounds.

A week after my consultation, I found out my younger brother and his fiancé set a date! They are getting married August 5th in Milwaukee, where they live. I reviewed my finances and I emailed Kelly right away and asked if she thought it was realistic to set a date for the last week of June to be ready to attend a wedding out of state by the first week of August. She said it would be better if I scheduled in May. So I scheduled it for May 4th, a week before I turn 35. I am about 10 weeks away now and I am so excited. Still reading reviews and looking at pictures, and trying to have realistic expectations.

I asked my husband to join me for my Pre Op appointment on April 14; since he will be taking care of me I wanted to make sure he was there to ask anything I might have forgotten to ask. Dr. Beck and Kelly went over everything with me again and gave me all my prescriptions to fill.

We took all the humiliating before pictures (I rotated and there are 8 pics total, taken from every 45 degrees) and I am getting so anxious waiting for surgery.

At the time my Pre Op appointment was done, 3 weeks seemed so long to wait, but I just got back from a week-long business trip to New York City and was so busy during that week that it helped make the time pass more quickly. So happy that it is almost time!

I filled my prescriptions yesterday and have a week and a day to go. So excited!

Waiting at the surgery center and starting to feel anxious and very nervous. My husband dropped me off and is doing the morning school run. When he returns I will already be in surgery, so it's just me and the iPhone together in this waiting room.

On the way here this morning was the first time I started to really feel worried and scared. It was early for us and the kids were asleep in the back. They knew we were going to the hospital to drop me off, but then when we arrived my 7 year old read the signs. "Wait, Mom you're having surgery?!?"

He asked what the surgery was for and I told him we are putting my body back the way it was before I had kids. (Kiddos are 7 and 4 so I don't think they need any of the details.) The funny thing is, he switched his focus to "Well you're not done having kids, I want a brother!" And my 4 year old chimes in "Yes we want a baby!" Haha no no no. We have discussed it as a family and we are happily done having kids. I told them maybe we will adopt in a few years.

So anyway I am sitting here waiting. Trying to stay busy so I don't spend time worrying and missing my husband and kids.

I'm 2/12 weeks past my surgery and now have time/energy to update my review.

Day 1- Nurses are awesome but I feel like crap! So much pain! Getting out of bed is hard work and walking around was even harder. I had a lot of nausea and my head felt like it was spinning. So much fluid draining that they had to change all of my bed linens and pads the first two times that I got up to walk. By the third walk, it had slowed a lot and I only had to change my bandages and the pads on the bed.

Day 2 - At home, nice to be in my own bed but in so much pain. I'm setting alarms so I can take my pain killers as soon as possible. Today I was totally regretting having this surgery!

Days 3-6 - Day by day everything is getting easier. I got a card from the nurses. That made my day. The pain has decreased a lot and now I'm alternating the heavy stuff with tylenol and doing okay. The worst part now is taking showers with the garment on. It is SO ITCHY when drying off. I towel off first and then sit there drying myself off with a blowdryer and I feel like it is never going to dry. It gets itchy to the point where I can practically feel my skin crawling. My husband bought me a new blowdryer to try to help. It doesn't.

Day 7 - One week checkup today. Melissa helped me take the garment off for the first time and took out my stitches and Dr. Beck checked everything out. They say everything looks good. There is a lot of bruising but I am amazed with the results so far. Lots of swelling still but I'm drinking my gallon of water a day. I'm told I can take the garment off now to shower and wash it and I'm so happy. It took both Melissa and Dr. Beck to put it back on me while I braced myself on the counter. I can only imagine how many people it took to get this thing on me in the first place while I was unconscious haha.

Day 8 - Got my first post-surgery Lymphatic Drain Massage. Since I can't take this garment off, she did a modified massage on me. I stood up for the neck and shoulders part and we lowered the top of the garment to the waist. Then I laid on the table on my stomach and she just did my arms and back. Afterwards I wasn't as stiff and I felt so much better.

Days 9-11 - Getting much easier now. I've been able to walk my son to school a couple of times and Tylenol has been enough on most days. The bruising went away completely on my arms the day after the massage. Everywhere else it is getting lighter. Taking the garment off and putting it back on is really difficult. I am too stiff to bend much but I do what I can and then my husband has to pull it up over my backside while I grip a dresser or counter. Sleeping on my stomach is fine, I am just really stiff in the mornings when I first get up. After I start moving around it gets a little easier.

Day 12 - Back to work today. I was only able to take a week and a half off, so today I had to go back to work. I have a standing desk and was able to get a lot of work done, but when I got home I was exhausted.

Day 14 - Two week checkup today. Swelling has gone down even more. Dr. Beck says everything looks good and I am due back in a month for my next checkup.

Day 15 - Had another LDM massage today. Since I was able to take off the garment she was able to do my full back and legs now, but since I still can't lie on my back, I had to stand for the neck and shoulders part. Being able to lie down again will be so nice. Driving now with the cushion under my legs and behind my back. I lowered the seat in my car as far as it will go and I still felt like a giraffe driving around. My husband's car has a seat that lowers further so he has switched with me for now. It's really hard to get in and out of the car but other than that, driving is fine.

Days 15-18 - Waking up in the mornings I am still pretty stiff, but other than that I feel okay. My legs get achy from standing at my desk all day but I try to do stretches every couple of hours and that seems to help. I think the garment might be too big now. It's starting to bunch up on my waist and back and I keep tightening the straps, but it doesn't help as much as I would like. Debating buying one in a smaller size.

Day 19 - Today - So excited for this Summer and can't wait to see my final results. I hope to have some pics to post soon. There aren't any really good mirrors at my house, and I've never wanted one until now. :)