I thought I'd do a quick 7 month update. I went to see Mr Russo, my surgeon, this morning for a checkup. I'd previously seen another surgeon just as a checkup on my tummy. He told me that he thought the little bump I had below my belly button was excess fat and loose skin and would probably result in needing revision surgery.

I wanted to see Russo just to see if he thought the same thing. Russo in fact thinks that the bump is still swelling. The area below my belly button is still numb, which Russo says is usually an indication that swelling is still present in that area. He does think that there might be a tiny bit of fat left over but we will review at my 1 year post op mark to see how the swelling is getting on.

Overall though, he is pleased with my results and doesn't have any concerns. He advises that I keep the area compressed, I've been wearing spanx since my 3 month appointment. They suck so much, but if it will help to reduce the left over swelling, then I'll have to keep wearing them.

I did have a concern that I addressed, which was that I was up in weight since surgery by about 7 lbs. He was a little shocked but said that it's not abnormal and that I should try to at least get back down to my pre-surgery weight.. easier said than done!

I asked whether or not my results would be reversed if I lost more weight(more concerned with the boob area than my tummy), he said it would slightly affect my results in the boob area but not by much.

This TERRIFIES me. I've spent so much money getting the surgery, I really don't want to have the results even slightly reduced so I'm kind of in a predicament and it makes me scared to lose the weight.

I know you can't spot reduce fat so I would have to drop my body fat % which means it could quite easily come off my boobs first rather than other areas. Siiiigh.. I'm just lost on what to do. I'm currently asking for advice from other BA patients to see if anyone has been in a similar situation.

Here are some current body shots to see the belly bump that I'm talking about.
Pretty happy with how my body looks in general and everything is much better than it was before surgery, just wish this bump would be gone and I could tone up/lose body fat without reversing the results of my surgery!

Waaaaaaa... :(

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WARNING! This post contains pictures(of myself) with partial nudity. Please open and read at your own discretion.
It feels like its been forever since I did an update for surgery, but there really wasn't much to update on. I still don't have very much to update on currently, but its the 6 month mark for surgery so I thought it'd be good to post some pictures.

Not much has changed since the last time I posted an update. Swelling HAS come down, but its not there yet. I still have swelling above my incision below my belly button. It's still numb below the belly button too, haven't got any sensitivity back there yet.

I'm also still numb along the incision lines under my breasts in the crease but that doesn't bother me too much.

My scar is lightening up. I have been using scar cream but not as much as I should be. I'm supposed to be using it twice a day and sometimes I forget to use it so I think the scars would be much lighter if I was more consistent.

I'm back to exercising, although I'm sure you all know that by now. It didn't take me as long as I thought to get my stamina back after being out so long.

I have an appointment to see Mr Russo on the 5th October so I will see what he says/thinks and whether he is happy with the results. I'll do a quick update after I've been to see him just in case there is any news to update you on.

SO, Now what you probably came here for! Pictures. If you want to see before pictures for comparison, please click HERE.

Front and Side View

Close Up Front and Side

So, as you can see from the pictures, scars are lighter but not quite there. and swelling is minimal but still there and quite annoys me - still a whole lot better than it was before though.

I just hope that Mr Russo will give me some good news. We'll See!

Until Next Time! 

Question: Do YOU have any questions for me? I'm collating a bunch of questions that people have asked into a post, so if you're curious about anything, feel free to ask :)

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WARNING! This post contains pictures(of myself) with partial nudity. Please open and read at your own discretion.
Hi everyone, I hope this week is treating you well. I just wanted to update really quick as I don't like leaving people in the dark with regards to surgery pics.

I think the last time that I updated, I had been to see my surgeon about swelling and such and he said that everything was completely fine and he was happy with the results.

Swelling is the same as before. It hasn't changed, its quite annoying but I'm just trying to ignore it. I'm taking Arnica 30c Pillules again as recommended for bruising and swelling but it doesn't seem to be making much difference for me. I've been drinking loads more water too.

I was 3 month post op last week, which means that I was cleared to start wearing under-wired bras again, so whilst I was visiting my parents last weekend, I went shopping for some new bras to wear. So Tiring, So Expensive.

