hope4change2012
Making Peace With My Thighs
Nov 30, 2012
This blog post is just an answer I wrote to a fabulous post by Dee on Dr. S's wall. It's long so I figured that I'd make this my blog post for the day.
Another fantastic post. Thank you. I was talking with my surgery sister Tammi (God I hope I spelled it right, she gets so irritated with me...in a cute southern way when I spell her name wrong) about how once you've researched this subject to death, then get here, go through all of it, I can see why people sort of just disappear from the board. It's so consuming. Yet, the posts are so helpful, like this one. This is just such major surgery, major life style change, major money, major fear, major hopes.
One thing that I will add is that I'm glad I brought some pics of what I wanted. I had bewbies pics that I liked and some that I didn't. He laughed and said that I have more pics of his patients then he did. I was able to have him tell me if they were implant or just a lift. With what I wanted, he had a visual of what my goal for my breasts were. If it wasn't possible, I would have gone with a lift and implant. I'm a little smaller than I was, but quite pleased.
I showed him a picture of a LBL that someone else had done that I said would not be acceptable and if he could not do better than that, then I had best not do the surgery. The dr (not Dr S) had given the girl a flat tummy but actually made her saddlebags larger, as if he didn't lift at all. So we were clear that saddle bags were my biggest issues and he did the best he could I can tell.
I wasn't at goal which made me sad. I was not happy with my inner thighs but felt that maybe I shouldn't bother with that since I'm still sporting tree trunk legs. He said maybe some day you will want it done, but now is not a good time. I appreciated that.
I was particular about the neck lift. I had researched (obsessed) that quite extensively and felt that the best way to do it is when they cut into your chin and do the corset method of stitching the platysma muscle to tighten it and then lift the mid face. That is what he does. It's longer lasting, is a strong way to help keep the other area of your mid face that's pulled in place instead of just stretching the crap out of it. He said that some people are not happy with the scar and that there is no way to determine how it will heal. It's part of the risk.
On the eyes I was afraid of complications as well. This can be life-changing if not done right. You can get dry eyes for life, your eye lid won't close properly and in addition to dry eye, just look funky and cause problems. I asked what percentage of problems he has had with the eyes. He said 2%. I still wasn't completely sure but based on previous Dr. S patients who looked great, and Ginger who was in the next room at the clinic from me sitting up reading and resting mere hours after her surgery, I decided to go for it.
I found that Dr. S will not tell you what to do,which I think I said on another post, but he will be honest about results, risks, etc., but you must ask the questions and share your vision.
I'm now one week out from the LBL/BL and eyes are a day behind. I've cried. I've had sad moments that I'm not sure what I'm crying about. I read about post op blues and I imagine that I'm a candidate as well. I have a tendency to look at what is not right, the ol' perfectionism that rears it's ugly head and I think got me fat in the first place. I see my tree trunk legs, my fat arms, my still big ass that lifted some, but still has cellulite and my dreams of a bikini don't seem like that will be a reality. Then I take a deep breath and look at my beautiful tummy, straight incision, lifted front and outer thights (some cellulite did go away from that!), my perky breasts, my, dare I say, adorable "lucy" all lifted up (Tammi's word. I love it.), my new neckline and eyes that I hope will be nice (too soon to tell) and think: I'm grateful. I'm 52 and am lucky enough to have shed some of the things that made me feel bad about myself. The rest I just need to make peace with. For God's sake, I'm in my 50's, it's time to love me for all my hard work in life, in love (though it didn't work out), in my career, in my friendships.
This is a gift. So soon out of surgery, I have no pain and no complications, but thanks to all the posts, I'm walking cautiously optimistic into my future healing.
Oh, and as Joyce Meyers always says: make peace with your thighs. That's what I intend to do. Sorry so long, but wanted to add to thoughts on Dee and everyone's fabulous posts.
