Journal of a Journey ~ My Tummy Tuck Adventure - Cleveland, OH ~ July 9th 2013

WOW I am so EXCITED!!! I have been stalking realself since 2011. I really enjoy reading about the experiences and stories of the women on this site. I have dreamed of having a tt for a long time but never thought I would. Now its actually happening!!!!

ABOUT ME:
I am a veteran turned military wife and stay at home mom to 3 beautiful babies (3,4, and 9). I am 5' 7" and weigh 155. I carry all my weight in my stomach. I attribute my excess weight (about 10lbs) to these huge 36DDD fun bags on my chest. hehehe I run 3 miles about 3x/week. Plus rollerblading and biking with my kiddos and hubby very often. We are a very active military family.

ABOUT MY FEELINGS:
I know I can feel beautiful and be happy without a TT because I have been doing it for years. I never let my stomach bother me. Like many women of the generations before me I didn't think the damage caused by pregnancy could be fixed. So I tried to embrace it. I referred to my extra skin and stretch marks as "badges of honor". Whenever a negitive thought about my stomach would try to creep into my head I would tell myself that I had a girls body before and now my new after kids body was a "real" woman's body. LOL! I pretended to be so proud of it! I would say sacrificing my body was a "small price to pay" to have my beautiful healthy babies. Plus I have mad skillz and could camouflage my stomach under layers of clothes ;) Even though deep down I still felt hideous.

MY SITUATION:
One month after turning 31 in 2009 I gave birth to my 3rd baby. My hubby and I decided that was the last "surprise" we wanted to have so he got snipped. It is final, I am done having children. That chapter in my life is closed!

THE JOURNEY BEGINS:
Fast forward to july 2012 ~ The most amazing unthinkable thing happened!!!!.......My father offered to pay for me to have TT!!! The only thing was I would have to wait until Sept 2013 to have it done so he could save up the money. WOW! So that is when I started to let myself notice how much my stomach bothered me. Once my mind acknowledged how uncomfortable I really am in my own skin the years of denial came crashing down over me like a huge wave washing away all the blinders I had put up. Blinders that were there to protect my feelings from my own negitive thoughts about my body. I had acknowledged to myself my true feelings toward my "mom" body and there was no turning it off. I let my stomach bother me every minute of every day because now, with the help of my dad, I could something about it!!!!!!! I am so thankful to live in a day and age where I can have surgery to correct my damaged stomach!!!!


THE JOURNEY TAKES A BREAK:
Fast forward Nov 2012~ My dad was hospitalized for many weeks and endured many surgeries and recoveries. He will never be able to work again. It was never said out loud but my hubby and I both knew the offer to pay for my TT was off the table, he has his own medical bills to worry about now. There is no way I could turn my mind back now that I knew something could be done but I also knew financially there is no way we could afford it. As a stay at home mom I make many sacrifices and most of the time I sacrifice my "wants" for the greater good of the family. I feel that it is a "small" price to pay to be able to stay at home and raise my kids for the short time before they start school full time. I figured in a few years when they are all in school and I can have time for a job I will start saving up for a TT. I wasn't extremely happy about waiting but I felt that waiting 5-10 years was my only option and it was acceptable.

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES:
Fast forward March 2013~ I could tell something was weighing very heavy on my hubby's mind for a couple of weeks. I didn't ask him about it cause I knew he would open up when he was ready to talk about it. Then he came to me and said he had thought long and hard about it and that he wanted me to go ahead and get the TT now. I'll admit I was hesitant to accept his offer because I knew all the sacrifices the family would have to make. I really didn't want to get excited about it until I knew he was totally sure and cool with it. So for the next week I asked him over and over again if he was sure. I hate to admit it but I even started a few fights so he could "take it back", but even red hot mad he still wouldn't change his mind. He said that this was something HE WANTED to do for me. So I made the consultation appointment with Dr. Donaldson.

THE CONSULTATION:
April 2013~The consult went very smoothly. Dr. Donaldson and his staff are very polished and proficient at what they do. He said he usually does some lipo as part of the tummy tuck at no extra charge (this was awesome news to me)!!! He said that he was excited to do my TT since most of my excess fat and skin is below the belly button I would have excellent results. He showed me some pics of TT he had done and pointed out how he used lipo to sculpt feminine curves. Which I was so happy to hear cause I really wanted an artist and not just a skilled surgeon. I then got the $$$$ Quote and booked my surgery date!!!! SOOOO EXCITED!!!!!

3 months pre-op ~ I know I am going to go through all kinds of thoughts and emotions in the next 3 months. Everyone I know is very supportive and encouraging. I think this makes a huge difference for me mentally. Whenever I start having second thoughts my mom (hubby, mother-in-law, dad and friends) set my mind straight. The other night I was voicing some concern to my mom and she said "Everyone is in agreement, you need this!"
I am beginning to wonder if they think my stomach is more hideous than I do! LOL