So Nervous and Even More Excited! - The Woodlands, TX

After going to my first Consultation 6/22/12, I finally had another consulation with different Dr. last week and am scheduled for next Monday. I have wanted a lift and tuck since my boys were little... they are now 17 and 20. Although they dont understand why I am doing this.. because, after all.. I am in my mid 40's.... who am I trying to impress, they ask? My answer to them was ME (and of course my awesome hubby)!!! After having a hysterectomy over 11 yeras ago (age 34), I have struggled with my hormones and weight. Last year I found the most amazing Bio Identical Hormone Dr. and am finally on the right track and have a sex drive again!! I never thought it could be possible... but the pellets (implanted right under the skin), both estrogen and testosterone are miraculous! So now that I have "fixed" that area - my Husband told me to "go for it" as far as my Mommy Makeover goes.

This week, other than my job (work from home), I have my hair appointment scheduled, along with pre-op on Wednesday. Today, I have been making all of my lists of things to get and have done before surgery. I found this website a little over a week ago and am completely addicted. Just ordered my raised toilet seat off of ebay... wonder what my "guys" will have to say about that when it arrives? lol...

I am 45, my husband is 59 - retired a year ago, we have a rather large mix of kids between us... He has 31 and 33 yr old daughters, both married and two grandsons. I have two boys 17 and 20 with a 24 year old "step son"...he was my late husband's son... but remains part of our family.. this is where he calls home when on breaks from college. I am surrounded by nothing but guys unless my stepdaughters happen to be over. My youngest is now a Senior in high school and plays baseball -- we are actively involved.. I have always been the Team Mom and my hubby the Coach or Asst. Coach as he has gotten older. Because of our busy schedule, September seems to be the best time for me to have my surgery with time to heal before the holiday season and before Spring Baseball rolls around.

I have a large circle of friends and family that are cheering me on and almost as excited as I am about it.

I really didnt think that I would want to blog about my journey, but after at the Calendar section and seeing those with scheduled surgery.. next thing I knew I was typing away....

I plan to stay overnight after my 5 hour procedure... breast lift (38 DDD now), tummy tuck, and lipo of the flanks, inner and outer thighs. My PS said that if you stay two nights it is an added benefit. I will see how I feel after staying the first night before deciding to stay the second night... The first PS I saw did not encourage an overnight stay, yet the surgery with her... same surgery would have been 6 to 8 hours.... Yet, the PS I decided on, it is 4 1/2 to 5 hours per him.

They started me on VitaMedica last week and it will continue for 3 weeks after surgery. The Arnica Montana is included in the pack and start those the morning of surgery. I am to arrive at the hospital at 5:30 am for 7:30 surgery.... very anxious, but yet, can't wait to see the results down the road! The PS took pics earlier this week, but I have yet to take my own... I will post those later this week...

Woke up today thinking that in one week, I will be having my MM! At this moment, I am thinking I will be in some serious pain come next week! Still... I am so excited that it's all I can think about! Today I bought a Nutri Bullet, after seeing an infomercial over the weekend... thinking those smoothie drinks will be something easy my hubby can do... plus all the benefits from more veggies/fruits in my diet. I also bought a new robe and pajama sets... washing them in my Diva laundry detergent now... but instead of the half unscented Tide that I normally use when washing, I used only the Diva wash... it's amazing... so thinking that will be a nice lil' pick me up next week to smell good. Six days and counting.......

Where has the time gone? This time, two days from now, I will be hunched over in a hospital bed... hopefully not feeling much pain! My MM is Monday morning at 7:30am.... I am really getting anxious! I keep reading everyone's stories and looking at pics just trying to figure out what I will look like. I have a tattoo under my belly button that I will miss.. but not enough to make me have second thoughts by any means!
Things have been so busy, I have most of my supplies from the lists posted here. Got my roots busted, nails and pedi, tied up loose ends with my job -- work at home -- as much as I could and now finishing all the laundry. I picked up my prescriptions yesterday, PS prescribed pain med, anti-nausea and antibiotic. I asked about anti inflammatory and they said that the Lymphatic Drain Massages after the surgery will take the place of meds. I plan to leave the hospital on Tuesday and head straight to the PS office for the 90 minute massage. My PS office says people walk in hardly able to move and walk out so much more limber... of course during the massage you will have to be helped to the potty several times from what they say.
Sitting at my son's baseball game today, I kept thinking that in a few days this muffin top sitting above my shorts would be gone... yippeeeee.... I am so ready to join the rest of you ladies on the FLAT side.... I just can't imagine a flat tummy!
Also, the NutriBullet I mentioned in my last post, that I purchased, is WONDERFUL.... getting all our fruits and veggies in a drink.. and it tastes great! I love it.. and my hubby has also jumped on the band wagon. I bought prunes for after the surgery, hoping that will aid in my first BM. I am already anticipating the pain of going to the bathroom.. I remember when I had my hysterectomy 11 years ago how "plugged up" I was... and oh what pain!!! Also, after both babies and two surgeries, I had problems peeing... and had to be recatherized 2 times.... Praying for that to work as well!
OK... the countdown continues..... will see those of you on the perky flat side... very soon!!!!

