Reviews you can trust, from real people like you.
How it works
- Our highly-trained Review Moderation team evaluates all reviews before they're published to ensure they're written by people like you and not a member of a doctor's office.
- This multi-step process takes up to 24 hours from review submission to publication.
- Doctors can't pay to have reviews removed or hidden.
- Reviews are only removed at the reviewer's request or if they violate our Terms of Service.
If you have questions or believe we should re-evaluate a published review, let us know.
Sort by:
*Treatment results may vary
Before Journey of having a Tummy Tuck: I am an...
Before Journey of having a Tummy Tuck:
I am an athletic 24 year old, with two kids. Before kids I was 130 at 5'5. When I had my first son I gained 40 pounds on top of developing Pre-Eclampsia around 32 weeks. I became very swollen very fast which led to lots of stretch marks on my stomach and lose saggy skin. After having my son I was left with a stomach that did not resemble anything close to the one I had before, it was marked and stretched out. I lost most of the weight and just covered my stomach up from there on out. Two year later I had my second son. After my second son I joined a gym and started working out with a trainer, determined to transform my body, thinking if I toned my stomach, the saggy skin and stretch marks may not be as noticeable....well i was wrong. Even after losing 10% body fat, I was still embarrassed by my stomach. My husband and I agreed we were done having kids and that he would get a vasectomy and I would get a tummy tuck.
Starting Journey:
After a few months of research, and talking myself up to actually having the procedure, I finally found a Surgeon to have a consultation with. Finding the right Dr. was very important to me, I didn't want to have to pay a consultation fee, I wanted a well known surgeon in my area and I also wanted to know some who had gone to them ( picky, I know). Well the stars lined up and I found my surgeon immediately, Dr. French was GREAT! and so was his staff. He explained to me how the procedure worked and that he also included lipo of the flanks as part of his full tummy tuck procedure. It turned out I had Diatasis (separation of my ab muscles) so a mini tuck was out, and a Full tuck was my option. After leaving the appointment I felt really excited and ready to get the show on the road. I talked to my husband and we decided to go for it! The next day I scheduled my appointment for April 1.
Unlike most Surgeons I researched, my Dr. had me stay one night in the hospital, so I went in on a Tuesday at 6AM and left the following day around noon. At first I was a little skeptical because everyone I knew went home a few hours following surgery, and it added a bit to my bill. However I must say, I am so happy that I did stay the night. The staff at the hospital were GREAT! I got to have extra medicine and a nurse to walk me through everything. It also gave my husband a little break to take care of the kids and get the house ready. It was definitely worth the extra money to stay a night in the hospital! That day in the hospital I would say my pain was managed VERY well, I also did not have to get up until that night around 9- due to the fact I had a catheter. Sitting up and walking was definitely more of a challenge than I had anticipated, I was only able to walk short distance and back to bed. The only problem I came across after surgery was, peeing on my own. It took me 15 hours after the catheter was taken out to be able to pee on my own. Once i was able to pee, the hospital discharged me. after that I had zero problems going to the bathroom. ( I also passed a stool day two after surgery- with no medicine which some said it took almost a week)
At home I was very lucky to have lots of help between my parents, mother in law, and neighbors. All of whom helped by either watching the kids or bringing meals or small favors for me and my husband! I was very lucky to have such an amazing support group there to help my family and myself! The first two days home I took my pain medication religiously on the hour, and mostly slept or just laid in bed. I personally had a hard time reading or watching TV, and just relaxing was most comfortable to me. I also tried to get myself up and moving every 2-3 hours, either walking to the bathroom or just down the hall and back, to stretch my legs and muscles. One thing I was not prepared for was the achenes of my back and legs from being hunched over and sitting up in bed (including sleeping) and I found walking often helped with the soreness of the rest of my body.
