Whole body makeover after MWL! Lower body lift, medial thigh lift, breast lift and underarm flankplasty!

OK, two weeks down - here's what I have experienced.

Finally got to look at myself at 10 days po at my first post-op appt. I had kept my binder and bandages on 24/7 since the surgery as per Dr's orders. It was pretty overwhelming, but I have to say I am happy with what I saw - and I know it will only improve with time. It's so weird to have a flat tummy and true hourglass shape as opposed to having a suggestion of one under all the rolls. Got 3 of 6 drains removed, was hoping for 4 but the amount wasn't low enough. At least I got the ones off my legs - they were super annoying and never produced much. I am now able to stand mostly upright, but I still get some back pain when I can't. I've been cleared for light walking but that's it for now, I'll go back to the doctor next week and hopefully get the other drains out.

I was most nervous about my breast shape due to the amount of asymmetry I started with - my right breast was about 2+ sizes bigger than the left and I went through a lot of uncertainty about the right way to approach that. I've always been large chested and I was worried that if I reduced the larger to match the smaller it wouldn't look right on my body, but after talking with my doctor, I decided to do the lift/reduce and see how I like it in a few months. So far I think I'm ok with the size - I know I'm not seeing the final results yet, and it's a huge change, but I'm hopeful! Same with all the scar areas - lots of lumps and bumps but the doctor says that with time they will relax and reshape. This week he wants them to breathe, so no bandages or scar treatment. We'll talk about that at my next appointment.

Just some notes from the last week:

Be careful how much you drink and eat at one time because swelling! I swear I could feel the incision line around my body getting tighter if I wasn't watching how much I was eating. Also, I'd recommend anti-gas pills to help with the bloated feeling.

OMG itching! I've been taking Benadryl and it helps to some extent.

Finally was able to go #2 about 4 days post op - I had been taking stool softeners since before surgery, but it took Miralax and Milk of Magnesia to get the job done. The first few days of that were rough but around 7 days po it started to feel normal. Coughing, laughing and sneezing were no jokes either.

I'm making sure to keep up my protein intake for better healing - I'm drinking a 30g protein shake each day and making sure my food choices are good, although I have had a bit of a carb craving, trying to not go overboard on that.

The doctor told me he removed almost 10 pounds of tissue! I weighed myself today (although with binder/drains/salty food yesterday) and I'm pretty close to where I was pre-surgery so I know I still have fluid weight, swelling, etc.

I took the prescription pain meds for about 1 week, reducing amount and increasing time between doses, and supplementing with ibuprofen and acetaminophen when needed.

My husband was an amazing nurse and I really could not have gone through this procedure without him - having someone with you to help is essential!

Well, 3 full days after my procedures, I think I'm handling it pretty well. I can't stand up straight, and I haven't had a full BM yet, I'm also aches and itchy, but I know from reading others' experiences here that those things are quite normal. I'm still all wrapped up in bandages, binder and surgical bra so I haven't seen my incisions or any results yet. I'm not in a huge rush to see - I'd rather get a better, more realistic view a little later at my post-op. I am very glad I got the lift recliner and wheeled walker - I have definitely used those the most. I don't have any post-op pictures yet - I'm just taking one day at a time and trying to keep a positive attitude.

So tomorrow is the day! I'm super nervous and excited for the procedures. I am in for an 8+ hour surgery, I have to be at the hospital at 6 am tomorrow and today I am on a clear liquid diet of water, chicken broth and jello. I have started taking arnica and bromelain to help with the bruising and swelling so I'm hoping it won't be that bad. I think I'm most concerned about is the shape of my breasts. I am fairly asymmetrical and don't have a lot of volume left - although currently I wear a DDD cup because of the excess saggy skin. He is doing a lift on both and a slight reduction on the other - I'm hoping to be left with a nice C cup on both sides. I really don't want to have to end up getting implants later on, so I'm hoping I'll like what I see after this is done. I have confidence in Dr. Schrieber, he says that I'll love it and I sure hope he's right! I'm adding my back-view pre-surgery picture since I didn't have it before.

Here's my stats:
36 years old, 2 kids (natural birth)
5'9", 183 pounds (lost about 90 in the last 2 years through diet and exercise)
Bra: 38DDD
Waist: 39.75"
Hip: 46.75"
Thighs: 23.5" each

I'll try to keep this updated as I can. Wish me luck and see you on the flat side!