Front and Side View
As you can see, swelling is still present, but it's a damn sight better than what it was before surgery so I'm still ecstatic with the results. I think the part of the problem I have now, is that my posture is completely off, I tend to stick my hips out and pull my shoulders back, when I pull myself up fully straight, my stomach doesn't look as swelled. So that's something I definitely have to improve on.

I briefly mentioned in my Coffee Date post that I was shocked by the revelation that I was TWO cup sizes bigger in bras than my surgeon predicted. I was supposed to be a 32 Big C or D cup. I got fitted in 3 places whilst shopping at the weekend and I ended up being a 32F. WHAT THE F*CK! I don't know how he could be that off with cup sizes.. but I definitely wasn't expecting it.

I absolutely love my new boobs though so I can't complain and I am still able to get really cute bras in my size so I'm not fussed now.

I haven't started exercising again yet, but plan to start very slowly on the weekend. All I've been doing for exercise so far is my walking. I'm gonna get myself into the weekly routine of weighing myself on a Monday so that I can get off some of the Extra weight that I've gained from not exercising for so long.

My 'quick' update turned into quite a lengthy one. My next update probably won't be until next month, I wont be doing weekly updates anymore and instead I will do an update each month with anything new.

I hope you have a great weekend!

Until Next Time!

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Hi Everyone!

I hope that you all had a great weekend and your week has been started off right!

I was gonna be putting all my weekend Sunday antics in one post, but after writing my surgery update, the post was getting too long so I will put up another post tomorrow.

Sunday was quite an adventure. I have probably mentioned in a previous surgery update that I was going to see Mr Russo (my surgeon) this weekend just for a checkup. The appointment had to be in London as he wasn't available in the Cambridge clinic.

I had to go to Weymouth Street in London(apparently where all the swanky doctors/surgeries are) near Reagents Park, I've only ever been to London twice, this hasn't been one of those places so it was an experience in itself navigating through the underground systems.

We got there half an hour early for my appointment but I was seen pretty early. Russo is extremely happy with my results, he looked pretty proud of his work on me which was a nice feeling.
He felt my stomach area, he definitely isn't concerned with anything, he says it is all still swelling(I was concerned it could be a Seroma or fat) and that it could take up to the 6 month mark before the swelling subsides. Eventually it should go flat, if it doesn't, he will discuss it with me at a later date but he is confident that everything will be fine.

I am cleared to exercise now and I am able to take off my compression binder, however, he says that keeping the binder on still will help the swelling as it will keep it all compressed, so I'm taking his advice and keeping it on. It is KILLING me though, as it is SO hot at the moment and I'm dying with an extra layer, it sucks!

I've been told to start easy with exercise so thats what I'm going to do, so far I've still been working, I haven't attempted to do any other types of exercise and I'm actually quite nervous to go out and try to run. I know my stamina will have completely gone after 3 months of no proper exercise.
He took some 'After' pictures of my Breasts for his portfolio(might be called something else, who knows) and he is going to take after photos of my stomach when the swelling has subsided.

He wants to see me at the 6 month mark for a checkup - it's not usually a routine appointment, but he wants to make sure that everything is OK with the swelling. Hopefully it has gone down by then.

I've started to take Arnica 30 again, I don't know why I stopped taking it in the first place, I haven't seen any chance thus far but I've only been taking it since the beginning of the weekend so i can't expect massive results just yet, but hopefully it works.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with the appointment, Russo is very happy with the results from my surgery. My mind has now been put at ease and now all I can do is play the waiting game with the swelling.

I'll be posting the second half of my London Adventures at some point tomorrow. If you already follow me on Social Media, you probably already know where I've been!

Stay Tuned!

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It's been a while since my last update, but that's purely because there hasn't been anything to update you guys on. There still isn't that much to update you on really.

Swelling looks the same as it did 3 weeks ago and hasn't really gone down any. I went for a checkup at the clinic so that they could check the swelling and make sure that it wasn't anything else(like a seroma). The nurse advised me to see Mr Russo(surgeon) for a checkup, so I plan on seeing him this weekend, I'm travelling down to London to see him.

Hopefully, everything is OK and its just swelling. I'm hoping that he clears me to take my binder off and also start exercising properly. I'll keep you updated.

