57 Years Old, finally making time for me - Duluth, GA

Well, after many, many, many years, I've decided to do something just for me. I'm in the process of a divorce and I feel this is the perfect time to "get my life".
I've spent years camouflaging this gut and I'm ready to move over to the flat side. Although nervous, I'm ready to take this journey.

Well today was pre-op day and I signed all consent forms. I was a complete nervous reck this morning and came very close to changing my mind. At the very last minute I decided to go ahead and go for it and now at this point I was running late for my appt. I phoned the office to let them know I was running about 15 min behind schedule and they said that was fine. I was kinda hoping they would tell me to come back another day so that I would have a few more hours to rethink things. Nevertheless, I finally arrived and was immediately give a stack of consent forms to read and sign. Once I started reading the surgery risk, my fear skyrocketed off the charts. By the time I got to Dr. Davoudi I was literally shaking. Dr. Davoudi was very calming and said that if I wasn't nervous he would actually be concerned. He assured me that this was his speciality and that I was in good hands. He again looked over my tummy and back area and discussed what he planned to do. After speaking with him for awhile, he asked that I turn on my voice memo to record his instructions for my after care. He then addressed all questions and concerns that I had. The last thing that he told me was to make sure that I remained very positive, happy and stress free and leave everything else to him. He gave me a hug and he left the examining room sending Toni in. Toni was awesome!! She gave me tons of information as well as a breathing apparatus in which I was instructed to begin using today. I asked Toni even more questions and was very relaxed and comfortable by the time I left their office. Next, I went to have my blood drawn and fill out even more paperwork. The nurse there was even more informative. I'm hoping that she will be one of the nurses on call the day of my surgery. I asked more questions and boy oh boy did she give me answers. She was quite long winded but I really appreciated her time and patience. She went over every inch of my medical history and explained why she needed to know these things. She also explained how I would be monitored during and after surgery. When I left after talking to everyone involved in this procedure I felt very good about my decision. I'm confident that I'm in the best hands and I can't wait to see my results. Now let the countdown begin, 10 days to the flat side.

Can you ladies share some of your "Must Have" supplies for tummy tuck and lipo? I've seen very long list of supplies that some ladies purchased but is all of that really used? My surgeon gave me a supply list in my packet but it wasn't very long. I just want to make sure that I have everything needed for recovery without going overboard. Thanks so much ladies!!!!

It's almost time to get this party started. I can't believe I'm posting my nude, bad body pics on here but I know how important it was for me to see the actual results of all the ladies here. I'm hoping to help someone with their decision just as you ladies have helped me. Talk is cheap but a pic speaks a thousand words. So these are my awful before pics.
7-days to go!!!

My required liquid diet started this past Friday and I've already lost 7-lbs. Nothing but Activia, Muscle Milk and Water for 7-days, OMG!!!! Every time I get weak, I remember what Dr. Davoudi said. "As your motivation just remember, the least amount in your tummy, the tighter I can get you".
4-days to the flat side.

Tomorrow is my surgery day!!!!
I was initially scheduled to check into the hospital at 2pm but I received a call this morning asking me to be there at 6am. My nerves immediately went through the roof. After remembering Dr. Davoudi's advise I calmed down a bit. He said to think pleasant thoughts, keep my mind and spirit happy and stress free and leave the rest to him. So im doing just that. I'm thinking of how good my clothes will fit and how nice I will look in my bikini this summer. It's definitely time to get this party started. My supplies are ready, my prescriptions are ready, my mom is here, my girlfriend is in route and will be spending the weekend, I'm full of water as prescribed and I'm packing my overnight bag. All systems are go!! To all of the other beautiful ladies also having your surgeries tomorrow I wish you well and I will say a little prayer for you as I hope you will for me. Let's do this!!!

Hey ladies, I made it over to the flat side. So far so good. I'm healing and getting a little bit stronger each day. My surgery was this past Friday morning and by Sunday I was off of the pain meds. I couldn't eat or drink much more than a spoonful up until Monday so I became a bit dehydrated and developed a annoying headache. Nurse Toni told me to get more fluids down and I would feel better. I forced myself to drink water and ginger ale and popped a few Tyenold and I feel much better. Yesterday was my first day really eating. I'm still keeping it light with fish and spinach to promote healing. I haven't had a bm yet so I drank my smooth move tea last night. I can almost stand fully upright now but my back has taken a beating from being bent over. I'm praying that at least one of these annoying drains come out soon. I can't shower until at least one is gone. I know that id feel so much better a hot shower.
These pics are 1-day post op. I've developed a lot more bruising from the lipo since these were taken. Right now I'm extremely swollen but so far I think I will loveeee my new body.

