My Mommy Makeover Experience - I’m really glad I did it. I’m really glad I waited and researched and picked the right surgeon

I am a 41 year old mother of four. I took a very long time deciding to have my surgery. It was very expensive and the most serious medical experience of my life.
I looked into several surgery offices in northern California and met with three. My sister had surgery with Doctor Delgado a couple of years before me and her results played heavily into my decision to go with him. She had some complications after her surgery and his attentiveness to getting her through that give me a lot of confidence in his commitment to patients. Beyond that, when I met with him in person I knew he was the right person for me. He wasn’t the friendliest or most social of the doctors I met with. But when I was with him I felt like he was completely focused on what I wanted to achieve and was already making a plan on how to make this happen for me.
The downside was that I met with him last. And I grossly underestimated how long it would take to get on such a renowned surgeon’s schedule. I had to wait three months longer than I would have had to wait with another surgeon. In the end I am incredibly glad that I was patient and went with him.
I feel like I had very realistic expectations of what could be accomplished and I also had some very in-depth conversations with women who have had this surgery including my sister. That really helped during the most intense parts of recovery as I was not surprised.
Dr. Delgado was aggressive about infection prevention and about managing risk. I adhered to every recommendation and guideline when it came to preparing for my surgery. I ate very well, hydrated, rested and didn’t drink or take any medications for a full month ahead of my surgery.
The office provided me with incredibly detailed instructions for preparation and post surgical care. On the morning of my surgery I arrived and spent about 20 minutes in the waiting room while they prepared for me. Then I went into an examination room where the nurses came to visit and introduce themselves. They gave me something to relax and then the anesthesiologist came in. He was fantastic, he answered all of my questions and put me at ease right away. Finally Dr. Delgado came in.
In terms of the whole experience the following 30 minutes were the most uncomfortable emotionally. I was a bit nervous, to be expected. Also the doctor then drew all over my body. He was very focused and I admit it was a bit embarrassing. Next I walked into the operating suite. The space is actually beautiful- a gorgeous view of the hills and it’s a big room so it didn’t feel scary or claustrophobic. At this point I had to disrobe and stand naked while the nurses scrubbed my body down with embarrassing thoroughness. Surprisingly within about 30 seconds the nurses had me talking and laughing and my embarrassment begin to subside. I waddled across a covered floor to the bed and the anesthesiologist came in and told me that you were going to start my IV. That is the last thing I remember until I woke up in the recovery room.
Apparently I think I’m very funny when I’m coming out of anesthesia. My sister said that I was making all kinds of embarrassing jokes. Thank goodness I don’t remember any of that. The recovery nurses were fantastic. I only recall a few moments of discomfort during the entire night and someone was in the room with me continually. Anytime I felt any pain they would immediately address it. I slept lightly often on and anytime I open my eyes they were there and totally willing to let me chat with them or not as I felt inclined.
Dr. Delgado came in three time from the end of my surgery until I left the next morning. He talk to me once I was lucid about the procedure and how everything had gone. The next day my sister picked me up and took me home. The several days that followed or some of the most intense of my life. Bear in mind that I feel like it was so worth it- but it’s important to understand how serious this surgery is and how much help you need for recovery. I was completely helpless for the first week after. I needed assistance to even elevate myself in bed, change my dressings, empty drains, turn over, remember meds, eat food and definitely to get to the bathroom.
Fortunately I had a great support system in place. My sister stayed with us for the few days after my surgery. My husband actually slept in the living room and my sister slept in bed next to me so that he could sleep since he needed to go to work. My sister said the alarm to make sure that I took all of my meds on time and that none of the pain pills wore off completely. I had a seat riser attached to the toilet seat in my bathroom and it is a lifesaver. I cannot recommend this enough if you have abdominal surgery. I had a dozen pillows and foam supports in my room that could be moved around to support me in different positions. Even so, the discomfort was no joke. I’m pretty wary of pain medications and tried relatively early on to cut the dose in half. I learned very quickly that rushing it was not going to help.
Because I had a breast reduction as well, my arms were largely out of commission in addition to my abdominal muscles. This left me pretty helpless for the first couple of weeks.
It was about four weeks post surgery that I was able to get myself in and out of bed (carefully), walk around for more than several minutes at a time and didn’t need the seat riser in the bathroom.
It was about this time as well when my drains were removed. (I had a hernia repair done at the same time so one drain stayed in extra long because of that extra thing). The date of the last drain came out was fantastic. I’ve never been so excited to shower in my life.
I went back to the office every few days to start with and then every week until all of my sutures could be removed. Follow up was great. Super luck for me, all this took place right before COVID so I was able to get all my visits in before the offices had to shut.
I was finally able to return about 4 1/2 months postop. The doctor has been very happy with my healing. We may do a tiny revision on a little bit of the scar in between my breasts. But honestly I could not be happier. I’m almost 6 months out now and feel relatively normal. I still have a bit of sensation issues along my flanks where we did some liposuction but my abdominal muscles feel better now and my breasts have normal sensation.
I’m really glad I did it. I’m really glad I waited and researched and picked the right surgeon and the right office. I’m happy as can be with my results and am starting to get back to my pre surgery level of workouts so I think it will only look better as I get all my muscle tone and tightness back.
For me, the key takeaways are having realistic expectations, both for the results as well as the impact of the surgery, having excellent support in place because this is not a minor procedure, and giving yourself plenty of time to fully recover. Patience has never been my strong suit but it served me very well during this whole process. I could not be more satisfied.