Never Thought the Day Would Come! - Corpus Christi, TX

Ok its picture time! Sorry it took me so long but here are the pictures.
I have been really lazy lately about eating right and exercising. I need to remind myself that I didn't get this surgery so I could go back to my old ways. Ugh! Things have been very busy around my house lately so we've been pretty bad about being good, but Im getting back on track. I weigh the exact same amount as I did before I went in for surgery, (My family doctor and I are stumped, because it doesn't make any sense!) But I look great and I feel amazing and all my clothes fit the way they are supposed to! I am so happy I did this!!!

Tuesday was my 2 week appt and I am down 10 lbs!!! I went from 165 pre op to 155 so far and I am still pretty swollen. I am so excited because I haven't weighed less than 160 since I was in middle school.

I'm off all my pain meds as of 12 days post op. occasionally I will take a Tylenol if I've done to much. I will post pictures as soon as I get my computer hooked all back up. (we've been remodeling).

My mom left last sat. So I'm on my own till my husband comes home at the end of this week, and so far so good. No other updates really, other than the tape came off last week and my scar looks amazing! I am so excited about how fast my body is healing. Now if I could just get the extra swelling on my hips to go away so I can fit into my pre op pants I will be one happy camper :)

Today is day 5 post op of my tummy tuck and Lipo of my back. I am still feeling a little sore and pretty tired today but let me start from the beginning.

It finally happened!! I honestly thought the day would never come!
Hi I am 27 years old and I have 3 children ages 7, 5, & 1. All three were c-sections. I like most people gained a lot of weight through my 1st two pregnancies. I am 5'3" and at the end of my 2nd pregnancy I weighed 210 lbs. I was completely discussed with myself.

When I first met my husband I was in peak physical condition. I surfed and skateboarded daily and was always active. At that time my lowest weight was 155. (I am a pretty muscular person) after our second son was born 18 months after our first. My body looked like a wrek. I was one of the unlucky ones whos body decided stretch marks were gonna happen no matter what. On some parts of my stomach they reached all the way to my chest! I also soon found out what happens to your stomach after a c-section. That lovely giant pouch of fat that resists all forms of diet and exercise. I swear if someone had told me in the hospital that I was never going to get rid of the "inside-out kangaroo pouch"I would have never let them talk me into having a c-section (but that's another story.)

About 4 years later, after numerous semi-serious weight loss battles I decided to get serious. I weighed 185lbs and I decided that that was enough. I started doing P90X. Now this is not an enforcement for them, but MAN DID IT WORK! In 60 days I had lost 19lbs and I was starting to look and feel great! My muscle tone was back, I had energy and I was starting to fit into all my old clothes! But like I stated earlier, no matter what I did, that "pouch" would not go away!

It was 68 days into the program that I found out I was pregnant with our third child. We were so excited! But it did mean that I had to drastically cut down on my workout regimine. I did however manage to keep my weight gain down to 20lbs. My husband and I had hoped to have our last child through a VBAC but due to complications with my blood pressure (something I had been fighting with since after the birth of my second son) I ended up having a c-section for the third time. Because I saw no reason to put my body through 4 c-sections, we elected to have my tuxes tided as well.

About 6 months after having my third child I decided it was time to get back into shape (I was a slow starter (: ) I joined a local gym and began going 5 to 6 days a week. My kids have been a great motivator because for them it's an hour of play time with a bunch of new friends. After 5 months my dedication paid off and I was once again at my goal weight of 160.

My husband and I have had a running agreement for several years that if I gould reach and maintain my goal weight he would buy me a tummy tuck. This agreement was always sort of made in jest, not because we didn't think I could reach my goals, but we never thought we would have the money to do it.

Well it's kinda funny how life works out. :) as I began to near my goal weight I was informed that since I had stopped teaching (I homeschool our children now) I needed to decide what to do with my retirement. I knew another opportunity like this might never come along again. So, I decided to invest the money in me and finally for once do something for myself!

Which brings us to the present :) I DID IT!!!!!

My surgery was scheduled for Mon morning at 7:30 am. My doctor called me the night before to make sure everything was good on my end an I somehow managed to get to bed at a decent hour.
I woke up at 6 the next morning like it was Christmas! For the passed several days people kept asking if I was nervous. My honest answer was that I had been so busy those last three weeks that I never really had any time to think about being nervous. I was just shocked that it was already time!

They told us that we needed to arrive at the surgical center at 6:30. So, we dropped of my youngest at my friends house (the older two were staying the week with my mom) and drove to the center.
When we got there the nurse greeted my with a confused look, had me sign some papers, and take a seat. About 5 min later the nurse came out and asked me if I was sure I was told to come this early. I told her that I had just talked to my dr. Last night and he said I was his 1st patient. At that point the girl next to me said that her daughter was supposed to be 1st because of her latex allergy. Apparently what had happened was that the surgical center does all laytex allergy surgeries first but had neglected to tell me or my dr untill that morning. Lovely.
I wasn't really mad, I didn't have any other plans for the day anyway, it just would have been nice to sleep in a little longer. :) well, after about a two hour wait they called me back to pre-op. they had me sign a bunch more forms, then I got to meet the anistethiologist. She asked me some questions about my health then went away. That's when my dr came in to mark me up. He asked me where I wanted my scar located (one of the reasons I loved him from the start!) then he drew his guides for the lipo on my back and then called my husband back. While they were explaining a few things to him them put in my IV. Then they let us say our "see ya soons" and off I went!

