Tummy Tuck: Forum
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9 Feelings You Have Before, During & After Tummy Tuck

By Kimmers25 on 07 Sep 2010

• Excitement – yahoo my hanging tummy is gone and I will look great.

• Anxiety – too many topics to cover on this one! Oh good lord I was a mess for about two weeks.

Tummy Tuck Survival Guide
Part 1: 12 Things I Wish I Knew Before
Part 2: Feelings: Before and After
Part 3: Supplies You Will Need
Part 4: 7 Tips for Showering Post-Op
Part 5: Do's & Dont's After Surgery
Part 6: Funny Things Said During This Process

• Happiness – you really are happy you did this.

• Sadness – yes you will cry at the Hallmark Ads. Have no clue why but it passes quickly.

• Depression – mild though irritating.

• Pain pain and more pain – this gets better by the day so hang on

• Exhilaration – ahhhh bliss my double muffin top is gone.

• Confusion – or as I like to refer to as the “What the Heck Was I Thinking” moments.

• Worry – what if my swelling doesn’t go down, will this pain end, what if my jeans don’t fit, hope I don’t gain weight because I am not exercising, my house is dirty and I can’t clean right now. Oh hell the list goes on. As women and mothers I think this is our favorite pass time so just roll with it. Nobody will die, the kids will survive and you can get the house back in order later. If people come to visit and don’t like your dirty house just send them packing……or hand them the mop and dust rag.

All of these feelings are totally normal so just ride the rollercoaster and know it will stop eventually. I am pretty sure my husband felt like he was living with Cybil for a couple of weeks. The moods changed more that I emptied my drains. Come on ladies ride the coaster with grace and be happy and proud that you did this procedure for yourself. We are so worth it. We have labored and delivered children so we can definitely survive this one.

NEXT: Supplies You Will Need for After Tummy Tuck Surgery >>

Comments (1,662)

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Hi everyone, After doing my research on my doctor. I came across this site. I will be visiting my doctor in dr but I'm scared. I'm also going with a close friend of mind were both doing the tummy tuck . I have 2 children and most return to work. I'm really scared of the pain and not being able to care for my children. Can anyone tell me how does the pain feels. So, I go for my consultion on jan 24,2012. Wish me luck.
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Welcome to the community:)

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Thank you so much !!! I really appricate your support !!! I will keep you posted . Although im scared , i know i will be okay !!!
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You will do just fine darlin:)

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just found this site. hands are shaking already : ( did you go in yet?
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Well i found out something very interesting. My body doesn't like the thicker white stitches that they use for the inside, they are suppose to disolve. Well ine don't. So i went to see my PS 3 days ago, and my incision wasn't closing in a few spots, so he had to dig the white stiches out of me where we could find them. Now i have 1 opening about 1" long, and a couple smaller ones. I a losing faith that I will ever heal. It's been 5 weeks and i still have some swelling, usually worse in the afternoon, but the open wounds are the worse. I have to wait 2 weeks and hope they heal if they don't? I don't know my options. I saw a post that someone else had found the little white stitches in the midst of their incision. So wish me the best for healing cuz i a getting very disappointed in this process.
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Do not despair. You will heal. I had a stitch dug our of me too and mentally it set me back. But I did heal. And all is good bleep the faith! Five weeks post op is really not that long.
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Thanks for your post. I look at the gash in my belly and wonder if this will really heal. You are right it sets you back. I am like i a so over not feeling 100%. I guess I feel good that I am not the only one that has been down this long path. Did you heal shortly after you got the stitch out? I had to get like 5 dug out. How long until you felt better? Thanks :+)
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Physically I felt better almost immediately The stitch they took out was causing me pain as my body was rejecting it. Mentally took much longer. I limited my activities for a few months after surgery and didn't truly feel comfortable with doing most things, for fear of messing something up, for 6 months. Mind you that not a normal thing. I was just nervous. You'll. feel better as you reach about 12 weeks
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I hope I feel better soon, i a getting tired of the openings of my belly and not healing, plus all the time it takes to put stuff on the opening and keep it something over it cuz it seaps. Sorry sounds so gross but true. I think i have a few more stitches moving closer to the surface of my skin and is going to cause me more problems. So i guess I need to just buck up and get ready for another month or 2 before I heal. How did your scar look after taking longer to heal? What did you find best to put on your scar? My PS has me using cortaid on the scar and iodine on the opening. Thanks for your words of encouragement and helping with my question.
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Don't worry. This is not gross at all to those if us who have been through it. And if I tell you now one day you won't even remember how you are feeling right now you won't believe me, because I know I didn't, but you won't. I had mine done in January of 2011 and went to the beach in June. Scar was pretty visible then but I didn't care. Now it's just a white flat scar. I used some ointment for scars that my PS recommended but don't remember the name. And for the open areas I used Triple antibiotic cream. I would think iodine would dry you out too much. My biggest fear was undoing the muscle repair. That's mainly why I took it easy for so long. I own a doggy day care so my job can be physical at times. I'm back to normal, hell better than normal, now. And have been for awhile. Just know this healing time is a snapshot in your life and will pass quickly. This is one surgery recovery you can't hurry.
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Oh my body also hated the stitches!  I spit them out on several occasions.  The holes will heal.  Just make sure to keep them clean and dry.  

