53 Yr Old, Post Weight Loss of over 100 Pounds, Body Lift in 2 Stages, Dr. Turkle Transformed Me! Carmel, IN

I’m 53, a wife, and mother of 4 great kids!
Over the past few years I have gone through a major transformation! After losing 120 pounds, I’ve had a BA, Arm Lift, TT, Lipo and just recently, a Posterior lift which turned my TT into a Body lift.
A difficult childhood caused me to start down an unhealthy path with food at a young age. I was considered morbidly obese by the time I was 5, struggled with eating disorders as a teen and young adult and then settled back into obesity after having my children, weighing in at 260 for most of my adult life. Through lifestyle changes that I could live with, I lost my weight and have maintained it. Unfortunately, I was left with excess and drooping skin. I began looking into Plastic surgery. For me, Plastic Surgery was not only going to help me to look and feel better about myself, which I never had before, but it would also signify the end of my past, and the bad eating habits that are now, no longer a part of my life. I spent 2 years searching for a PS, looking at numerous web sites, galleries, and consulting with PS’s all over the US. Funny thing, the PS that I was hoping for, was in my home state!! I heard Dr. Turkle’s name through a friend and went to meet her. I think she has got to be one of the most caring and compassionate people that I have met (on top of being an incredibly talented PS) She has integrity and is honest about expectations, I trust her completely. She has done all four of my surgeries. This review is about my TT, 2 yrs. PO and my Posterior lift 3 weeks PO.

A little background, After my TT, I had lost almost 40 pounds. My tummy is still tight but the weight loss made my skin saggy from my hips all the way around the back of me. It kind of felt like I was wearing half a spare tire around the back of me. I went into surgery at 9 and came out of it feeling pretty good. I did need pain meds for about 3 days, and from then on, pain was manageable with out meds. I'm about 16 day's post op today! So far, this surgery has been way easier PO then I thought it would be. I am swelling above the incision line mostly in the middle area, and at the hips but I am surprised by how little I am swelling at this point. With the TT, I was swelling so much that I could not fit into my pre op clothing for about 3 months (but everyone is different). I did have drains with this procedure but did not have drains with the TT. Both of the drains were gone by 2 wks PO. The hardest part as of now is getting up from a sitting or laying down position, it is a little painful but mostly, "in my head" I'm scared of pulling on the stitches so early on. I went into this surgery with expectations that were right on target and feel great about my results so far, and I know it’s going to keep getting better.

I hit the 3 wk mark yesterday. Healing is going well!! I am swelling a lot right over the incision line mainly in the middle of my lower back, I'm also having some swelling around the hips and a little on the thighs. I'm not really bothered by it mainly because it's way less swelling then I had with the TT. Another real self friend suggested using an ice pack on the swelling and it helps! I'm wearing my compression garment 24 hours a day, and because it's not a tight one, I really like it. I'm trying to be very careful going from a sitting, or laying position into a standing position, it's still uncomfortable. My incision is covered in Steri Strips and they are beginning to fall off and I am beginning to use the "Skin print Healing Serum" that my PS has recommended. I have used this same serum on all of my incisions and honestly couldn't be happier with how they have turned out. I'll post another pic of the incision tomorrow.