62 Years Old, Mommy Makeover, Tummy Tuck/Breast Lift After 65 Pound Weight Loss, Woodlands, TX

Since I have now scheduled my Tummy Tuck and Breast lift I thought it was time to go ahead and start my review. I am scheduled for surgery on 7/27 with a pre-op on 7/14. Right now I am currently recovering from facial surgery on 5/9. I had a facelift, necklift, temporal browlift, quad blephoraplasty, fat grafting to the cheeks, ear lobe repair and some excision of facial cholesterol deposits.

This next surgery will be for a tummy tuck and breast lift and possibly some more excision of my cholesterol deposits. They could not all be done in one procedure for wound healing reasons. The surgeon was going to do them separately about 12 weeks after my facial surgery. The Mommy Makeover surgery is 11 weeks and 2 days after that surgery so he may do some of the cholesterol deposits at that time. We'll talk more about that during the pre-op.

Right now, I am just 3 1/2 weeks post-op from the facial surgery so it is sort of hard to even think about doing anything else. But, I wanted to get the rest done as soon as safely possible so I could get finished with it all.

I had one biological child when I was 40 and I spent a lot of my adulthood overweight. During my mid-30s I lost from 168 pounds (my high until then had been about 180 pounds when I was in my mid-20s) down to my goal weight of 125 pounds at Weight Watchers (actually my low weight was 119 pounds). I couldn't sustain that weight loss. When I weighed about 148 pounds I got married (in my late 30s) and gained a few pounds as I tried to keep up with my husband in eating. When I became pregnant at 39 I was at 163 pounds. Flash forward 9 months and I was now 40 and had a son and weighed 180 pounds, equal to my highest adult weight. For the next 15 years or so, I went up and down on my weight. My lowest was about 155 pounds. And, eventually, I hit my high weight of 207.4 pounds. I finally realized I couldn't blame it on baby weight any longer (my son was a teenager). I went back to WW and started losing weight again. I had some ups and downs but in July of 2015 got to my goal weight of 146 pounds (the top of the normal BMI range for someone my height).

That was great, but my body wasn't. My husband went to WW with me and he lost over 75 pounds and his skin went right back into place. Me? Not so much. I'm posting some photos to show just how bad it is. I did exercise and spent the last year working with a personal trainer. Nothing helped in terms of the abdomen. So, I started thinking about a tummy tuck. I was also discouraged about my face. I had a real turkey neck and horrible loose skin around my eyes. So, I started thinking about doing something about that and having a tummy tuck.

I started reading read and following stories and finally found two surgeons that I wanted to consult with. Both of them were able to do both the facial surgery and the tummy tuck. I was open, however, to splitting my surgery between them as I would pick the one that I felt was best for each set of procedures.

Just as I got close to scheduling consultations, I started thinking about my breasts. They sag a lot. I mean a lot. I am not posting bare pictures of my breasts since I have a facial review on here, but I am posting pics in a shirt (where I am braless) that will give the idea. When I was overweight I was a DD at my heaviest. At my thinnest, I was a C. Most of my adult life (overweight), I was a D.

I am not someone who ever wanted larger breasts. I was one of those people who envied people who could wear those pretty bras rather than have to wear the ugliest monstrosities that were so uncomfortable. So, when I was home I was usually braless (which didn't help the sagging I'm sure). And, as I lost weight the breasts just seemed to deflate. Sort of like a pair of tube socks stuck to my chest that I all but rolled up into my bra. So, I started thinking about a breast lift. It added quite a bit to the cost and I was uncertain about it. My husband later told me that he thought I would be unhappy if I didn't do the breast lift. Every time I looked in the mirror, I would be happy I did the tummy tuck and would wish I had done the breast lift.

When I went to my consultations, I liked both surgeons. They gave similar recommendations particularly with regard to the tummy tuck and breast lift. They both wanted to do a breast lift with anchor incision and no implant. I was told I would lose half a cup size or so. I should end up as a smallish C. They both agreed that as bad as my abdomen looked it was mostly loose skin. I will have muscle repair and some lipo done.

I decided to do the facial surgery first. There were two reasons for this. First, I thought the recovery from it would be easier than from the Mommy Makeover and I would be ready sooner to have another surgery. (In retrospect, I am not sure really that the recovery is easier. I think it may be different...but I'm not sure it is easier). Second, my facial surgery had things that had to be done in stages. The excision of cholesterol deposits could not all be done at the same time as the facial surgery (both surgeons agreed) and work would need to be done 3 months later so that was another reason to go first with the facial stuff. Also, my ears will need to be pierced again and that would take at least 3 months to wait.

