$11,203

This morning I had my plastic surgery consult. It went really well. I feel really good about the facility, the physician, and the pain management. I was pleasantly surprised by the price. I was honestly thinking $15,000 for my Brachioplasty and Thigh Lift.

The thigh lift would be three different cuts because of the amount of excess skin I have. My goal is to get the biggest bang for my buck in one time under the knife. He said my arms were perfect because I essentially have a flap of skin with no fat in it, and he would just have to cut the flap off to contour it. I was impressed with how the scars on my arms would not be seen unless I raise my arms straight up. The surgery should be about 4.5 hours for both procedures, with most of that time being spent on my thighs. I asked him just for kicks how much he thought he would be removing poundage wise. He said for my arms combined probably one pound, and for my thighs probably three pounds on each thigh. Although I still obsess over the number on the scale from a not ever wanting to weigh 393 pounds again, I am in general just curious how much excess skin I actually have. The recovery would be around two weeks, although I would be wearing bandage/restriction garments for four weeks. The nurse mentioned this would not be two weeks were I would be "bed bound" or anything of that nature. When you have your thighs done, walking frequently is important so clots don't occur.

Now is the waiting game. I am hopeful that these procedures can be done at the beginning of next summer. It will come down to whether or not Ben has received his trust by then. If not, we will have to postpone it.

In thinking about the cost of the DS and the plastic surgeries, I need to remember as my friends start to get fancier cars or take big trips, that I am literally walking around in what would be my fancy car or big European vacation. I'm not going to complain because being able to have life in my years is important....I spent way too much time on the sidelines.