46 Year Old Getting Tummy Tuck/lipo/and Maybe Fat Transfer to Buttocks - Saint Clair, MI

About me; I am 46 years old and have 3 kids. My first 2 kids were average size @ 7lbs each and I bounced back pretty quick for them, it was 3rd child that surprised everyone including my doctor when he was 10 lbs. He was born natural but should have been a c section.....needless to say my belly was stretched and never was the same. I have battled the weight gain from that pregnancy for the last 17 years. I have always excersise and dieted and have gone up and down 10-15 lbs. But even at the lighter weight the loose skin and muffin tops are always there. I have been really focused on getting stronger for over a year now, I have been eating a very clean diet and weight lifting with some cardio 5 days a week. I feel like all the hard work I have put in will never truly show until I have this wrinkly belly skin and stubborn fat pockets removed. Although I feel a little selfish for wanting to do this, I think it's the only way I will truly be happy and it will inspire me to continue to workout and take care of my self into the future.

I booked my surgery for next week there was an opening open so I took it.....been back an fourth so much with what I am having done and I finally decided just to get it all over with at once.....Nerves are really kicking in now I have so much to do to get ready, so I am starting to freak out a little!

I have not felt up to doing a review until now. I am very nauseated and having a hard time getting comfortable. I am regretting do this all at once. I am also concerned that my garment is too small. I am only able to take short breaths because it is so constricting on my ribs and I am worried because I can feel skin hanging out the pee hole where my inner thigh is. I spoke with my nurse on the phone and she said to pull the garment up over it that I wont get a good result. my husband tried to pull it up but its just too tight. I have some spanks that I thought maybe I would try to pull on over my thighs. Has anyone else had this? I keep having visions that I will have these nice legs and at the top little fat pockets.

Ok, so I am finally feeling a little hungry but so scared to eat anything. This morning I had some vector cereal with almond milk not very much about 1/4 cup and I felt ok with that then I had some pineapple and a clementine orange at lunch then my daughter just made me some cinnamon toast around 4 and a cup of tea. I have been trying to get some food in my stomach about a half hour before I take a Percocet and it seems to be helping with the nausea. Anybody have any tips of what else I should try? Yesterday I tried jello, broth, yogurt and a freezy but I wasn't keeping anything down. My family is having Chinese takeout tonight but I don't think I should have any of that with the MSG and probably to much salt. Any tips are appreciated! Also when should I start taking milk of magnesia or colace-stool softener? I don't want to get the constipation that everyone complains about that will hell with everything else going on.

Ok so I have been taking the arnica but just ran out and started Bromelain today for the swelling. I can have my husband pick up more arnica tomorrow. Is it ok to take both? What do you all think is better. My swelling is so bad I make the pillsbury doe boy look like a runway model. Opinions greatly appreciated!

I thought I better add some before pics to show what I was working with. I do have muscle but it would never show under all those stubborn fat pockets. Although I love my mom dearly and she is a beautiful strong woman approaching 80 I have never liked the hereditary shape that has been passed down to me and I've always tried to fight it. I was pretty much winning the battle until I hit my 40s and everything really started to change I was seeing more and more of the family traites every year no matter what I do. I have older sisters that don't really work out or even eat clean like I do and the only difference I see between us is that I have underlying muscle. Other than that our overall shape is the same.....very frustrating. I am hoping so much that putting myself through this will be the answer to what I have been trying so hard to achieve.

So I'm feeling pretty good this morning. I took a percocet at 2 o'clock in the morning and fell asleep by 3 then i woke up around 6 am with really bizarre dreams and felt weird I drifted back to sleep till 730 and decided I don't like how the perks make me feel.....so I'm gonna try to get waway with just 2 extra strength Tylenol. So far so good. I took Tylenol at 830 am and after laying awake for an hour I got myself up and made my downstairs to the kitchen..... Everyone in the house is asleep and I really want to start doing more for myself so I figured that I would be OK trying the stairs since I'm not high on percs. So I very slowly and very carefully made my way down. Resting when needed. I made myelf a tea and half an English muffin. I'm starting to feel hunger more now that I backed of those perocets. I had to take many breaks while doing it by leaning on the counter but it felt good to be up and around more......I haven't been downstarirs since I got home. I hope this won't make me relapse. I really would like to stay on the Tylenol if I can...

I keep having some bloody white fluffy cotton padding that is falling out the front of my garment. it was originally located on the mons are but it keeps creeping down ad hanging out of the pee hole. I keep shoving it back up. should I be concerned?

