Looks Like I Have a Butt on my Stomach - Charleston, SC

My tummy is just a hot mess. It started in 2003 when I had a lap band done to loose weight. That make my gallbladder take a poop, so it was removed in 2004. After loosing 65 pounds, I had major pains & found out the band erroded & perforated my stomach. Next was 2 more surgeries to sew my stomach back together & remove the band. I managed to maintain the weight for several years until I needed to go through fertility treatments to get pregnant. That made some weight go back on. Fortunately, we were blessed with a baby girl who arrived via c-section. Had bad tummy pains again & wound up with a hernia that needed repair. 2 weeks later, we found out we were blessed with another pregnancy for our 2nd daughter, who was also delivered by another c-section.. While pregnant, I I had major discomfort & thought the hernia mesh was tearing. Nope. It was another hernia. So that totals 5 abdominal surgeries plus 2 c-sections. Seriously, my stomach was always a bone of contention for me. Now, I hate it. My husband hasn't even seen it in years because yes - I try to hide it from him. My upcoming TT with muscle & hernia repair is for me. It's something I've contemplated for years & finally am treating myself - with our tax return, of all things - lol. I'm excited & scared at the same time. Some ladies have compared the TT to c-sections & said the TT is so much worse. Others have said the c-section was worse. I"m hoping with all the surgeries I've had, that this won't be too bad. The pain doesn't worry me too much - it's the idea of not showering for a week because of the drains! Seriously! I'm the kind who showers like 2 or 3 times a day in the summer. Hello. I live in SC. It's summer already!

Tons of scar tissue plus a hernia have my upper abs sticking out further than the mommy pouch. Seriously, I could pass for being 5 or 6 months pregnant now.

Every once in a while I get a pins and needles sensation on my stomach. My guess is it's the nerves "waking up". Thankfully things still haven't been too bad. But I'm hurting today more so than yesterday. I haven't pooped yet so I took milk of magnesia twice today. Also I was up for some hours & most likely over did it. It's hard to just stay in bed with a 3 year old & a 1 year old. Maybe I'll post a pic for Tuesday when it will be 1 week post op.

This is a pic of before and then 8 days post Op. Definitely a big difference but I sure hope it gets better. What do you think?