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I am 11 days post op. I'm 42 yrs old....
I am 11 days post op. I'm 42 yrs old. 5'5" and 150 lbs. I have 3 boys, 22, 20, and 11. I have been agonizing over my hanging breasts and the large amount of saggy skin under my bellly button for years. I'm very active and exercise regularly, but that part of me was not going to change on it's own. I also have very large thighs. I elected to get the Mommy makeover which included a breast reduction and lift (I was a 36DD), full tummy tuck with lipo to upper tummy and hip rolls, and lipo to inner thighs.
I had been reading reviews on realself, daily for weeks prior to surgery. I was afraid of the recovery after reading so many stories of people being in so much pain.
I want to tell anyone who is considering getting this done, while it is painful, it is totally manageable and well worth doing.
First, make sure you get a good Dr. I chose Dr. Kortesis in Charlotte. He is absolutely excellent. Even though I still have a lot of swelling, I can see what I'm going to look like. He took a total of 9 lbs from my tummy, hip rolls, and thighs. Right now my thighs are still enormous due to swelling, and my lower tummy is too, but I can see how curvy he made me by slimming down the waist, I now will have a tiny waist that comes out at the hip like a real hour glass. As far as my boobs, Oh my God, they look better than they did when I was 20.
Now, as far as the recovery, I want to put some people at ease, because after reading some of the stories, I was really afraid and it's not that bad.
Because I had so much done, a 7 1/2 hour surgery, they made me stay the night. I was out of surgery around 6 pm and was released around 8 am the next morning. It's a 2 hour drive home and the Dr wanted to see me the next day, so my husband and I stayed in a hotel. that first night only 12 hours post op, I was sore and I was taking the tylox every 6 hours; but still, my hubby borrowed a wheel chair from the motel and he took me for a walk so I could get fresh air. Our hotel had restaurants and shops all around so he walked me all over and then we stopped at a pub where he had 2 beers and I had water and then we went back to the hotel.
at 5 days po I was back to work. We own our own business on our property so I walked, slowly, about 300 yards to the office and did some office work for a few hours.
While the pain can be really bad at times, keep your attitude up, that has a lot to do with it and get rest when you can. I'm now 12 days po. I'm not taking any pain killers and I'm doing great. I went shopping at walmart yesterday, and after 20 min or so I had to go home and rest. That's ok. Just listen to your body, but I think the more you can act normally, the better it will go for you. Don't get sucked into laying on the couch for weeks.
For me the hardest thing still is bending over. I can't really pick things up off the floor yet, but most things are do-able if you move slowly.
Also, be careful not to over do it with the milk of magnesia. I took it with every pain pill in the beginning like I was told, and ended up with the runs. Having to run to the pot every few minutes and try to sit on the toilet was hell that first day. Each day gets better and better.
I hope this helps for anyone still considering!!
I had been reading reviews on realself, daily for weeks prior to surgery. I was afraid of the recovery after reading so many stories of people being in so much pain.
I want to tell anyone who is considering getting this done, while it is painful, it is totally manageable and well worth doing.
First, make sure you get a good Dr. I chose Dr. Kortesis in Charlotte. He is absolutely excellent. Even though I still have a lot of swelling, I can see what I'm going to look like. He took a total of 9 lbs from my tummy, hip rolls, and thighs. Right now my thighs are still enormous due to swelling, and my lower tummy is too, but I can see how curvy he made me by slimming down the waist, I now will have a tiny waist that comes out at the hip like a real hour glass. As far as my boobs, Oh my God, they look better than they did when I was 20.
Now, as far as the recovery, I want to put some people at ease, because after reading some of the stories, I was really afraid and it's not that bad.
Because I had so much done, a 7 1/2 hour surgery, they made me stay the night. I was out of surgery around 6 pm and was released around 8 am the next morning. It's a 2 hour drive home and the Dr wanted to see me the next day, so my husband and I stayed in a hotel. that first night only 12 hours post op, I was sore and I was taking the tylox every 6 hours; but still, my hubby borrowed a wheel chair from the motel and he took me for a walk so I could get fresh air. Our hotel had restaurants and shops all around so he walked me all over and then we stopped at a pub where he had 2 beers and I had water and then we went back to the hotel.
at 5 days po I was back to work. We own our own business on our property so I walked, slowly, about 300 yards to the office and did some office work for a few hours.
While the pain can be really bad at times, keep your attitude up, that has a lot to do with it and get rest when you can. I'm now 12 days po. I'm not taking any pain killers and I'm doing great. I went shopping at walmart yesterday, and after 20 min or so I had to go home and rest. That's ok. Just listen to your body, but I think the more you can act normally, the better it will go for you. Don't get sucked into laying on the couch for weeks.
For me the hardest thing still is bending over. I can't really pick things up off the floor yet, but most things are do-able if you move slowly.
Also, be careful not to over do it with the milk of magnesia. I took it with every pain pill in the beginning like I was told, and ended up with the runs. Having to run to the pot every few minutes and try to sit on the toilet was hell that first day. Each day gets better and better.
I hope this helps for anyone still considering!!
I had a lot of excess skin on tummy after having 3...
I had a lot of excess skin on tummy after having 3 kids and my breasts were large and hanging.
Provider Review
Board Certified Plastic Surgeon
11208 Statesville Rd., Huntersville, North Carolina
Everything about Dr. Kortesis and his staff were excellent!! He treated me like a close friend. He was kind and undertstanding throughout the whole process. I had breast reduction & lift, tummy tuck with lipo to hip rolls, and inner thigh lipo. He and his staff went above and beyond to keep me comfortable and happy. Dr. Kortesis is definitely the Breast dr. to go to. He turned back the clock for me!!! Thank you Dr. K!!!