38 Years Old & Re-shaping Body - Chicago, IL

I've had a curvy, hourglass figure my entire life, with my adult weight ranging from 150-160 which is anywhere from a size 6 to a size 10 on me. I'm not a skinny girl, but since my shape has been good, I've never wanted to be. However, I did know that most of the women in my family start getting fat into their late 30's or early 40's. I had always thought that this was due to eating habits, but then it happened to me!

I went from my normal adult weight up to 195-200 lbs in just over a year. Yes, I gained about 40 lbs in a year for no good reason. My doctor ran tests and checked everything and blamed a combination of stress and genetics. I wasn't eating more and I was exercising, though I have never been an excessive exerciser, I've always been pretty regular about it. I just piled on the pounds with no real explanation other than family history.

I tried every diet from low-carb to medifast to even the extremely low-cal 5 bite diet! I can lose a few pounds here or there, but only when I exercise 2x a day and eat near starvation levels. The good news is that my weight has settled and I'm no longer gaining, but the bad news is that I am now size 14! I'm not unhappy with my butt and legs and actually like the increase in breast size.. am a DD for the first time in my life and yes, it's a bit much, but I look great in a bra :)

However, the back rolls and the stomach fat are too much to bear and after doing everything humanly possible to fix this on my own, I went to a consult today with Dr. David Ross in Chicago. I chose him because of his experience and really appreciated his honest approach to posting prices on his website. I figured that if he's that up-front about pricing, I will be less likely to have hidden fees down the road. I even considered going to Mexico for this procedure, but for the prices he charges, there is no reason to do this when airfare and other expenses are considered.

In my meeting with him today, he explained very realistically what I can expect and what I'll like and what I might not like. He was very busy this morning, but that didn't stop him from spending plenty of time with me. I did hear him apologizing to someone in the hallway about the long wait times, but I believe that this was just because he wasn't rushing anyone. I would rather wait and get a full consultation from a doctor than be rushed, so I appreciated his approach. He definitely has a lot of experience and after this morning's visit, I paid the $500 to hold my surgery appointment time. I'll be going in on July 30 and am going next Saturday for the pre-op. I'll post more next week after the next visit.

I'm pretty much in control of my schedule and lucky enough to be in a position where I tell my boss what days I want off and unless there is something really unusual, she will just confirm my request. However, when I went into the office today, I noticed that my entire week and a half after my July 30 is free except for August 7. I had set an appointment a few months ago for a key partner to fly out to meet with me. Since I'm the major person involved in this relationship, there is NO way to substitute and the partner has already booked tickets.

I am a bit nervous because I don't know how I will feel, but I am planning on taking July 30 - Aug 6 off, which is a Wednesday to the following Wednesday.. then come in for the meetings on the 7th and then take off the 8th, which will give me another long weekend.

I wouldn't normally worry, but the August 7 meeting will be a full day of meetings and dinner will most likely be an expectation. I can easily get out of drinking at dinner, but am concerned that the full day may be too much too soon. Not sure if I should re-schedule, but I am hoping that a full week of rest beforehand will make the day tolerable. Any thoughts or comments would be appreciated. I don't want to reschedule because I travel quite a bit for work and have to get back on the plane in September, so I want to be 150% back to normal by the time mid-September hits.

Thanks

I'm really nervous.. I was scheduled for a 2:30pm appointment today and really not thrilled about the time. The anesthesiologist called me yesterday to go over questions and said that while I shouldn't eat past midnight (last night) that it was ok for me to drink something this morning before 7am. So, even though I am totally nervous and hungry now, at least I got to have my sugar free Red Bull this morning.

I've been trying to kill time all day... hubby is being super sweet and taking me on some random errands. I decided that I was done with errands and now just making last minute preparations. I took my shower and washed up with the antibacterial soap as instructed and had hubby take some "before" pics, which I have uploaded. I need to be at the office at 1:45 and it's a good hour away in downtown Chicago. We'll leave here at 12:30pm just in case.. and also because I'm nervous as hell and just want to get there!!

I will post some after pics (probably) post-surgery, but definitely once the swelling has subsided... wish me luck!!!