3 Days PO -- Finally got home yesterday evening around 4, I stayed two nights in the hospital.... surgery went great... I remember kissing my husband goodbye in pre op and next thing I remember is waking up in recovery.... They took me to my room, where hubby was waiting and he started feeding me ice chips -- I slept off and on for the rest of the evening... Then Tuesday morning the nurse cam in around 6am to take my catheter out.... I had told them that I have problems going pee after surgery... and... I did.... couldnt go and so they did an in and out (to just relieve me) around 3pm... and then after trying several more times myself--they put a new foley in for the night around 9pm... It felt so good to have that pressure gone. Yesterday morning after having the cath taken out, I was able to go by myself around 11... so I was released from the hospital. We went straight to my PS office where I had lymphatic drain therapy.... It was AMAZING!!!! I had to get up and pee 3 times.... it basically massages your lymph nodes as they are rubbed into the direction of your bladder.... but because of this I do not have to take any anti inflammatory prescriptions.... I am taking my vitamins and started doing the Arnica Montana sublingual tabs the morning of surgery.... and take them twice a day.... The PS office couldnt believe how good I looked and how little bruising there was...... so that was good news.....

Got home around 4pm yesterday and tried the recliner vs. the bed and I chose the recliner... hubby and boys are waiting on me hand and foot and dong whatever I need. I will take a shower here in a little while... still have my drains, PS said probably Monday they will come out. My breasts look amazing... they actually look like they had implants put in.... but nope... its all me :)

It's hard getting up and down, but that is about the only problems I have.... with my walker, it is so easy to move around... I got up with hubby and the youngest one before school this morning and had coffee and then made some calls to my girlfriends and family.. they said I sound normal and they didnt expect that. I drank nutri-bullet shake for breakfast with avocado, bananas, prunes, strawberries, peaches, mango and blueberries and my tummy is starting to rumble some, so I am hoping for a BM today!!!

I do not know how anyone can have this surgery and not stay in the hospital... maybe because of my bladder problem... but I couldnt imagine not staying in the hospital. I feel sooo good.. just as the PS office said I would if I stayed two nights instead of one... only thing, I think the hospital bed was much more difficult to get out of than my recliner at home...

My eyes are getting heavy, so I will post later.... we are going to take pics when I take a shower..and I have some pics I took on my phone the day before surgery... they arent very good they will show my before and after. I will put all those up once we get some pics taken today. Even though I said on Tuesday.. why would anyone do this (when I was having problems peeing) -- I can tell you that I would do this over and over again now knowing how it is and how good I already feel only after a few days!!!!! Thanks to my wonder Dr., his staff and my most awesome husband and boys!!!!!!

