One year update: Pain-free recovery (YMMV)

I am so thankful for RealSelf for allowing people with common goals to share their stories. I have learned so much reading about everyone’s individual experiences. So now I am finally adding my story. Here are my stats:

Age: 36
Height: 5'0"
Weight: 112
Bra size: 34A
Children: 3 (ages 11, 8, 5)

All my children were delivered via c-section. I previously weighed around 100 lbs, but in the past couple of years, my metabolism has caught up to me, so now I weigh around 112 pounds (give or take 1 lb). I have always been thin my whole life, so when these last few pounds snuck up on me, they concentrated mainly on my belly and made my waist thick. I hate looking down at my gut...the excess skin, the fat, the stretch marks, and the muffin top I have to disguise in loose fitting tops. I got a wakeup call when I wanted to wear a semi-formal dress (that I had only worn once 2 years before) to a special event, but it would not zip it up all the way!!! No matter how much I tried to suck in and no matter how hard my husband tried to pull up that zipper, it was NOT budging! I was so shocked at how thick I had gotten considering the first time I wore the dress was 7 months after I had my last baby. So after a year of being totally disgusted with my gut, I have decided that I want to get a TT. Then I decided that since I’m going under, I might as well get a BA while I’m at it. I never had boobs but would love to have some that are proportionate to my body!

Or am I being too vain? Some days I look around at other women who are “lumpier” than I am and I think, "Hey, I don't look half bad." But then there are days that I am so sick of my belly. Mentally, it has been difficult for me to make the decision to go forward with this. I guess the thing that bothers me most is that I don't want to set a bad example for my two daughters about getting bigger boobs. They are young right now, but I don't want them to think that it's okay to run out and buy some boobs if God didn't give them ones that were big enough. Another thing is that I feel guilty for spending so much money on myself. I’ve been frugal my whole life…always shopping the clearance racks and trying to get things on sale. Although we have enough money saved up to pay for the procedures, I feel like we could be using it towards something else like our mortgage or a couple of family vacations. So I keep tossing this Mommy Makeover idea around…one day I want to get it done…the next I don’t want to do it anymore. My husband is being supportive for the most part, but I think I'm dwelling on this so much lately that he thinks I’m obsessed. If I get it done, I am hoping to do it over the Thanksgiving holiday so that I can be somewhat functional by Christmas…but we’ll see.

My family (parents & siblings) would think I was crazy if I told them I wanted to have a Mommy Makeover done. They keep telling me that all I need to do is eat right and exercise...easier said than done! So I am keeping this a secret from them for now. However, I do have a friend who is encouraging me to have the procedures done. She recently had a BA a few months ago and has told me that it was the best thing she has ever done for herself.

----------------------------------------------08.10.2011 ~ Had my first consult today with PS1, a board certified PS. I checked out his website, and the results in his gallery looked good. He had a lot of energy, was very personable, and prides himself on making the lowest TT incisions in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. I tried on 325cc and 350 sizers, and he decided that 350cc saline would be the best fit for me. He recommended that I get a TT, BA, and lipo of the flanks. PS1’s fees are a lot less than what I was expecting (my friend's cousin had a TT and BA for $16K in Plano). My quote was $11,150 for all procedures, anesthesia, pain pump, operating room, and an overnight stay at his facility. At that price, I wanted to schedule my surgery immediately, but I haven’t found many reviews on him which makes me a little worried. The total consult lasted about 30-45 minutes. Let me add that his office shares office space with a dental office, and there is only one check-in counter. So I didn’t feel that I could be very discreet coming here since I might run into my neighbors or my kid’s friends parents at the same office. I made some appointments with two other PS’s (with numerous great reviews) before I make any decisions.