Weight is currently up by about 7 lbs, I'm not sure what weight that is, whether its water weight or something else. It's also that time of the month this week so I'm bloated and bound to be retaining more water than usual.

I have been doing walking consistently as part of the GCC challenge to keep me active. I've definitely noticed a change in my stamina, I think its going to take me a while to get back to where I was with running. I'm out of breath just walking down the street and it sucks.

I've started scar treatment on my stomach. I've only been using it a couple of days so far. I'm using ReGen Oil and Cream which is supposedly for Stretch Marks and Scars. So I'll update on how that goes too.

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The last update I did on Surgery was listed as the 5 Week mark, but it was more in between 5 and 6 and that's why there was no 6 week mark. It's only going to be a small update as there isn't too much to update everyone on.

Recovery is going well, for the most part I'm standing straight and can walk mostly normal now.

There's no pain, there aren't any issues that I've had over the last 2 weeks. The only thing that occasionally happens is that I get a bit of a gunky belly button, but that comes from the territory apparently, even normal belly buttons can get funky.

I'm still wearing my Macom Post-Surgery bra - as I never owned any non-under-wired bras and wasn't going to buy any for the sake of it. I'm still wearing my compression binder too. I have to wear non-under-wired/post-surgery bra until 3 months and then I can make the switch to under-wired as long as I am cleared to do so by my surgeon.

I've to wear the compression garment up until 8 weeks but I need to ring my aftercare nurse to confirm for certain and find out if I'm just supposed to take it off permanently.

I'm still not cleared to start exercising again, I'll find that out too when I ring up. It should be the 8 week mark, but I have been walking anyway as its killing me not being able to do anything. The GCC challenge has started now too, so I need to keep up with my walking so I don't let my team down!

I still have a scab left on my tummy scar and quite a few left on my breasts so I haven't started any scar treatment yet, but I do have some ready and waiting and I'll update on how that goes when I start!

Swelling has considerably come down between weeks 5 and 7. A few days after my last update, I noticed the difference. There is definitely still swelling there but its definitely not as bad as it was, so I'm happy with that!
Not much change with regards to the front view, but from the side there has been a massive difference.  Like I mentioned, it came down a couple of days after my 5 week update.

I have some concerns that the huge amount of swelling I had after surgery may have caused my skin to stretch further and maybe there is a possibility of still being left with some loose skin once the swelling has gone down.

For now, I'm not worrying about it too much as I can't see the end result yet until the swelling has done down and only then will I know if its not exactly how I wanted.

And Frankly, after my experience with recovery just out of surgery, I still don't know quite how I would feel about getting a revision done for surgery if it was needed.

Like I said.. only time will tell and I can't make any judgement yet.

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WARNING! This post contains pictures(of myself) with partial nudity. Please open and read at your own discretion.

Hi Everyone.

I guess I'll get straight onto the first topic and apologize for my lack of blogging recently. I used to have my usual scheduled posts up during the week but that hasn't been happening.

Since having surgery, not much has happened. I haven't really been able to go anywhere, so there's not much to say there. I'm still not cleared to exercise, so there's nothing to discuss on that point either and since this is primarily a health and fitness blog.. I feel like I'm lacking things to talk about in that area whilst I can't do anything.
I'm hoping that I will be able to get back to light exercise soon, but with all the swelling still going on, it doesn't seem too likely right now. Although I wish I could!

I do have some posts planned now that I've had a brain storm so my blog should have some regular posts going up.

---

With regards to recovery and post-op, things are slow. Not much progress. Reduction of swelling seems non-existent.

I've had a tickly cough for the past week, that is causing absolute havoc for me. The coughing is pretty tough on my stomach so its been quite an ordeal and I hope that it ends soon.. but so far, no such luck. It might require a trip to the docs if it doesn't go away within the next couple of days.

I've had a couple of repeated checkups this week due to a leaking on my tummy incision, it needed to be monitored. It was redressed on Thursday with a waterproof dressing, I didn't take it off until last night and all seems to be OK. There was no leaking on the bandage at all since it was last dressed and it looks to have scabbed over so all seems OK.

