POSTED UNDER Tummy Tuck REVIEWS
december 22, 2014 - my tt dream finally became my reality!!! :))) - Greenville, NC
ORIGINAL POST
MY DREAM HAS FINALLY BECOME MY REALITY!!!...
WORTH IT$8,000
MY DREAM HAS FINALLY BECOME MY REALITY!!! :)))
I'm 46, mother of two adult children, divorced for 6 yrs. and finally gaining my self esteem back - and happy (only took me 46 years! Lol).
I've wanted a tummy tuck since my daughter (the youngest of two) was born 25 years ago. I had a ruff pregnancy with my Brit, preterm labor at 6 months, in the hospital on bed rest for 2 months and loads of steroids to help develop her lungs. WELL, MY LUNGS, TUMMY and BUTT DEVELOPED TOO!! Lol... I was left with a horrible looking body and especially my tummy.
October 2014 I started my research looking for a highly rated surgeon and found the greatest ps, Dr. Richard Rizzuti @ Greenville Plastic Surgery in Greenville, NC!! Love him and his nurse Annette!! Dr. Rizzuti's practice is over an hour away but well worth the drive.
I was so excited that I had actually scheduled a consult, I went ahead and drafted funds from my IRA account!! I knew this was MY time and was going to do this even if I had to keep searching for another ps if I didn't like Dr. Rizzuti. WELL I LOVE HIM and his nurse Annette.
Before my consult, I had researched like a mad women and saved pics from the Internet similar to my body to show him. I wanted to know if he would be able to get simular results for me. I took a long list of questions to my consult. He answered every question and I felt very at ease. My tummy tuck was my main objective but also wanted my deflated boobs restored and the fat sucked out of my neck. YES, I HAD A MAJOR OVERHAUL!! Lol...
I scheduled my surgery for December 22nd, right before Christmas so I could use the Christmas and New Year holiday as part of my recovery time. The days seem to drag by till surgery. It couldn't get here fast enough!!
The night before surgery my best friend and I stayed over night in a hotel which screwed up our wake up call!! I was in a major panic. Was 5 minutes late coming in for surgery!! lol... The anesthesiologist told me to relax, I was about to get some really good drugs! Lol... By the time Dr. Rizzutti came in to do my pre-surgery markings, I must have been high! I remember him coming in to my room but nothing after that till I woke up from surgery. Wow!! Those were really good drugs! The first thing I remember after surgery is being on the toilet and my nurse telling me I had to pee before I could go home. I have NO IDEA how I got to the toilet! I don't remember getting up to go to the bathroom much less sitting on the toilet. It was then that I was in serious pain!!
Apparently the ride home was interesting. I don't remember much but my best friend said I cried like a baby and laughed about random stuff. THANK GOD SHE DIDNT THINK TO USE HER CELL TO RECORD IT!! If she had thought of it she would have!!
The one thing that I clearly remember the day of surgery was getting home and trying to get out of my SUV!! Thought I would die!! My best friend got a stool to help make it a little easer and less painful to get out. After that, the rest of the night was a complete blur. Doc sent me home with Demerol! Yep, I was out to lunch and dinner and breakfast and.... Lol...
The first week was complete hell. I had a lot done, full tummy tuck, boobs, lipo to my flanks, back and neck. Geez!! What the heck was I thinking!!?? Duh!
I'm now 1 month and 3 days postop. The f1st week - hell, The 2nd a little better, the 3rd much less pain and starting to stand up almost straight but I deveolope a seroma. It's a big pocket of fluid between the layer of skin and the muscle. The 4th week (this week) I can stand straight and my body has shrunk from all the swelling. I still have swelling but NOTHING like the first week and a half!!
*** SEROMA HELL ***
I called my ps office and told the nurse about the left side of my stomach being so much bigger than the fight. It was so swollen that it pushed my belly button wayyyy off to the right side!! I went in that day and my ps aspirated 4 huge tubes of fluid and blood... NEARLY A WHOLE CUP OF FLUID!!!! My tummy immediately shrunk with every tube he drained out. Shwwww!!! Felt better!
I had to go again again and he drained 2 big tubes and this last Monday he drained only a half syringe. Well it's Thurday morning and fluid has accumulated AGAIN!!
Everything looks great accept when the fluid builds back up. It's not as much as the first, second or last time... THANK GOD!! Calling my ps again to reschedule another draining. UGGGG...
I will keep you guys posted about my progress.
Hope you all are healing well and enjoying your new body!! :)
I'm 46, mother of two adult children, divorced for 6 yrs. and finally gaining my self esteem back - and happy (only took me 46 years! Lol).
