Fleur de lis tummy tuck & pubic lift - so happy with my results!

I can't believe it's already been 7 months! I had my last follow up with Dr. Delgado last month and he said I've healed really well. The scars have already lightened significantly and I'm still so happy with the results.

I do have some scar tissue near the intersection of the incisions on my right side that is kind of a raised hard area, but he said that may break up with time, and once I realized it wasn't a seroma it didn't bother me. That started around month 4, when most of my normal swelling had gone down, so it really freaked me out at first, but I saw Dr. Delgado right away and he was able to reassure me.

In retrospect the hardest part of recovery for me was reducing activity for the first 2 months. Not only going to the gym but just tiring out easier and needing to be more mindful of lifting, bending, etc. I'm a very "go go go" person so that was tough. Also, even though I read about swelling, it surprised me how much I noticed it after eating salty things or drinking alcohol. That's mostly gone now, and the good news is it helped me lower my sodium intake!

I also knew this wasn''t a magic fix for my body image issues, but they're definitely still there. It took awhile to get used to my smaller body after I first lost weight, and it's taking awhile to get used to this version as well. But it's probably a lifetime journey for most women anyway, and I'm SO happy I finally have a flat tummy!

After losing over 130 lbs over the past 5 years I was left with so much leftover skin and tissue, especially in my middle section, that exercise would never get rid of. I originally wanted a belt lipectomy or full lower body lift instead of a tummy tuck because I have excess fat around my sides and over my butt as well as my tummy.

I consulted with a few surgeons in the Bay Area but I ultimately chose Dr. Delgado because he was the only one that told me he would NOT recommend that surgery for me. He explained that it would need to be broken up into 2 surgeries - tummy tuck and posterior body lift - because doing it all at once would be too much on my body and have skin pulled tighter in opposite directions. Basically, healing would be incredibly difficult and painful.

At first I was disappointed, but this is such a major (and costly) decision, that I trusted his expertise and was so impressed he didn’t just tell me what I wanted to hear, but what was the safe and right thing to do.

I also appreciated that Dr. Delgado doesn’t have the kind of “car salesman” vibe that I got from the other surgeons. He’s calm, direct, and serious, which I like because this is your body! It’s a very serious subject. I had the utmost confidence that my safety and a successful outcome was his main concern.

He also wanted to be sure I was aware that having the fleur di lis version of the tummy tuck would leave me with a very visible scar running up my abdomen and that I was ok with that. For me, getting rid of that skin is worth any scar.

I booked in March for an August surgery date, which was the first they had available and worked perfectly for my work schedule anyway. His staff is amazing, communication is always excellent. I was sent a super detailed pre-op booklet that answered so many questions I had about what to expect pre and post op, but Dr. Delgado and staff were also great about making sure all my concerns and questions were addressed. They give you a great 2 week pre-op checklist to make sure you and your caregiver are ready. Dr. Delgado made sure I had plenty of anti-nausea meds because I had told him pain pills always make me sick.

The day of surgery was nerve-wracking but the nurses and anesthesiologist were all so great (shout out to Dr. Lo!). I love that his surgery center is connected to a hospital, just in case. I don’t remember much after waking up in the recovery room, except how sweet the post op nurse was, which was really nice because I was so out of it.

I did not have muscle repair done because I’ve never had children and didn’t need to, so I think my recovery has been easier than most. To my surprise, I was off prescription pain pills and on to Tylenol by day 6. I’ve had 3 post op visits, and finally got my last drain out on day 17. The staff is so communicative about appointments and schedule changes and accommodating my schedule.

I am absolutely thrilled with my results so, and I know the swelling will continue to go down. Before this surgery, I almost didn’t feel as if I had lost much weight, because I still had that stomach to lug around. Now I truly feel like all my hard work had paid off. I plan to schedule the second phase of surgery in about a year to give myself a chance to fully recover and I will definitely be coming back. Thank you Dr. Delgado!