Today is Monday. My operation is Friday. Houston, we have a problem.
I am sick. It started Saturday. The evil virus that attacked my middle child last week has now attacked Mommy. My throat is sore, my nose is stuffy, my head is pounding. My body feels malaised. (Is malaised a word? Well, it sounds better than 'shitty', so it is now).
In my '7-day pre-op' literature it says explicitly: No medicine other than Tylenol. No cold or congestion medicines. And the kicker. "Report any cold symptoms to the Doctor, as we will want to re-schedule your surgery for when you are better."
Welcome to worst-case-scenario time. My husband has to schedule his vacation way ahead of time, and my sister-in-law has already paid for a flight to come help me out two weeks after surgery. Rescheduling is simply not an option.
It is Monday, and I'm on day three of the death virus. My throat feels better, but my body mailaisyness feels much worse. (There's another new word for you. You're welcome).
I am going to give it two more days. If I'm better on Wednesday, we're good. If not, it's time to figure out a plan B.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Introducing Me..
I suppose I should begin with a brief history of how I got where I am today.
Once upon a time, I was a sixteen year old girl with a pretty face and size eighteen pants. My entire nutrition education consisted of corn being a vegetable (and the only one I'd eat) and that if I wanted to lose weight, I should eat lettuce. The dinners my parents fed us consisted of pizza, rice, mashed potatoes, beef, gravy, and lots of cheese. These ingredients were combined in many different ways and they were available to me in abundance - practically unlimited quantities.
Yep, I was a fatty.
At nineteen, I bought a book called "Sugarbusters" where you cut out all carbs and ate three grams of sugar a day. I lost fifty pounds.
After losing all this weight, happy in a size 8/10, I fell pregnant. (It's amazing how much easier it is to fall pregnant when you've lost weight). I gained 75 pounds or so, carried a huge gigantic beautiful baby with a huge head (OUCH!) and only lost 15 pounds during the birth. When the dust settled, I was a size 22 at age 22.
I started a serious diet of 1,200 calories a day and 5 days a week of advanced Tae-Bo, and I lost 80 pounds. Except, something funny starts to happen when your belly expands and contracts massively a few times. The skin starts to lose some elasticity. So even though I was fit, thin, and feeling great, there was a good amount of loose skin hanging from my lower abdomen.
Fast forward a few years, and at age 25 I married the man of my dreams. At the age of 27, I once again fell pregnant. This time I only gained 40 pounds, and lost all of the weight and then some. I was sitting pretty, once again, in a size 8 or so. But the loose skin was worse.
At the age of 30, I conceived my third and last child. The pregnancy was healthy and I gained a respectable 35 pounds. During the pregnancy, the loose skin from the previous pregnancy and weight loss escapades actually hung off my pregnant stomach. So the pregnancy didn't use the roomy skin that was already there, it just created a whole new layer of it.
Today, my third child is 4 months old. The loose skin is worse than ever. I reached my pre-pregnancy weight right after her birth. I have an intense workout regimen, I eat healthy, whole foods, and for a decade now, have lived a lifestyle that is conducive to a long and happy life. It is with much thought and consideration that my husband and I decided to contact a plastic surgeon in my area to proceed with an operation that will, at the very least, deliver the results I've been unable to achieve through hard work and self-discipline.
By hard work, I mean a complete lifestyle change. My diet is, to the finest detail, healthy and nutritious without being overly caloric. My exercise regimen consists of five to six advanced workouts, including spin, sculpting, Zumba, step, running. Day after day, week after week, on vacation and when I'm sick. This is not a quick fix step for me.
"You need a body lift!"
I began by consulting my trusted physician for a referral for a tummy tuck. To my surprise, she'd recently had one herself. We have a lot in common; we had both lost a lot of weight, love Zumba, and enjoy our new lifestyles. So when she showed me her scar and gave me her surgeon's name, I booked an appointment the next day.
The consultation cost $100 up front. I felt like this was good; the doctor was respected enough or had enough clients to want to see serious clients only. As I considered myself a serious candidate for a tummy tuck I felt $100 was worth it.
I arrived for my consultation and was escorted back to a room immediately. The staff was unbelievably kind and accommodated my request to use one of their rooms to pump breast milk after the appointment (I was still breastfeeding my infant). It's amazing how medical staff can be kind and prompt when they have to compete for your business!
After a brief discussion of my medical history with the nurse, the Dr. came in and introduced himself. He gently grabbed and lifted my loose skin, turned me around and did the same to my love handles and said, "You're going to need a body lift." He proceeded to show me that the cut for a tummy tuck stops at the hip bones, which would leave me with a back that protruded further than my stomach. Using the prong pincher that they used on me in elementary school to measure fat (the horrid, horrid memories!) he showed me that my back and abdomen weren't fat at all. It is all skin, and he can cut it off and make me better than new for the bargain price of $15,000.
Gulp.
My husband and I had saved $11,000 specifically for this procedure. The $15,000 was a bit higher than we expected, but we decided to come up with the rest and do it, once and for all.
The loose skin prevents me from cycling, doing sit ups, buying normal clothes (try buying a medium shirt, a size 16 skinny jean, and making that look like you're not pregnant...)! We are fairly well off and the money is worth it, for reasons of physical convenience and of self-esteem. I've felt somewhat guilty about this much money being spent on vanity, but we don't have fancy cars or laptops or gadgets. We have no debt and this is how we choose to spend our money. My husband continually assures me that being comfortable in your own skin is something you can't put a price on.
The Procedure
In five days, I will have surgery to remove all excess loose skin and fat from my abdomen and back. My love handles will be removed, the loose skin will be removed, and I will have a butt lift. My abdominal muscles will be tightened and contoured to give me the most flattering figure possible.
