I have a new belly button

For people who have never had a weight problem this may not seem like such a big deal, but after giving birth to my third child my belly button had dropped about 4 or 5 inches and looked more like a frown in the middle of a loaf of bread dough than a naval.  That was 14 years and 100 pounds ago, and even after losing that 100 pounds I still looked like that.  I talked to a surgeon who told me that I could do crunches and sit-ups forever and still not tighten up my abs enough to make it look like anything but what I laughingly called my "front butt".  I finally took the big leap of faith and went under the knife last week with a doctor in Grand Rapids, who I found out has a very good reputation, and had the circumferential abdominoplasty with piniculectomy.  He took off 10 pounds of excess skin and fat, removing my "front butt," but the biggist thing he did for me was to give me back my belly button.  After I lost the weight, for the first time in my life I bought a 2 piece bathing suit and our family went to an amusement park.  My son, who at the time was 13 saw a bunch of other bikini clad women with belly buttons, and looked lovingly at me and said, "so mom, just where is your belly button anyway."  I knew where he was coming from and just laughed, but now I can say it's right where it belongs, and I feel great!

Peace and blessings - Denyse

Congrats!  I'm so jealous!   I love your analogy "a frown in the middle of a loaf of bread dough"!  Michele

Yipee Skipee, losing the "front butt" is fantastic!   I hope to find out tomorrow or at least this week when they are going to repair Babette and do my TT, insurance has approved both! The bad news is that I probably won't have the belly button I haven't been able to see anyway...le sigh.   They don't think they will be able to use the skin around the BB.     If interested, pictures of Babette (hernia and family) and open wound scar are on my Profile.   Be warned they ain't pretty but they are mine I am so glad you have your Belly Button! CarolynK

Thanks Carolyn and good luck tomorrow.  I hope you get everything taken care of and they are able to rebuild you a belly button.  I saw a woman at the clinic where I had my surgery without a belly button at all and she was content, so I guess for some people it isn't as important as it was to me.  I'm especially glad to hear that your insurance is covering so much of your repair.  Mine only covered about 30 percent, but I would even take that.   Peace and be well, Denyse

YAY!!!!!!!!!!! That's one of the things I love about this sight - it's the things that people who haven't walked our path would think are small minor issues, yet to us are biggies, that we can share with others who understand. That is so great for you, you'll have to re-name yourself:  Belly Button Gal............  You flash that button with pride in your bikini :o)