Extended TT W/circumferential Lipo of Thighs - Chevy Chase, MD

Well I finally did it and I'm so happy I did!! My journey actually began 15 years ago when I had gastric bypass surgery and lost 100 pounds. After maintaining the weight loss I was stuck with ugly sagging skin. I've always been a curvy woman so I managed to hide my "issues" with spanx like many! In 2007, I had a breast lift and an inner thigh lift. I was pleased with my new perky breasts and not having my thighs rub together with that bulging fat pocket at the top (I'm sure many of you know what I'm talking about). I also liked that the scar from my inner thigh lift is hidden in my groin area and covered by my panties.

Anyway, many say people are paying to get hips and a butt like mine and believe me I LOVE MY CURVY BODY but there is a point at which too much of a good thing is a bad thing. I think I had WAY too much. So I entered into this journey with a realistic goal of just trimming some of my extra curves. After several consultations with plastic surgeons I chose Dr. Paul Thesiger in Chevy Chase, MD. I absolutely love him and his staff. He also performed my breast lift and inner thigh lift several years ago. I'll give a review on him and his practice later.

Back to me, I had my procedure on Dec 12th so I'm nine days post-op and feeling great. My procedure was at 7 am and I was home by 2 pm. I actually felt much better than I had expected! I had everything set up for my recovery including my mom to assist my husband in caring for me and our son. I would describe my pain more as intense pressure. The abdominal binder that was put on me after surgery helped however because I had lipo on my thighs in addition to the tummy tuck, it was positioned over my abdomen and hips. Because of the difference in the ratio of my waist and hips, it wouldn't stay in the right position - that was a pain to deal with. Each day I've gotten stronger and stronger although I'm still unable to walk completely upright. when I went in for my first lymphatic drainage massage, Priscilla told me not to force myself upright too quickly as I don't want to stretch my incision. Of course I plan to listen as I don't want an ugly scar. Well that's enough for this post. I'll share my pre-op pics with you ladies now. Post-op pics are forthcoming so stay tuned!

So I'm just over three weeks post-op and I returned to work this week. I'm still a bit swollen but able to see some results. I'm anxiously awaiting my second compression garment as the size large that I have is now too big (yay)! Once I get my new garment, I'll post pictures of myself wearing it. For those searching for a great garment I have the Marena FBM. It is a Capri-length garment which I needed since I had circumferential lipo on my thighs all the way down to my knees. The initial garment I had stopped just above my knee and it was pretty painful. I also saved money by ordering it from Amazon!!

Here are some of my post-op photos. I promise to post more later. Now that I'm back to work my time is limited. I am also going for lymphatic drainage massages twice a week - and they feel GREAT! It helps with the swelling g and allows them to catch areas where scar tissue is trying to form. It is a bit uncomfortable when they massage the scar tissue area but I feel less and less scar tissue after each visit. Once I hit the two month mark I will have a few velashape treatments to address the cellulite and smooth out my thighs a bit more. Remember I started this process not wanting to become thin, but to keep my voluptuous thighs without the huge saddlebags. So far I'm enjoying the journey. I am anxiously awaiting the clearance to hut the gym so I can help reach my desired goal.