Mini Tummy Tuck: Stories

I am 37 year old and mother of 2 active boys (ages 14 and 11). I'm 5' 5" and weigh 125 lbs. I run, bike, keep up with 2 sporty boys, snow ski, etc. but like all the other moms, nothing I do will ever get rid of the excess skin from two pregnancies. I've wanted a TT for years. Because of my small size anytime I've ever mentioned I'd like to have one I'm met with disdain from friends/family. "That's so stupid. Like YOU need a TT. Oh Please, you don't have anything to complain about. etc." I'm truly geting a TT for ME! Other than wearing a bikini on vacation, the results will only be viewed behind closed doors. :)

My doctor said I'm a good candidate for a Mini TT but he still plans to do a small amount of lipo for contouring and a muscle repair. I guess the only thing "mini" about it is that my belly button won't require any work. I'm super nervous. I had zero pain with child birth (just lucky I guess) so this will truly be the most MAJOR medical procedure I've ever had. I've also never been under anesthesia or taken Vicodin, etc. so I have no way of knowing how my body will react.

Went to the PS on Wednesday. Filled out all of the paperwork and made my payment (oof)! Asked my final questions. They were so casual about everything like it was no big deal that instead of feeling more relaxed, I felt more nervous! They said I would be given two binders after surgery so I went to the store and bought just a compression garment for after the binder days. Also interesting was that I may or may not have drains depending on how he thinks the surgery goes. Now I'm working on making my food list so I can go shopping the weekend before surgery to get anything else I might need. Any suggestions?

Only 20 more days.

Surgery is 2 weeks from today. My nerves and fears are getting worse by the day. I can't wait until it's all over and I'm all healed!

I'm still trying to prepare my list of needs. I'll go shopping next weekend to pick up anything I can think of that will make this easier on me.

Surgery is scheduled for tomorrow. I confirmed all my pre-registration this morning and the surgery center just called to confirm what time I'm supposed to show up etc. Also, I have to take in my first urine sample of the day so they can confirm I'm not pregnant.

After tomorrow I hope the next muffin top I see is blueberry flavored!

Day of Surgery
I arrived at the surgery center about 8:45. By 8:52 the nurse paged me to my room. They had me change into a gown, took my vitals and started an IV. The anesthesiologist came by and told me what to expect and go over my medical history. Then my PS came by and drew on me and answered my last minute questions. My BF was able to stay with me right up until the moment they wheeled me into the ER. He was given a pager and then they updated him periodically throughout the procedure. When the PS was done he went and met with my bf in a conference room to let him know how it went. Surgery was scheduled for 10:30. I was wheeled into the OR at 10:25. At 10:26 the nurse anesthesist told me she was going to push some medication into my iv and that I might feel a a little burning. I immediately felt a slight burn in my arm, then in my throat chest. I never saw 10:27 on the clock. I woke up at about 12:20 in recovery. Surgery lasted about 1 1/2 hours. I had minimal pain when I woke up but my mouth and throat were completely dry. I guess I had a breathing tube down my throat for surgery which I didn''t know I'd have.

I stayed in the recovery area waking up for a bit. I was given some vicodin when I woke up and they had me eat a cracker and drink some Sprite and some water. Once I was fully awake they moved me to another area. Once there, my BF was able to come back and be with me. They wanted me to be able to go pee before I could head home. The first time I got up I made it into the bathroom, sat on the toilet but couldn't go. I almost passed out trying to get back up. So I went back into my room and waited another 45 minutes or so and then tried again with success!

I had brought a pair of granny panties, cozy sweats and a button up shirt to wear home. After I got him I decided the panties were unnecessary and difficult to get up and down. I actually cut them off and threw them away and just go commando under my sweats. So much easier.

The worse part of the first night was needing to pee so much. I assume from all the IV fluids plus all the water I drank when I woke up. I got home at about 6:15. I got up just about every hour to go the bathroom. I finally must have been all drained about 2 am. and was able to sleep uninterupted until 6 am. I'd say my pain was never above a 6.

PO Day #1
I woke up feeling pretty rested. Lots of gassy gurgling in my belly. I took a dose of MOM the night after surgery along with 2 gas relief pills. I followed that up with the same dosage on PO Day 1 in the am. Lots of noises from my belly and by late day I finally had BM success. I was starting to feel swollen but could immediately feel a release of tightness/tension in my belly after going potty. I'm covered from just under my boobs to the top of my pubis with a bandages and then a binder over top of that. I have one drain. I'm only draining about 30cc's in a 24 hour period. I haven't been able to see my belly at all because of the bandages but can see some bruising starting on my sides from the lipo. My incision felt a little burny by the end of the day but I am contributing that to having to get up and down so many times to use the restroom. Overall I'd say my pain never went above a 6 today and that was mostly caused by the gas rumbling around inside. When I'm laying still pain is at a 2-3. I'm still taking one vicodin every 4 hours. I also started taking Arnica Montana.

