29, 4 Kids, Major Weight Loss, FDL Tummy Tuck with MR.

I spent my childhood and early adulthood being very overweight. I remember my family doctor telling me that I was "morbidly obese". I had my first child when I was 16 years old and gained 60+ pounds during that pregnancy. I weighed 265 pounds after giving birth to my 3rd in January 2011. I decided to commit to a healthier lifestyle and set a goal to lose 100 pounds in a year. I proudly accomplished that goal and was able to lose 115 pounds with just diet and exercise from 2011-2012 and maintained that weight loss until my 4th pregnancy in 2014. While pregnant, I carelessly gained back 80 pounds. I weighed about 235 pounds after having my son and was determined to lose the weight again in order to fit back into my pre-pregnancy wardrobe. I got right back into healthy eating and began exercising again and was able to lose the weight in about 6 months. I'm 5'4" and have maintained my weight at 150-155 since 2015. Being very overweight, 4 pregnancy's and massive weight loss (twice!) has left me with a very droopy stomach. The rest of my body looks pretty good due to the weight training I do and I'm very happy with my appearance otherwise. I wear my underwear and pants over my belly hang and have to wear loose fitting tops to hide the extra skin. I've been frustrated that my hard work hasn't been enough to get me the body I feel I deserve.
I had a consultation with a surgeon in 2016. He recommended an extended tummy tuck and quoted me at $12,000+. This was way too expensive for me at the time and I gave up on my dream. I found Real Self earlier this year and searched for other surgeons nearby and found Dr. Mlakar in Fort Wayne. After looking through his customer reviews and before/after pictures, I set a consultation date with him on 5/7/18. I was more than pleasantly surprised by how amazing his assistant Lori was. She spent over 30 minutes with me on the phone one evening discussing what to expect and she actually got me in to the office almost 3 weeks earlier than my scheduled appointment so I could meet the Dr. as soon as possible. I met with her and Dr. Joe on 4/20/18 for my consultation. She and Dr. Mlakar were amazing in person as well. Dr. Joe recommended a standard FDL tummy tuck because my skin had been stretched in all directions and he said this was the best way for him to get rid of it all. No lipo is needed because the FDL will get rid of the extra fat on my belly. His price was $8229. I decided to commit to a date and signed all my paperwork that very day. I put $500 down to hold my surgery time of 11:30 am 5/10/18 and left the office with my prescriptions, a bag of goodies, and my instructions for pre-op. I'm just under 2 weeks away from my operation and I absolutely cannot wait!