As I've said, swelling seems to be none-existent to me and I don't notice a change, which is very annoying but I'm being patient with it and trying not to let it get to me.

I've got pics of tummy and breasts for 5 wk post op anyway, maybe its the same with this as it is for swelling where you don't realise your own changes to your body so maybe someone else will see a difference and put my mind at ease! hah

To be honest, I don't know what came over me when I thought that I would have a flat stomach straight out of surgery. I should have expected this and I didn't so I guess that's how naive I am, hah.

I still don't regret my decision and I'd do it again, the stomach I have now, even with the swelling, is still far better than the stomach that I had before.

It will go soon enough.. :) ... I hope

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WARNING! This post contains pictures(of myself) with partial nudity. Please open and read at your own discretion.
I literally can't believe that its been a month already since I had my surgery. It really doesn't feel like that long. It also feels like a while since I last updated here on the blog about it.

I didn't have a 3 week post op appointment (that's just the way it works for THG) so that may have been the reason I didn't post. I also don't think much has really changed since then so there wasn't much point in me making a post.

I did have my 1 month post op appointment this morning. Good timing too as I started to have some issues that needed to be seen and some concerns that needed to be answered.

Over the last 2-3 days, I noticed that I was getting some oozing from my belly button and it looked a bit red and inflamed around the incision line of it. I had the same problem a few weeks go, which thankfully was nothing to worry about.

Then yesterday morning I noticed a smidge of what looked like blood on my compression garment for my tummy. It was a bit of leaking from my tummy incision, kinda looked like I may have pulled a scab by accident.

I saw my lovely clinic nurse this morning, she cleaned all the areas, said she wasn't worried about it but wants me to come back on Monday just to checkup on how things are going. The weeping point on my incision has been covered with a bit of antiseptic wipe and a dressing for the time being. My belly button isn't covered, air will be better to heal it than covering it up again, I just need to keep it clean and dry.

A concern I've had was that my swelling wasn't really going down at all. She felt all the areas of my tummy and isn't concerned with anything, she says that some people take longer for the swelling to reduce than others.. and I seem to be one of those unlucky people.

I mentioned also that one of my hips seems way higher than the other, again, it's just swelling and probably the garment that's causing the odd shape.

All in all, she thinks that its healing well and the scars look great on both my breasts and tummy except for the 2 problem areas. Nothing she is concerned about.

She says I still need to keep my Surgery Bra(Macom) on until 6 weeks, then I can swap to non-under wired bras until 3 months post op.

The compression garment needs to be on for 6-8 weeks, she is going to check with my surgeon to be sure. Not cleared for exercise until at least 6 weeks.

Hopefully it won't be too much longer before the swelling goes down.  I was hoping it would have already gone down at least a bit but I guess I'll have to wait. It's a shame! It's my birthday next week and I hoped to be able to go shopping for new clothes! :/

I hope you've all had a great week and continue to have a great weekend!

Until Next Time! 

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As a pre-warning, this post may contain graphic images from surgery post operative that some readers may not want to see.

Hi Everyone and Happy Friday!

I'm checking in with an update on post-op surgery life and how I've been getting on this week.

Pain wise, I've been absolutely fine, other than a couple of quick sharp pains(believed to be nerves re-attaching), I've been pain free. I have however, been very itchy under my garments which is driving me crazy as there is no way for me to relieve it. If you have tips for relieving itchy-ness, I'd greatly appreciate it!

On Wednesday, I noticed a weird smell coming from somewhere, I couldn't pin exactly where it was coming from until I had Phillip check. The smell was coming from my Belly Button and I for sure thought that it was infected.

I called my Aftercare clinic(who were closed) and then Dolan Park for advice. I had no other Infection symptoms except for a bad smell so they told me to hold off on removing any dressings and see a GP or my aftercare clinic nurse ASAP. I had an appointment at the GP the next day, so I phoned to ask for another appointment to be done after my first.

I had my blood test (to check my hemoglobin levels after the transfusions at the hospital) and then went to get my BB checked. Fortunately, the nurse said she didn't think it was infected, just smelly from dried blood, so she cleaned the area (much to my disgust and screwed up faces ;) ).

I had my post op appointment early this morning, the nurse re-checked my belly button, she too said that she didn't think it was infected, cleaned the area again and re-dressed it for now.

