Finding A Doctor

Lately I’ve been getting emails asking some great questions about my process I wanted to take a little time to touch on how I personally chose my doctor and things that I think helped me in my process!
Choosing your doctor is obviously the most important part in your experience!
First things first call around and ask questions. You want to make sure your doctor is Board Certified you also want to ask if there is any cost for the initial consultation. I chose not to see any doctors that asked you to pay for the consultation, Even though most put the payment toward your surgery. I feel like it almost obligates you to go with that doctor because you have already made an investment no matter how small! In my opinion a good doctor will make you feel confident in their ability during that first consultation and do not have to take your money so your obligated to go with them. Trust your gut not your pocket book! You will know when you are sitting in front of the right Doctor for you! Sadly sometimes the price is higher then your budget… SO pony up the doe!! It's worth it to go with the right Doctor. You can not put a price on results and excellent bedside manor! You may have to pinch pennies or save for a few extra months but like I said it's well worth it! Do not be afraid to ask questions!!!
Are your Board certified?
What Hospitals do you have Privileges at? ß that one is important because in some cases (like mine) the Doctor will have privileges at different hospitals who have competitive prices. You may find choosing a hospital can make or brake your bank!!
How many times have you preformed this procedure?
Can I see before and after pictures of previously preformed procedures that you have done?
What are the risk involved with this procedure?
Asking questions will help you get to know your Doctor and a good Doctor will not be inpatient or have any problems answering your questions!
Do your research! Google! Google! Google! Read reviews and ratings on your doctor and their staff! Find out if there are any malpractice or sanctions against your doctor! A good site to go to is health grades.com.
 Don’t limit yourself to seeing just one Doctor see several then weight your options. I saw Three before I chose the Doctor that made me feel absolutely 100% comfortable! The most important thing is that you have NO reservations about your doctor!! Go with your gut and DO NOT settle no matter how many doctors you have to see! Do not rush through this process and your reward will be amazing results and a wonderful experience! I hope this Helps! If your are reading please hit the follow button on the right side of my blog I love to get feed back and know who is reading : )! Good Luck Ladies!! Keep the Questions coming! Posting updated pictures as requested!

30 days out!

Today is officially 30 days since my tummy tuck! I’m loving my results its amazing looking down and seeing my feet and not sad helpless hanging skin!!! Week two I got may drains out I felt like a new person but by week three I had developed a seroma. What is a seroma you may ask?? A tummy tuck seroma is a pocket of fluid that forms in the body after tummy tuck surgery. During the surgery small blood vessels are ruptured causing seepage and pooling of blood plasma. Tummy tuck seromas are common after surgery and do not affect the end results of the surgery. So this meant I had to go back to the doctor and get it drained. Not a big deal right? Until I saw the turkey baster they were about to stick in my stomach ( how appropriate considering the up coming holiday). Seriously the needle and syringe they used looked exactly like the ones sold at Wal-Mart to inject marinade in to turkeys!!! I almost passed out! It really wasn’t as bad as it looked the Doctor gave me a numbing shot and pulled 125cc of fluid out of me. This Monday I had to go back and he pulled out 80cc which means I’m producing less fluid and my body is absorbing more the way its supposed to! Hopefully I won’t have any taken out next week. He said I still have a lot of swelling but that wont start going away for 6 to 8 weeks. My Doctor and his nurses were all very impressed with my scar he said for 4 weeks out its incredibly light and smooth which made me feel pretty good. One thing I have not seen explained in other tummy tuck blogs is how uncomfortable it is when the feeling starts coming back in your stomach. I have been virtually numb for the past three weeks and now I’m faced with dull aches and sharp twinges but it’s more then worth it! I’m looking forward to the day when this recovery is a distant memory and I can see the full results!

14 days out!



Bandage is from the drains.



Still swollen but looking pretty good! I'm not even sucking in!

 Today is day 14 I’m feeling pretty dang good went to the doctor today and he FINALLY took my drains out (thank God) they were starting to get painful! When they were pulling my drains out I thought I was going to jump out of my skin it felt like a snake was slithering through the inside of my body sooo gross! On the up side almost the second the devil drains came out I felt like a new person! I can stand up straighter(although not all the way up yet), move better, my clothes fit better and most of all I can sleep in my bed and cuddle(kind of) with the hubby! My incision is healing nicely Doctor says that he thinks most of it is going to disappear altogether(yay!) he also gave me the go ahead to start putting coco butter on it! I’m putting up some pictures of the incision now because it doesn’t look as scary as it did as you can see I’m still pretty swollen BUT well on my way : )!