I ended up choosing Dr. Andrew Lyos for my facial surgery because I felt he was a bit more thorough in his consultation and I liked his overall plan a bit better. Honestly, for the Mommy Makeover part both surgeons were very similar in what they said and when I picked Dr. Lyos for the facial surgery I wasn't sure which surgeon would pick for the Mommy Makeover.

I felt both surgeons could do a good job for that. The surgical fees for both surgeons was almost identical. Both surgeons would have me stay overnight after the surgery at a hospital. However, the total cost using Dr. Lyos was more expensive because the facility/anesthesia fee was much more expensive.

So, on the one hand, I could save quite a bit by using the other surgeon for the Mommy Makeover and I had liked him and thought he could do a good job. But, by this week I was 3 weeks post op from my facial surgery with Dr. Lyos. So I knew what he could do, knew his staff, knew how he handled stuff post-op. While I am still early in my recover and I guess things could change, as of right now, I'm very happy with the results. So, I felt that I had more confidence in him just based upon my experience to this point and decided I wouldn't let the difference in cost be the deciding factor.

So, this week I went ahead and scheduled for July 27. In a way, even thinking about another surgery right now is hard. I am still sleeping in a recliner from the facial surgery (and I find that hard to do -- I have to take medication in order to be able to do it). I just this week was cleared to do walking on the treadmill. I still tire easily. It is just this week that I am really spending most of my time thinking about things other than surgery. I am just now starting to go out and about except to the doctor's. I don't have all my energy back. But, I am feeling so much better this week and feel that I am past the worst of the healing in terms of how I heal (I still have a lot of swelling that has to go away. Just talking about how I feel).

But, when I went to schedule this surgery I scheduled it about 8 weeks away and I feel sure I will be back to normal by then. And, having gone through surgery, I have a powerful desire to get this over with and go through the recovery and get past it. I also want to get back to doing more intense exercising. I can't really do that for about 12 weeks after the facial surgery so that was another reason to go ahead and schedule this surgery at that time since I know that will also require me to stop exercising for weeks. I expect this recovery to be a more painful recovery (yes, I am spending the $300 for Exparel), but in some ways it will be easier. I had extreme eye swelling with my facial surgery (largely due to the browlift + quad bleph) and for the first several days I basically couldn't see hardly anything and it was a week or so before my reading glasses would work. That was very challenging. I basically spent all my time either laying in a recliner icing my eyes or sleeping. I couldn't do anything else.

Anyway, so I wanted to pick a time that was far enough away to be safe to do but where I could get this done and start my recovery. If I waited until I had all my energy back before scheduling then it would have been the fall before I could schedule this and I didn't want to wait that long when it wasn't necessary to do that.

I am really looking forward to this. I looked forward to the facial surgery because I hated how I looked in the mirror or any pictures. I felt my face in some ways looked worse after I lost weight because I had more loose skin. And, the facial surgery has taken care of that. But, now, I feel like my body looks fat even though I am a normal weight. As of this morning, I weigh 145.1 pounds. It is hard to find clothes that fit properly. Finding pants to wear is hard. If I wear a size 10, I have a muffin top. I keep seeing people of my height ( 5'4") and weight who wear smaller sizes than me and I can't even wear a 10. But, if I wear a size 12 then it is too big everywhere else. As for tops, they are mostly designed for people whose breasts are in the right place. It is frustrating to feel that my clothes never feel right. And, even though I am normal weight, my stomach still looks fat. After my son was born, I felt like I kept looking pregnant even during the times that I got down to a normal weight. Oh, FWIW, if I lay down on my back everything is fat so I don't think much of this is visceral fat.

Anyway, I'll post between now and the pre-op about what I am doing to prepare and will report on the pre-op on July 14.

So the other night I had a vivid dream. In my dream, I was leaving the hospital with my husband after having had my tummy tuck and breast lift. This was on the same days as the procedures (in actuality, I am staying overnight).

We are in the car and start talking and I ask him about what my post-op instructions are. He said no one told him and that he thought they were given to me. I said they hadn't been and I thought they were given to him. He asked me what Dr. Lyos told me and I told him I hadn't seen him.

Now, of course, all of that won't happen. I had facial surgery in May and stayed all night. Instructions were given to both my husband and me and I saw Dr. Lyos the morning after surgery. So, I am sure it will be the same for this.

But, in this dream, I had no instructions and we were driving home. My husband suggests we go by Dr. Lyos office to try to get instructions. We stop by there and the person at the reception desk keeps telling us that they should have given us instructions at the hospital. We kept saying that they didn't. She kept saying that they were supposed to.... And, then I woke up.

