Ode to the Post-Op Pooch

A few weeks back, on a whim, I decided to attend the last hour of a local "All About Women" health fair.  I was there to look for one specific booth: "Plastic Surgery Associates."  [I'd seen their booths/displays set up in the past and had always dreamed of the "day in the future" when I would become their patient.  At one point in my life that seemed an impossibility but today it seems like it's "right there" ... within reach!]  :-)

Anywhooo - back to my story ... after scouting a couple rooms - and bypassing some impressive tables/displays (all the while resisting impulse buys of jewelry, handbags and homemade honey!), I saw the banner for Plastic Surgery Associates looming overhead and, lo and behold, Dr. Mendez was actually 'manning' (pardon the pun) his booth. 

Impressive.

I went to talk with him and found him extremely approachable.  Lucky for me his booth was empty - in fact, most of the tables were breaking down for the day so the entire room/warehouse was growing quiet and things were winding down.  Dr. Mendez asked me what I was interested in discussing so I told him about my gastric bypass surgery in 2009 and my subsequent weight loss. We talked about how long I would need to wait before scheduling an initial consult, etc.  I also inquired as to whether or not I could expect to lose any additional weight from any/all skin removal during the tummy tuck/lipo process, etc.  Dr. Mendez asked what my expectations from surgery were and I told him that, ultimately, I would like to feel a lot better about my body than I do at present.  I feel great when I have clothing on.  When I take off the clothing ... mmmm ... notsumuch!  :-/ 

He looked at me - kind of gave me the visual "once over" - and then asked if my upper arms were an issue.  (ha - the way he posed the question made me laugh and I wanted to respond with, "Well ... they *weren't* ... until just NOW!"  Instead I said, "No.").  ;-)  My upper arm area probably should be an issue based on magazine images but - I'm happy to say my arms really don't bug me all that much.  Do I wish they were firmer/toner/less flabby?  Yeah, I guess.  And while I wouldn't say I'm particularly "proud" of that part of my body - I'm taking into consideration the whole picture here and placing priorities on what I want help with.  If money were no object?  Sure, fix the bat wings.  But - if I have to pick and choose ... my stomach and my butt and my thighs and my boobs definitely take precedence - in that order!

So -- Dr. Mendez asked some further questions.  Then he said it's always best to get to ones goal weight prior to weight loss surgery (not to bank on weight loss surgery as a tool for weight loss) but he followed up by asking if I had discussed a goal weight with my personal physician.  I said that yes, I had, and that her recommendation was for me to weigh no less than 135 (I currently weigh 1 pound less than my doctor's goal).  He then asked me how much I would need to lose to get to my personal goal weight and I told him I wanted to weigh no more than 125 pounds. 


Dr. Mendez concluded by saying it sounds like the only question now is the length of time that I have maintained my loss.  It should be no less than one year and I'm okay with taking the time to drop another 9 pounds and then working to maintain that loss for at least a year.  Realistically (& financially) I could not afford surgery or the additional time off from work this year anyway (probably not even next) and I want to do this right.  I'm definitely still in the process of learning how to eat/exercise/maintain -- and I do still want to work off that last 8-9 pounds.  And my brain needs to catch up with my body ... the other day I walked into the bathroom and I was actually taken back by what I saw ... I was half asleep and expected to see the fat chick in the mirror.  When I turned on the light I saw a smaller version of me reflecting back and realized that, for a second, I had actually kind of forgotten I was thinner.  It was a great feeling but I really need to connect my head and my belly!

Long story short (too late, I know ...) I came away from the spur of the moment consult with Dr. Mendez feeling informed, motivated and optimistic about having at least a tummy tuck and lipo at some point in the future.

He recommended I come to a complimentary seminar in April so I signed up to attend.  If you attend the seminar you receive your follow-up in office consult free (which I already knew because I work at a medical office and we see their patients regularly).  The appointment for a consult doesn't have to be made by any deadline so I could attend the seminar this April and have a consult next year at this time if I wanted.

The only thing is -- I've been "shopping around" online.  One of my co-workers (a post gastric bypass patient herself) recommended a surgeon she'd heard of down in the Beverly Hills area so ... I scoped out some of this Center's "Before/After" photos.  This surgeon's work is AMAZING.  I felt like I was kinda/sorta gawking at a porn magazine (sans ooh la la!) -- but there were numerous nudes on there that had REMARKABLE transformations.  I was so impressed with this surgeon's site ...

I just cannot imagine myself traveling sooo far for plastic surgery.  There must be good plastic surgeons closer.  Then again - I traveled over 5 hours for my gastric bypass.  At any rate - I am thinking, thinking, thinking ...

I *wish* I didn't have to go down the plastic surgery road -- I *wish* I didn't have all this excess skin ... but ~ "if wishes were fishes" ...
I'm contemplating, I'm thinking, I'm dreaming ... and now I'm planning -- planning on pulling a big ol' leftover Blue Mountain Spring Water plastic jug out of the recycling in the garage so I can start filling it with pennies -- pennies for the post-op pooch!!

More later ~