You will be fine I promise:)  Although I know this is very annoying for you.

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Hi, thanks for the kind words. I just don't feel like I am healing. It's been 5 weeks and I think I felt better the first 2-3 weeks. All was going ok until a few places opened up because the stitches were breaking through the skin and i noticed tonight that another area is looking like it might open up. My PS is 4 hours away so i can't just go see him for every little thing. I just feel like the openings will never heal. The one is about an inch or more on length and the others are about 1/2 inch, but i have 3 of them. My PS has me putting iodine on them to keep them clean and dry. But they drain also some fluid so I wear a thin maxi pad inside my underware or CG so that i don't ruin them. I will try to think about those that have gone through this and know I am going to be ok. Thanks.
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I know this is very annoying but it will end!   Stay positive and just know it takes a while to heal.  You will get there and soon this will all be a distant memory.  Darn stitches!!!

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Well today i am 32 days PO. PO should stand for pissed off. I have been on this roller coaster of a month, wow. Happy, sad, excited etc. I have been really down lately. My scar looks like 95% of it is healing nicely, but i have a couple really small areas about 1/2 inch long that will not heal. I get so frustrated with not healing and feeling great. The swelling isn't too bad so that i am thankful for, not drains, that's even better, my jeans are very loose but they are too uncomfortable to wear with the scar still so fresh. Otherwise things are great, hummmm. I can't wait to start to walk more, my backs actually good and not walking humped over unless it's been a long day at work. I just want this healing process to get going and hurry up. I can say the facelift, breastlift I had 4 years ago can't compare to this surgery, this is MUCH harder to endure. I go to my PS tomorrow, thank goodness, i need to figure out why I am not healing right. Will post more tomorrow. Wish me luck!
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It takes about 6 months to fully heal. Don't rush it. I too had a facelift many years before my TT and you're right, as elective surgeries go, this one is a doozy. Hang in there!
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can anyone tell me about crossing over the border from Mexico to USA after surgery... What do the customs agents think and do about the bandages and the drains. I am nervous they will make me undo my bandages and or infect the sterile area.
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Hi Lana, I has surgery in Mexico. The surgeons Medical transporter picked me up from the border station in San Ysidro, and took me to the surgeons office. Then a day after my procedure he took me back to the border station where he picked me up. They usually charge you an extra $80 for this service, well if they have a transporter.
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had**
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I am thinking with medical documentation customs would let you pass and have probably seen tons of Medical tourists.... I Have threatened to go Across the Boarder for years. YEARS No kidding. The cost was so much less but in the big picture for me it would not have been. Eventually I had my work done in the U.S. Glad I did because of the complications I had afterwards... the back and forth doctor visits, calls to nurses-international long distance/roaming, prescriptions, and the fact I only speak/read English...I work with people that have done the across the boarder procedures to Mexico/Costa Rica and know of noone with complaints. My bottom line these days (finally) on everything is "what would I tell my daughter?" and "is it good enough for my sister?"
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Had surgery on July 27th, I feel my stomach is getting soft. It is concerning becuase, it gives me the idea that my stomach is going to go back to the way it was before. I have never been heavy, but that stomach was always there. I still do not feel 100% convinced that this was a good idea. I hope I feel better about my decision in the near future.
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As you go through the healing process the skin/tummy does soften up a little bit.  Just make sure to watch your diet and get some exercise as soon as you are cleared to do so.  Give your body time to totally heal.  This is a long healing process and you will not fully see your results for weeks or months.

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Swelling drive me crazy!!!! stomach area is like a big ballon. 40 days post op.but very happy with my new belly.
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Oh yes the swelling is insane to say the least!!!   Hang in there girlie:)

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That is not true Mimzz22. I had my surgery almost 2 years ago (January will be two years) and yes I do feel the sensation that I had surgery, but loved when my belly felt tight, it took some getting use to but now I feel it lose again. Not flabby but not tight. Actually wish it would have kept the tightness, as you will get use to
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