So sorry that I have been MIA for a week or so.... I have been reading here and there the updates in Sept. and Oct. Mommy Makeovers... but since I tried to add photos for like FIVE DAYS in a row and it did not but spin..... like it was submitting.... I get a little frustrated and said the hell with it! Tonight... I thought I would try again and walaw.... it worked right away!!!
Now for my update..... Geez... I have been reading the horror stories about all the recent MM's having problems with constipation.... Thank you Jesus... I had no problem whatsoever.... but... attribute that to the Nutri bullet shakes I was/am drinking!!! In my last post I had the prunes in my drink for breakfast and by that evening... all my plumbing was working just fine. Actually.... every time I eat now... my plumbing works... never happened before like that... and I am certainly not complaining!!!! My Lymphatic Drain Therapist -- Lanette -- said that maybe now my body knows what to do with the excess waste and does it's job!!! YAY!!!!! Only other thing I took was stool softeners for two nights there in a row and everything was back to normal.
Tomorrow will be my two week mark.... I cannot believe how good I feel and how much of a difference there is already in my body! The only area I really cant tell a drastic difference is my legs... but Lanette said that they are so swollen and that suddenly, between 8 and 12 weeks, I would see the difference. I got my drains out last Thursday... not because I was supposed to.. but because one fell out..... lol.... never felt it.. but wondered what was wet there during the night.... I saw that half of it was out on a potty trip and placed more gauze there until I could call PS in the morning. Starting about Tuesday (8 days PO) my drains starting feeling like knives were poking in me when I would try and move about.... appears that my stitches may have come loose.... so therefore every time I would walk or move... it felt like a needle was scratching me. Thursday am when I called the PS to tell him about my drain he told me to come in and that since the last 24 hrs had been about 35cc of drainage between the two, he would go ahead and take them both out... because no way did we want to try and put it back in! My thoughts EXACTLY!!!! I told my hubby he would have to knock me out --with like a punch to the face--- before anyone was putting that tube back in me! Right as we were leaving for PS, I felt something wet on my leg... and it was my drain.. it had fallen completely out.... As for the other drain... I never felt them take it out.... and I worried about this and the pain it would be FOR DAYS!!!! Didnt even know it was out! I think I may have some fluid build up as I am feeling a little bloated (moreso than normal)..... but will find out Tuesday when we go back to PS as well as for my LDT (lymphatic drain therapy)... Again... I have to say.. no way I would feel as good as I do if it were not for the LDT... my husband has actually done this massage for me the last two nights because I am feeling a small hard spot on my inner left thigh as well as in my flank area. This totally works.... I pee several times every time it's done, so I know the lymph nodes are draining as they should be when doing this type of massage.
Other than just feeling a bit sore and those "hard spots".. I am not having any problems. Well... wait... a small "tear" in my incision in the center of my belly... but PS said that could be where some of the fluid is trying to escape... since my drains probably came out a day or two early. I am taking my antibiotic and also think it could be because I get to feeling so good and then try and do too much... like go have movie night at a friends house (NOT a good idea... the next day I hurt like hell and even had a slight fever)..... so I have tried to keep my activity to a minimum.. it is just so hard to sit there and ask for this or that..... Hubby and boys have been absolutely amazing.... even surpassed any expectations I had..... but I am just not one for sitting still..... so I have spent a lot of time on Pinterest planning my Fall Decorating and Christmas parties.... :) Tomorrow, I plan to do some work... but it requires nothing more than sitting at my desk and making phone calls.... all from the comfort of my home (not sure I would be ready to go to work at a place of business -- but then again... I am not sure I could do that if I was 100% --- dont like a desk job and being tied to the clock).
About to call it a night... I think I hear my recliner calling me.... as much as I would love to be laying on our temperpedic cloud.. it's just not in the cards for me for more than an hour before I get too much stress on my incision as well as my back.... so thankfully, we have a love seat with two recliners in our bedroom..... it has been extremely comfy... as far as recliners go.... and I prefer it to the bed still at this point.
Friday night... after my hubby gave me my massage... since I had my cg off, I thought I would try a few things on to see how they would fit.... and to see how "the girls" looked... since they have never, ever been this perky in my entire life.... and I got into a nightie that I wore over 12 years ago (you are asking why would I have something for that long that I couldnt wear --- well I swore I would one day get into it)!!! I even tried on several nightie tops that were just disgusting before my lift.... like everything pulled down towards my belly button.. with my enormous jugs..... and now.. they fit so perfectly and SO PERKY!!!! I cant tell you how awesome that felt! Can't wait to see the final product... but am happy with where I am after only 2 short weeks. I love my PS!!!!!! and the real kicker.... I didnt really want a man as my PS..... was going to have a woman perform my surgery and at the last minute decided to try Dr. McHugh out and absolutely fell in love..... even my hubby was impressed with him. His entire office, as well as his wife, Katherine, who is the Office Manager are fantastic. I have made friends for life, no doubt!!!! I will post more pics in the next few days! NOW that my laptop is cooperating with me:)