Freaking finally, waited forever, and chose the BEST surgeon and staff EVER!!!

I'm 47 and have wanted a tummy tuck for the last 25 years, right after my second child was born but I wasn't sure I was done having kids (I wasn't) and financially it was out of the question at the time. I had a breast augmentation and mastopexy after my third (and last) daughter was born 19 years ago which was fabulous and made me SO happy. I've had big breasts all my life and sadly, couldn't pass the "pencil test" even at 16 because they hung so low from gravity even then! So, I was willing to put up with the mom apron I had in lieu of getting (for me) breasts that were pretty!

Fast forward 19 years and while I had breasts that I could still go braless with, they were starting to settle and were aging. Our daughters are all independent adults or in college and while I've been very happy with my breasts all these years, my husband asked me if I'd like to get them redone since we have money and time. Um, yes please!!!

We moved to Las Vegas last year where our youngest daughter goes to college and our eldest daughter lived already. I am so glad we did, because this is where Dr. Bryson Richards practices and he is AMAZING! After my husband and I talked about redoing my breasts, I told him I'd like a tummy tuck also and he was super supportive, as he's ALWAYS BEEN of me. So I started my research and kept coming beck to Dr. Richards. He has incredible reviews on Google, Yelp, and Realself. He does amazing work and he employs an even more stellar staff! Seriously, every single staff member we've interacted with has been so positive, upbeat, compassionate, and responsive. I cannot remember everyone's name, but Misty and Diane are especially amazing!

I had my full tummy tuck with diastasis repair, re-augmentation with larger cohesive silicone implants, and a second mastopexy done on September 11, 2019, so only two days ago and honestly, what I have now has FAR exceeded what I felt were my realistic expectations!!! I was overweight to begin with, 180 lbs. at 5'4", but I maintain this weight unless I hardcore exercise at least an hour every day and follow a strict diet. I've been ok being chubbier and living life instead of chasing a thinner me but worried I would be turned away for a tiny tuck then. I do want to stress that this was not a weight loss thing; even when I was thinner, my stomach would overhang my hips and stick out.

I honestly don't know what magic Dr. Richards worked on me, I'm just thankful he did! I have beautiful (already) breasts that stick out where I want them to, and I can finally, after almost 30 years, look down and see my pubic area without pushing anything to the side or lifting anything up!

I did have a hard first 24 hours as I threw up many times due to the anesthesia. The pain on the inside ab muscles was excruciating. At that point I did say that the tummy tuck was a mistake and I should have just invested heavily in many different pairs of shapewear. However, I have gotten a lil better hour by hour since that passed and was able to take a shower, with my honey's assistance of course. My back pain from being hunched over comes and goes, and this morning was the most painful thing going on with me. I've used a pain relief gel and a heating pad and it's helped a lot!

The photos that I don't like and am being brave by uploading them are from August 2019, and the obvious after surgery ones are from September 14, two days po. As I heal I'll add more.

Not a great photo, but this shows my belly button and beautiful incision from a reclining position. I will say that today has been the day I've slept the most. Things feel tight and sore but not painful. Again, my back is the biggest culprit for hurting me. I've slowly been getting better about being able to get up and walk around hunched over. The power lift reclining chair we rented has been a lifesaver and I HIGHLY recommend spending the extra few hundred dollars to rent one for a month of at all possible!!!

I'm still on my pain meds so this may be a bit loopy, but I absolutely couldn't have done this without the full support of my incredible husband. I'm still feeling that guilt, you know, the mom kind where you question if you REALLY needed this, you could do other things with that money, you've lived with it this long so why change it now, you're fairly helpless so it feels bad watching your loved ones fetch and tote for you, etc, etc, etc. My husband innocently told me I look great and I started to cry because I hadn't really realized how much what I looked like had been affecting me so much. I thought about all the times I'd position myself to look just right for my husband during intimate moments, or how best to stand for pictures so I didn't look pregnant, or just how often it had become a habit to suck my stomach in as much as possible every time I was awake. I know the emotional rollercoaster is partially due to the surgery and meds, but I'm just awed that I did this for myself and how positively it has already affected me!

