The Tell-All Tummy Tuck Post (Part 1)

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Where to begin? I've lost over 90 pounds and I've had two babies. That didn't bode well for my belly. I've been dreaming of a tummy tuck even before I hit my goal weight. Most people who'd see me (dressed) balked when I said I wanted a tummy tuck, "What?! You're so skinny, you don't need one!" Sometimes, if they were a close friend (or my hairdresser) I'd show them my belly, to which they'd always say, "Oh yeah, I see, you should get one!" Want to see what I mean? Here are my official "before" pictures taken by the plastic surgery folks.

Before (tummy tucks) pics

Those pictures make it look even better than it is was in my opinion. They were taken when I went for my pre-op appointment in November of 2012 (the surgery had been scheduled for December but ended up getting canceled because of my cough. The docs were worried I'd get pneumonia).

So it got canceled and I randomly chose April for a new date. At the time April sounded so far off in the future but it was here in the blink of an eye! I got so nervous leading up to the date. I'd really wanted to lose those re-gained 5-7 pounds before the surgery but it didn't happen. Oh well, maybe that's a good thing. But what wasn't good is that I caught a cold (with a cough) about a week before the surgery. Ugh. I just hoped it would go away before Monday.

It didn't, but the docs still gave me the go-ahead for the procedure. I was so nervous! My final pre-surgery workout I felt so strong, and I was dreading the downtime to come. Anyway, the night before surgery I stayed in a local hotel so I wouldn't have to get up at the crack of dawn. I followed instructions - no shaving for two days, wash with surgical soap the night before and morning of, and ingest nothing after midnight.

I arrived to the surgery suite exactly at 7:30am and they took me straight in. Eek! No mom to hold my hand. I took some pictures to keep me busy and called Miguel and the kids for one last chat. I said some very heartfelt "I love you's" just in case I d.i.e'd, which I wasn't seriously worried about but still.

Nerves!

And then Dr. Canales came in for a pre-surgery pep talk. And to do some body-art on my tummy. I'd asked most of my questions long before but this morning he answered my last minute ones, some of which were repeats because I was nervous and couldn't remember anything.

1. Will you be cutting through my abs? No. If they are separated we'll sew them back together but I won't know if I need to do that until we get in there. But no, I won't be cutting into them.
2. Will I still have the same shape and definition I have now? Hard to say exactly but you will look better. (he said more but I'm paraphrasing here)
3. How long will the surgery take? About 2 hours, recovery will be 1-2 hours, depending on how you do.
4. Will you take a selfie with me? Sure!

I'm sure there were more questions but that's all I can recall for now. So, here I am, all marked up and ready for the knife.

Before (tummy tuck) pics

It's not easy sharing these pictures. Just had to say that.

And, the selfie! (if it's two people should it be called a welfie?)

Dr Francisco Canales and yours truly.

No, I didn't select him because he was the cutest doc I saw, though that didn't hurt. I chose him for a few reasons. First, he came recommended by someone for whom he'd done a breast augmentation and she was very pleased with the work. Nothing like a first-hand recommendation. Second, I felt he was very honest about what to expect from the tummy tuck. And finally, I didn't feel he was selling me. He didn't dazzle me with the magic of plastic surgery or how fabulous I'd feel or look afterward. Some of the docs I saw gave me the feeling I was buying a new car. No sales job please, not when it comes to my body.

And he told me not to touch my arms. I'd asked about surgery to remove the fat hanging from my arms and he practically told me he wouldn't be willing to do it, "they aren't that bad." I asked him if I was being neurotic and needed to get over it, "Maybe I wouldn't put it that way, but yes." There you go, honesty goes a long way.
 
Then I had a chat with the anesthesiologist (holy cow I spelled that correctly on my own!). He reviewed my history of pneumonia and coughing and listened to my lungs. All clear.

The nurse came and got me, washed me up some more, laid me down and then the sleep doc gave me a pre-anasthesia cocktail...and with that...I went under the knife. Link to Part 2.