I've wanted a tummy tuck since my daughter (the youngest of two) was born 25 years ago. I had a ruff pregnancy with my Brit, preterm labor at 6 months, in the hospital on bed rest for 2 months and loads of steroids to help develop her lungs. WELL, MY LUNGS, TUMMY and BUTT DEVELOPED TOO!! Lol... I was left with a horrible looking body and especially my tummy.
October 2014 I started my research looking for a highly rated surgeon and found the greatest ps, Dr. Richard Rizzuti @ Greenville Plastic Surgery in Greenville, NC!! Love him and his nurse Annette!! Dr. Rizzuti's practice is over an hour away but well worth the drive.
I was so excited that I had actually scheduled a consult, I went ahead and drafted funds from my IRA account!! I knew this was MY time and was going to do this even if I had to keep searching for another ps if I didn't like Dr. Rizzuti. WELL I LOVE HIM and his nurse Annette.
Before my consult, I had researched like a mad women and saved pics from the Internet similar to my body to show him. I wanted to know if he would be able to get simular results for me. I took a long list of questions to my consult. He answered every question and I felt very at ease. My tummy tuck was my main objective but also wanted my deflated boobs restored and the fat sucked out of my neck. YES, I HAD A MAJOR OVERHAUL!! Lol...
I scheduled my surgery for December 22nd, right before Christmas so I could use the Christmas and New Year holiday as part of my recovery time. The days seem to drag by till surgery. It couldn't get here fast enough!!
The night before surgery my best friend and I stayed over night in a hotel which screwed up our wake up call!! I was in a major panic. Was 5 minutes late coming in for surgery!! lol... The anesthesiologist told me to relax, I was about to get some really good drugs! Lol... By the time Dr. Rizzutti came in to do my pre-surgery markings, I must have been high! I remember him coming in to my room but nothing after that till I woke up from surgery. Wow!! Those were really good drugs! The first thing I remember after surgery is being on the toilet and my nurse telling me I had to pee before I could go home. I have NO IDEA how I got to the toilet! I don't remember getting up to go to the bathroom much less sitting on the toilet. It was then that I was in serious pain!!
Apparently the ride home was interesting. I don't remember much but my best friend said I cried like a baby and laughed about random stuff. THANK GOD SHE DIDNT THINK TO USE HER CELL TO RECORD IT!! If she had thought of it she would have!!
The one thing that I clearly remember the day of surgery was getting home and trying to get out of my SUV!! Thought I would die!! My best friend got a stool to help make it a little easer and less painful to get out. After that, the rest of the night was a complete blur. Doc sent me home with Demerol! Yep, I was out to lunch and dinner and breakfast and.... Lol...
The first week was complete hell. I had a lot done, full tummy tuck, boobs, lipo to my flanks, back and neck. Geez!! What the heck was I thinking!!?? Duh!
I'm now 1 month and 3 days postop. The f1st week - hell, The 2nd a little better, the 3rd much less pain and starting to stand up almost straight but I deveolope a seroma. It's a big pocket of fluid between the layer of skin and the muscle. The 4th week (this week) I can stand straight and my body has shrunk from all the swelling. I still have swelling but NOTHING like the first week and a half!!
*** SEROMA HELL ***
I called my ps office and told the nurse about the left side of my stomach being so much bigger than the fight. It was so swollen that it pushed my belly button wayyyy off to the right side!! I went in that day and my ps aspirated 4 huge tubes of fluid and blood... NEARLY A WHOLE CUP OF FLUID!!!! My tummy immediately shrunk with every tube he drained out. Shwwww!!! Felt better!
I had to go again again and he drained 2 big tubes and this last Monday he drained only a half syringe. Well it's Thurday morning and fluid has accumulated AGAIN!!
Everything looks great accept when the fluid builds back up. It's not as much as the first, second or last time... THANK GOD!! Calling my ps again to reschedule another draining. UGGGG...
I will keep you guys posted about my progress.
Hope you all are healing well and enjoying your new body!! :)
Im4hope's provider
Replies (6)
January 28, 2015
saw you commented on my Blog....so i'm checking you out!!! I'm bigger on my left than my right. I only had one drain...and it was on the right. I think they may have taken it a little early...but i wasn't going to beg for them to leave it in!!!! lol Part of me wonders if i'm just a little 'fatter' on the left now. oh well. That's where my tiny hole was...and that goopy pinkish red gunk shot out of!
