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POSTED UNDER Mini Tummy Tuck REVIEWS

Booked my Mini for May 19th - Missouri

ORIGINAL POST

Well, I'm 9 days away from my surgery, and I have...

jillrevereMay 10, 2011
WORTH IT$5,600

Well, I'm 9 days away from my surgery, and I have to say, I'm not nervous at all yet. I have a pretty significant amount of loose skin from my two 9 and 10lb babies. I lost all of the baby weight within a year of having them. (They were 16 months apart.) And ever since then, I'm just left with what I call "the bag they came in"!

My skin stretched terribly, and despite my slender figure, I've been wearing loose clothing for 11 years to cover it. (I just turned 30.) Aside from the obvious vanity issue, it's been a major annoyance to have the extra skin always sticking to me, and always trying to tuck it into pants. It's something that bothers me every day of my life. I've finally decided to do something about it as other health issues arise in my life.

I have pretty advanced endometriosis, a condition I'm stuck with until I decide to have a hysterectomy, which is something I won't be considering before 40. I also had to have my gallbladder out because it was being strangled by endo, and unfortunately the doctor made a mistake which almost killed me. I luckily made it through, but it's left me with a low/no fat diet for life. I'm at a point where to improve my quality of life, I need to fix the things that ARE fixable, and this is my final hurdle.

Aside from being able to comfortably dressed without worrying about the skin, I'm most excited to go for a run. Even with the most supportive clothing, having this skin bouncing around makes it impossible to run comfortably for more than a minute. I work out over an hour a day, strictly on the eliptical/weight training/pilates. I really can't wait to change it up.

I'm not out to look like a swimsuit model, I just want to feel good, and learn to love my body again after it's done me wrong.

My doctor is awesome, and really understands the simple results I'm looking for. No lipo or shaping of any kind, just the loose skin snipped. He didn't try to sell me on anything beyond what I'm looking for, and it was easy for me to book with him immediatly after my consult at the end of March.

Well, I've been a bit wordy here, and I know how important photos are, and I will be adding them soon. Updates to follow!


jillrevere's provider

Arthur Hawes, MD

Arthur Hawes, MD

Board Certified Plastic Surgeon

jillrevere rating for Dr. Hawes:

Overall rating
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Answered my questions
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Replies (0)

UPDATED FROM jillrevere
8 days pre

Added photos of my "before". That was HARD to do.

jillrevereMay 11, 2011
Added photos of my "before". That was HARD to do.

Replies (9)

mantragirl
May 11, 2011
Hi there,
I haven't posted any pics, but yours looks exactly like mine (did)!! Same story as well - mini, no muscle repair, belly button not touched. I am two weeks post op and so far so good. I am running around again and feel fantastic. I will say, I had one drain and it came out 4 days later. I did swell up some, but know it will go down. They gave me a binder, but is wayyy big. I bought a tummy slimmer garment and boy shorts w/ high tummy control AWESOME for hiding it! Nobody noticed! Said I had the flu and 3 days later felt great! Good luck!
jillrevere
May 11, 2011
Mantragirl- I'm so glad yours went well! I've never met anyone with my degree of sag before, so I'm so glad to know it's really fixable. How'd your belly button turn out? I'm not terribly concerned about how mine will look under my clothes and all, but I am rather curious. Seems like it's going to get pulled pretty far down!
Glad your feeling back to your normal self!!
PDQ42
May 12, 2011
Good luck with your surgery!
I am sure it will go smoothly.
Keep us posted
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Ashley26FolsomCA
May 13, 2011
Wow congrats, I think you will have great results!! Your before pics look very much like me (if you look at my pics it was way worse in person)......especially the first where you have it "tucked in", I would get compliments all the time on how thin I was, all the while thinking in my head "yeah you haven't seen me naked, I just hide it well"!! I can't wait to see your results, I had mine done on May 5th and I do notice that when I bend the skin is still wrinkly but I DO NOT care as long as that flap is gone I am going to rock a bikini, like you, I wasn't looking to be perfect, just to have the comfort of not having a jiggly flap to "tuck in".....good luck I seriously can't wait to see your results!!
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Ashley26FolsomCA
May 13, 2011
P.S. I love your diagram LOL!!
jillrevere
May 13, 2011
Thanks! Ashley, you look fantastic! I've been following your review. I know EXACTLY what you mean with hearing people tell you that you look so thin. I've only told a few people that I'm doing this, and anyone who hasn't seen what I've been hiding usually has a "your crazy! Your perfect! How vain are you?!" kind of response. This is just something people don't understand unless they've been through it. That's one of the biggest reasons I've kept it for over a decade. Now I've realized I can't be miserable just so that other people can nod in approval. So ridiculous!
You look like your doing really well, I hope mine goes as reat as yours!
UPDATED FROM jillrevere
1 day pre

Well, tomorrow is coming fast! I'm pretty nervous,...

jillrevereMay 18, 2011
Well, tomorrow is coming fast! I'm pretty nervous, and I'm just in this house cleaning frenzy right now. Trying to make sure the kids have everything they need to survive a week of minimal mommy-care. Laundry and all of that. They finish school next week, so this was a crazy time to schedule this, but the only time that worked. I have a 90mile drive to and from my surgeon (anyone else go that far?)so I'm worried about the long ride home. Hopefully my next update will be a good one. I'll take photos as soon as I'm able. My follow up appt is May 25th, so I'm hoping any drains I have will come out then. We'll see.

Replies (4)

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June Bug
May 18, 2011
It sounds like you really have had a rough road (medically) up to this point. I hope this surgery gives you that little boost you need to make you feel like the amazing person you are on the inside. I am a mom of 3 and my first two babies were relatively average (8lb 8oz and 8lb 1oz) but my third was a huge 10lb 13oz. So I can relate to the same problem areas as you. My body was very traumatized from the pregnancy and natural birth of such a huge baby and it took months (actually more like 2 years) for everything to go back to it's final resting place. I feel like a Picasso painting everything looks like it's melting, some spots are uneven and lumpy, I have stretchmarks in places I didn't know could get them, but I still love the me on the inside, I just want to look better on the outside. I get a lot of raised eyebrows and "You don't need surgery." comments but when they say those things I say "You don't have to see me naked." and they shut up pretty quick. I am so happy that you did this for yourself. You will look and feel amazing I am sure, and you will be running (jiggle free) in no time at all(-: Keep us posted on your recovery(-:
PDQ42
May 18, 2011
Good luck with your surgery tomorrow!
mantragirl
May 18, 2011
Awesome, many blessings to you for tomorrow!! I am now 3 weeks post op and it looks awesome!! swelling went down a lot and there is no 'flap' hanging over. You are going to feel fabulous!!!!! remind them to put that scar as low as possible, feel mine could have been lower.
jillrevere
May 18, 2011
Thanks everybody! I'm starting to get nervous. This time tomorrow it'll be all done. I havn't been sleeping well because I keep having bizzarre dreams about it being done.
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