Wearing Shorts

Today I wore shorts. 

This may not seem like a big deal, after all I've worn shorts before, these exact ones to be precise. But today was very different. 

Normally when I'm driving my shorts wouldn't just ride up, but they would get bunched up above the extra skin and I would have to pull at them quite a bit to get them right again. And yes, many women experience their shorts riding up as they walk, but not all of those women have to contend with it happening and the world having full view of saggy, loose, extra skin from weight loss. 

It mentally plagued me each time I wore a pair of shorts but I forced myself to wear them anyway, because I try to not let fear of things or anxiety stop me from living life. 

But today .... TODAY WAS DIFFERENT!!!

Each time I got out of the Durango while working I would stand up and think to myself, "Do they need to be fixed?" And each time the answer was no. They were fine. As I walked I kept mentally and physically checking to see if I needed to adjust them, and each time the answer was no. They were worn with ease and comfort, and for the first time since I was 20 years old, I felt comfortable walking around with my thighs being semi exposed. 

I wish I could explain to you how that feels... But you'll just have to take my word for it that it's damn incredible.

6 Weeks Post Op.

6 Week Post Surgical Check-Up Appt:

My surgeon, Dr. Sherick, said I'm healing up amazingly well. I officially have no restrictions! Yay!!! I'm allowed to do whatever I want again as long as I'm feeling comfortable. He also said that normally he would have patients come back at the 3 month mark for the next check up but things are looking so impressive I can wait until the 4 month milestone! Sweet! I'm really happy with the results and feeling so thankful. I finally have my original legs back from before I ever became obese and it feels so good! 💛My surgeon, Dr. Sherick, said I'm healing up amazingly well. I officially have no restrictions! Yay!!! I'm allowed to do whatever I want again as long as I'm feeling comfortable. He also said that normally he would have patients come back at the 3 month mark for the next check up but things are looking so impressive I can wait until the 4 month milestone! Sweet! I'm really happy with the results and feeling so thankful. I finally have my original legs back from before I ever became obese and it feels so good! 💛

Medial Thigh Lift

On March 6th at 7:30 am I had my Bilateral Medial Thigh Lift. WOW... that was some interesting new pain levels. Not at all as painful as the horizontal and vertical tummy tuck, but still very painful and just in a different way. Surgery went really well. Two hours and forty minutes in surgery and then a couple hours in the recovery area. Trying to move and sit in the wheelchair to get from there to the car was an ordeal. But also, could have been much worse, since sitting down and getting up and down, is where I experience most of my pain. I didn't shed any tears or cry-out about it however when I did have to do things involving that. Dealing with the pain, sucking it up! If I am aware things will be painful, I can handle it. Sitting on the toilet is very painful due to the hardness of the seat. So, James made it a point on day 2 or 3, to purchase a cushioned toilet seat for me. It doesn't totally solve the problem, but it does help a great deal.

The incisions are all along the very top of my thighs right against my groin. It basically creates, along with my tummy tuck scar, a triangle surrounding my groin area. Kinda funny really. Initially when I arrived home standing to long caused an upset stomach, and I was very sleepy off and on from the anesthesia and pain meds. I also couldn't use the stairs well. As you can imagine lifting my legs more than 3-6 inches off the ground was quite painful. I ended up sleeping on the couch that night, and James did too. He wanted to be close by to me in case I needed help.

I had two drains coming out above the groin area, and as usual those are a big annoyance, although clearly necessary. It just isn't fun dealing with them in general, especially in the shower. By the second night I was able to go up the stairs and sleep in my own bed. That was a big win. We managed to find a semi comfortable way for me to get in and out of the bed without much pain, that involved me kind of rolling out. LOL

Seems silly but it works.

I took the pain meds they prescribed me for 3 days. By day 4 I only took the one at night and also the following night. They can sadly make you constipated and did. I had only had a bowel movement of very small amounts and it was incredibly difficult to get out, which created very painful hemorrhoids took a bunch of Collace on the night of the 11th which actually upset my stomach, and by the morning of the 12th, I had diarrhea, and everything came out. Thank goodness. Also on the 12th I had my first post op surgery checkup. All is well and so well in fact that I had my drains taken out. YAY!! My surgeon, Dr. Sherick, said that my legs look great and that I should expect that over time the skin will loosen some and look more natural, but of course won't look like it did before. I would sure hope not! LOL

I can't wait till I can comfortably sit in a car and on a toilet without pain again. Probably won't be Door Dashing anytime soon, I suspect until early April. I'll be including a picture of what things looked like before, and then on the first day of surgery. It's pretty amazing really!

Medial Thigh Lift

 The next cosmetic surgery has been a long time coming. It's been 12 years since I had my weight loss surgery and I have finally decided to venture into the next form of "feeling put together". On March 6th, 2024 (yep, just a few shorts weeks from now) I will be having a Medial Thigh lift. Having the excess skin on my inner thigh removed has been something I've wanted to have done for years and years, but because of the cost, and always feeling like it was something I should just deal with, I hadn't look into it previously. 

After what felt like ages, I decided to discuss the topic with James. He agreed that it would be ok to use the yearly bonus money he gets toward this procedure. I was thrilled! About 2 months ago I scheduled a consultation at what I felt was a well-reviewed surgeons office in Ypsi/Ann Arbor. The surgeon I met with was well spoken, clear, and made me feel comfortable. I really wanted to get two surgeries done at once, the thigh lift and a sort of Butt Lift, where the excess skin above my butt would have been removed. Sadly, that was an extra $!0,000 that I do not have. ugh. 

That was ok though, in due time I will get that done as well. For now, I have a thigh lift happening (very soon!) and I couldn't be happier about it. I don't quite know how to properly explain the total joy it will bring me to have this done. Although I always force myself to wear shorts, and swimsuits, I have always had a sense of unease about it. My loose skin isn't awful, but it doesn't look good, and it certainly makes me feel less confident and less physically attractive. Even though I realize, that isn't true.

I have my pre-op appointment scheduled for the 20th of this month.... everything will be paid for at that time and it won't be long after that the surgery is upon me. I can admit to being a bit nervous about this one. Unlike the tummy tucks, and breast surgeries, this one I can't hide as easily with the kind of clothes I want to wear if things go wrong. That has me a tad nervous. BUT.... all the reviews and pictures I have seen from this surgeon are excellent, so I know it will be fine. I will of course update after the surgery as soon as I am able. Hopefully the road to recovery won't be too painful.