All other dressings on my incisions were removed and cleaned, the dressings are now off permanently and I'll share pictures at the end.

I had a shower after I got back home. It was eventful to say the least. First off, I needed help to wash myself as I didn't get one of those long handle loofas. Phillip is heavy handed, so there was no way he was helping. I ended up having Phillips Mum help me get washed in the shower.

I managed to get clean, but just as I was about to wash my hair, I went TOTALLY dizzy and faint, thought I was gonna pass out and had to scramble out of the shower to sit down somewhere. Absolutely horrible feeling. Not quite sure why it happened, maybe too much exertion, got too hot? no idea but not pleasant.

I didn't get back in the shower to do my hair but it is still fairly clean so it will be OK till I try to shower again.

So that's how this week has been for me. Not much done other than sitting around recovering  and going to some appointments.

I'll leave you with some pictures for week 2.

The swelling is very much getting on my nerves, currently. I'm still extremely pleased with the results and would take this any day over the loose skin that I had to deal with before but the swelling definitely plays with the mind. It can take months for the swelling to go down and to see proper results so I just have to be patient.

Maybe its the angle or maybe not, but the picture on the right makes me look pregnant. :/

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As a pre-warning, any posts from here labeled surgery may contain graphic images from surgery or post operative photos that some readers may not want to see.

The last week has been rough. Reaaaal rough but I'll get into that when I've gone over everything else. This is just gonna be a quick (or quick as) post about whats been going on over the last couple of days.

So, I had surgery scheduled for the 10th April last week. Me and Phillip stayed in a hotel the night before. I wasn't nervous at all about the surgery until the night before when we were in the hotel and I ended up completely freaking out and crying.

The day of Surgery, we were awake at 6 am and had to be admitted to the hospital at 7 am. I wish I'd woken earlier, water restrictions were from 5 am.

I arrived at the hospital at 7 am, was taken to my room by 7:20 am and then had to wait. I had a gown and stockings to change into, I was visited by an anesthetist and a doctor for bloods.

I was supposed to be going into surgery at 10:30 am but surgeons change their schedules and I ended up being marked up at 2:30 pm and in surgery for 3 pm. It was tough waiting for surgery, not only because I had been fasting from the night before, but also because it gave me pretty much all day to be freaking out, which wasn't great.
I don't remember much after getting out of surgery or that night. After that it got rough, I ended up loosing a lot of blood and my body was not building back up its hemoglobin levels quickly enough.

I was very weak and didn't have the energy to even get myself out of bed. I fainted the first two times I tried to get out of bed to use the toilet. I had a catheter (that ended up not working as it should have done) and when they tried to redo, it was too painful so I ended up going without.

I was in hospital for a total of 5 days instead of the usual 2 night stay. I had 3 blood transfusions during my stay for the lost blood and I'm now on iron tablets and need routine checkups for my hemoglobin levels at my GP.
I think to say that I had a bit of a rough time after surgery would be an understatement of the century, however, I cannot thank the doctors, nurses and my surgeon enough for the support that they gave me during the rough time. Everyone was brilliant (bar one nurse as she was horrid, but I wont delve into that any further).

I'm day 7 post op currently, I would have updated about everything sooner if it weren't for the problems that I had. I hardly used any internet whilst I was in hospital. I had my first post op appointment this afternoon and was able to get a proper first glimpse of everything.

I've provided some photos that also include before's of my body so you can see the differences. I'm also still very swollen, so I wont see the full affects of the work until the swelling has gone down.

So, as you can see, everything seems to be well. The nurse is impressed and says that the scars are healing nicely.  I had my drains pulled, that was a weird experience, felt SO odd and uncomfortable, but over within a couple of seconds.

Before and After picture of Stomach

Dressings were taken off and replaced with fresh ones. I was able to get photos of everything in between the change. The nurse was fantastic at the Cambridge clinic. Very professional and patient when she knew I was in discomfort.

All in all, my experience so far with The Hospital Group has been fab and I'd recommend the company to anyone.

I think that's all for my update. I'm sure I'm missing something, but also sure this post is long enough!

