“Wish I Would Have Had a Tummy Tuck Sooner! - Norwalk, CT”

I started looking into having a tummy tuck 10 years ago after my second child was born. At the time I was 25 and didnt have the money to spend on cosmetic surgery. I had my 3rd child in 2006.

I am a triathlete and marathon runner. I eat healthy 95% of the time. After the birth of my last baby my body just did not respond to my workouts. I felt thick around the middle where all the extra skin was. The skin below and around my belly button was wrinkled and full of stretch marks. I am 5' 2" and weighed 118 lbs. Definately not overweight, but I was very self conscious about how my tummy area looked in clothes..especially when I sat down. It seemed like half of by stomach would hang over my jeans! I work out way too hard to not have the perfect body.

We moved to CT in 2009 and I immediatly started looking for a surgeon. I found my Dr in Westport, CT. I was having some issues of feeling selfish and vain for spending so much money on having the surgery performed..not to mention the anxiety over having surgery and being in pain. She reassured me that I was young (I am 36)and I had every right to get it done since I was done having kids. I scheduled surgery for Oct 27th 2010.

The morning of surgery I was a complete mess. I was nervous, anxious, scared..even after taking a xanex! Dr M came in to mark the lines of where the incisions would be, she gave me a hug and a kiss and told me I would be fine. Surgery took about 5 hours. I had a full tt, plus lipo performed on my lower back, hips, inner and outer thighs. I was pleasantly surprised when I woke up. I was sore but not in any pain at all.

I am now almost 4 weeks out from surgery. I only had to wear the compression garment for 3 weeks. I am still wearing sweatpants. I tried wearing jeans over the weekend but it feels weird. I have no feeling in my stomach at all..everything is numb. My lower back and inner thighs are still tender from the lipo, but she has assured me that this is normal. I am still swollen, but I can tell a difference already! I weigh 115, (I have lost 3 lbs) and have lost 1 1/2 inches off of my thighs, 1 inch off my waist and 1 inch off of my hips. I am not able to run yet. But I have been walking 3 miles a day for a week now. I see the Dr next week and will ask her then if I can go back to the gym and maybe do a spin class even if I cant run yet.

Overall I am so happy I decided to have the surgery. I am looking forward to seeing what I look like at the end of recovery. I would definately do it again if I had to.

Updated on 12 Jan 2011:
I am now 11 weeks post op. I feel great! There is still some soreness in the upper part of my stomach. Plus that area gets puffy if I eat a big meal. I started working out again at 6 weeks. I have tried doing abdominal work but it is still uncomfortable. And I do feel tightness when swimming laps and running. I have not lost anymore weight, I hover around 115-117. I was 118 the morning of surgery. I have lost 2 inches off my abdomen, 1 inch off my hips and 2 inches off my thighs. I am happy with the results so far. The Dr said it takes 6-9 months for the swelling to go down, so I am being patient and hoping that by the summer I will be ready for a bikini!