Initially I did the usual thing of phoning up well known clinics on Harley Street to make an appointment with one of their surgeons. I found a clinic I liked the sound of and went along for a consultation.
I explained that I'd had heart failure when I was 19 and the surgeon asked if I really thought it was worth risking my health for a cosmetic procedure. A fair question but he followed it up by saying that if something went wrong and I had to be rushed to an NHS hospital then he didn't want them saying "Some bastard surgeon on Harley Street has made a mistake now we have to deal with it."
I thought it might be a good idea to see my GP and ask if it would be safe for me to have non life saving surgery with my heart condition. It was him that recommended Mr Tanner. His clinic is in a Bupa Hospital which meant that if anything did go wrong then there was an intensive care unit to hand.
I felt as ease with Mr Tanner immediately. He's very jolly and over the top and I didn't feel at all uncomfortable showing him my stomach. I saw the before and after photos of previous patients and was very impressed and couldn't wait to get booked in.
I recovered very quickly but obviously everyone is different. My scars have faded nicely. If you look at the third photo on my profile, which was taken six months after op, you can only just the scar down my middle.
It never crossed my mind that I might look worse after the operation as my stomach was so awful. There wasn't any excess fat, just a flap of skin which could be seen through my clothes. I hated it so much and just wanted it off. I wasn't at all bothered by scars as I have stretchmarks anyway.