34 Years Old, Ready to Part Ways with my Eternal Tummy Puff (TT + Lipo) - Chattanooga, TN

I'm just past the one month mark on saying goodbye to my Eternal Tummy Puff. So far, things are shaping up great! Here are a few things I'm experiencing at five weeks post op:

The Weird:
- Still quite a bit of numbness and odd sensations, which I know is normal.
- Swelling that gets more puffy at night. On my sides, in particular (and in my upper abdomen. I have a follow up this week, and I'll ask and make sure that's normal and not seroma-ish but from what I read it sounds like it's par for the course.)
- Sporadic nerve pain. Last week while I was walking, I experienced an incredibly sharp and painful zing on my right side just under my incision. I chatted with the nurse (I love how easy it is to get in touch with someone at Dr. Deal's office!) and he said it was typical of nerves at this point. We're trying a medication to help with nerve pain for the next week. The medication makes me a bit tired and I'm finding it a little difficult to focus, but, on the positive, I haven't had a sharp pain since I started using it (and it also seems to help with the crazy itchy feeling I was having at night!). I'm hoping I don't have to take them longterm but they're working great for now.

The AWESOME:
- I have a belly button and it is adorable! I'm assuming I had one somewhere in the Eternal Tummy Puff as well, but it definitely wasn't cute like this. :)
- My clothes look a thousand times better. Even swollen later in the day, I think my figure looks great.
- Maybe my favorite perk is this: walking is so much easier. I didn't anticipate that! I've always loved long walks. When Dr. Deal cleared me to walk again (and build up to walking faster, etc.), I was pretty stoked to go for it. What surprised me was how light I felt even when I was going slow. My back wasn't aching like it used to, and I wasn't constantly working to correct my posture. I do wear a binder when I go for a walk for now, just because I like the added feeling of support. But I love being able to go further and faster than I have before.
- The "look": I didn't tell many people I was doing this. I told my parents (my mom is amazing - she helped me through the first tough week), my sister, and one friend. I honestly didn't think anybody would notice. But people have definitely noticed. I had a hair appointment this week and my stylist looked at me - then her eyes went to my torso area - and she immediately said, "Wow! You look amazing!! Did you lose weight?!" I knew this wasn't a weight loss procedure, and despite strict calorie counting and walking I only weigh about 10 pounds less than before (still - yay!). But the way this procedure contours a body is pretty amazing. I lost 60 pounds a few years ago, and have managed to keep off most of that weight. But even then, I did not have the shape I have now. I would like to slowly lose 10-15 more pounds. In the past, I've been frustrated with weight loss because it seemed to reduce everywhere but my middle. Now I'm excited to make the rest of the body match my middle. :)

I'm excited to start working out more in the next few months and build some stamina back. I work from home, but occasionally travel and do presentations at events. This weekend was my first event post-op and it was a bit tougher than I thought. My energy is still not quite up to where it used to be, but I know it'll get back there in time. I had plenty of down time at this particular event, so it was a good way to ease back into things.

All in all, I'm really happy with how everything is healing and looking. It's especially wonderful to look in the mirror and not see a skeletal deformity first thing. My scoliosis is pretty severe, and I used to notice the weird curve of my body first, plus the long scars from old bone surgeries, etc. This procedure definitely doesn't correct a skeletal deformity (and I didn't expect it to). But it's helped me see *me* in a different way - not as "deformed" but as an adult woman with an actual figure and a few cool scars to go with it :)

Tips that I would give a fellow sojourner about to get rid of The Eternal Puff:
- Research doctors. This is a serious procedure, and a serious investment. I think Dr. Deal and his staff are super. I talked to my general doctor about it (she's in internal medicine). My sister is an OB/GYN, and I also talked with her at length about the procedure. She's very protective (as all big sisters are) but was excited for me from the first time I mentioned it. She's worked closely with plastic and cosmetic surgeons in the past, and told me that the change she's seen in patients can be transformative.
- Research great shape wear. The right one helps you feel supported and decreases pain. The wrong fit will make you feel like your diaphragm is being cut in half. :)
- Post-op, keep healthy snacks in reachable distance. I theory that this is just my body healing - but there are weird jags of me having no appetite and then just feeling super-munchy-crazy. So I try not to keep crap-munchies out where I can snatch them. I started using a Nutriblend just before surgery, and - as goop/Gweneth Paltrow-y as this sounds - I think a green shake in the morning actually helps me feel better all day. Three cheers for kale!
- Take pictures each week. I didn't take a before pic, because I was too embarrassed by the eternal puff. But I'm really glad I took one post-op and weekly thereafter. It's amazing to see how your body changes. And as weird as it sounds, I think sometimes it's easy to forget how far you've come.

So far, so, so good! And I know it looks better as time goes on, so I'm excited to see what happens in the next few months!

