Tattoo Removal of a 1 Inch Butterfly on Upper Right Shoulder - Springfield, MO

Today was the big day!! I had my consultation which was very quick. I couldn't really think of any questions aside from the obvious. I asked how long my scar would be and that was about it. Lol. I sort of regret that now. He did tell me that I can't work out my arms or back at all for 12 weeks total!!! So pretty much crossfit is out for 3 months. That sucks so bad! I hate this darn tattoo though so it's worth it. I wish I had the money for my mommy makeover so I could really utilize this recovery time for something big. Anyway back to the goings-on of today. As I was paying the lady told me the doctor could perform the excision in two stages and each stage would cost $250 a piece and be 6 weeks apart, and would I like to start today? I was a bit impulsive and said yes, but I had to call my husband and make sure he was ok with that. So I did it! I have to say it was a lot more involved than I had anticipated. It was an in office procedure with local anesthesia so he numbed the area and gave it a few minutes to settle in. I'm guessing he was cutting open the area, but all I could feel was him moving down my back. Then the worst part was hearing the scissors! OMG. I seriously cannot get that out of my head. He was cutting the tattooed skin. off. with. scissors! He used a cauterizer to stop the bleeding so that was also weird. I am unsure how much blood I lost, but I felt a little light headed when it was over, but I think it was partially nerves. It didn't hurt a bit though. Then I could feel him pulling the skin back together and sewing it up. The sewing up part was the least comfortable, but not bad. All in all it took about 30-45 minutes. At this point (4 hours later) I am sore and very aware of how much I use this right arm! It's more annoying than painful just trying to not use it. He said not to shower until tomorrow night. Then I can take the band-aid off in the shower. I'm not sure if I am supposed to put neosporin on it or something else. I'll call tomorrow and find out. The worst part about the whole thing is my 8 month old is sick so I am having some anxiety about her and then coupled with the anxiety I have about this gash in my back I'm a little on edge. I am definitely waiting until my baby is older for my mommy makeover! That is one thing I have learned through this so far. I can't imagine trying to recover from something serious with a baby....

4 days since stage one of my excision and I'm doing great. The first day I think I freaked myself out about it a little, but by the next day I snapped out of it. The pain is barely noticeable. It is tender, but nothing too terrible. The butterfly is almost gone! I can't believe it. I so wish he could have gotten it all. I feel like I can't really celebrate until it is all gone. The scar is a bit long but very thin looking so far so I am happy about that! I visit with the doctor in a week to check the progress of my healing. Yipee.