After 25 Years, I Finally Like the Reflection in the Mirror...

After having 2 c-sections, I thought that recovery would be easier. Maybe it is/was easier for some, but everyone is different. I followed my PS’s post-op instructions and had my follow up appointments on PO Day 1, Day 4, Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, and heading to Week 6 this Friday. My PS is happy with my healing process as I have been very diligent on cleansing my incisions with Betadine in the shower from PO Day 1 to PO Week 3. Also, applying Betadine after my showers and allowing to dry before applying dressings. I have very sensitive skin and had reactions to the Micropore tapes (regular, gentle, and sensitive skin). I found that my skin would tolerate the Microfoam tape for up to 12 hours before changing. I have been sleeping on the recliner, but needed assistance getting out of the recliner as it is manual open/closing. Sleeping in this position does terrible things on the back let alone having to walk hunched over for a week or so. Still using the abdominal binder issued by my PS it is a bit challenging as it moves when you sit or lay down. I had to take the hydrocodone up to 3 weeks post-op for the pain. I had the drains removed at the end of PO Week 2 with just a little residual edema build up. The pain in my abs from the drains moving was unbelievable and made wanting to get up and move around questionable. I would recommend purchasing a female urination device, which is a funnel that allows you to urinate standing. It can also be used the the opening in a Faja garment. It’s a life saver when getting up/down for the toilet. I also used a folding walker to help me sit/stand from the recliner and toilet and the mastectomy pillow was crucial to me riding my our vehicles. The zip down lounge dress was a great purchase as well as it allowed me to readjust my binder, drain my drains, and air out my incisions. Sorry I don't have pics from the day of surgery until Week 1.

I am now 5 weeks post op so I will break my experience into different posts.
Where do I begin, I have always been a DD cup and it was okay before I had children. I had my son when I was 23 and my twin girls 6 years later. My girls were born premature at 3 lbs and some change each so needless to say I felt the best option as a mom was to nurse them, which I had done for 2 years. You can imagine what this does to your breasts… yes, large and deflated quite a bit and it didn’t help that a bounced up and down in weight over the years. In addition, I developed this spare tire around my mid section that showed through just about everything that I wore. I absolutely hated looking in the mirror unless it was from neck up… lol.I had always been self-conscience about my body, but I tried to not let my feelings about myself interfere in my relationships. For the last 6 years I have been with my fiancé and he always thought that I was beautiful and sexy. I wish that I could have seen myself through his eyes, but unfortunately I did not. I am currently between overseas contracts so I decided that is the time to finally fulfill my dream of having a tummy tuck as this was my biggest area of concern. I did research on the internet and was disheartened as the PS I contacted would perform the procedure on patients under a BMI of 30. I told this to my fiancé and he encouraged me to keep looking if that’s what would make me happy and I did. I found Dr. Robert Petersen of the Athena Clinic and was told by his office that he can do the procedure so I scheduled my consultation. The staff at Athena Clinic are friendly, courteous, and caring from start to finish. I decided to get the tummy tuck, lipo of flanks, breast reduction/lift, and fat transfer to the upper pole of my breasts for volume.The clinic requires 25% down to schedule the surgery and the 75% at the pre-op a week before the surgery. I scheduled the surgery two weeks after my initial visit for October 29, 2020. I was given pre-op instructions and followed them carefully. I also began gathering a list of items that I read on RealSelf and watched on YouTube so that I wouldn’t have to worry about it after the surgery.