Lets start the journey

Hard to believe my triplets are 9 and singleton is 7. I had a lot of damage to my stomach with my the triplets that was only made worse with my singleton. My efforts to do sit ups only increased the separation of the muscles. We just never had the money to do the repairs. Now that the kids are all in school and we had some money saved we started looking into the repairs. We had read on triplet message boards that many had gotten the hernia and muscle repair portion covered by insurance and they paid out of pocket for the tummy tuck to get rid of all the extra skin. We were counting on the insurance paying for some of it. We started the process with me loosing over 50lbs. This only made the stomach look worse and the skin just hang worse but I was ready. Went to the first plastic surgeon blind not knowing what to expect. The first shock was the $100 deposit she wanted when we showed up at the appt just to give an estimate. She gave a through explanation of the procedure but would not even discuss insurance in any shape form or fashion. Almost laughing at us. But she said I was a perfect candidate for the procedure so that made me feel better. Cost of the procedures, $8,000. We didn't have near that saved up. Only $3,000. I had been going by numbers from others on message boards and counting on insurance paying for part of it like so many others had done. So off to another surgeon. This one was another shocker. He was a general surgeon to talk about the hernia and muscle repair to get that covered before going to another plastic surgeon about the skin removal. Figured lets do this backwards since the talk around town was NONE of the plastic surgeons in town will file insurance. I found the same thing with phone calls. Well this highly recommended surgeon by another Dr had the bedside manner of a slug. The Dr evidently came in and saw me in the hospital when I was pregnant with my singleton for another issue. I was in so much pain I don't remember him. He comes in this appointment and tells me I don't have a hernia while looking at my chart before examining me. That he had seen me in 2002 and didn't appreciate one then and would have noted it in the chart. Well dude I was PREGNANT then and only 10 weeks so. I had been told by another Dr since then I do have a hernia. By this time he wasn't going to change his opinion because he declared it so mater of fact. he did an extremely brief exam and said no hernia the fascia was just so stretched you could feel through it. He never had me cough were you could see my intestines pop out or anything. Then this highly renowned Dr went on to attack my decision to have a repair in the first place. He tells me, and I quote, "you are taking the easy, lazy way out. You just need to do some more sit ups. Will it be easy, no. But sometimes it takes some work and you can't just go to surgery to fix your issues. Sit ups won't bring your muscles closer together but it will make them larger and thus appear closer together." I was flabbergasted. He just called me lazy. Does he really think in 9 years I hadn't thought to do a fucking sit up. They actually made it worse according to the surgeons I had seen. He went on to tell me he was going to send a letter to the plastic surgeon that he didn't recommend I get a diastasis repair because he felt strongly against them in general. He just went on and on in a condescending tone about how I needed to put more work into it and not try to take the lazy way out. I left in tears. Then I get to the valet parking which I only used because I was running late and the jerks changed my radio, and stole the money out of my money tray. It was only $2.50 but I have check in there before the apt to see if i would have money for lunch. At that point I thought there was no hope and once again it wasn't going to happen. But my wonderful husband said we would find the money. Then a post online changed everything. But that is another entry.