Ugh, this part I hate, but I'll post more before photos also ONLY because they really do help for those who are still trying to decide if this is worth it. My next Dr. appointment is on 9/17 when I'll *hopefully* have the left drain taken out! I'll follow up after that.

No matter what you read, how many stories, or how in-depth they are, I just don't think you can be completely prepared for everything such an intricate surgery brings. I lurked on real self for months reading story after story, googled Mommy Makeover and tummy tuck surgery stories on the web, watched numerous you tube videos, and tried to find as much info as I could. I thought, hey, I'm ready! I've followed the advice from several others I found; I have researched and found a stellar plastic surgeon (shout out to Dr. Bryson Richards and his AMAZING team), I've rented my reclining lift chair, I've purchased all the supplements, meds, comfy jammies, compression socks, slip on shoes, healthy foods, etc. etc. etc. I almost never sit in a normal position, so I thought back pain wouldn't be a big deal. After all, I'm always sitting with my feet up or reclining because I place a huge importance on me being comfy in my everyday life. I'm lucky that I don't usually get nauseous, never have bm problems on one end of the spectrum or another, and as an extremely spoiled spouse to an angel of a man, I don't really have to fetch and tote for myself on a regular basis much less an emergency recovering one. How full of hubris I was.... So, it's only been FIVE days and what I've already learned:

1. It is normal to vomit after surgery (even with the anti-nausea meds you are prescribed) until all anesthesia is out of your system. You'll feel like you made a mistake and wish your Dr. just put you into a medically induced coma so you can avoid the pain of it. You'll survive and you won't pop open any stitches, no matter that it feels like you did.

2. Likewise, since you'll be intubated during surgery, your throat will hurt and eventually be a lil mucous-ey. Even when you're doing your deep breathing to fill your lungs and fend off surgical pneumonia, you'll eventually need to cough. Which is just as painful as vomiting. Just do it, get the crap out, and it'll be done.

3. Even with fiber, lots of water, regularly taking stool softener pills with gentle stimulant laxatives, eating 4-8 prunes a day, and walking several times a day for a few minutes each time to keep things moving, you'll most likely need a laxative like MoM. Lots of tmi here, but I've ALWAYS had a regular bm schedule of only going like twice a week. That's normal for me, I just have a slow metabolism. It's been 6 days however, and while I'm not in pain or feeling constipated, I also don't want to get there, so today my sweet husband is going to the store to get the MoM I foolishly thought I'd never need.

4. The back pain is no joke and shouldn't be dismissed. I kept reading it, "back pain" BUT, to put it into perspective, the pain from walking hunched over and not being able to lay flat, or on your side, or stretch out is FAR WORSE that the internal stitches or the external incision of the tummy tuck or breasts. (TBH, my breasts are barely a tiny sore, but this is my second mastopexy and augmentation, so the internal pockets were there already). Unless you have the back muscles of a goddess, they will make themselves felt in awful ways. A heating pad and asper-cream or ben gay that someone else CAREFULLY applies for you will be necessary!!!

5. A shower buddy helping you IN the shower while you sit in your shower chair. The shower will wear you out and probs give you an appreciation how physically able you usually are when you think about how you used to take showers on your own and totally just took that for granted... You know it'll happen again, but not soon enough. And the shower feels amazing btw!

6. You WILL cry and be emotional because this is such a big journey you've undertaken and any of your support/care people have chosen to take it with you. And it's GREAT! The affirmation that you are worth this can be overwhelming. The love your support peeps give you is so humbling and amazing. This was for me and I wanted it, but to know that my closest loved ones are honestly, truly thrilled for me that I will like myself better and are cheering me on has just touched my heart so hard and brought me even closer to them. That is a gift I won't forget!

7. The SWELLING. There are no words to describe the swelling feeling, and I ballooned up enough with my last two pregnancies with swelling that after 7 months I had to wear stretchy slippers cuz I could not get shoes to fit on my feet, so I'm no stranger to swelling like a tick, but this is on a whole other level.

I have no regrets thus far, but as I've previously posted, what I see now so far surpasses what I thought the results would be that I'm in AWE! At this point I cannot wait to begin living in new body after it heals and settles!

More photos today, similar to before but after a shower with no bandages. The swelling tho!!!