BYE BYE MEAT APRON!! Bikini pics added!!! Panama City, FL

I am 40 and have carried three 9 1/2 lb babies...all three were c sections. I was fairly thin before my first was born 20 years ago but steadily gained weight over the years, my largest was a sz 24-26. I lost 54 pounds last year through diet and exercise and have the same meat apron I've had since my first csection. My personal trainer said nothing would help but a tt, so I approached my reg dr about it. He had just had a patient with the same insurance as me who was approved for a tt so we started the documentation of the problems I was having wIth the extra skin and fat. After a couple of months, he sent the referral to the ins company and lo-and-behold, here I am! I'm a size 18 right now, ( I'm a big girl anyway- 5'9) and am ok with all of my body except my tummy. I had my final consult Appt yesterday and doc says it's a go for my surgery date of Nov 14!!!! I have read that some are not telling people about their surgery but I'm telling anyone and everyone! My first post op outing will be a roundabout at the mall to see the clerk at Dillards who has helped me with clothes through my weight loss, my friend at Vic Secret who helped me pick out my first non-plus size thong for post surgery and all the folks at many stores who are excited for me and want to see how great it looks! I'm not nervous at all... Just super excited. I'll keep you all updated as things progress. It has really helped me feel confident with my decision to read others' experiences on this site.

11/3/11
Well after a close call with the insurance saying my referral had expired, I was panicking but we got that all straightened out. I can be a pain in the neck when I want something!!! I just realized that I have less than 2 weeks and feel like nothing is done. I've been keeping my belly moisturized so my skin will stretch well. My PS says I have plenty of skin, so not to worry, but just in case... :) My PS says he will do "aggressive" lipo... hope that means he's getting a lot of the fat out! My pre-op was rescheduled to Nov 7th, so I'll update more on Monday.

11/7/11
So here it is, a week before my TT. I am so excited thinking this time next week I'll probably be coming out of surgery with NO meat apron! My pre-op is this afternoon and I've been writing down questions that come to me as I read other reviews and the November TTers page. I keep hearing about all the swelling that takes place. My doc says that I'll leave 2 sizes smaller than I am now due to the massive amount of fat/skin he's going to remove, so even with the swelling, I will be much smaller through all of this that I am now. I hope that's true! It seems like most say they swell up bigger than they were to begin with but I'm thinking they are small people anyway. I have taken my measurements but want to take them again one more time before I post them. (Yall will be shocked! LOL) I moved the recliner to the bedroom today, and OUCH... the plasma tv (those things are HEAVY) fell on my ankle. I played pitiful for several hours and got hubby to finish things up for me. (He should have done it in the first place LOL). I'll go purchase my compression garment this afternoon after the appt. They say it's a Spanx, but I haven't been given more info, so I'll get that today. I'm so glad insurance did the right thing and extended my date. I need to send them a complementary comment on their website. I'm trying to get things tied up at work to make it easy next week on everyone, and begged my mom to do some of my laundry. She said yes, bless her!!!! I have Friday off and I think I'll spend it hanging out with the kids and hubby, doing something fun. I'm unsure about Thanksgiving, because I don't know how I'll feel 10 days post op but hope I feel decent enough to go see my family for a little while. I'll update more after the pre-op.