ONE YEAR today....best decision ever :-)

Well one year ago I was just waking up from surgery. I will admit I was pretty afraid before and absolutely elated after. I think it was a huge step towards a new stage of my life....after a year I am moving on the right track- not as quickly as I might like but life gets in the way sometimes :-)
I think my results look quite natural. The scars have really started to fade out and I still get a little swelling above the incision but not much. I usually notice it more when my weight starts to creep up a bit....I try not to be too hard on myself. After many years of being overweight the fear is still there but I know my body much better now so really don't worry about going back there. My vertical scar is even fading nicely....looking forward to what it will look like by next summer. I am headed to Florida for a holiday next week and am looking forward to wearing a bikini and feeling good in my skin (and getting a little tan on my white self)
Personally....
I turned 50. Not a big deal :-)
I decided I needed to restart a career. I am a pharmacist by trade but wasn't inspired to go back into that profession so I took a course to become a personal trainer. I am converting one floor of my house to a small personal training studio - we'll see how that goes and if it doesn't ....oh well, I'll have a nice gym for me :-)

I should have something else to say but seem to be at a loss.... If you have any questions I could help you with, fire away.

Sharon

6 months po have come and gone by a week. I have never regretted this for a minute. My sense of confidence has improved dramatically - I feel like a new woman :-). My shape is getting nicer- pictures don't do it much justice and I know that sounds braggy but I am pretty impressed. Waist is continuing to get smaller by the week. My level of fitness is at least what it was before if not improved as I am no longer hindered by the negative image I had of that old stomach. I actually see myself now if that makes any sense. The scar is fading especially closer to my hip bones....I go to see the ps in about 3 weeks so we will see what he says about potentially getting rid of a little loose skin right above the incision. Scars on the breasts are actually fading quicker and they have settled into a nice 34c. Amazing to think that I have to look at pictures to remind myself of what was just a short time ago.

The 4 month mark has come and gone. Trust me ladies who are just starting this journey-it will sail by.
LIfe is back to normal which I think is one of my problems. The post surgery "high" is over and the reality of my body is just that...this is now what I look like. I have to fight the self-defeat that makes me what to binge eat or find other faults because godness knows- I can't be happy with me. This is a long standing issue for me that I am sure more than a few of you can relate to. I am fighting it.

Swelling still happens. My waist can be up to an inch larger by bedtime that morning but I expect it now and don't worry about it. In the side picture with my pants down lower I think there is stilll swelling below the bb. I'm hoping that is all that it is and it will flatten more in time. It is more pronounced in real llife than in pictures.

The scar is still quite red but at only 4 months I expect that. I quit using silicon strips as they drove me crazy but switched to a gel instead. Easier to use and does seem to be making a difference. The scar does drop...mine is very low so once it whitens up and the area above it flattens out I think I will be okay with it.

My breasts have settled at about a 34C which is nice. They actually stay in the bra- yeah and when I bend down and catch a glimpse of my cleavage it is not the stuff of nightmares any longer so I am happy with the lift :-)

Best wishes to everyone waiting and recovering.