----------------------------------------------08.26.2011 ~ I bought a bikini today mainly because I wanted to make sure my "Before and After" pictures are consistent. Thank you to all you ladies who are brave enough to share ALL your details with us. Sorry, I don’t feel comfortable displaying nude pics of myself on the internet because I’m just paranoid that a friend or family member will know that it’s me…and I just want my husband to be the only one who has seen me naked (besides doctors). I am looking forward to my consult with PS2 on Thursday. He seems to be one of the top Mommy Makeover doctors in this area.

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09.01.2011 ~ I spent almost 2 hours at PS2’s office today for my consultation. He was my number 1 choice from the beginning, but I hesitated to make an appointment because I didn’t want to pay a consultation fee (remember I told you I was frugal! haha) Anyways, I decided to bite the bullet, and the fee turned out to be reasonable. I’ve read his bio and know that he is well educated (Stanford graduate). He is very thorough and wanted to make sure all my questions were answered before moving on to other topics. He wasn’t as energetic as PS1, but I see that as a positive because hyper people tend to scare me! He discussed all the procedures in detail and made sure I was aware of all the good and bad. He recommended that I get a TT and BA; surprisingly, he didn’t mention anything about lipo. As for the BA, he is more conservative in this department and recommended 275-325cc for my frame and for the look I wanted (natural boobs). I tried on the sizers under a sports bra and decided to go for the biggest (325cc). Now I am wondering if is PS2 being too conservative. I’ve read too many stories where people wished they’d gone bigger. I just don’t want to look fake. Maybe I should just trust the doctor, right? His fees were higher than PS1, but I believe it is because he is doing the surgery at a hospital instead of a private facility. The total for TT & BA was $12,800 (w/ silicone) or $12,000 (w/ saline). I went ahead and put down a deposit to secure my surgery date, but I still have a 3rd consultation with PS3 on 9/20/2011.

09.20.2011 ~ Oops…I just read my last post, and I made a HUGE mistake with PS2’s prices…the total for TT & BA was $12,320 (silicone) or $11,520 (saline).

Okay, I had my consult with PS3 today. The office was harder to get to since it is located in a busy shopping area, plus it’s on the 2nd floor…even using the elevator, it was a lot of walking (which is not so good for follow-up visits when you’re in major pain). The two ladies on staff were nice, but they seemed less professional than the other offices. The lady who handled the financials even smelled like cigarette smoke (I don’t smoke, so this is gross to me). Anyways, this surgeon had an outgoing personality. I told him I’ve already had 2 other consults and that I didn’t need for him to explain the whole abdominoplasty procedure to me (since PS2 already did such a good job explaining things)…but I guess in doing so, I came across to him as a know-it-all, and he was quick to correct me a couple of times when I used words incorrectly. He explained his modified technique of the tummy tuck in detail which I found interesting since he used more sutures in a variety of areas on the abdomen to make the muscle as tight as it can be. As for the BA, his assistant was pushing for me to go with 400cc’s. WOW! Those looked huge on me…I thought 375cc might look better, but maybe now I’m getting the case of boob greed. PS3’s prices were $12,305 (silicone) or $11,305 (saline). Not too much of a price difference from PS2, but after weighing the pros and cons of all 3 surgeons, PS2 wins hands down.

09.21.2011 ~ I originally scheduled my surgery for November, but reading RealSelf has made me impatient. I called PS2’s office and had my surgery date moved to October 21st (one more month!!!). I am so excited this is finally happening! :)

Guess what happened on Monday? I called my PS and got my appointment moved up even sooner! So now I am having surgery NEXT WEEK on October 6th!!! Had my pre-op visit yesterday and took those oh-so-humbling “before” shots. With the beautiful pair of triangle surgical underwear, I might add. I felt so embarrassed especially when PS kept reminding me to relax my stomach (I’m so used to sucking it in when I’m standing!). Oh, well…I’m looking forward to seeing the “after” shots. I also got all my prescriptions filled and am now working on my supply list. Plus I have a lot of cleaning house to do before the big day. I am excited and nervous…mainly excited to get rid of this big belly that does not belong on my body!