Tummy Tuck Survival: A Real Life Guide

Everything You Need to Know About Surviving a Tummy Tuck

I wanted to put together a list of tips, experiences and humor regarding the “Tummy Tuck” process. And believe me you will need plenty of humor to get through this one. So with that said here we go…. This entire process started for me after I had lost over 60 pounds and was left with a hanging, bread dough, and play dough looking tummy. It was horrible and all I wanted to do was have the tummy removed/lifted from the hooch! Or as my sister calls it; the “Who Who”.

Research and interview doctors until you are blue in the face

You want the best for a procedure such as this one. Make sure that you really click with the doctor, that he comes highly recommended, has all of the necessary certifications and credentials, and that he shows you pictures of previous patients and the full results.

And please do not pick a surgeon because he is the lowest price in town. You get what you pay for and you do not want to go cheap with a surgical procedure. I personally researched and met with a few doctors before I found Dr. King. I would leave each office feeling let down and frustrated. But I always operate by my heart and gut. If they are not both screaming YES then it is a no go. I had already done the research on Dr. King before I met with him and was totally impressed. So when I finally had the first consult with him I knew within the first two minutes that he was the doctor for me.

Here is where I go back to saying make sure you click with the doctor. You need to be both comfortable and confident in your choice. They could be the best doctor in the world…but if they do not have a good bed side manner or warm personality what’s the point? Maybe you don’t care about having the warm and fuzzy, but I do. That was the icing on the cake for me.

I also have to mention that I searched through the internet for before and after pictures on a ton of web sites. It almost became an obsession which was totally nuts. I was always on the hunt to find pictures of women who were my same height and weight etc. I am a visual person so needed to see. Oh yes and I also watched videos of the actual surgical procedure on YouTube. If you get faint at the sight of blood please don’t watch. It is totally graphic and will make you cringe. It was a little like a car wreck….YOU KEEP WATCHING!

That first visit for the consult was a bit humiliating for me

I didn’t want my husband to see my hanging, bulging, sagging nasty looking tummy and here I was bearing all to a strange man. Granted he was a doctor….it still felt horrible. There is something not so sexy about standing in a hospital gown half naked with your business hanging out. Oh and I do mean hanging!! And then it happened...he had to grab onto the tummy to lift it up as he was doing the exam. Not one of the better moments of womanhood. Seriously I wanted to die on the spot. Once I got over that hot flash moment of opening the gown and bearing all I calmed down quickly. He put me at ease and didn’t make me feel disgusting. God bless him!

Then came picture time…oh ladies you know what I mean here. The nurse handed me this cute little thongy thing to wear for the pictures. Seriously it covered a very small portion of my crotch; my buns were hanging out, tummy sagging over the top, hip rolls over the sides. This was not a Kodak moment. I made it through that trauma and hoped and prayed nobody ever set eyes on those pictures. I wasn’t sure I wanted to see them myself.

During the consult, also make sure to ask all of your questions. Incision placement, belly button questions, pre-op and post op questions, binder information etc. Write down your questions as they come to mind. This way you won’t forget anything when you arrive for the appointment.

So I decided that I was going to do this procedure and quickly!

I was so excited that I could hardly stand it. I was going to count the days down on the calendar and anxiously wait. Time seemed to go so slow and it made me crazy. It came to pre-op physical time and then I knew I was almost there!! Yahoo..

Ok so I went through this nesting period the week before surgery. I decided that I needed to clean my house like I had never cleaned it before. I did windows, carpet cleaning, closet cleaning, garage organizing, painting, fixture cleaning. The list goes on and on. I turned into the energizer bunny for about five days. Why the heck I needed to clean the garage I have no idea; it’s not like I was going to recover out there for two weeks. Oh lord help my family!

Now I come to my lists….easy reading!

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