Tummy Tuck: Stories

Hi everyone, I am 35 with 3 gorgeous children (4, 2 and 1). With my first pregnancy, although I gained 50+ pounds I quickly returned to my pre-pregnancy weight and a flat tummy. However, things changed with my second pregnancy. Even after doing two rounds of P90X my stomach was still huge, I looked about 5 months pregnant. I knew something was wrong but before I could find out what, I was pregnant again. It wasn't until my 6 week post partum appointment for my 3rd child that I found out that I had a hernia and a very large diastatis recti. Now that my son is 1 (and i'm done breastfeeding) I am ready to have my stomach fixed. My hernia repair and TT is scheduled for April 2, 2012. This site has been such a blessing to me that I wanted to post my journey here.

My surgery is tomorrow morning. I am so nervous. I am not nearly as ready/organized as I had hoped to be.

2 days post op: I was released from the hospital today and my drains were also taken out (Is that early? When do people usually get their drains out?). Although I had very little pain the entire time I was in the hospital, I have been feeling real achy since being home. I haven't taken the binder off yet, so I don't know what my scar or BB looks like.

3 days Post Op: I am feeling pretty good. I got up this morning, gave myself a sponge bath and then had breakfast. I still haven't looked at the incision yet, but my stomach with the binder on looks flat. I feel like the side incisions maybe higher than I would like so I am anxious for my follow-up appointment (Tuesday) so that I can get a good look.

I am finally uploading my before pictures. The doctor said that my diastatis recti was the size of football. No wonder I looked 5 months pregnant

4 days PO: I am still doing really well. I haven't had any pain to speak of other than those gut busting coughs that I am plagued with. Those really hurt! I also had my first BM today without incident. I had forgotten to take the stool softener so I was expecting to have a difficult time.

My second drain hole is oozing some liquid out of it. Its not blood and it doesn't have an odor but its gross none the less. I hope it starts closing up soon!!

6 days PO: Today I am annoyed, crampy, achy and grumpy. My pain is still manageable (taking 1 IB 600MG daily) but my butt hurts from sitting down and doing nothing.

Anywhoo, I am walking completely upright now but still slow. One of the drain holes is still excreting this yellow fluid the other looks pretty good. I took the binder off today. I can't see the scar or my BB but I was able to see my tummy. It looks pretty swollen to me. I will upload a picture.

8 days PO: Today I had my follow up appointment with my PS. One of the drain hole is closed while the other one is still leaking fluid. He isn't worried and said that it might continue to drain for sometime. Overall he was very pleased with the way I was healing. I on the other hand almost fainted when he took the bandages off. Although I knew I would be cut from hip to hip and saw several pictures of this, I simply was NOT ready to see that scar on my body. It saddened me. Please share any scar therapy/tips with me.

I came home and took a closer look at the TT scar's on this board. For the most part mine looks like that (although I may have the beginning of a dogs ear on the right side). I've uploaded some pictures.

Things I would have done differently:
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- Plan better for the down time. With 3 small kids I never get time like this to myself. However, I am bored out of my mind because I don't have anything to do to occupy my time. I should have bought some books, movies or something/anything to keep me occupied.

- Focus on the TT and not just the hernia repair. I had a very large hernia and so I focused on that more than the TT aspect. I never asked the questions to ensure that I would like the final results, for example scar and BB placement. While my scar is pretty low in the middle, it is higher on the sides that I would have liked. My BB also seems to be lower than what would be natural.

- Have realistic expectations. I really thought that right after my surgery my stomach would be flat and look like it did 5 years ago. I didn't factor in swelling, the huge scar, or the fact that the stretch marks under my huge belly would now be visible once that belly was gone. Also, while i'm sure I was told, I paid very little attention to the "it takes 4 - 6 months before the full results are visible" comments.

Thats it for now!

11 days PO: I haven't taken any pain medications in 3 days and i'm feeling really good. I am still taking it very easy though. I have help until the end of the month so there is no need to try and rush my healing.

I took off the sterile-strips and my scar looks MUCH better (I have uploaded a few pictures). I am so glad that I put them on. On the flip side, my stomach seems to be getting bigger instead of flatter. I am hoping that this is just swelling and not pockets of fluid.

17 days PO: I had my follow-up appointment with my PS on Tuesday and he confirmed my suspicion that I have a dog ear at the end of my incision. The one on the right side seems to be going away on its own but the other one is still very visible. His recommendation was that I wait 4 - 6 months and then have it fixed. He also wants to tighten my tummy a little more at the same time. NOT!! I declined, instead I will just have the dog ear fixed in his office at the end of the summer. Maybe I will change my mind but I am not interested in having another major surgery. Except for the dog ears, i'm pretty happy with my results.

My swelling is going down some, but its still there...uggh. He recommended that I continue to wear the binder to help with that. I see him again in 2 months (or anytime before that if I need to).

Here are a few recent pictures. You can really see the swelling around my BB and in my pubic area.

5 weeks + PO and I'm still swollen. I wake up most mornings with a relatively flat stomach (see new pics), but by the end of the day my stomach is huge. I also can't go too long without wearning my binder. I thought by now that I would be able to "enjoy" my new tummy but it looks like I still have a long way to go.

I also, unlike everyone else, haven't lost any weight. I need to workout again, but I don't think my body (particularly my core) is ready.