Massive Weight Loss and 2 Babies.. Now It's Mommy Time! - Tucson, AZ

I haven't updated in awhile, so this may be long.
I started back at crossfit after 5 weeks (very scaled) and my abs were absolutely tight. They would be really sore and I would feel stiff if I say for too long, but it has gotten much better. I even did the Crossfit Open today and I felt great. I have been doing ab exercises for about 2-3 weeks. I had to start slow, and then at one point I was favoring one side when coming up, but my coach reminded me to focus on using both sides and it's much much better now. My core feels much tighter and solid than it did before surgery which is great, now I can probably post higher numbers with my lifts. The mobility sessions have been helping a lot and I now do 3 Workouts a week and 2 sessions of Weighlifting, and now the Open workouts on Saturdays. My scar has been itching lately, so I have been slathering it with cocoa butter at least twice a day. The itching has also woken me up from my sleep, so I make sure to put it on before bed. I'm loving my results more and more each day. My clothes for awesome! It feels so great to have a flat stomach! I feel so much more confident. I don't miss the days of having to wear a leotard under my workout clothes. I don't mind if my shirt comes down during handstands. My abs feel solid, so now I just have to decrease body fat to reveal the six pack! Life is great! I am really looking forward to my thigh lift in December, which is a another significant part of my transformation to reveal the body that I've been working so hard for. I'm enjoying the journey!

I had my post-op today (20 dpo) and I was cleared for light jogging. He cleaned out my belly button by removing some scabs and told me to keep it stuffed with gauze until it came out clean and gave me a stack of gauze. He said I didn't have to wear the compression garment or abdominal binder, but I could if it made me feel comfortable. So, I may return the faja that I just bought. I did try to put it on and I got it to my hips, before I gave up. I didn't have the ab strength to pull it up. Taking it off for a couple of hours felt weird, but I felt like I could breathe better. He recommended that I spend this week doing light jogging and increasing the intensity before jumping back into crossfit next week. We also talked about my next surgeries, arm lift and inner thigh lift. I asked him about doing them together, which he said is possible, but he wouldn't recommend it. We are already two surgeries into this journey together so I have no reason to question is judgement. So, my next surgery in December will be the inner thigh lift with a groin incisions and possible fat transfer to the buttocks ($6500). I had fat transfer to the buttocks with the LBL, and I am pleased so far, but I just wanted to have it on the there just in case I decide to do it. For the inner thigh lift, he will lipo around my thighs and then proceed with the bilateral inner thigh lift. The next and final surgery is the arm lift to remove extra skin from my upper arm and my sides on the bra line. He will lipo more on my back, sides, and stomach, if needed. After that, I plan to CELEBRATE the end of this journey!

Today, I also went to crossfit today to take my son for his class and I just did a run/walk for 2 miles (8 x 400m) while he did crossfit. I felt pretty good, but it felt a little sensitive around the incisions. I'm glad I made sure to put gentle tape over my incisions and I also brought my abdominal binder just in case. The coaches were surprised that I was recovering so fast and I think increasing my protein intake helped with the speedy recovery. I felt pretty good and took it easy, but I did put my abdominal binder back on when I got home just in case.

The incisions are looking wonderful, but I just had one small opening above my butt crack. I mentioned the muscle spasms that I get in my stomach when I do too much and also when I sleep, and he said that it was normal. I am sleeping soo much better. Right now, I'm even laying on my stomach, but I have a pillow under me. However, at night, I just sleep on my sides with a pillow under my sides and between my knees. I am looking forward to sleeping without my CG tonight, but I will still have my abdominal binder.

Also, I will try to remember to take closer pictures of the incisions when I take the tape back off.

I was finally able to load my comparison pics at 2 weeks post-op.

I can see the swelling going down. I just have to make sure that I stay really hydrated. Also, my compression garment is getting too big, so it is starting to buckle in places and dig into my skin which is uncomfortable. I can't wait until the other CG gets here on Tuesday. I got a Large, but I'm hoping they run small, or else it may be a tad big. I've been wearing this CG for so long, it may feel weird not wearing it any more. However, sometimes I do take my time putting on my CG after the shower to get a CG breather and assess the progress.

I have been walking more, but if I do too much I can feel my stomach tighten. I still feel stiff when I get up, if I sit down for too long. I have been putting the gentle tape over my incisions to keep them from rubbing against my clothes and from splitting. It comes off really easy in the shower.

I am absolutely so pleased with my lower body lift and at times it seems so surreal. I tried on my work clothes and my stomach was so flat and it felt like it was a whole new outfit. Before now, I've never had a flat stomach...never. I was born chubby, I was a chunky kid, and an obese teenager, and then an overweight/obese adult. It wasn't until AFTER I had my kids that I finally got down to a healthy weight. However, it was so disappointing to lose the weight but not have the body you worked for. I told my husband that I was just so happy that the body in my mind is now the body that I see in the mirror. I have a freakin' belly button! I'm trying to restrain myself from going through all my clothes just trying them all on with my new body! Just wearing a simple white tank with a flat stomach and no rolls feels just absolutely amazing. I also don't need to use the toilet riser anymore, but I'm keeping it for the next surgeries. I still sleep with lots of pillows.

That's it for now! I'll have more after my 3-week PO/ Thigh-lift/Arm-lift Consultation.