Tummy Tuck: Stories

I'm a mother of 6 with my latest baby being born may 2010. I decided to get a tummy tuck after realizing that this time around my tummy didn't bounce back as usual. I stopped breast feeding my son in February of 2012 and went on an all out fitness routine and successfully lost 25 pounds; however, after getting back down to below my pre-pregnancy weight, I noticed my tummy had very little change in appearance even though it did change in size...it was still very wrinkly and flabby and stretched out...my muscles were done.com (LOL) So I decided to go ahead and have the procedure.

I can't speak much to the outcome yet, as this is only day 3 post op. However I do find that I have some concerns. I took my first shower today and was able to get a good look at my tummy...it seems that to me the ends of my scar rise a little higher than expected. I expected that the scar would be hidden in regular bikini panties. My husband thinks that the reason the ends of rising a little higher is because I am still very swollen...(eh..I don't know...but I hope so).

Another thing I did not expect was the level of PAIN...wow...I'd had two C-Sections in the past and for some reason...I thought the recovery would be along the same lines...LOLOL...whatta dummy...right?? Well anyway...I find that I was mistaken...this procedure was a lot more involved to say the least.

I got a full TT with LIPO of the flanks.

All in all...my only concern so far is whether or not the ends of the scars will end up under my panties...if anybody else has any input on this I would sure like to hear it...

Well today was a little better. I didn't end up taking any pain medicine until like 4pm...(basically went almost the whole day). I got out for a little while today as well...

I took a few more pictures...but everything pretty much looks the same. I still have my drains in, and I seem to be draining more from my right side, than my left side and my right side seems to be the more swollen side...(is this coincidence?)...anyway...

I showed my girls (19 and 23) my pictures and they said I looked great! :-)

I think that once everything starts feeling a little better...I will be a little happier...I'll keep you guys posted. (I'll post more pictures shortly)

Hi All,

I've been on this site reading reading and more reading. I WISH I had found this site in the weeks prior to my procedure. I did numerous google searches and for some reason...out of all the stuff that popped up...this site never materialized.

Reading some of the posts I have come across LOADS of information that would have been helpful. Like what types of stuff to have on hand before the surgery, bed rentals, recliner rentals...etc. all kinds of information that would have gave me insight on how involved the surgery would be.

I had my surgery on October 4th, but I was originally scheduled for Mid August but my husband was taking me to Paris for my birthday on September 5th....I was just assuming I would not be able to have a good time if I had my surgery before hand, so I postponed it...(even though the doctor's assistant kept trying to tell me I would be ok...GLAD I did not listen to her).

If I had found this site before hand, I would have KNOWN without a doubt that I should postpone the surgery and go on my birthday trip first. But luckily for me I did end up postponing and I had a great time in France.

I have a very busy job...hahah...if you guys could have heard me talking about how I was going to have the surgery on the 4th but then be back at work like 3 days later...you all would BUST YOUR STITCHES laughing at me...LOLOL (see...once again...if I had known about this site...I would have known how utterly RIDICULOUS that notion was....LOLOL).

I live in NY, but I had my procedure here in Maryland...I really like this doctor better than the doctors I encountered in NY. I had a couple of consults there...but it all seemed...I don't know ...like a set up...for instance...I call this one place, and tell them EXACTLY what I was interested in....I get there....and instead of speaking with a surgeon...they have me speaking with a LIPO person...WTH?? ...so basically put, they had this set up where...you FIRST get talked into the LIPO... and then...you get told that you would only get optimal results with an additional tummy tuck...I was having NONE OF IT...The LIPO guy was trying his best to play on whatever insecurities he THOUGHT I had...but girl...BYE...insecurity has never been one of my strong suites...LOL...he was all like...we can lipo this...and tighten that...I was like...pump ya breaks partna..."I LIKE ALLL DAT stuff you talking bout" and I am not trying to get rid of any of that...like I said "it was a set up".

Well after that last experience, I decided to look elsewhere...and found my doctor who was over all really good. He emphasized how he combined the TT with LIPO all in one procedure...so there would be no reason for two massive bills...and the thing that I noticed the most about him...was that he did NOT try to play me ...and pretend like I needed ALL this work...he in fact did the opposite...he did tell me that there would probably be nothing that I could do about the flabby skin and stretched out muscles in the gym...but he said I really looked good for having had 6 kids. :-)

So I decided to go on and have the surgery here in Maryland, and here's another crazy thing I thought...I thought that I could drive on down here (with my baby)...have my surgery and me and the baby just CHILL in the hotel room for the week....(pahahahah)....yes yes...I know now...CRAZY TALK...LOLOL

My daughter just came in with my grand daughter...they bought me a card...it's soo cute...I'll post a picture of it soon...

ttyl

I wonder why I didn't end up with the horizontal incision that I requested....I will most definitely have to ask in the morning. It's what would have worked best for the types of clothing I like to wear...but at any rate I guess it doesn't matter at this point ...right? what can be done? :-(

Got my drains out today...gotta say...that was pretty painful, but it feels better now!

I also have to give Dr. Ashruf a healthy SHOUT OUT! He is just soo calming...

He's given me the OK to head back home...with the understanding that I make my way back to see him in 3 weeks. He's really a good doctor...

So today was my first day back to work (8 days post op). So far it has not been that bad at all. I'm still moving kind of slow, but I just made sure that I was bound up really well this morning and I took things really really slow. Around 2pm or so I took two Advil as I noticed that I was feeling a little more pain that I needed to feel and so far that strategy has proven successful.

I only have one real friend here, and she knows that I had the procedure...it has been a challenge to NOT laugh at her jokes today...(she is soo funny). But I feel blessed to have a friend that I confide in here.

I contacted my doctor for some of the "before" pics that he took, as soon as he forwards them to me I will post them here...(there was big difference).

ttyl

October 21, 2012

I look at everyone else's posts and wonder how the steri strips can be gone already??? I am 17 days post op and my strips are still holding strong...how is that??

November 19, 2012

Well here I am almost 7 weeks post op (I will be exactly 7 weeks on the 22nd of November). I still have on steristrip holding strong...the rest have all fallen off. At this point I still don't think that I am altogether happy with my results. I keep telling myself that it takes up to 6 months and that I'm only a little over 6 weeks....but I still find myself increasingly concerned with asymmetry. I feel like one side of me is well defined and the other...eh...not so much.

I am really disappointed that it looks as if I may have to do some correction. I really really wanted this to be a one shot thing...did..and then DONE. But now it looks like 6 months down the line...I gotta be doing something else... I am soo disappointed about that.

well anyway...I posted a couple of new pics. :-(