Funny about you being 5 min. late. I was really late....like almost an hour! They had sent me a txt saying my appointment was at 7:30. So we were getting ready....about a 40 min. drive in.....when i got a call from the sx center asking where we were. Huh? My surgery was at 7:30...but i was suppose to be their at 6:15. Neither my friend or i heard them say anything about it! So when i got there and the ps cam in...he just said, "why are you late"....and drew ONE line down my stomach. That was it! I was the first one...so i figured he took out his frustration on me...lipoing me as hard and fast as he could! Let me tell you...this was no cake walk. I tell people about a woman i read about on here, who said she baked cookies the next day!!! WTH??? lol I feel for you about getting ALL that work done at once. At least my HEAD wasn't hurting. Oh...scratch that....i did have a headache for 5 days too! I'll be anxious to see the results of your neck. I want my arms lipoed.... but damn that pain......ugh....but so far I'm so happy i did it.....and you will be too! Thanks for posting on my journey...it was nice hearing from you!
January 28, 2015
Hey there Realitynut,
I'm doing pretty good other than a little SEROMA fluid. I'm a little pudgy on my right but then Im still early in the healing stage. My ps did a breast ag and neck lipo at the same time. Should have told him to back my rear end up to the lipo machine and go for a smoke break - then come back!! Lol...
Dang... Red gunk shot out of your drain hole??!! Holy $h/t girl!! What the hell was that about??!! How are you doing now?? I hated those drains!! Was brushing my teeth, turned to grab a towel and got the dam things HUNG on the bathroom drawer!! As they say here in the South, "I WAS SPEAKING IN TOUNGS"!! THAT was an out of body experience!! Lol... Yep, I was late too!! Lol... Stayed over night at a hotel and the dam wake up call DID NOT happen!! The only reason I woke up is because I had to pee as usual!! My ps was cool about it but I was a total wreck!! And NO.... recovery is no price of cake! Wth kind of MEDS was the cookie baking chic taking??!! Lol... She had to have been HIGH as hell!! Lol... Yep, I had a lot done at once. The tummy tuck was the hell procedure!! The boobs and neck lipo were a peice of cake. Neck shrunk some and glad. Looks better. I'm going back to have a lower facelift (just my hound dog cheeks and neck lifted). Some people have a midlife crisis and buy a spokes car. I Bought boobs, a tt and lipo! Didn't cure my crisis so I'm having the lower lift in a couple of months! :))) Maybe I will be on time for this one!! Lol... Your pics look great gal!! I haven't done any after pics since my first week but planning to this weekend. Swelling is almost gone... THANK GOD!! Lol... You were rocking that dress girl! I'm going to see Steveie Nicks/Fleetwood Mac in March!! Yayayayayay!!! :))) Wanna rock my new bod in some tight jeans and a tight shirt... Can't leave out stilettos!! Lol... My doctor boy toy is going with me!! Gotta show off the goods!! Good to hear from you too. :) Lets stay intouch! Too cool our tt's were done at almost the same time! Looking forward to reading up on your progress too!! You look amazing... Now.... Go rock that new bod and turn heads!! :)
January 31, 2015
Wow you did have a lot done, but you are smart. You didn't risk your life going out of the USA. You look very good and I can't believe what a good extra good price you paid for all that work! I am almost 2 weeks post op and fear that seroma. I am more swollen on one side too. I will ask my Doctor about it soon when I see him. Thank you for your review. Please keep us updated on your recovery.
February 11, 2015
First of all, wow, yes, great price on all that you got done. More bang for your buck! Funny you girls being late for your surgery. I will be late for my own funeral, but somehow I made it in time for my TT (I also have a little over an hour drive to my surgeon)! In fact, I cooled my jets in a crowded waiting room for what seemed like forever; and then, because there was some problem with the oxygen, I got to cool my jets in pre-op for an hour after my originally scheduled start time for a fresh delivery. Gotta have that! Oh, they also -- because I haven't gone thru the Big M yet -- made me take a pregnancy test. Funny how different offices have different protocols like being "made" to use the bathroom before they'd let you go home. Unless I forgot, they didn't make me do that. I hated my drain but now it and the horrible blood thinner shots I had to take seem like distant memories already. I can now lay on my side without even thinking about the side-incision tenderness. That's only been recently. So fairly "normal" after only 6 weeks. So sorry you had to go thru seroma hell. I was majorly worried about that.
UPDATED FROM Im4hope
2 months post
2/30/15 NEW PICS - The swelling finally went down!
Finally got up the nerve to do new updated pics. I'm thrilled with my results. However there's a tweak here and there to be addressed (my puffy girl part)! UGGGG....
Welcome and thank you for sharing with us. Hang in there and everything will get easier with some time. Rest and drink plenty of fluids and all will be well.