After having my third, and final child in 2012, I...
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22 Jan 2016
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2 months post
After having my third, and final child in 2012, I was never really able to lose all of the weight I wanted to. I weighed 180 at my highest and even when I lost 25 pounds, I still had a "pregnant" belly. After losing that much weight and not seeing much, if any improvement in the area that bothered me the most, I would lose motivation and end up gaining some of the weight back. After battling with it for three years and trying everything, I was ready to explore other options. I scheduled consultations with a few doctors that I had researched and went prepared to ask questions and be realistic in my expectations. I was at 170 lbs when I went for my consults. After visiting with both doctors, I was able to immediately choose Dr. Powell. He was extremely attentive and not rushed in his evaluation. He asked me a lot of questions before giving me an answer. He asked me what my expectations were and what bothered me the most. I expressed my concern with my belly and that I didn't expect to be in supermodel condition after surgery, but that I just wanted to feel normal and for people not to mistake me for being pregnant. I also had concerns about my current weight and if the fat that was there was something that I could get off myself or if the procedure was necessary. He a made me feel like my expectations were attainable and explained in detail what he needed to do to correct the issue. His nurse Brenda was also excellent and I felt like the entire staff had my best interest at heart, not just their own agenda. Compared to the other doctor I visited with I felt so much more comfortable with Dr. Powell. My surgery was on November 24 and I stayed one night in the hospital (which I highly recommend if possible). He ended up taking out 4 lbs of fat and 2 lbs of skin. I woke up with very little pain and have miraculously had nearly zero real pain since the surgery. I think I took 4-6 pain pills after coming home and those were mostly just to sleep comfortably because I slept in the recliner for a few weeks. The pain was nothing like I had imagined it would be, so I don't know if I'm an exception or if it's normal, but I watched several YouTube videos and read a lot of blogs before committing to this procedure, so I went in expecting the worst. I did come home with drain tubes. One came out at my one week appointment and the other at my two week visit. I was back to work on the 8th day after my surgery for about half a day and have pretty much been full-time since then. I am a secretary so I don't have a lot of physical requirements at work. It did take me about 3 weeks to stand up completely straight and feel comfortable doing it so I avoided public places for a bit longer. My incisions have healed really nicely I haven't experienced any complications. My experience with him started in early November and I was just released at my 6-week visit two weeks ago. I started working out at a local gym this week and I am looking forward to seeing real results now that I can see past the belly. I still have a lot of areas that can use some work! I can't say enough for the personalized attention I received from Dr. Powell, his staff and the hospital staff. I am so pleased with my results and they are even better than I thought was possible.