The last thing I remember was them putting a mask on me and asking if I was ready. I said yes, I think I mumbled something else and the next thing I knew I was waking back up in recovery with my husband by my side. It felt like 10 min tops! I looked at my husband and said "hi" he gave me a half smile. (He says he was so nervous and happy to see that I was awake because apparently my surgery to almost 5 1/2 hrs.) poor thing had a rough day :) but for me it was super easy :)
I was very groggy and I don't remember much but I do remember that the nurse kept saying that I needed to wake up because my blood pressure and heart rate were really low. Like 97/45 and 43bpm. All I wanted to do was go back to sleep but she insisted. So they had me sit up. When I sat up I knew immediately that I was going to throw up. I asked the nurse for a trash can and she got the container to me just in time. It wasn't much but I do remember it hurting so bad that I decided I was not going to throw up for ANYTHING again. They gave me something for nausea and asked if I was hungry I asked for apple juice and crackers. I kept trying to fall asleep but the nurse kept telling me I had to stay awake if I wanted to go home. All I wanted to do was go to my bed, so I decided that going to the bathroom would wake me up. Let me tell ya, those were some long steps! They helped me in and I managed to make myself go. - on a side note, I have been trained not to go to the bathroom in my pants for about 26 years now and even tho the binder they had me in has a hole in it, convincing my very drugged up body of that was no easy task! Just saying..

The car ride home was pretty much a blurr, thankfully we only live about 5 min from the center because Corpus Christi has the WORST ROADS EVER!! We got home and my husband helped me into the house. As soon as I was in I had to pee again. So he helped me to the bathroom. Because I had lipo on my back I had a drain tube in my back too. And I was working! My whole back was soaked, so much that later while I was sleeping he went back to my drs to get me another binder to change into later.
They told us to only change the pad on my back and drain out my drain tubes every few hours. Ladies, if your husband is going to be taking care of you make sure he is not squeamish! When my DH went to change my pad he had to get a plastic cup to hold under the drain while he got everything in place. It was half full by the time he was done! It was gross!

After we changed the pad he put a big one down on the bed for me and helped me in. I had about 4 pillows behind my head and 2 under my feet. Then I passed out for about 2 hours. When I woke up I was a different person! My tummy was FLAT! And I was in a much better mood. I snacked on some crackers and drank some more juice. I got up a few more times to pee that day and my neighbor came over to see how I was doing and to bring home my baby. Other than that I didn't do much.

Day 2: I woke up for about 2 hours at a time, had my husband help me get up to pee, then went back to bed for about 2 hours, and took a hydrocodone ever 6 hrs. That was my routine for most of the day.

Day 3: was very simmilar to day 2 except I walked back and forth across my house a few times and even sat in the living room on my recliner for a few hours and visited w/ some friends. I was worried that I might not be doing enough but a friend of mine who had had the same procedure done about a year ago said I was doing to much, so I felt better. The pain pump in my chest itched really bad and the drain tube in my back was still leaking A Lot!

Day 4: my back is KILLING ME!! The front felt very similar to a c-section, only higher. But my back is a whole nother story. It is so sore from being hunched over all the time, only being able to sleep on my back and having the damn tube in. Ugh! walked across the street to see my friend for about 10 min then decided that was enough exercise for me :) also yelled at my husband for not cleaning the "right way" I was also able to get in and out of bed by myself, but still needed help getting out of the recliner.

Day 5: 1st dr appt! He took out one of my drain tubes in front, the pain pump, and the drain tube in my back. Nothing hurt coming out, just felt a little weird. I got to see my scar for the first time and it looks AWESOME! It is so low and straight, my belly button looks great, and I couldn't be happier! I still can't get over how thin I look. I'm swelling in my back but my dr assures me that it will all go away :) after my appt I got to take a shower. Heaven! It felt really weird because you don't have feeling in your stomach. My belly button is really hard and without the binder on I felt like I was falling apart. I highly recommend taking something for nausea before you shower. It was a very exhausting experience, but MAN did I feel good after! I also had my first BM today. That was quite a reliefe too.

Day 6: a little more swollen today but still not bad. We even went to SAMS club so I could pick out my Mothers Day gift. But of course the electric chairs were all dead so I had to walk more than I wanted to but the patio fruniture was at the front of the store so I didnt have to go far. Tried to take it easy today. I spent most of the day in my recliner just trying to take advantage of the quiet house. Tomorrow my mom is comming into town to take care of me next week since my hubby has to go back to work. (he works in the oil field and is gone for two weeks straight) I really think that if I didn't have a 1 yr old who wake up in the middle of the night still I really wouldn't need anyone to stay with me, but no lifting!

Well that brings you up to date. Sorry it was so long. I just tried to include all the things I wondered about before my surgery. I'll keep posting updates as I progress. Thanks for reading and good luck!