Post op! Maryland

I'm 45 years old and I've had four surgeries on my abdomen. Two were with kids, one was because of scar tissue, for a tubal and one was for a hysterectomy. I cannot stand having all this extra skin and fat any longer.

My consultation appointment was today, July 9, 2010. I go back on August 2, 2010 for my pre-op appt. My surgery is scheduled for August 12, 2010. I will update after my pre-op with photos and then before the surgery and after the surgery when possible. I'm excited to get a "do-over" and nervous to go under anesthesia, again.

I talked at length with my doctor today as well as the patient care advocate and I have had all my questions and concerns answered. I feel that I made a great choice. This doctor was my second opinion. I had a consultation earlier this year for the same procedure.

I now have more time to write more about myself. I'm 4'10" tall and I weigh about 139 or so. I've been working out for two years. I did a national weight loss program that rhymes with Penny Leg and I lost 20 pounds! It was amazing and awesome. I was about 120 pounds or so. Lovin' life. Then, I stopped working out and stopped eating their food. All the weight came back and guess where it landed, yup, my stomach. I still work out and I know that some of my weight is muscle, but, some of it is just fat. I have this extra hang down thing that is just disgusting to me. Luckily my husband loves me the way I am and he's SUPER supportive. He just wants me happy. I know that he will love the way I will look, almost like I looked on our honeymoon, but BETTER! ;) My doctor told me at my consult, that he would do the following and I should expect to be about 20 pounds lighter. He's doing the Bella Body Lift which is lipo and a full tummy tuck. He does the lipo from the bottom of my bra to the top of my butt and all the way around, hips, stomach.. Then, he will do a full tummy tuck. I will have awesome stomach muscles, which is great, since I've really had none since I was a teen. I'm doing this for ME! I've raised two beautiful daughters, been a military wife for 26 years, helping to raise a beautiful grand-daughter and finally, I get to choose to do something for ME! My last surgery was a nightmare, it was a hysterectomy that was an emergency hysterectomy. I had no choice in the matter, I just wanted to be out of pain, finally. A lot of women said that they've had a hysterectomy and a full tummy tuck done at the same time. After speaking with my doctor, I'm SO GLAD that I didn't do that, like I had a choice anyway. The military will not allow a civilian in to do that, so I couldn't have had it done regardless. I would have been miserable and I would have regretted getting them both done together. I tolerate pain pretty well and since I've been through the c-section scar thing x 4, I think I will be okay with the post-op. I only took one pain pill after my hysterectomy, then moved on to Tylenol and Motrin. My hubby has taken the entire week after my surgery off of work, he will take me to and from the surgery center and will be with me constantly from the 12th of August until the 23rd, when he goes back to work. Although, he may just be annoying and I will send him out to do something alone or with his friends. I've been with him a long time, so, I know my limits with having him around. Besides, he's been my "nurse" before and even though he wasn't there with the first baby, he's been there with the other surgeries and the other baby. He's wonderful and I know he will take great care of me. I'm very excited to get this done already! I want to be able to buy a new dress and have it zip up the back. I'm in a size 8 or so, depending on what the clothes are. The doctor said I will drop about 3 sizes, which is wicked awesome. :D I will upload photos after my pre-op on August 2nd. I have a lot of stretch marks and loose skin below my belly button and 4 surgery scars. He did tell me that I should have only one scar, that he's not revising anything and that the stretchmarks will not be an issue at all. I'm very comfortable with my doctor and I love that the surgery center is so private. I wouldn't go under the knife with anyone that I wasn't totally comfortable with. I would have regrets and spending all this money and regretting it, that's just not my cup of tea. TTFN!

My pre-op appointment was yesterday, August 2, 2010. Kim, who is an RN, helped me understand the things that I had questions with from the paperwork. She also handed me all my prescriptions. I'm getting those filled today. She will be with me the entire time, in the operating room and in the recovery room. It's nice to know that I will see her throughout the process. I also had my before photos taken. I will post those later today, I had Denise take them with my camera as well. I'm feeling good about the surgery, still nervous about actually going under anesthesia, but, besides that, doing okay. I know that the first few days are really going to be bad, so if they aren't, then I'm surprised! I have a female anesthesiologist and I will meet her the morning of my surgery. It's different this time, I realize that I get an entirely different experience. My surgery is at 8 a.m. and I show up at 7:30 a.m. So different from the military where you show up 2 hours early and wait an hour past your surgery time! So different! I have a book that they sent me home with and it tells me everything I need to know for a good surgery and a good recovery. I plan on going over it with my hubby this weekend, so he's prepared as well. It's nice to have it in black and white, just in case one of us doesn't remember what something is supposed to look like or what to do for an issue. I will also record my pre-op video today, hopefully, Angie, so look for that! I was reading in the book that the surgery center is accredited and there's special medical personnel in there after my surgery to respond to cardiac arrest and other situations. While that's comforting, I'm also a little more nervous after reading that! My youngest daughter is an EMT, so, I have an entirely different view of things!