Yesterday and today were really good days. Although I got a pretty good scare this past weekend I've had a really good past two days. On Saturday evening my thighs begin to swell. By Sunday the swelling in my thighs, pubic area and bottom of my insision was so tight and hard I could hardly sit without feeling this awful pulling sensation. I expected swelling around the area of my tummy and from the lipo but I was scared to death about the swelling in my thighs, etc. I called the office around 2am on Sunday morning expecting to get the number for a 24hr nurse or care line. Well turns out the number that was given was actually Dr. Davoudi's cell number. After several calls he answered. It was totally obvious by his tone that I woke him from a deep sleep. We chatted very briefly and he told me that my swelling was normal. After hanging up with him I still wasn't comfortable with his answer because I felt that he wasn't quite coherent due to the time. Needless to say I didn't sleep for the remainder of the night. Later Sunday morning I called him back and sure enough he didn't remember talking to me. We discussed everything again and this time I felt more comfortable with his answers. He again assured me that this was normal and told me to increase my water intake.
On Monday morning, the next day, I called Toni and arranged to come into the office to have a drain removed. I actually drove myself and if felt great to get outside. It was obvious that Dr. Davoudi had shared with the office my 2am phone call but we just laughed and kept it moving. Toni removed all of my sutures, removed drain #2, cleaned and rebandaged my incision. Then with the assistance of another nurse they litterily rolled me like a sausage into my new garment. Omg, this thing was so tight I had to pace my breathing. I had the long leg, high waist garment on the bottom, layered with a sleeveless top to waist garment on top of that and my waist binder on top of that. By the time I got home I was almost in tears. I loosened the waist binder just a bit and all was wonderful. This contraption really helps my back and helps me to walk upright. I actually drove myself to the grocery store to pick up a few things I needed.
Well tomorrow (Wednesday) I'm scheduled to have the second drain removed and I can't wait. I feel really good with the exception of my lower back. And all of the swelling. It's amazing to see how tiny my waist is and this is with swelling and padding. I can't wait to see my true results. But I'm loving my curves so far. Let the waist training begin.
Wishing all of my realself sisters amazing recoveries and results. Happy healing!!

Hi Ladies, just giving you a update at 4 weeks. Hopefully everyone is healing wonderfully and making great decisions in choosing their PS.
Well it's been 4 weeks for me and I'm doing great. I went back to work at 3 weeks and life is pretty much back to normal. Im still in swell hell but I guess that's something we all have to deal with. At about 2 1/2 weeks my swelling migrated into my thighs, lower legs and feet so my ps sent me to the emergency room to have ultra sounds done as a precaution for blood clots. Everything checked out fine and it gave everyone a piece of mind. Although it was a timely inconvenience, I appreciate my ps not taking any chances with my well being. The leg swelling only lasted a few days however my ankles and feet still swell a little. My back area still looks like a sausage roll and my tummy is still swollen as well. I keep on these tight garments 24/7 with the exception of bathing so this also makes life a bit uncomfortable. Outside of those complaints, life is good. I feel great, no pain, just a little itching from time to time. I assume those are my nerves healing. Once all of this swelling goes down, I'll have a better idea of how my final result will look. Everyday gets a little bit better.
Well, I took a few bikini pics just for the purpose of seeing my scar placement. With all of this swelling, I'm in no way ready for a bikini. I do love where Dr. D placed my scar. Even with my smallest bikini my scar isn't visible.
Also, my scar is healing very well. All of my ripples are gradually smoothing out and my scar is fading nicely. The ends of my scar are still puffy, however, Dr D said thats due to the type of stitch he used. Eventually they will tuck under and fade as well and I can gradually see the difference already. Remember ladies, patience is the key. Happy healing.

Still very swollen yet there's a huge improvement

Hello ladies, just checking in at 11 weeks post-op. Life is pretty much back to normal and I got back in the gym at 6 weeks. My weight is down 21 lbs since my surgery date. I Had my appointment with Dr. Davoudi this week and I'm not a happy camper. Although I love my results, I don't feel he was aggressive enough with my back lipo. I still have a lot of "fat" on my back and I'm totally disgusted. He claims that its still very early (11 weeks post-op) and I need to be patience. He says the skin on the back area is very thick and takes longer to conform. Hummm! At this point i have no choice but to trust him but I'm not happy. I know that I'm still a bit swollen in that area and there's still some numbness but I don't think those fat rolls would still be there if he removed everything. In addition, the end of my incision on my left side is a little raised. Not quite a dog ear yet but not flat either. He said if this doesn't go down he'll fix it. And last but not least, I have a small indention on my left butt cheek. This is where he made the incision to lipo my lower back. He said of this doesn't correct itself he'll fill it in. He wants me to wait until September before doing any revisions. Needless to say I'm pretty bummed!! The point of having my surgery in January was to have my body together for the summer. Don't get me wrong I realize that there's a huge difference in my before and after. I also realize that there was a lot of fat on my back to remove but for $14,500 I want perfection. I'll wait another 5 weeks to see if I'm making anymore progress. In the meantime I'll continue to eat healthy, workout and pray this fat on my back goes away. This has been one hell of a journey.
Well, here are a couple of comparison pics. Do you think I'm overreacting??

Hi ladies, I'm almost 17 weeks post-op and just want to give you guys a update on my progress. First let me say that this procedure and this healing process is very real and not for the weak at heart. And a lot of patience is definitely required. Since my last post, I've gone through a series of very painful drainage massages, however, my results and the swelling have improved tremendously. Although I'm still dealing with "swell hell", I can finally see a light at the end of this tunnel. My back is looking much, much better and my tummy is flat. I still get a lot of swelling on my back and lower tummy area, especially in the afternoons. At least now I have a good idea of what my body will look like when all of this is behind me. I can finally say that I'm very happy with my results. Just remember patience is truly key. Happy healing!