My recovery is going really well

After losing a significant amount of weight years ago, I decided the ongoing complications and discomfort from the excess, loose skin had gotten to be too much of a burden to keep dealing with, and looked around for a surgeon to perform abdominoplasty. I narrowed it down to 3, and, after meeting with them all, it was clear to me that Dr. Markarian was the right person to turn to (the others were great, but there was a clear difference in his bedside manner, dedication, accessibility, etc, and you just knew he was the one to choose).

The surgery went well, but it is a big operation with risks, and a tough recovery. Having had many other operations and hernia surgery, I knew what to expect, and was ready for this. It's important to have realistic ideas of how things will go.

Part of that was my resolve that what I would see at my first post-op appointment would not look good or resemble what I would call my ideal outcome. Between swelling, bruising, a relatively fresh wound, etc, I prepared myself to not like what I saw, and to suspend judgement. I even contemplated just not looking at it to avoid risking any disappointment or regret. Dr. Markarian said to me the night of my surgery when he called to check on me, and again in that first appointment that he was really happy with how it looked even when I was laying in the OR, and that I'd be happy with it, but of course he'd say that, right? I tempered my expectations, discounted what he said, and went for a look.

I was honestly blown away. With literally zero expectations except perhaps being ready to be a bit horrified, I got to see something that honestly could look just like that and never get better, and I'd be happy with it. It was so much better than what I was coming from before the operation. I've worked really hard on my fitness over the past 20 years, and this was the first time I actually felt like what I saw outside matched who I was inside, under all that skin.

If that's where I was starting from, the idea of how it will only get better has just been amazing. I'm now 2 weeks ago, and it is looking better, but obviously has a long way to go. My recovery is going really well because I'm following Dr. Markarian's advice and guidance on compression, cleaning and treating the area, the right level of activity (basic walking around the house or light errands like going for gas; but not going for a walk outside), etc. I'm also making it easier on my body to heal by eating clean and healthy, and trying to rest as much as I can (which can be hard because it's not the most comfortable thing to sleep propped up with tight binders around your midsection).

And through this, Dr. Markarian has shown that the personality I read in that first appointment is genuine. He's been so open, responsive, kind, caring and just a good human being. He's also clearly a skilled surgeon who takes his work really seriously and puts a lot of himself into it.

I honestly couldn't be happier with things, which is not at all something I thought I'd be saying at 1 or 2 weeks. I figured it would be at least 3 months until I would know if this was the right call or not. Just so thankful to Dr. Markarian. This is literally life changing.

I'm sharing this in praise of Dr. Markarian, but also specifically because, as a man, I feel that men don't tend to talk about operations like this, or get them in the first place. We stay silent or just deal with it. I'm hoping this helps folks realize it doesn't have to be that way.