I'm having a bad time today with choking! I keep getting this feeling of having to cough up phlegm. I stifle it so I don't cough and that makes it so I can't breathe. I don't know what do about this. Has anyone had this. I thought I might try a cold medicine with mucous control. I'm sleeping in a recliner and have spent most of today in it because my back is so sore when I try to do anything else.

So today I finally got to go for 1st post op appt. My nurse Stevi was wonderful and it felt so great to get all the padding removed and take off the garments for the first time. I also got 1 drain removed and got to take my first shower when I got home. Everything looks great with the TT ~nice low scar. I'm not seeing any difference with any of the lipo areaa yet, and I'm worried about the fat transfer. my backside looks very uneven. My flanks are very swollen and sore so I hope that will all go down more. I'm not sure the buttockwhen transfer worked though judging by other peoples pics at the same point as mine. Please let me know your experiences and when you started seeing your new shape come in my at this point I looked deformed from the back :-(

Omg!! What's going on now both feet my toes are cramping so bad......hurts more than tummy tuck!
Ladies please help any tips??? I've had them rubbed and flexed and pointed goes away for a few minutes only to come back worse.

So after my outing yesterday to my first post op appt I felt terrible had chills and fever was 103 at 11:30 last night. So I loaded up on Tylenol and managed to keep it at 101 through the night. I called PS this morning and he ordered some antibiotics for me saying I may have pneumonia setting in or I caught a bug when I was out. I'm thinking it's more like pneumonia because I've had a fever of 100 since the surgery and have had a cough as well.

Ladies... I have not updated till now because I have been in the hospital fighting for my life. Please take surgery very seriously!! What I thought to be the beginnings of pneumonia was nothing compared to what actually was wrong with me. My surgery was Jan. 13th which was a Wednesday. I went home surgery day and everything was typical. I had my first post op appt. Jan 18th with the nurse to have bandages and 1 drain removed. I was disappointed that DR. was not there to see me especially since I have a 2-1/2 hour drive to get there. He wasn't in the office as it was Martin Luther King Day. Nurse said I looked great although I felt ill and my right hip was very sore where the fat transfer was placed and it was distorted looking and swollen. Nurse said that was normal swelling and all would be well. Not thinking much of it I went home. On the way home I had terrible chills and felt fevered. I took Tylenol and went to bed. My temperature was reading low grade 100 degree fever but would sometimes spike to 102- 103 through the night. I had a terrible cough so I kept thinking pneumonia. I was in contact with my nurse and the doctor and they advised to piggy back advil and Tylenol to keep the fever down. The doctor prescribed antibiotics over the phone. This went on for the next 3 nights in the meantime my hip was so sore that I could not sit on it at all. I took pictures of how distorted my back side looked and how swollen my hip was and sent to the Dr. and nurse. Dr. asked me to come in to see him the next morning that was Friday the 22nd. We made the trip out and he looked me over. He thought that it was cellulitus and was going to give me another antibiotic then changed his mind and said I should go to ER. We went back to Canada and went to ER. I was admitted into the hospital and while sitting in the ER my hip started to ooze and infection was pouring out. They did emergency surgery to remove the infection in my hip but it was also in my blood. Sepsis!! They weren't even sure they could save my leg never mind save me! It was very frightening and I feel so terrible for putting y family through all this. I spent 6 days in the hospital being pumped with 3 different antibiotics and fluids. I am now recovering at home with an open would on my hip at the site of the infection and have a nurse that comes daily to pack and dress the wound apparently it has to heal on its own from the inside out. I will be left with a 1inch by 1 inch hole from this and my results from the lipo and tummy tuck will not be very good because I have not been able to wear compression or binders and as far as the fat transfer to buttocks I am disfigured. I am very sad and depressed that I have done this to myself and my family. Looking back my body was not that bad and I wish I could have just loved myself the way I was. I read so many reviews and people seemed so happy with their results but that is not the case for everyone. So please think this through and learn about all the complications that can happen it is very serious.

Thank you for all the well wishes and prayers! I am doing ok just recovering at home. I have a nurse that comes everyday to pack and change the dressing on my wound. I am a little sad because I went through all this to improve my looks and now am not sure how everything will turn out. I will have a permanent scar from the wound on my hip, the fat transfer didn't take and the lipo results are minimal probably because I cant wear the compression. The tummy tuck is the only thing that looks like it worked. I don't believe I will ever want to do anything like this again in the future :( I have also completely lost confidence in my surgeon as I feel this could have been prevented. I am sure he will offer revision surgery but how can I trust and feel comfortable after all that I have been through? Sorry if this sounds whiney but I am feeling very depressed about the whole thing!