Today is post op day 5, and I am feeling pretty good! I am still slightly hunched over when I stand or walk, but I can walk up and down stairs and walk further without feeling as tired. I am also laying at more of a diagonal, which has taken some pressure off my lower back. Last night was my best night of sleep. I took a muscle relaxer before bed, woke up once to use the bathroom around 4 am and took a pain killer and went back to sleep util almost 9am! I am stretching my pain meds to every 5-6 hours today hopefully by tomorrow I will switch to Tylenol. I did wear my binder 24/7 for the first 3 days and at my post op appointment they took it off and I was excited to see my stomach! I was still pretty swollen, but he said it is very normal and as days/weeks go on it will continue to go down. They put the binder back on and told me I could take it off every now and then if I felt like I needed a break. So far I have taken it off twice for about 10 minutes each time. I am hoping to get my drains out tomorrow ( I have two) and once i get them out, my Dr, will give me a new nicer binder that will stay on for about 4 weeks.
I have to say overall the pain was/is there, it is something to be expected. 1 out of 10, I would say my highest pain was a 6, and once I figured out how to move/not move I have been at a 3/4. Things to keep in mind before getting the tummy tuck: you will have a large scar running across your lower abdomen, it will not necessarily get rid of all stretch marks. You should lose weight BEFORE your surgery, the more in shape you are the quicker your recovery, and from what I have read/seen the happier you are with your results. Also more than anything have a good support group especially if you have young children, mine are 2 and 5 and I have no idea if I would have been able to do this without lots of help! Sometimes as moms we feel we have to be "super mom" and we can do anything and everything on our own. With this surgery it is not the case, swallow that mommy pride and accept any and all help, in the long run you will be glad you did! The advice that I was given, and try to hold on to and remind my self, the results take time. You will have swelling and bruising and scaring for months- a year or two after. SO you must be PATIENT. Don't expect a super model stomach a week after surgery! And everyone recovers at different paces, don't compare your recovery to mine or anyone else's :) just stay positive and you will end up where you want to be
I know I am only pot op day 5, but so far I say it was worth every penny, and every moment of discomfort. I can not wait to continue to see results, and I will try my best to remain positive even when I am still swollen a month out- this healing process takes time.
*The photo I added, the picture on the left is my before and the two on the right are post op day 3. I am still at 70% swelling and my Dr. says I should still lost about another 1-2 inches once all the swelling does down. I am also sitting because standing at the time I was too hunched over for a decent picture.
I am an athletic 24 year old, with two kids. Before kids I was 130 at 5'5. When I had my first son I gained 40 pounds on top of developing Pre-Eclampsia around 32 weeks. I became very swollen very fast which led to lots of stretch marks on my stomach and lose saggy skin. After having my son I was left with a stomach that did not resemble anything close to the one I had before, it was marked and stretched out. I lost most of the weight and just covered my stomach up from there on out. Two year later I had my second son. After my second son I joined a gym and started working out with a trainer, determined to transform my body, thinking if I toned my stomach, the saggy skin and stretch marks may not be as noticeable....well i was wrong. Even after losing 10% body fat, I was still embarrassed by my stomach. My husband and I agreed we were done having kids and that he would get a vasectomy and I would get a tummy tuck.
Starting Journey:
After a few months of research, and talking myself up to actually having the procedure, I finally found a Surgeon to have a consultation with. Finding the right Dr. was very important to me, I didn't want to have to pay a consultation fee, I wanted a well known surgeon in my area and I also wanted to know some who had gone to them ( picky, I know). Well the stars lined up and I found my surgeon immediately, Dr. French was GREAT! and so was his staff. He explained to me how the procedure worked and that he also included lipo of the flanks as part of his full tummy tuck procedure. It turned out I had Diatasis (separation of my ab muscles) so a mini tuck was out, and a Full tuck was my option. After leaving the appointment I felt really excited and ready to get the show on the road. I talked to my husband and we decided to go for it! The next day I scheduled my appointment for April 1.
