Waited So Long for This - It is Time!

I can barely believe It!

I saw Dr. Gayoso for my final follow-up about a week ago and he was thrilled with my progress. I’m still swollen and he says I will continue to lose weight from that over the next month or two, as I continue my weight loss journey in parallel. As of right now, I weigh about 168, and would like to be closer to 140-145 based on my ideal BMI of 22-24. He also started “scar therapy” with silicone strips, but I have to admit he did a phenomenal job and the scars are already healing very nicely.
I’m still pretty stiff, and swollen by the end of every day, but at least my nerve endings are finally reconnecting, so I’m getting some sensation back in my mid-section. He assures me this is all normal and will resolve itself in the coming months. Due to the extended tummy tuck that goes all the way around (and nearly connects) in order to remove that huge pockets of fat in my hips, and the extensive amount of lipo done on my back, combined with the fat transfer to my butt, my recovery is going a little slower than most. I have no idea how people go back to work in 2 weeks. I did start working from home at 2 weeks, returned on the 3rd week but could only work until early afternoon due to swelling and how uncomfortable I was in work clothes. Now 6 weeks later, I'm able to make it close to 5pm, but I'm pretty miserable with the swelling. Once I go home, put my feet up, it's amazing how much better I feel in a short amount of time.
I’m so thrilled with the surgery outcome and will be patient during this recovery part. Dr. Gayoso is absolutely the best surgeon I could have hoped for. He gave me a body shape I never dreamed possible. He gave me a big hug at the end of my appointment and I left the office in near tears. He earned every dollar we paid him. There is no doubt I will return to him for my next surgery later this year. As I continue to lose weight, the loose skin in my breasts, arms, thighs and neck continue to droop. Most of it is covered by clothing, but the neck skin bothers me. I'm still debating whether I will do a face lift (at least lower face) or my breast/arm lift first. My husband would like to see my do the breast/arms first... but as I discussed with the doctor, that can be covered by clothes. My neck can not, and in addition to the weight loss there - I am 57, almost 58, so I would probably want some tightening regardless. So time will tell as I continue to lose weight, to determine which will bother me the most by the time I can do the next round of nip/tuck at Christmas time when I'm on a two-week break.

I was expecting to write an update before now... but it was just too hard to do it on my iPad sitting in my lazyboy lounger, so this is the first time I've had to sit at my desk at home and write this update.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly -
The good is still the good. I can hardly believe my body shape now. I have a full length mirror in the hallway, and I go there and strip down at least 3 times a day and just stare at my body. I can't believe my hips are gone and that I actually have a waistline. It just blows me away. Unfortunately, I still have two drains in, so I haven't been able to try on clothes - even though I'm still swollen and will probably remain so for a few months. The bad AND the ugly - holy hell, the compression garment I woke up in from surgery was an absolute nightmare. It was some contraption that was a full body girdle with thigh-length pants and ass cutouts for my BBL. I was stuffed in lipofoam, and then stuffed in that. By the third day after surgery, I was near my limits and called the doctor's office to see if I could remove it and wash it, before I was scheduled to go in the next day. She said yes, and I ran to the bathroom to remove it all. Actually, that's when I took the previous photos on the 3rd day. The problem was trying to put it back on. I was fighting my sister who was helping me since she said I really needed to put it back on, but I was truly miserable. It was so tight, and so binding, that it also made it even harder to have a bowel movement. I wasn't really constipated, and I was following all the advice for stool softener, eating the right foods, etc., but the binder was literally keeping my body from moving anything around inside. Plus it felt like my core temperature was 120 degrees. It was a very rough first week, but I somehow survived it. I have to admit I did not where the compression garment every day that first week, and I know how important it is.
My 10-day Post op with the doctor -
Although I had a 4-day post-op with the nurse, I had my 10-day post-op with my doctor last Monday, and my husband went with me. These photos were taken 5 days ago after that visit. First off, I had to tell Dr. Gayoso that he was absolutely a magician and I could not be more thrilled with what he was able to do. He literally almost cut me in two, removed ridiculous bookshelf hips, lipo'd my whole back, and then transferred fat to my ass and flanks to create an hourglass shape. The surgery took 7 hours (an hour longer than originally anticipated), but it was very clear I was in the hands of a very experienced plastic surgeon. My husband also has told family and close friends that it's obvious that Dr. Gayoso is a master sculptor and perfectionist. And he really is. The way he talked to us about the surgery and how he accomplished certain things was like listening to a very talented artist as he was sculpting his clay. It was mesmerizing to hear him. I could not have picked a better physician.
So here I am, on day 15 post-op. My middle section still feels like a brick, and I have almost no feeling to my skin in that area. Dr. Gayoso said it will take time, but he was confident that it would resolve itself. Fortunately, he traded that horrible girdle thing for a wrap-around waist cincher type of garment. It's 12" wide and I first wrap lipofoam, then wrap that garment around me as tight as I can get. I can't say it's very comfortable, but at least it's tolerable. Although I was scheduled to go back to work next week, I have discussed with my manager, and I'm just going to work from home next week. My drains will probably be removed on Monday, and I need a few more days to acclimate before I head back to the office in my binder (which the doctor asked me to wear for at least a month).
I've noticed a few lumps and bumps in my skin, and my pubic line incision has a bit of a crease/fold - but nothing too surprising. I wasn't looking for perfection to start with, and I have realistic expectations about how long the healing takes and that my skin and fat will be re-positioning itself for months to come. I can't wait for the go-ahead from Dr. Gayoso to start exercising again. I truly hope to lose another 25-35 pounds by the end of this year. Because my husband and I have already decided we want Dr. Gayoso to do a breast lift and arm lift while I'm on our 2-week Christmas break :-)