I have been prescribed four medications; an antibiotic, a steroid, a pain medication, and Valium. These are to be taken immediately post surgery. I will be in the hospital for one night (the use of the hospital is included in the total cost of the surgery).
The reason for this blog is simple: I couldn't find many detailed accounts of what this surgery entailed. There were a few good tummy tuck blogs, but were often vague, without pictures or costs, and didn't address a lot of the questions I had. I'm going to keep a detailed account of the procedure and recovery on this blog with the hopes it helps others who are researching in the future.
Once upon a time, I was a sixteen year old girl with a pretty face and size eighteen pants. My entire nutrition education consisted of corn being a vegetable (and the only one I'd eat) and that if I wanted to lose weight, I should eat lettuce. The dinners my parents fed us consisted of pizza, rice, mashed potatoes, beef, gravy, and lots of cheese. These ingredients were combined in many different ways and they were available to me in abundance - practically unlimited quantities.
Yep, I was a fatty.
At nineteen, I bought a book called "Sugarbusters" where you cut out all carbs and ate three grams of sugar a day. I lost fifty pounds.
After losing all this weight, happy in a size 8/10, I fell pregnant. (It's amazing how much easier it is to fall pregnant when you've lost weight). I gained 75 pounds or so, carried a huge gigantic beautiful baby with a huge head (OUCH!) and only lost 15 pounds during the birth. When the dust settled, I was a size 22 at age 22.
I started a serious diet of 1,200 calories a day and 5 days a week of advanced Tae-Bo, and I lost 80 pounds. Except, something funny starts to happen when your belly expands and contracts massively a few times. The skin starts to lose some elasticity. So even though I was fit, thin, and feeling great, there was a good amount of loose skin hanging from my lower abdomen.
Fast forward a few years, and at age 25 I married the man of my dreams. At the age of 27, I once again fell pregnant. This time I only gained 40 pounds, and lost all of the weight and then some. I was sitting pretty, once again, in a size 8 or so. But the loose skin was worse.
At the age of 30, I conceived my third and last child. The pregnancy was healthy and I gained a respectable 35 pounds. During the pregnancy, the loose skin from the previous pregnancy and weight loss escapades actually hung off my pregnant stomach. So the pregnancy didn't use the roomy skin that was already there, it just created a whole new layer of it.
Today, my third child is 4 months old. The loose skin is worse than ever. I reached my pre-pregnancy weight right after her birth. I have an intense workout regimen, I eat healthy, whole foods, and for a decade now, have lived a lifestyle that is conducive to a long and happy life. It is with much thought and consideration that my husband and I decided to contact a plastic surgeon in my area to proceed with an operation that will, at the very least, deliver the results I've been unable to achieve through hard work and self-discipline.
By hard work, I mean a complete lifestyle change. My diet is, to the finest detail, healthy and nutritious without being overly caloric. My exercise regimen consists of five to six advanced workouts, including spin, sculpting, Zumba, step, running. Day after day, week after week, on vacation and when I'm sick. This is not a quick fix step for me.
"You need a body lift!"
I began by consulting my trusted physician for a referral for a tummy tuck. To my surprise, she'd recently had one herself. We have a lot in common; we had both lost a lot of weight, love Zumba, and enjoy our new lifestyles. So when she showed me her scar and gave me her surgeon's name, I booked an appointment the next day.
The consultation cost $100 up front. I felt like this was good; the doctor was respected enough or had enough clients to want to see serious clients only. As I considered myself a serious candidate for a tummy tuck I felt $100 was worth it.
I arrived for my consultation and was escorted back to a room immediately. The staff was unbelievably kind and accommodated my request to use one of their rooms to pump breast milk after the appointment (I was still breastfeeding my infant). It's amazing how medical staff can be kind and prompt when they have to compete for your business!
After a brief discussion of my medical history with the nurse, the Dr. came in and introduced himself. He gently grabbed and lifted my loose skin, turned me around and did the same to my love handles and said, "You're going to need a body lift." He proceeded to show me that the cut for a tummy tuck stops at the hip bones, which would leave me with a back that protruded further than my stomach. Using the prong pincher that they used on me in elementary school to measure fat (the horrid, horrid memories!) he showed me that my back and abdomen weren't fat at all. It is all skin, and he can cut it off and make me better than new for the bargain price of $15,000.
Gulp.
My husband and I had saved $11,000 specifically for this procedure. The $15,000 was a bit higher than we expected, but we decided to come up with the rest and do it, once and for all.
The loose skin prevents me from cycling, doing sit ups, buying normal clothes (try buying a medium shirt, a size 16 skinny jean, and making that look like you're not pregnant...)! We are fairly well off and the money is worth it, for reasons of physical convenience and of self-esteem. I've felt somewhat guilty about this much money being spent on vanity, but we don't have fancy cars or laptops or gadgets. We have no debt and this is how we choose to spend our money. My husband continually assures me that being comfortable in your own skin is something you can't put a price on.
The Procedure
In five days, I will have surgery to remove all excess loose skin and fat from my abdomen and back. My love handles will be removed, the loose skin will be removed, and I will have a butt lift. My abdominal muscles will be tightened and contoured to give me the most flattering figure possible.
I have been prescribed four medications; an antibiotic, a steroid, a pain medication, and Valium. These are to be taken immediately post surgery. I will be in the hospital for one night (the use of the hospital is included in the total cost of the surgery).
The reason for this blog is simple: I couldn't find many detailed accounts of what this surgery entailed. There were a few good tummy tuck blogs, but were often vague, without pictures or costs, and didn't address a lot of the questions I had. I'm going to keep a detailed account of the procedure and recovery on this blog with the hopes it helps others who are researching in the future.
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