Unlike most Surgeons I researched, my Dr. had me stay one night in the hospital, so I went in on a Tuesday at 6AM and left the following day around noon. At first I was a little skeptical because everyone I knew went home a few hours following surgery, and it added a bit to my bill. However I must say, I am so happy that I did stay the night. The staff at the hospital were GREAT! I got to have extra medicine and a nurse to walk me through everything. It also gave my husband a little break to take care of the kids and get the house ready. It was definitely worth the extra money to stay a night in the hospital! That day in the hospital I would say my pain was managed VERY well, I also did not have to get up until that night around 9- due to the fact I had a catheter. Sitting up and walking was definitely more of a challenge than I had anticipated, I was only able to walk short distance and back to bed. The only problem I came across after surgery was, peeing on my own. It took me 15 hours after the catheter was taken out to be able to pee on my own. Once i was able to pee, the hospital discharged me. after that I had zero problems going to the bathroom. ( I also passed a stool day two after surgery- with no medicine which some said it took almost a week)
At home I was very lucky to have lots of help between my parents, mother in law, and neighbors. All of whom helped by either watching the kids or bringing meals or small favors for me and my husband! I was very lucky to have such an amazing support group there to help my family and myself! The first two days home I took my pain medication religiously on the hour, and mostly slept or just laid in bed. I personally had a hard time reading or watching TV, and just relaxing was most comfortable to me. I also tried to get myself up and moving every 2-3 hours, either walking to the bathroom or just down the hall and back, to stretch my legs and muscles. One thing I was not prepared for was the achenes of my back and legs from being hunched over and sitting up in bed (including sleeping) and I found walking often helped with the soreness of the rest of my body.
Today is post op day 5, and I am feeling pretty good! I am still slightly hunched over when I stand or walk, but I can walk up and down stairs and walk further without feeling as tired. I am also laying at more of a diagonal, which has taken some pressure off my lower back. Last night was my best night of sleep. I took a muscle relaxer before bed, woke up once to use the bathroom around 4 am and took a pain killer and went back to sleep util almost 9am! I am stretching my pain meds to every 5-6 hours today hopefully by tomorrow I will switch to Tylenol. I did wear my binder 24/7 for the first 3 days and at my post op appointment they took it off and I was excited to see my stomach! I was still pretty swollen, but he said it is very normal and as days/weeks go on it will continue to go down. They put the binder back on and told me I could take it off every now and then if I felt like I needed a break. So far I have taken it off twice for about 10 minutes each time. I am hoping to get my drains out tomorrow ( I have two) and once i get them out, my Dr, will give me a new nicer binder that will stay on for about 4 weeks.
I have to say overall the pain was/is there, it is something to be expected. 1 out of 10, I would say my highest pain was a 6, and once I figured out how to move/not move I have been at a 3/4. Things to keep in mind before getting the tummy tuck: you will have a large scar running across your lower abdomen, it will not necessarily get rid of all stretch marks. You should lose weight BEFORE your surgery, the more in shape you are the quicker your recovery, and from what I have read/seen the happier you are with your results. Also more than anything have a good support group especially if you have young children, mine are 2 and 5 and I have no idea if I would have been able to do this without lots of help! Sometimes as moms we feel we have to be "super mom" and we can do anything and everything on our own. With this surgery it is not the case, swallow that mommy pride and accept any and all help, in the long run you will be glad you did! The advice that I was given, and try to hold on to and remind my self, the results take time. You will have swelling and bruising and scaring for months- a year or two after. SO you must be PATIENT. Don't expect a super model stomach a week after surgery! And everyone recovers at different paces, don't compare your recovery to mine or anyone else's :) just stay positive and you will end up where you want to be
I know I am only pot op day 5, but so far I say it was worth every penny, and every moment of discomfort. I can not wait to continue to see results, and I will try my best to remain positive even when I am still swollen a month out- this healing process takes time.
*The photo I added, the picture on the left is my before and the two on the right are post op day 3. I am still at 70% swelling and my Dr. says I should still lost about another 1-2 inches once all the swelling does down. I am also sitting because standing at the time I was too hunched over for a decent picture.
Provider Review
Dr. French and his staff are GREAT! Dr. French explains everything in great detail, he also talks to you on a very real level, he doesn't make you seem like just another patient or money in his bank account. He and his staff are very friendly, they send lots of great follow up reminders and information and make you feel very welcome and comfortable either at the office or if you call and have a question.