But before I end the post, I want to say a massive thank you to Phillip, who has been so supportive and caring of the journey that I've taken and has been there to help me when I've needed it over the past week.

My surgery posts will probably only be every week unless there's something major to discuss. I know that this topic isn't to everyone's interests.

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So, Surgery Day is Tomorrow.. I've been preparing for a while on what to take with my to the hospital and what I needed once I got back home. So, I thought it'd be good for a post to let you know what I plan on taking with me and maybe it will be helpful for others that might be going in for the same surgery.

In my Hospital Bag:
Slippers (Non-Slip)
Lightweight Night Gown
Underwear ( 100% Cotton)
Button Up Night Shirts
Lightweight Bottoms
Toiletries (Toothbrush, Toothpaste, Anti-Bacterial Skin Cleanser for the shower)
Things I've Bought for Home:
V-Pillow
Wedge Pillow
Lots of  other Pillows
Over the Bed Table

Garments:
2 x Macom Medical Bra for Post Op (One on, One off)
A second Tummy Tuck Garment

Other:
Arnica 30 -  Helps with Bruising and Swelling
Stool Softners (as Pain Meds may 'clog' you up)
Dry Shampoo (As I've been told no showering for 2 weeks!)
Multi-Vitamins
Wet Wipes
Anti-Histamines -  to help with itching.

Other than the above, I'll obviously be bringing things to keep me occupied during my stay including my phone, for updating everyone, Ipad, which is currently full of movies and TV shows to watch.. and my Laptop as a backup if I run out of things to do. I doubt I'll use the above though, as my guess is that I will probably sleep a lot.

Hopefully, I'm not missing anything. Today, I'll be travelling up to Birmingham, where the hospital is, but we thought it'd be good to spend the day out at Alton Towers for the day to keep my mind off surgery. Hopefully I don't regret the decision. Hah.

For now, my nerves are holding up pretty well. I'm not nervous at all really, not thinking about it all that much or worrying. I'm sure it will be different soon enough and I doubt I will get much sleep tonight. Eeeek!

Question: Ever had Major Surgery? How were your nerves?

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I thought I'd provide some of the helpful resources that I have found whilst I was researching about Tummy Tucks and Breast Uplift procedures.

It's a collection of information about the procedures themselves and some first hand experiences from other people (I've found these the most useful).

*** Tummy Tuck Resources ***

Christa Cox
I very recently found Christa when I was googling for more tummy tuck experiences. Christa has very detailed and informative vlogs about her tummy tuck experience. What to expect before and after surgery, how to prepare for surgery and the recover afterwards. She's been doing frequent update son her scars too.

Runs for Cookies
I've been reading Katies blog since I first started my blog and started building up a reader of other bloggers. I noticed she'd had a Lower Body Lift through her blog tabs at the top of her page.

Although her surgery procedure was different to the tummy tuck that I am booked for, I have still found all her posts extremely helpful as there is tonnes of info and a detailed account of how her recovery was after the surgery.

Beth's Journey
Beth is another blogger that I found close to around the time that I started out with my blog. Again, I noticed that she had Plastic Surgery - She had an Extended Abdominoplasty with Flank Lipo, so not exactly the same as me, but again, every little helps with regards to what to expect. She's documented before and after her surgery and has been posting about her recovery after her surgery.

PriorFatGirl
Another blogger, Jen went through a tummy tuck, she's also had the excess skin on her arms removed. She's provided a wealth of information about the tummy tuck, her consultations, her recovery and scar updates.

Makeup Geek
I originally was watching Makeup Geek (Marlena) where I went through a phase of really wanting to get into makeup and watching makeup tutorials *rolls eyes* It didn't happen for me.

Marlena has vlogged about her Tummy Tuck Surgery and recovery after surgery. She also did a whole post on her website about preparing for surgery which I've found massively helpful!

BlueEyedBetty
Found Lauren on Instagram. She has had a tummy tuck, she provides information and pictures on her instagram with regards to her scar updates and also vlogged about her tummy tuck and check ins after having her surgery.

*** Breast Uplift Resources ***

Tittilicious(Warning: NSFW)
I'm not sure of the womans name, I'll be sure to ask her. I literally found her today whilst browsing the internet and she's had a breast uplift and then implants as a second procedure. She had the same surgeon as me at the same company so its actually been an awesome resource for me to find out what it will be like.