PO Day #3
PO day 2 and 3 have basically been the same. I'm still taking my pain meds and having little to no pain. I would probably be ok with just Tylenol but I figured I'd keep up on the meds for a few more days until I'm walking more comfortable. The muscle repair areas already feel pretty good. No real muscle pain to speak of. I have some swelling and bruising pain on my sides from the lipo. Nothing terrible, just enough to notice. When I stand up I notice pulling/burning/stinging from the incision areas but once I'm up, the feeling goes away and I'm able to walk around pretty much upright with no problems. I'm still bandaged and so still haven't seen how my belly looks. I still have one drain and it puts out less than 30cc's a day. I assume he'll take it out on Monday for my post op appt.

I'm able to sleep for 3 - 4 hours at a time before I need to get up and stretch my legs and go to the restroom. I've continued with the MOM and gas relief pills and am very glad I have.

Still ranking this as undecided just because I can't see my results yet. I can't wait to see!

PO Day #5
Went to the PS this morning for my first pre op appt. It was my first chance to get to see my new belly. I liked it. Of course, I was laying on my back on an exam table so it still has to pass the real muffin top sitting test. It felt great to have all the bandanges removed and be able to take some nice deep breaths. I also had my drain removed. WOW that was unenjoyable. It burns and feels very weird because you can feel the tube being pulled out but it was actually over with really quickly.

I can take a shower on Wednesday which is one week from surgery. I'm just not supposed to get soap directly on the strips over my stitches. I go back in a 1 1/2 weeks for another follow up. After that appointment, he said I can switch to a compression garment.

My pain continues to be tolerable. I'm taking just Tylenol at this point. I can stand upright but out of maybe habit still tend to hunch over a little. After 20 - 30 minutes on my feet my lower back starts to hurt.

I plan on going back to work tomorrow. Fingers crossed that goes well.

PO Day 6
I went back to work today. I have a desk job otherwise I don't think it would have been possible. I work 7:30 - 4:30. I made it until 1:45 when I gave up and headed home to put my feet up. Here are my helpful tips for returning to work:

1. Work 1/2 days for the first few days back if possible to ease yourself into it.
2. Go to Wal-Mart or Target and buy some loose fitting dresses! Anything extra squeezing around my waist while I tried sitting upright in a desk chair all day was unbearable. I wore leggings and a long sweater the first day back and thought I'd pass out!
3. Drink lots of water and have snacks on hand. I seemed to really run out of energy so I kept snacking and sipping.

I also took my first shower today. Although water running over my body felt wonderful and it was great to not stink anymore, everything else about the experience was nerve racking. I held my belly the whole time since it felt so weird to not have the binder supporting me. We have a seat built into the shower but I was afraid to sit down cause I'd have to get back up without binder support. Just one of those things that will get better with time.

Had lots of running around to do in the evening (both kids had activities) so it was a super busy first day back in the real world. I was tired and achy and beyond ready for bed by the end of the day.

PO Day 12
Today is the first day of work where I can actually get something done. All last week I just sat at my desk and stared at the clock wishing for 4:30. I had a super busy weekend with lots of travel and lots of walking and standing and all the things I probably shouldn't have done. Friday was bad with lots of swelling and achy feeling. Saturday and Sunday wre much better once I figured out the magic binder combo to wear.

My skin was becoming really sensitive and achy to the touch from the binder. So I bought these spanx type underwear at Kohls but they aren't quite as tight as spanx so it's easier to get them on without struggling. So I put those on first, then a tank top and then my binder and then get dressed! So many layers but I have felt 100% better since I started using this method.

My appetite is slowly coming back but I still can't eat a ton at one time. Maybe cause the binder is so tight I feel full sooner. I'm down about 2 pounds since surgery.

I'm adding some PO Day 10 pics.

2 Weeks PO
I had my 2 week post op appt. yesterday. They removed the steristrips from my incision. I was really surprised by how well it looked I guess. I'm not sure what I was expecting. I still have some swelling in the mid section of my belly but nothing terrible.

No more binder for me!! YEAH!!! He said I still need to wear a spanx or some other form of tummy support for at least two more weeks. I can start working on scar therapy in one week. I can start walking on the treadmill now if I'm comfortable doing so and I can return to all my normal activities in two more weeks.

He said the tummy numbness will probably last for about 3 months. I don't go back to see him for 4 months.

I still can't eat big meals. If I eat too much I feel swollen bloated gigantic about 10 minutes after eating. I'm still only down about 2 pounds since surgery but I didn't really expect any great weight loss. My muscles are still a little sore at random. I'm still sleeping mostly on my back with a pillow under my knees or I curl up on my side hugging a pillow.

It's been 6 weeks so I thought I'd update. Swelling is minimal. Usually after exercising or if I've been out walking around alot I will have some additional swelling. Otherwise, swelling is limited to just the muscles between my BB and incision and is just enough to make me look not completely flat. I only wear a compression garment when I know I've exerted myself and I'm expecting additional swelling.

I still have some muscle soreness in my abs. I started walking for exercise at 4 weeks PO and waited until 5 weeks PO to resume running. Last night was the first night I did any core exercises. I'm very anxious to really start working out and see how much I can improve on my results.

I've been using silicone scar strips for about a week now. When I'm not using the scar strips I use Mederma and Palmers.