Here’s My Secret

Here’s My Secret

“Nervous?” she asked, unexpectedly.  It was hard to imagine that less than two weeks ago we were posing for pictures together in our bikinis at the Adela Classic; laughing.  “Yes,” I said, my voice loud to my own ears.

The room was dark.  She held up the syringe.  “Then do I have a cocktail for you!”

I felt the need to send a text to my husband, Henri.  It believe it was something poignant like, “Henri imsle hi o hmmmmmmm.”  I woke up in blackness, a weight on my chest, thoroughly confused.  Henri walked in.  He said the text I sent him was funny.  He was going to get the car.  A nurse made me drink water.  “What’s your pain level?” she asked.

“Four,” I said.  If it hurts this much before, what would it feel like after?  The nurse made me drink again.   “Won’t I get sick if I drink? I don’t want to get sick during the procedure.”  “Honey, you’re done with the surgery now.”  Lights came on.  A man helped me in a wheelchair to take me to my husband.

“What are you in for?” he asked, wheeling me down the hall.  Didn’t he know?  Maybe they kept things like this secret?  I was wearing my black sweatpants, the ones with the yellow star on the side, and a pale blue button down shirt, like Staci told me to wear.  It was comforting to know I was under the care of my friends and teammates – Adrienne had done the anesthesia and Staci had done the surgery.

My body was throbbing.  But I smiled.  “I had the Mommy Special today,” I said.

“Ohhhh,” he laughed.  “Congratulations!”

*******

Why I Opted for The Mommy Special

No one tells you the truth about what pregnancy does to your body.  I went into it expecting a cute little belly bump followed by an even cuter little baby nine months later.   The cute baby part was right (I had two cute babies actually, now ages 6 and 4,) but I was not even remotely prepared for all those “My Body is a Science Project” things no one told me about.  Like my foot growing an entire shoe size, or the joys of pregnancy constipation, or the cruel joke nursing plays on your unsuspecting ta-tas.  But the biggest shocker for me was a little thing called “mom’s apron,” which is a euphemism for the loose, saggy skin that remains under some women’s belly button after having a baby.  Let me be clear here:  Pregnancy, while difficult, is also the most incredible experience a woman can go through, and my kids are my greatest accomplishment, but that doesn’t mean I want to have saggy skin on my belly for the rest of my life as a reminder of the experience.  The baby’s moved out of my womb and into the world; the mom’s apron can exit my body as well.

The “Mommy Special” is a nickname for the surgical procedures to fix sagging ta-tas and remove excess skin around the tummy.  And, full disclosure here, some of that skin had to do with the fact that I used to be 50 lbs. overweight.

But I didn’t just go in for plastic surgery after my second kid; I felt like I needed to get myself sorted out first.  I changed my unhealthy lifestyle, learned how to eat clean, joined a women’s bodybuilding team, and am now a personal trainer and fitness blogger to help other people become healthy.  Diet, exercise and positive thinking can do amazing things.  And yet.

Yet…

When I did a push up my chest would go up but the the skin from my stomach was still hanging out on the floor.  Damnit!

So I began thinking, the Mommy Special might be a nice 40th birthday gift to myself.  I immediately began to talk myself out of it.  What will people say about me if they knew?  I pictured the scene at church, encircled by angelic looking people with sad, sad faces saying aloud, “Dear Jesus, please pray for Lisa and her vanity issues.”  My husband will think it’s too expensive.  My mother will freak out.  What will I say to my daughter and son?  I guess I’ll just do nothing and be annoyed every time I take a shower for the rest of my life.  And yet.

Yet…

Through my weight loss journey I’ve learned a couple of things.  One is that you can’t live your life trying to please other people.  Someone will be always be unhappy with some of your decisions.  You have to do what’s right for you.  The other thing I realized is that complaining is a waste of time and if you have the ability to fix something, then stop complaining and take action.

So I got the Mommy Special three weeks ago and I’m thrilled with the results.  My stitches are still in, my stomach is still swollen and healing, and obviously I wasn’t allowed to exercise for the past month, so I’m not ready to post a typical bathing suit picture yet, but here’s a picture in some workout clothes.

My surgeon, Dr. Staci Hix-Hernandez, was amazing, and I highly recommend her to anyone considering this procedure.  (You can contact her directly at Stacijhix@gmail if you wanted to set up a consultation.)

I feel so much better now that I’m not keeping secrets from you!  I know you’re busy and have to get back to your life, so in future posts I will answer some questions you might want to ask, like my other friends asked me:

• What did your mom say? (You’d be surprised)
• What’s the procedure like?  Does it hurt?  (I’ll tell you the real deal)
• Are you doing this to win a bodybuilding trophy? (No, but I’ll discuss it)
• What does your husband think?  (Another surprise)
• How much does it cost? (Can you say, “financing?”)
• What did you say to your kids?

Don’t worry; I’m still going to write my typical posts about clean eating, family stuff and exercise.  But now you no longer have to read posts of me complaining about my mom’s apron 😉

What are your thoughts about The Mommy Special?

Lisa

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