In terms of the cosmetic corrective procedures I’ve had, what didn’t go so well is my tummy tuck. The results were amazing, but the complications were relatively frightening.

I had lost a good deal of weight and the amount of extra skin left over was not going to go away no matter how much more weight I lost or how many sit ups I could do. I decided on a tummy tuck. I did all the prep work, was in good health, and when the surgery was over and I woke up, I found myself in the emergency room. During the surgery too much fluid had built up in my body. As a result, my oxygen levels dropped and my blood levels weren’t recovering. I found myself with oxygen tubes in my nose, IVs in my arms, I had been given pain killers, and I eventually needed a blood transfusion. I was completely shocked and so was the surgeon. What I experienced turned out to be a rare but not unheard-of complication.

I spent four nights in the hospital on an IV drip, oxygen, and antibiotics. It wasn’t pleasant and at a few points downright worrisome. But I’ll never forget the one night when the nurse came in to give me my medications and check on my vital signs and she asked me was it worth it. I remember looking up at her with blurry eyes, barely awake, and still acutely feeling the pain, and asking, “Was what worth it?” She asked, “Would you have the tummy tuck again given everything you’re going through now?” I smiled as I lifted up my hospital robe and showed her my completely flat tummy. I said, “I would rather not have had complications, but I’ve never seen anything so beautiful as my perfectly flat, even, tummy.”