Extended Tummy Tuck W Flank Lipo After Major Weight Loss - Washington, DC

Hi All! My name is Beth and I am a 28 year old female with no children who used Weight Watchers to lose 88 pounds. I hit my goal weight almost two years ago, and despite exercise and eating right, I have a lot of excess skin and fat around my midsection that causes me extreme anxiety. The thought of changing my shirt in front of my girlfriends literally makes me cringe, and I am so self conscious that I do everything in power to make sure no one can see what I've got going on in that area.

I've wanted to get a TT for a while now - pretty much since I hit my goal weight and realized I had an "apron" that wouldn't go away without surgery. What held me back until now is that I was too embarrassed to talk to a doctor about it, and I thought I couldn't do the procedure prior to having kids. But, I'm young and have worked hard to get where I am health wise, and feel like I deserve to be happy in my own skin. The future pregnancy thing was my biggest concern, and something I addressed with every doctor I've had a consultation with. I'm told that it's OK to go ahead with the procedure even if I do want kids in the future, and while they can't predict the results post pregnancy (just as they can't with anyone who gets pregnant), they can say that I will bounce back better than I would if I didn't have this procedure.

I consulted with three different doctors, and had a really hard time deciding between the first and third consultations I went to. After making a long list of pros and cons, comparing surgery date availability and cost, I finally made a decision to go with the first doctor I saw and liked very much. I've been really impressed with the entire staff in the office, and they were able to provide me with the phone number of a patient who had this same procedure done with him in September after going through major weight loss who is about my age.

I'm hoping to book the surgery this week for July 29 - which is just over two months away! I am SO excited for the after, but obviously nervous about the procedure itself. I'm thinking that I won't need too much muscle repair since I've not been pregnant and am pretty strong underneath all this extra skin/fat, so hopefully the recovery won't be too bad.

I've been pouring over these forums for months and finally decided to share my own journey. I also have a blog you can check out at BethsJourney.com where I will be documenting the process, but I plan to update here too to connect with so many people going through the same thing!

I booked my TT surgery for July 29 and the pre-op for July 11, which is just 7 weeks from today! I am soooo excited, but just wish it was here already. :)

I am thinking about renting a hospital bed or recliner for recovery. I live in a studio apartment and have a regular bed and a couch, but I've heard it's much better if you have a recliner. Has anyone recovered without use of a recliner? Were you OK? Do you a recliner or hospital bed is hte way to go?

Thanks in advance!