29 Year Old Making Changes for the Best - Charleston, SC

Hello Realself,
I am a 29 year old with one beautiful baby girl, which will be turning one at the end of this month (July). A little bit about what lead up to me choosing to have surgery: Being a very active person and planning to someday compete in fitness competitions, I was used to going to the gym twice a day; morning cardio, afternoons lifting. I LOVE lifting weights! I enjoy the challenge and being able to out lift some of the guys in the gym. Plus I love to eat so working out is a must. (Nov 2011) Well, I ended up having my gallbladder removed (laparoscopicly) because it stopped functioning properly which would cause me to be in excruciating pain…three/four incisions later plus 6 weeks of not being able to lift and workout like I was use to I was back on track. A month later (Dec 2011) I was awakened from my sleep by abdominal pain, so once again a trip to the ER. Thinking it was just bad constipation (smh, not always the smartest tool in the box, I had used the bathroom that day) come to find out my appendix was on the verge of rupturing…so emergency surgery. This time although a laparoscopic removal was planned, I woke up with a vertical incision from my belly button all the way to my Vajayjay and because the appendix was so big it couldn’t be removed the less invasive way. After a scare “we have to biopsy your appendix it to make sure it did not have cancer in it.” And once again I was put down for more than 6 weeks. The only positive news was I had great abs lol. Anyways recovery was hard, long, and boring…I needed the gym. During my bed mandatory bed rests I had gained a weight I went from 145lbs to about 160. February I unexpectedly met the love of my life…he had an even worse scar down his stomach then me so I was never self-conscious with him. Four months later we were engaged and unexpectedly pregnant but we were both very happy about it. Four and a half months into the pregnancy we lost our little one, the biggest heart break for the both of us… our little Tristian (we just felt it was a boy). After waiting for my cycle to return to normal after my D&C (3rd surgery), my way through it was to have a little one. We agreed to try one more time; I knew I could not handle losing another one. Well we got pregnant again and every day I was so scared…I got an ultrasound almost every month. We successfully had our baby girl in July and she is the best thing that has ever happened. By the end of my pregnancy I was around 220lbs but worth it…some of the weight was due to me being scared to workout (I couldn’t lose her), she was apart of us...our blessing and I was willing to slow down to bring her into this world. I am now currently 170lbs and scheduled to have a mini tummy tuck with lipo to the flanks to remove the extra fat around my waist, I will have muscle repair (MR) if needed. From the doctors observation it seems I will only need MR below the bellybutton. He will also be moving my bellybutton and removing as much of the skin+vertical scar. Basically a full tummy tuck but a mini lol.

Pre op photos: Lt side view, front view, and Rt side view...not very pretty but I'm a work in progress. Currently 173lbs

I look better in clothes :) short and thick but nice when everything is tucked.