Breast Buddies
This is an online forum full of loads of people that have had different types of breast surgery, their stories, chances to ask any questions or have questions answered through other peoples questions, it's definitely been a helpful resource.

*** General Surgery Resources ***

RealSelf
This site has loads of information, from reviews, Q+As, people documenting the recovery from surgery. Found some great pieces of information on here and its definitely worth a browse around.

---

I've definitely found more results for Tummy Tucks than I have for Breast Uplifts, Theres plenty of resources via the forum and the Real Self website.. Maybe I'm not looking in the right place.

It's been helpful to get lots of peoples perspectives on tummy tucks. Everyone has a different experience, everyone has a different recovery so its good to see it from all angles.

So, I'm almost coming up to a month before my surgery date. It's nerve wracking. I'm starting to have dreams about it. Some not so pleasant. I'm not sure whether reading about the surgeries is helping or hindering me at the moment.

I do however think that knowing more about the recovery from other peoples perspectives is going to help me with my recovery and that's the reason why I keep reading about it. I want to be as prepared as I can.

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*** Specific Tummy Tuck Questions ***

So, I went for my third and final consultation for Skin Removal surgery with The Hospital Group.
If you haven't checked out my how my other consultations went, you can click the Plastic Surgery tab at the top of the page!

I emailed the Sally, my surgery coordinator that saw me the last time that I came in for a consultation. She notified me that surgery dates for booking are only available two months prior to when you are considering having surgery.  I was pretty set on April, so I emailed her at and asked if I could have an appointment to see her to have a look at surgery dates and ask her some questions I had.

She mentioned that there was another surgeon in on the 7th February if I wanted to see a second surgeon. Originally, I was just going to go along with the first surgeon and book with him, but I saw no harm in having another consultation so I agreed.

The surgeon I was going to see was Mr Mario Russo (he is going to be my surgeon in April). I did some research on him to find out a little more about him. He's a celebrity surgeon, has been on TV for surgery like Embarrassing Bodies (show in the UK) and is famous with TOWIE stars.

I found out his nickname is 'Dr Boob' which seems quite appropriate as that's an area I was looking at having and I've heard a lot of good things about his work.

So, I went to see him on the 7th of February. Much like last time, I had to fill in my medical history and the clinic was running late again, meaning I had to wait 45 minutes past my appointment (this is the only thing bugging me currently, I HATE waiting around when my appointment is for a certain time).

The fundamentals of the actual consultation went pretty similar to the last one. Mr Russo went through my medical history, asked me why I was there and then examined me, same as last time.

However, I didn't get the same outcome that I expected based on the other consultation. He gave me his recommendation of a Breast Uplift with Implants and a Tummy Tuck.

Image Sourced from Real Self and ammended for Tummy Tuck Illustration

Straight away, I asked why he didn't recommend a Fleur De Lis like the other surgeon. To which he explained that its a procedure that he would ONLY perform on patients that had really dramatic loose skin following weight loss and that I would achieve the same (flat stomach) results having a tummy tuck as I would from a Fleur de lis (but minus the scar, which is a HUGE bonus!).

He showed me the results that I would have afterwards by pulling and stretching the loose skin from my stomach downwards and explaining what he would remove and what I would be left with.

I expressed my concerns raised during my previous consultation, where the other surgeon mentioned that if I had a tummy tuck alone, when I bent over, the pouch of skin would still hang around my mid section.

Mr Russo is confident that this is not going to be an issue if I have a tummy tuck and I suppose if the results don't turn out as I expect, then I will have the opportunity to express this afterwards, but I'm pretty happy that Mr Russo feels confident enough to say that I won't have a problem.

He explained the scarring and any possible risks from surgery, something they have to tell us about. This included, obviously, the effects of having a child and that some of the results COULD be reversed. He also mentioned implant rejections, where your body can reject a foreign object such as the implant. A low possibility, but a risk that still needs to be mentioned.

He said that both the surgeries could be done in one, rather than the recommended two from the other surgeon (I asked Sally about this, it is based on how fast the surgeon is able to do the procedures).

