Finally Did Something for Myself. Tummy Tuck, Breast Lift and Augmentation - Mountlake Terrace, WA

First off, this review is going to be kind of long. I wanted a tummy tuck and breast lift since my first son was born in 2004. I never had the money and wasn't sure I was done having kids. I had another in 2015 and am sure I'm done now!
I started researching doctors in the area. My selection process was to read all reviews on 4-5 star doctors and narrow it down to just a few. I really paid attention to belly buttons on the after pictures. I didn't want a franken button! I didn't put much stock into reviews about office staff or bedside manners because to me, that's not as important as results. But just so everyone knows, everyone at the office was great. Knowledgeable and friendly.
After narrowing down my list, I started calling and visiting doctors. My top 2 were dr Baxter and another dr. After I visited both, I decided on dr Baxter.
we scheduled my surgery and at the last minute I decided to get breast implants as well. I was going to wait a year because of money, but was able to save up enough and didn't want to miss work and recover twice. The night before surgery, the anesthesiologist called. I'm so glad she did! I was really nervous because I've never gone fully under anesthesia before. She really reassured me and answered a lot of questions.
When I got to the office the next morning they took pictures and made the markings on my body. Then I got started on an iv. Then I woke up! It was that easy. I don't remember falling asleep or much of recovery or the ride home. My husband was great at taking care of me. Oh, I also opted for the extra pain med injection block thing. I can't remember what it was called.
The next day I was pretty sore, but nothing worse than the 2 c sections I'd already had. I was still really sleepy and out of it. I tried my best to get up and walk around like I was supposed to.
Day 2. Omg I'm in pain! Let's be clear, I was warned that this is harder than a c section, but I have pretty high pain tolerance. I didn't listen. There was no amount of pain meds, positioning, or compression garments that could help. This lasted for varying degrees for a couple weeks. I think this is more painful because my house doesn't have the amenities I had at the hospital when I had my babies. The office called a few times to ask how I was doing. They also gave me tips to help with comfort and make sure I was moving so I didn't get a blood clot. My husband had to help me keep a log of the amount of fluid in my drains.
After 6 days I went to get my drains out. I hadn't showered yet. Usually it's sooner to get the drains out but with the holiday and weekend we decided to wait a couple extra days. I was ready to rip those things out myself! They itched and pinched because everything around them was healing. I stunk SO bad! Like a nursing home. I was so embarrassed. But you can't shower till they're out. I had tried to take washcloth baths but it isn't the same. She then took the bandages off so I could see what I looked like. Now anyone reading this, everyone says you look really bad at first right? I thought I was prepared. I completely expected bruising, swelling, and to look ugly. Let me tell you, it isn't at all like on tv. I almost burst into tears. I looked so disgusting and horrible. Worse than before. Besides the bruising, stitches, and swelling, my belly button was so ugly! And I still had a weird wrinkly saggy tummy! Robin, the nurse, told me to just trust the process and that it would get better with time. She was right! It took several weeks, but eventually turned out amazing!
When I went back again for my second check up, I had two concerns. One, was a weird fold under my left breast. It appeared after the swelling went down. Dr Baxter offered to fix it, but it doesn't really show unless I'm shirtless. It doesn't even really show in a bikini unless I'm slouching bad. So it isn't a big deal to me, but it's nice to know I could get it fixed if I want. The second, is some nerve weirdness in my left leg. At first, I had absolutely no feeling in my thigh. Now, several months later, I can't feel light touch, but can feel firm touch. Certain touches bring on a stinging nerve pain. Kind of annoying. This is a side effect that I was warned in the pre op could happen. It's getting better though so I'm not really concerned.
Overall, I'm super happy with my experience. I love my new body. I've been able to wear bikinis and crop tops which is something I never could do before! I love having perky boobs. I don't even have to wear a bra if I don't want to. I would definitely have the surgery again knowing what I know now, especially with dr Baxter.