So Excited!!! This Long Awaited Process Begins Tomorrow! - McAlister, PA

So, with my surgery date less than a week away, I wanted to give a little update. I had my pre-op appointment. I was so excited to pick out implant sizes! I asked the RN, (Jean from Dr. Normington's office...she is awesome!) if people normally wish they went bigger. She said she hears that all the time, & that she has never heard anybody say they wish they went smaller. So, I wanted to make sure I won't be disappointed. I also don't want to look disproportionate, either. She was so helpful in explaining profiles, cc's, & all that implant lingo. I have a small frame, so she told me to be careful that the size won't be so big that it bothers me width-wise...like my arms rubbing against them, or them being too close together. Also, once my belly flab is gone, she said my breasts will look much bigger in comparison to the rest of my body. She took pictures, then we started trying on sizes. The 500's were waaaay too big, & the 350's were way too small. I really liked the look of the 425's so she told me I should probably get those filled to 450 to get the same look. Once they're under the muscle she said they normally look about 25cc's smaller. So, my implants will be 425cc filled to 450cc, high profile, under the muscle. She seemed very sure that I would be happy with the results from that size.

After I did all that I met with my dr. to just go over everything again. He gave me vitamins to take before & after my surgery, & explained all my prescriptions. He pretty much explained every step of the process...even discussing things we already talked about. He told me the risks & things like that, & showed my husband how to do the drains afterwards. He is so informative. We were there for at least 2 hours during that appointment. It was even over lunchtime, & we didn't feel like they were rushing us one bit.

My husband keeps asking if I'm nervous. He definitely is. My daughter is, too, which makes me feel so bad! My mom never had surgery, so it's something I never had to deal with. I'm sure if my mom would've done this when I was a kid, I would've been a nervous wreck, too!

Right now I'm not nervous at all. I'm sure I will be the day before & the day of, but I'm so excited to do this that the pain & recovery & everything does not deter me what-so-ever. The only thing I feel really is guilt. Well, guilt & stress! I feel guilty that I'm spending so much on such a selfish thing, guilty that my husband will have so much on his shoulders, & guilty that my family has to come help out. Nobody minds, & everybody is encouraging. I just feel really bad. I hate having to ask people for help. I'm trying to reassure myself that this is for the best...which I truly do believe...but it's hard not to think the money could be better spent on my kids, or bills, or whatever. I have a million things to get done in the next week, so the stress of all of that doesn't help. I'm just overwhelmed! It sucks!

Despite it all, I cannot wait to have my body back again. If it gives me the confidence to be myself & do things I love again, it'll be more than worth it!

I've been wanting to update this since my first consultation, but was waiting until I had more info. I went to a free consultation with his nurse first, just to get a feel for the place. Everybody was super nice. She showed me pictures, & spent over an hour with me discussing things & answering my questions. That day I made an appointment for a consult with the doctor, & tentative pre-op & surgery dates. I actually got really lucky, & am glad I decided to schedule the dates right then & there. Someone had just rescheduled their surgery, so I got their original spot on August 8th. It'll be the first surgery of the day. Otherwise I would've had to wait until September sometime. I've wanted this done for 11 years, so the sooner the better!

I had my 2nd consult, this time with Dr. Normington, on the 11th. He's a great doctor...very personable, & very in depth about everything. He took a LONG time with me. I even was able to meet a couple of his patients who were in the waiting room that day. One woman just had a tummy tuck & the other woman had previous work done by him & is thinking about getting a tummy tuck. They both are extremely satisfied with his work, & they both have friends & family that have gone to him. That just made me feel all the better. I've already heard how great he is, but that sort of sealed the deal. After my consult that day I went ahead & confirmed my pre-op & surgery dates, & paid for everything! There's no turning back now! I'm very confident in my decision, though.

One thing I wasn't sure about was if I would need a breast lift. I was hoping not...simply because I don't like the incisions being that noticeable, plus I was afraid I'd have to have 2 separate surgeries done. But, I want high, round, fake looking breasts, & I was worried that I wouldn't get the look I want without a lift. After examining me, he told me that he wouldn't be satisfied without doing the lift. It just wouldn't look as good as it possibly could without one. He reassured me, & I'm pretty psyched now that I'll definitely get the look I'm aiming for. He explained the tummy tuck procedure, & showed me in the mirror that everything I can pinch will be gone. That's awesome, because I can pinch absolutely everything! If all of that is gone, I'll be one hot mama again :)

So, altogether, I'll be getting the TT, lipo of the flanks, a breast lift, & BA. He'll be able to do it all at the same time, too. That made me extremely happy. Having 3 kids, I didn't know how I was gonna pull off 2 surgeries. Plus, it obviously costs more to have it done separately. I'm just happy he can get it all done in one shot!

I go July 21st for my pre-op appointment. There I'll be picking out my implant size, & just going over everything again. They said to expect a packet in the mail before then with a list of things I'll need. Then August 8th will be the big day! I can't wait.

I definitely will be posting pictures, but I really don't want to post before pictures until I have after pictures to go with them. Just my own self-consciousness!

I've read so many of your stories on here, & I guess I never realized how many of us were in the same boat. In my mind I'm always comparing myself to other moms & how they look, (which of course is always better than me, IMO.) It drives me nuts. I had always been very confident, & just want to be myself again.

I've never been overweight...quite the opposite. I was tiny, barely 5ft. tall, & was about 120 lbs of pure muscle. I ate like a horse, but couldn't sit still for more than a second, so I never had to worry about my weight. I was able to wear kids' sized clothes in high school. I liked how I looked.

Then I had kids.

I had my daughter when I was 19. That pregnancy packed on the pounds very quickly. I didn't eat any differently...probably even ate less. Regardless, I gained a LOT of weight, which resulted in a LOT of stretch marks. Everywhere. That pregnancy ended up with an emergency c-section that left me with that oh-so-awesome flap of skin that will never go away. Nobody warned me of such things! I worked so hard to get rid of it...even got down to lower than my pre-pregnancy weight...& still hated how I looked. It was a huge blow to my confidence. That was when I knew I wanted to fix it asap.

Since then I've had 2 boys. I didn't gain near as much during either of those pregnancies, & I've gotten back to pre-pregnancy weight both times. But, my boys definitely had a huge impact on my body as well. I didn't breastfeed my daughter, so I had no clue what kind of impact it can have on one's boobies! Mine had actually gotten bigger & stayed that way after my daughter was born. After breastfeeding both my sons for a couple years each, though, my nice sized, full boobies just deflated like old balloons. It was sad :( After my first son, they slooooowly got back to normal. The 2nd time, though, no such luck! It's been over a year & nothing has changed. One positive thing, though, is that my previously inverted nipples are now both very much outies & much more symetrical than before.

So, the time has finally come where we can financially get my mommy makeover. I'm done having babies, & am at the lowest weight I can get. My absolutely amazing husband has been on board forever, & wants me to feel comfortable in my own skin again. He doesn't like that I'm too uncomfortable to take my tanktop off at the beach, or that I yank my shirt down if he even touches it slightly. He knows how it makes me feel, & even though he says he loves how I look, thankfully he loves me enough to want me to feel better about me. I want a TT, BA, & lipo. Tomorrow is my first consultation. It's with Dr. N in Lewisburg, PA. I've heard some amazing things about him, & have researched his credentials like crazy. I'm beyond excited...

Stay tuned!