I then met up with Sally, I explained that I wanted to see both of the surgeons work to see a comparison. Both of them were quite good. Mr Russo is very neat with his lines and is a perfectionist in the breast area, all of his work looked amazing!

I decided there and then to book the surgery with Mr Russo for the 10th April.

Generally, overall I felt happy with Mr Russo, he made me feel comfortable, I was able to have a normal conversation with him, he didn't make me feel nervous or embarrassed and seem to be very confident that I would achieve 'perfect (in his words) results'.

It's been quite a good outcome. I don't have to have two sets of surgery, which I was worried about for work. I would have had to have 2 lots of 2-3 weeks off work, which isn't very good for me when I'm in training at the moment.

It would also mean I'd be out of exercise for a very long time and I wasn't too happy about that. The thirdly, I wont need to have the big vertical scar going up the middle of my body - which for sure would get questions all the time and was one thing that almost put me off.

I know that a lot of people can see loads of surgeons before ultimately making the big decision but I'm happy with my decision to have Mr Russo as my surgeon.

I'm looking forward to it. I'm trying not to really look at any photos or read up much about the surgery because it makes me really nervous. I don't deal with pain well or anything gruesome looking, so I'm pretty sure looking at the scars after surgery is going to be quite an ordeal in itself.

but bring on 7 weeks! It's going to fly by!

Question: Do you get the heebie-jeebies when you look at something gruesome?
Do you think you have a low or high pain threshold?

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This is going to be a fairly long post in itself for just covering the first consultation, so unfortunately, I will have to make a separate post for my other consultation, but I suppose its also a good thing, too much information in one is not necessarily the best idea.

So, as I'd already explained in my previous post, The Harley Medical Group was a NO for me. I had already researched a bunch of companies that were potentials and when watching Embarrassing Bodies one night, The Hospital Group was on there for some surgery (I can't remember the procedure).

Image Source from the Hospital Group Website.

I looked them up online that very same night and saw the celebrities that they've worked on, I did some research on the company and some of the surgeons and decided that I would go for a consultation. I emailed The Hospital Group and arranged to see a surgeon at their Cambridge Clinic.

I was booked to see a surgeon on the 30/11/2013. I did not get to pick a surgeon when I booked the consultation, but I am assuming that if I had a particular surgeon I wanted to see, that this could be arranged.

The routine was pretty much similar to that for my other consultation, I filled in a bunch of Medical History Information and waited to see a surgeon(I was waiting over an hour which is the only thing I've been unhappy about).

The surgeon was polite, went through my medical history info that I'd supplied and asked me why I was there.

After telling him I'd lost a lot of weight and had loose skin, he then examined me. As I expected, he did agree that I would need a Breast Uplift and also suggested that I would need a Fleur De Lys Tummy Tuck rather than a normal tummy tuck.

He said that because the skin on my upper abdomen is also loose, a regular tummy tuck would not rid me of all the skin and that if I lean over, I would still have a dangling pouch around my midsection.

Image Sourced from Real Self

It's ridiculous thinking about how CLOSE I am to going in for surgery. 8 WEEKS! If this is news to you, I did do another post about the date for my surgery. I can't wait to get it over and done with. I now think its agonizing having to wait for it!

Until Next Time!

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This is going to be a very quick update,  but I did not see the point in keeping hold of the news until I get round to my next Plastic Surgery post next week.

I went to my 3rd Skin Removal Consultation today. I went with the intentions of booking regardless of the outcome. I was going to pick between the two surgeons that I'd seen for this particular company.

I have now picked my surgeon and I'm very happy about my decision. I have also BOOKED my surgery and it will be happening on the 10th of April.
I'm both nervous and excited. I know now that it's something real and it will be happening, quite soon as well.

Nervous as hell because I don't deal with pain very well, but I'm also MAJORLY excited about it finally happening. You'll have known from reading my blog posts on surgery, that its something that I've been thinking about for a very long time and it has just become VERY real.

In 2 months time, I'll be under the knife having my excess skin from my breasts and stomach area removed.

Nervous but Excited.

Keep your eyes peeled for a post going up next week regarding my other two consultations. Please go and read my other post about my first consultation if you missed it :)

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