Tummy Tuck: Stories

So!! I am NOT one of those mommies blessed with those amazing "oh look at me i fit in a size 4 and i had my baby an hour ago" genes:) (shake my fist at those mommies) After having two babies (one is 8, the other 19 months) my body just never really recovered. I gained 50 pounds with my first baby and was able to lose some of the weight and then with baby 2 i gained another 50 pounds and have only lost half. My main problem area is my stomach; with both pregnancies i looked like I was carrying triplets even though it was only one baby:( Needless to say, my stomach just did not like that and went on sagging strike....ugh!!! I am only 33 and have the body of a 85 year old and I have finally mustered up the courage to do something about it. My tummy tuck is scheduled for June 18th. I am all sorts of scared and excited and just pray that everything turns out okay. My number one fear out of all of this is that something happens to me in surgery...I trust my surgeon 100% but there is always something that CAN go wrong during surgery. I try to not think about it too much and I spend a lot of time on this site reading all of your success stories and they really help keep me motivated to get this done. Anywho, I will be posting pictures of what my not so wonderful tummy looks like now and will make sure to update this periodically. Let the count down begin...T-Minus 43 days!

I finally gathered the courage to post pictures of what my belly looks like now. I cried after looking at these. I see my ugly tummy everyday but seeing it in pictures is for some reason worse. I wear spanx everyday so I feel ok during the day when I'm at work and at home; when I'm naked I feel so unattractive and just ugly. I am anxious for my TT day to get here. (Oh and i realized that my previous countdown was wrong...T-minus 42 days!!)

Ok ladies, I need your knowledge. I'm a 38D bra size and let's just say they don't stay up like they use too. I would love for them to stay up and have that nice shape that implants provide. Ideally I would like to be a C cup; what would I need? A breast reduction then implants??? Doesn't sound right. Has anyone done this?

Had to change my surgery date to the 20th because of work....ugh!!

Today is my Pre-Op appt. and while i haven't felt nervous at all, today my nerves are acting up. I have a sheet with all of my questions and concerns but other than that I am all set. Any suggestions on what to ask while I am at my appt.? Thanks ladies.

Tomorrow is my surgery day and I have been none stop crying from how nervous I am. Still, I am very excited about what I will look like after and pray everything works out for the best. It's my turn to say the big phrase, "See ya on the flat side,"

Post op day 1

The hardest part of today was definitely coming out of surgery. I woke up to extreme nausea and feeling really dizzy. I was able to sit back and sleep a little bit on the recliner they had in the room. I then I hand to use the bathroom and that is when I almost fainted. I was extremely dehydrated and the movement put me over the edge. I was given a lot of liquid and put on oxygen cause my heart beat rate dropped drammatilly. I repeated the whole process again and wasn't able to head home till 4pm. After I got home I felt much better, still do. I will explain more tomorrow, my Vicodin is kicking in.

Post Op Day 3

Im feeling A lot better today. I was able to get up and go to the washroom without any assistance. I am still walking hunched over and still require Vicodin every six hours. I feel like tomorrow might be the day I transition over to tylenol. I unwrapped myself to take a peek at my new belly and oh my gosh I love it. I immediately thought of all of the wardrobe possibilities when I saw myself. I'm still taking it easy only taking small strolls through the house. I am staying at my moms and I only have my iPad so I can't upload any of my post op pictures:( As soon as I have access to a computer I will post some pics.

I am 4 days post op and I feel good. I stopped the Vicodin and am doing ok with just Tylenol. I've been getting excruciating headaches while asleep so the dr suggested that I drink lots of Gatorade and if that doesn't work then I'll have to take a pill to balance out my equilibrium:/ My back is very sore but I'm managing getting around on my own pretty well. I'm trying not to over do it but I'm starting to get bored. My appetite is non existent and I am pretty much forcing myself to eat, I don't know what to do about that anymore. I had a BM this morning, a definite plus:). Thinking about taking a shower today...

Today is post op day 8. I have made it through the first week hurdles and now it seems that the 2nd week hurdles are taking charge. My back hurts from still walking slightly bent over. I have been reading on other realself reviews that people were able to walk straight right away. I was hoping that would be me but no such luck. My PS said that he was agressive with the skin removal and tightning and removed a football size piece of skin. I think that may be the reason that im still slightly hunched over. Yesterday I think i might have pulled something (or at least it feels that way) cause i have muscle pain in the top portion of my tummy. I have my 2nd post op appt this afternoon and I am hoping that my drains come out. I have been suffering from extreme insomnia, i am not sure why but i plan on asking the dr. about it. My preop weight was 191 and right now i am 185 such a disappointment. I am hoping that i lose more weight in these upcoming weeks. I have eliminated almost all salt and am doing really well with the type of food i shove in my mouth. I cannot wait until i can lay in my own bed cause my butt is sore from both the liposuction of the flanks and side area as well as from sitting and laying in the same position for 8 days straight. I am finally adding pics that i have taken from this past week. I really hate it that i cannot upload pictures from my IPad.

SOoo!!!!!! Only one drain was removed and I did shed a tear of disappointment but I guess it's better than my other option which is having all of the nasty drainage drain into my very expensive flat belly:) (still a pain in my ass and a wardrobe killer)

Hello fellow tummy Tucker's:) I am 21 days post op and I'm feeling pretty good. My swelling has been really minimal and my recovery seems to be going well. I have one spot on my incision that is taking its time in closing; I was really stressed out about it so I went to see my Dr. And he said it was going to take maybe another two weeks to completely close. He advised me to continue with my protein shakes and keep applying wound be gone. My lower back still hurts and sometimes the actual process of sitting down sends shooting pain up my spine. Can't wait for that to stop. I will post pics tomorrow.