8 Week PO, Doc Apt, and SWELLING

Last month I went back to the doctor in San Jose that I had selected to do my TT. This time, I went and saw him regarding my "tube" boobs. Apparently, I have a "deformity" (love that they're called that! Not.) called tuberous breasts that cause most of the breast tissue to be at the bottom of the breast, resulting in a "tube" or Snoopy nose-like boob. He suggested I go for saline outside the muscle and get a lift to fix the tube boob. He was going to charge me close to $20,000 which I expected. I also tried on some boobs. This was the fun part!

My second biggest fear (my biggest is a botched surgery job) is going too big. I run so I do not want to be trotting down the path with two huge boobs bouncing along with me. Not fun. The doc told me they do seem smaller once inside of me so I am opting for somewhere around 425cc in one boob and a little more in the other since they're totally different sizes.

I then went and saw another PS, Dr. Commons who does AMAZING boobs. His reviews are fabulous and he has been doing PS for over 30 years. He is also affiliated with Stanford so I will have Stanford Anesthesiologist so that is awesome. One of my best friends (who just happens to be a RN) came along with me so she was able to meet both doctors. I really loved how he took so much time with me. The only assistant I saw was the lady at the front desk. He took the pics of me, explained everything, and even went over pricing with me. My friend told me she thought I should go with him, even before he gave me prices for everything. He quoted me about $13,200 for everything which includes saline implants, hernia repair, and tummy tuck. He also is going to do a LITTLE lipo on the sides just to make sure the tummy tuck edges are smoother. I told him I did not want any lipo anywhere else. This doctor is also going to attempt to go through my insurance because of my hernia. After the hour and fortyfive minute appointment, I knew that he was my doctor. The only thing that kinda sucks was that I already put $500 down with Dr. Lepore to reserve my date. But, in the grand picture, I was still saving money (I know now is not the time to "Ross Shop" as I call it but even before I knew how much Dr. Commons was, I wanted to go with him).

When it came to my tube boobs, Dr. Commons had this approach: put the implants in and let my body "do its thing". He wants to see if after implants, I do not need a lift. He also said that women with my boobs often have to go back for revisions when implants and a lift are done at the same time because it is so hard to see what the body is going to do. He told me I could go with either saline or silicone. Seeing that the thought of a foreign object in my body freaks me out just a little enough as it is, I decided to go with saline just for the safety aspect of things. I also am going to go for under the muscle. I'm crossing my fingers that I won't need a lift next year but after seeing pictures of the girls, I am sure I will.

The next day I had a question regarding the length of the suggested tummy tuck so I called Dr. Common's office expecting to be able to leave a message. The lady at the desk told me to hold for a second and she was going to see if he was free. And sure enough, Dr. Commons talked to me on the phone regarding the tummy tuck for a good 5-10 minutes. I know this is not a super huge deal but to me it is. Doctors nowadays do not take the time to speak with their patients. Its more of a business it seems. Dr. Commons really seems to care and take the time needed to make me feel comfortable with what's going to happen to my body.

So, originally I had scheduled The Pink Marshmallow's death for October 5th because of these reasons:

a) I needed to work a load of overtime so I could get this stuff paid for without having to eat beans and rice for the next year,
b) I needed to work a load of overtime so I could put some more time in my "time off" bank at work,
c) I needed to lose about 10 more pounds of lard to get in the 150's (a weight I feel ok at)

Well, as it turns out, I have an aunt who wouldn't mind having a butt-load of points on her credit card and has offered to pay for my surgery. At first, I initally declined this offer because I don't really want to owe any family members money but after looking at my tube boobs and The Pink Marshmallow and thinking about how much I hate them and wish I could just cut them off myself, I accepted her offer. My aunt is so sweet and said that since she can pay the card off immediately, I will not have to pay her interest. I cannot thank her enough. With that said, I called Dr. Commons this morning and asked about two dates, July 30 and August 13. RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER, holy s%!$!!!!!!

I also put in time off at work. All my immediate supervisors know I'm getting work done so now I am just waiting on the higher ups to approve 4 weeks off since this stuff isn't covered by FMLA. My husband also has to request a week off to help with our spawn and since we are both work at the same place, getting the same time off in the summer can be a little tricky. I guess if worse comes to worst I can always call in sick since I have a doctor's note but I'm trying to be as kind as possible.

So, Doctor's office called this am to finalize the date of the surgery. We are set for August 13, 2012 at 7:30am. My pre-op is scheduled for July 24. Payment has been set too. With all these things in place, it is finally setting in that I am going to have what I never have had at any point in my life - a soft marshmallow for a stomach. Everyday, usually once an hour, my stomach and its frown-mouth belly button has been on my mind, starting at about age 15.

I am blessed to have the support of my husband who keeps telling me he is excited for me (he is looking forward to the boobs). Regardless of how big they become, he knows how much my body image has hindered me. I am not one to go to pools or on vacations where I will have to wear bathing suits or even where it will be hot and less clothing is required.

I also am blessed with a small but super group of friends that support this decision. A few of them have told me numerous times that I "deserve this" after working so hard to lose the weight and even complete two marathons. I cannot thank them enough. My friend who is the nurse has even offered to take me to my surgery and take care of me for the first day after.

I am having a hard time grasping that this goal of mine is almost here. I don't know whether to throw up or cry from the nerves. I was folding laundry earlier and started looking at my clothes. Will I have to purchase a whole new wardrobe? My closet consists of clothing that is loose in the stomach area (people have told me that i hide the stomach well after I show them whats underneath my shirt). I actually like a lot of them, but with new boobs, are flowy tops going to make me look bigger?

For those ladies that have already gone through this, I ask what are some of the little things that you have noticed differently? I have read that some women find it odd to actually realize their arms are resting on a flat stomach, like the stomach isnt really theres. Its the little things I can't wait for.

Hope everyone is well! Love reading everyone's updates!