43 Year Old Mom of 2, Diabetic - Made It to the Flat Side. Columbus, GA

Hi Real Self friends! I've learned so much from reading the reviews here and thought documenting my journey may be helpful to others as well as me. I am 43 years old, married, with 2 children ages 22 and 17. I'm 5' 2" and weigh 160 lbs. I was 21 when my daughter was born and my stomach has never been the same since. Both of my babies were 10 pounds. On a 5' 2" frame, I was literally as big around as I was tall! I've had Type 2 Diabetes for 10 years now. It's controlled with some medication, I eat well and exercise but no matter what I do I can't seem to lose weight in my belly area. After reading the stories and consulting with my own Dr., I now realize there's nothing I can ever do to fix it myself. My Dr. said I have approximately 6 inch gap between my stomach muscles that will need to be tightened/repaired. He checked me over and said I don't really have much fat on me and I would be an excellent candidate for a tummy tuck.
I've always wanted a TT, but never felt 'deserving' of one. I was always a yo-yo, lose it quick dieter and could never stick with anything for very long. Well now I feel like I'm in the best shape of my life - even with diabetes - and I have worked hard to keep my weight stable for the past 4 years (I was once up to 200 lbs!)
My husband knows how self-conscience I am about my belly. He's so sweet and tries to make me feel comfortable about it, but even after all these years I don't like him to run his hands over it if I'm lying on my side - you know, when it ALL hangs out! Anyway, he is supportive of my decision and even suggested it to me after seeing how hard I've worked on being healthy and keeping the weight off 'the right way'.
I've only consulted with one Dr. so far (Dr. Thomas Cochran, Jr. Columbus GA), but I really like him and he has GREAT reviews and followup pictures on here. I'm not sure yet if I'll consult with the other 2 doctors I was planning on seeing later or not. I don't plan to have my procedure done until after the first of the year so that my husband can take vacation and care for me, so I still have time to decide who I want to do the surgery.
I look forward to sharing my journey with you and will upload some before pics very soon.

Before pics. I failed to mention before that I've had c-sections with both of my kids. I will be so happy if I can have a few curves added to the sides - I look like Sponge Bob! It's funny how well I can hide all this flab and skin under clothes and waist cinchers. My butt can fit into a size 8, but my waist requires me to buy a size 12, or at least have a really stretchy waist. I'm a natural size 36G cup, so I'm sure after the TT I'll look like I've had a boob job! I do own a bikini because I have a pool, but it only gets worn when I'm at home alone...

Things have really been exciting over the past couple of weeks! I've been to see my primary doc and had all my blood work and tests done. He says everything is a go :) The office sent my labs and info to my PS office - so they're happy. I've had my pre op consultation, paid my balance in full and received my prescription - still need to get that filled. My FMLA has been approved. I found a walker (looks brand new) at Goodwill for $3.99. It folds flat, so it's out of the way and I'll just donate it back to them when I'm done with it. I've been making lists of things to remember during recovery. I'll start cooking this weekend to make some meals to freeze for my guys and I'll cook some meals next weekend for myself and put them in serving size containers for easy grab convenience. Yep - getting excited!!! Any advice or suggestions is most welcome :)