The results.

No, no pictures yet. Believe me, you don't want to see it right now. It's still swollen and bloody and full of staples and I have three drains hanging out of various parts (the most disturbing being the one coming directly out of the skin on top of my hoo ha). But next week when the swelling is a little better and the drains and staples are gone (staples will be gone when I see my surgeon in 2 hours. Drains...not so much) I'll post some after pictures.

But here's what I thought when I finally worked up the courage to remove the bandages (seriously, I was terrified. I don't know what I thought I'd find under there.)

It looks good. I'm still swollen, so some areas that were ribs and muscle on Monday look a little pudgy. That will subside over time.

At the very end of my incision on my left hip, there's a little "dog ear" of skin. The best way I can describe it is if you're wrapping a present and the corner doesn't lay right. He said that if I want to come back down in the fall he can fix it. Honestly, it's not very noticeable (at least now), so I'm not sure if it's worth a 7 hour drive each way to fix it. We'll see. Maybe once the swelling goes down it'll be more pronounced and I'll want it gone.

My new belly button is kind of cute. Compared to my old one, anything would be cute.

Because of the combination of swelling and skin pulled very tight, I look a little weird, shape wise, right now. It kind of emphasizes my tiny, flat boobs and also has made my hunch back come back, which is kind of weird. I'm hoping it's just because the pain is making me stand hunched over a little.

I'm happy with it. Even with the swelling and drains, I look 1000 times better than I did three days ago. My stomach and my pubic area are one continuous area--one continuous piece of skin. Most of you out there don't understand because that's all you know. I have NEVER in my memory had that. I always had a fat roll or skin hanging down like an apron over my pubic area. Having a fairly flat tummy is weird. But in a good way. I cannot wait until the drains are gone and I can wear a pair of jeans. Even with Spanx, I had a big tummy bulge from the skin.

Holy crap, internets--I could wear a shirt tucked in. I've never been able to do that. Ever.

Anyway, he estimated that he removed about five *update* seven pounds of skin. Five Seven pounds. I think it may have been even more. Even with the drains in and all the swelling, I'm 11 pounds lighter than I was Tuesday morning.

So, I guess that's it. I'm happy with it.

Got to run, internets. My first attempt at driving like this takes place in half an hour. If you're local, you may want to avoid the area between gate two and the hospital for the next little while. But at least I'm not on narcotics!