For as long as I can remember, the puffy roll of skin & fat around my middle is an insecurity I've carried with me - physically and especially emotionally. I don't like to be in pictures, because all I see is The Roll. It's impacted my dating life in negative ways. It's on my mind pretty constantly. Even at my lowest weight, it was still there. I'm pretty good at focusing on the positive in a situation: I like to think I look for the best in people and think more about the positive qualities in my own life instead of the negative. I love my career, my family is amazing, and there are lots of cool opportunities in my life right now. I've tried unsuccessfully to get rid of The Roll via diet and exercise (at 5'0" - this is especially difficult). I decided to research cosmetic procedures and see if it would be a worthwhile investment.

Due to an obvious case of Scoliosis, I wasn't even sure if I would be a candidate for a Tummy Tuck procedure. But after researching on this site, and researching cosmetic and plastic surgeons in my area, I decided to go to Southern Surgical Arts for a consultation. I met with Dr. Chad Deal, and was immediately impressed by his experience, kindness and professionalism. It's not easy to discuss an insecurity you've so focused on - not to mention actually show that flabby puff to someone. But Dr. Deal, and his staff, are wonderful about making you feel comfortable during the exam, as well as discussing options. He thought a tummy tuck, along with liposuction, would be beneficial. He'd also done a TT for patients with scoliosis before, so he was familiar with the nuances of my body. I talked to my general doctor (internal medicine) in detail about the procedure as well, and she was also in agreement that it would be a great personal investment and safe with my particular case of scoliosis (though, of course, I would recommend anyone with scoliosis get the opinion of a doctor familiar with your body). After much more research, and lots of calls to the office to ask questions, I scheduled my procedure for August 18th.

The surgery went well, and once again I was so impressed with the quality of Dr. Deal's staff. On the first night, one of his fellow surgeons called to check and make sure I was doing okay (you're also given a number to someone on call with any questions). He was so kind and helpful. The first three days after surgery were - expectedly - rough. I've had several surgeries in the past, so I thought my pain tolerance was pretty high. That said, the first few days were very painful. I've read some reviews that refer to it as doing a thousand crunches, but my experience was more intense. My advice to you: call your surgeon if the pain meds don't seem to be working. No need to suffer in silence. I remember going to his office for my follow-up the day after surgery, and bursting into tears (and feeling like a mega-dork). He reminded me to take my pain meds around the clock (not to wait for pain to set in - which is what I had been doing) and that it really would get better. And he was right. We also had to reconfigure my shape wear - due to the scoliosis and the size of my ribcage, the size I'd been fitted with was actually quite painful. Once I changed to a different size, that wasn't an issue. Like I said, don't suffer in silence.

The following week, when I got my drains taken out, I was moving around much better (getting the drains out also made me feel great). By my third week's appointment, I was mostly feeling great with bouts of random fatigue that he said was totally normal three weeks post surgery.

Day 10 is when I walked to the bathroom and had a moment of shock when I looked in the mirror. Early in the morning, when my swelling isn't as prominent - I can see something I have never, ever seen before: a body I actually like. I actually have an hourglass figure and, for the first time, feel like an adult woman. I feel feminine. While my scoliosis will always be obvious, that really pales in comparison to how much better I feel, and look, and how much better my clothes fit. Swelling from both procedures lasts from four to six months (and sometimes more), but I already love the results. Dr. Deal was right: things are getting better every day. Now I only take tylenol occasionally. I still wear shape wear, and I also feel more comfortable wearing an elastic binder. Neither look bulky under my clothes.

Most of my swelling seems to be in my flank area, and around my back (I also had lipo in that area). He assures me that's normal, and will get more prominent as the day goes on for several more weeks.

I've been carefully monitoring calorie intake (since I'm still only walking) and I'm excited to finally be able to work out more in a few weeks. I've missed Bar Method, and I can't wait to do it now that I can actually see my tummy! :)

Recently I went to dinner with my parents, and wore a sleeveless top that was more fitted than I would typically wear. That night I got lots of looks - and smiles - and I don't know that it's because of my slimmer middle (though it looks pretty rad). I think it's because I was smiling back. My mom has told me that she sees a confidence in me that she hasn't seen before. That's what I was hoping for most of all.

It's not a Cinderella procedure: the recovery process takes time, and is different for every person. There is upkeep involved (as in, I have to watch my weight and keep working out - but once you can actually SEE what you are working for this is more of a joy than a pain). There are days I still feel exhausted in the afternoon, and I'm currently dealing with nerves waking back up, and itching, and zinging and all that jazz (all normal). But overall, everything about this process has been worth it. With the right surgeon, and the right attitude, I really believe cosmetic procedures can be life changing. I think it's an empowering opportunity to invest in your health, and yourself, in ways you may not realize are possible. I didn't realize it. I'm excited to see how everything looks as the months keep on coming. I'm grateful to Dr. Deal and his staff for all they've done for me.