I guess that was just almost a nightmare.

In reality, I haven't been thinking too much about the Mommy Makeover procedures. I am 5 1/2 weeks post facial plastic surgery so have been mostly focused on that. I had to sleep on my back in my recliner until this week so I am enjoying being able to now sleep in bed on my back. I had so much difficulty sleeping on my back. I am not looking forward to going through that again.

Right now, though, I am getting much better sleep than I was while I was in the recliner so I am finally not as tired as I was and I feel mostly normal now (my ears and chin mostly still feel a little odd, but it isn't painful). Based upon how I feel now, I think I'll be ready for the next round of surgery in 6 weeks.

I went in for my pre-op with surgery scheduled for July 27. I am 9 1/2 weeks post-op for a facelift so a lot of the instructions were similar. I had less questions for this surgery since a lot of the general stuff I have gone through already with the prior surgery.

I did focus on most of the questions that I had which were specific to the tummy tuck and breast lift. I'll list what was discussed.

1. After my facelift I had a terrible time sleeping on my back in the recliner. It was comfortable but I'm a side sleeper. I was told that for this I probably won't want to sleep on my side for at least 4 weeks. I dread having to sleep on my back again. With the last surgery, I took valium to help me sleep. It did help and I was glad to have it. But, it tended to make me groggy the next day. This time I've been prescribed Ambien (which I have never had) so we will see how that works.

2. I reminded them that I reacted adversely to the adhesive used on some of my incisions during my facelift. So this time, they won't use adhesive.

3. I should start a soft diet 2 days before surgery, and go all liquid the day before. I am to use a Fleet's enema the night before (ugh).

4. I am going to be doing Exparel, but it was stressed that this surgery is more painful than with my face.

5. I am ordering 2 compression garments. I don't really like them since they come down to my mid-thigh. But, they like this kind because it goes up high almost under my breasts. I was told to get the beige because that material has a better texture than the black. Also, there is a bra that I will start using about a week after surgery.

6. I will have 2 drains for the tummy tuck which will be in for about 7 to 10 days. I will have a drain for the breast which will probably be removed the next morning (I am staying overnight). Possibly it might stay in there another day.

7. When he does the surgery everything that is removed will be weighed. I will be weighed before surgery so I will know after what my new baseline is (that is, what I weighed less what is removed). I am up about 5 pounds from where I was when I had my face lift in early May. With the lack of activity and usual exercise it has been hard for me to maintain my normal weight. My goal weight at Weight Watchers is 146 pounds. I've been at goal for a year now. And, in early May I was a couple of pounds below goal. Right now I am a couple of pounds over. Want to at least get back to 146 by the day of surgery.

8. He is going to do an extended incision for the abdominoplasty so he can get rid of more on the side. Also, he will be doing some liposuction. I know that there is a limit to what can be done during this procedure and I stressed that I only want him to do what is safe. Which, of course, was what he wanted as well.

9. He is also going to extend the breast lift incision (it will be an anchor type incision) a little to the side to get more of the excess skin under my arm. That was optional, but I think it will give me the best result. My left breast is a little larger than the right so he will remove a bit more on that breast to try to even them out some. Also, years ago, I had a breast biopsy on my right breast which required removal of a fair amount of tissue. The result is that my right breast has a little bit of a dent in it. He is also going to try to improve the appearance of that.

10. I had read some about visceral fat (the fat inside around your organs). I know surgery won't fix that. I had read that one way to test that was to lay flat on your back and see if your tummy flattens out or if it protrudes above the rib cage. When I lay down mine flattens out. But, I was curious what my doctor felt about how much visceral fat I have. One of the things he had me do during the examination was to suck in my stomach as much as I could and then he grasped the loose skin and fat. He said that from that he felt that my visceral fat was average to a little below average. So, that was good to know.

11. One of my major concerns -- actually my biggest concern -- about this surgery is the risk of blood clots. He said that I would have the compression machine on my legs and they would put the compression hose on as well. Also, he would give me medication the day after surgery. However, he also offered that I could take Lovenox for 10 days before surgery. He said that it might cause me to have more bruising. Given the higher risk of blood clots with tummy tucks I decided that I would do this. I will need to give myself an injection for 10 days.

12. I asked what to wear at hospital to go home. I was wearing some fairly loose elastic waistband pants at the time and was told that would be fine. Also, a blouse that buttons up the front. I bought two of those for my facelift so I will use them for this also.