Lower Body Lift After 3 Kids and 65 Pound Loss

I’ve always been a yo-yo dieter. I’ve also had 3 kids that spanned from 2004 to 2016. At my highest weight I was 215 pounds. Somewhere between 2016 and 2020, I lost about 25 pounds. In January of this year, I weighed in at 188 and I decided enough was enough. So I started my journey. It never even occurred to me to get a lower body lift at that point. I just wanted to lose the weight. Well, in July, I broke into the 140’s. I was so pleased with my commitment, however I was left with a ton of skin after the babies and weight loss. I have very fair skin and have been told the fairer the skin, the thinner and therefor more saggy. Of course! I decided to go see Dr. Soto, after having a few other consultations with other doctors. I don’t know what it was but I felt more comfortable that he knew exactly how to mold me. I had my Lower body lift surgery on July 29th so I’m now 5 days post op. The first few days were rough. The first night I had immense acid reflux that wouldn’t go away. They tried, I just have a history of acid reflux and I would usually control it with Nexium. Well because my muscles were stitched and tightened, it put on that extra pressure and the acid just traveled upward. This was actually the worst part the first day. I opted for the Exparel, which I think was a huge reason I wasn’t in immense pain. It lasted for the first 3 days and now I just take a painkiller as needed, which isn’t often. Another side effect I wasn’t prepared for was the phlegm. It’s a side effect of the anesthesia but once you get that tickle in your throat, it’s very difficult not to cough. Coughing is not fun when you’ve had your muscles fixed. However, sometimes it’s necessary to rid yourself of the phlegm. On day 5, it doesn’t hurt as much as it did on day 2. So my biggest complaint up to this point has really been the acid reflux. I’m trying to learn how to control it with the foods that I eat. I’m instructed not to drink water and to opt for the fruit juices and Gatorades (something that won’t wash away those important electrolytes). Apple juice proved to be an acid builder so now it’s just Gatorade. It’s all trial and error for me right now but I wanted to share my first before and after photos with you all. Dr. Soto and his team have been very helpful, as I have had a lot of questions along the way. I was so sure he would have to do liposuction, however he did not and I’m still very pleased with my new body, even as heavily swollen as it is. I cannot wait to see my final result! You will see a pic of me at 215, then a before surgery body pic at 149 and then 1 day post op.

Feeling better today. My swelling finally seems to be going down. Itching has increased dramatically but I’m sure that’s to be expected as I heal. I moved from Gatorade to Vitamin Water since Gatorade has sodium which will make me swell. Here’s a photo taken today. I go in for my next appt in 3 days and I’ll most likely be able to take my second drain out. Fingers crossed!

I think I’m starting to turn the corner. Both drains are out and I’m starting to take care of my incisions. Now, taking the tape off of them to begin with wasn’t fun at all, in fact, it took me so long that I started getting dizzy and feeling faint from having my waist trainer off. I feel so much better having them on at this point. Basically the only complaints I have right now (if I’m going to call them that) is pain at the drain sites, itchy skin, obvious swelling, and I still have to watch myself with the acid reflux. However it’s hard to really call them complaints when I’m so grateful for this process and I’m feeling so much better than I was. I’m going to add a few pictures. I don’t know if the swelling has gone down much but I expect it will take a few more weeks to see a much better improvement.