Tummy Tuck: Stories

Well I know that I don't even have an appointment scheduled yet, but I do know that I am definitely getting my tummy tuck done!! I have 2 kids which stretched out my stomach pretty bad.. I don't like to show ANYONE my belly so this is a big step for me haha I can't believe I'm posting pictures of it. My husband is fully on board, I told him I want to lose 10 more pounds before I get the procedure done so to motivate me, he says I am not allowed to call the doctor until I lose the weight! (I am 5'1", weigh 120 now, want to be at 110) So here my journey starts.. this website has been so helpful to me, reading all these stories and seeing everyone else's pictures, so I hope someone can read mine too and get something out of it. I would love to talk to anyone who has any advice for me as I start my adventure! ;)

Weighed in at 118.0 this morning.. so 2 pounds down, 8 to go (:

I have a question hopefully some people can give me a little insight.. I was wondering how long it took to get your appointment from when you called? Like when you first called and scheduled a meeting with the doc and then how long after that was the surgery scheduled? I'm a bit concerned because I will be moving from NC to CT in July/August. I very much want my TT done here in NC though so I was just wondering, should I be scheduling my appointment ASAP? Thanks ladies (:

Well I talked to the office manager at GPS, she says I can get my consult within 1-2 weeks, and then if I decide to go ahead with it, the surgery 2-4 weeks after that! Seems so quick! Only problem now.. my husband is a Marine, and he's leaving for 6 weeks sometime in March. So it will have to wait until he gets back. But I'm so excited :D For those of you who already had your TT done, was 2 weeks enough time to be up and about again? We have no family anywhere close to where we are stationed, and hubby can only take 2 weeks of leave time from work to help me with the kids after the surgery. I hope that will be enough time!

Well I finally have an appointment scheduled, I will be seeing my PS the morning of February 19th! Yay (:

Went to see Dr. Rizzuti this morning for my consult, and we scheduled my tummy tuck for the morning of May 8th! Would have been sooner except my husband is a Marine and he is going away for March/April. But yay! I am so excited (: pre-op is April 25. He said I am a great candidate but that my belly button sits high, so he will have to sew up the hole he cuts around it and make a new one. So I will have a small scar for that. I never really cared about the scar that much anyway, I probably won't be rocking a bikini with all my stretch marks anyway :P

Good afternoon everybody!! I haven't posted in about a month and a half.. I am getting excited though, just 5 weeks to go!! My husband will be home in about 4 weeks, so I am getting soo much done in the house to keep myself busy.. trying to clean out a lot of stuff we don't need, and thinking about what I need to get done before the surgery. Im not nervous at all, just excited to get it done already! Unfortunately, stress got the better of me and I stopped my weight loss, but I'm still only at 119 and back on track to be 110 by may 8 (: good luck to anyone going in this week!

26 days and counting... wow. My husband gets home in a few weeks, which makes me so happy. Up til now I have been super excited, no nervous feelings at all. While I'm still not really nervous about the whole thing, I've started to doubt whether it is still worth it.. I know this is all I have thought about for years, I'm forced to think about it every day living with my insecurity. So why now am I getting cold feet?? I guess I'm just feeling guilty about the cost, and having to be taken care of while my husband does everything. Anyone else get these feelings so close to the surgery? My pre-op appointment is in under 2 weeks, hopefully it will help remind me why I'm doing this for myself (: on the positive side I have lost 4 pounds, woohoo! But anyway, good luck to everyone still waiting, and happy healing to the rest of you beautiful ladies!

Just excited to be at the weight I'm happy with before my surgery! Hubby gets home about May 1, and new tummy is going on May 8.. 20 days to go!! Woohooo added pics of how I look now (: will update after my preop appointment on the 25th. Wish hubby could come, but I'm gonna have to go alone..boo :(

Well, today was my pre-op appointment, they did a blood test and checked my blood pressure, then gave me some prescriptions and post op instructions. Not much else to report on that, it was super quick. So I drove the hour and a half back home, picked up my little ones and went to go fill my prescriptions when my car breaks down!! I had to have it towed home, because I couldnt pay for repairs today due to the large amount I just paid for my surgery (forgot to mention that, I paid it in full at my appointment) and there's a limit to how much I can spend per day on my card. So at least I wasn't far from home! Wish my huand was home, won't be back until the 1st. So hopefully I can figure out what to do about the car by then.. :(

Husband* lol stupid phone.

So excited, just about a week left! Hubby gets home in 2 days, so I am soo happy about that. Today my dad called, I havent been able to see him in about a year and a half (due to our military station) and I have been trying to get him to visit me for ages but he couldnt because of his job. He said that he is finally able to come here in mid June. Well by that time I will be about 5 weeks post op. I have not told either of my parents about my procedure, not because I think they will be upset, but because I'm afraid they will be SUPER worried, and maybe not understanding of why I need it.. with clothes in you can't tell. The only ones who know are my friends here, and my sister. So now I don't know whether to tell him, or try and hide it.. I don't know how I will be feeling by then, I know I'll most likely still be wearing my cg still so I guess I'll just have to roll with the punches on this one. Still soo excited though!!

Well yesterday I took my car in to get looked at and everything is okay! For now. At least it is driveable. So I decided to go fill up my prescriptions today, Dr. Rizzuti prescribed Demerol and Percocet for pain, then something else for nausea.. forgot the name. Well it took me going to 3 different pharmacies to find that Demerol and wouldn't you know it, they don't accept Tricare as insurance! WTF. They ended up giving me some kind of discount on all the meds though, in the end it was like $30 for all 3. So that's good. Well I am getting super excited! I have everything I think I need in preparation, time to relax now and wait for my husband to get home tomorrow (: yay! Things are good.

Well my tummy tuck is happening on wednesday.. I have been taking a multivitamin plus high dose of vitamin c every morning for the past month to stay healthy. This morning I woke up with nausea and a stomach ache, and to spare details lol I've been in and out of the bathroom for the past few hours. I'm really stressing now and hope its just from eating pizza last night (I eat REALLY healthy so I don't eat out often). Praying I feel better later on and this isn't the start of a bug :( I can't postpone my surgery because of my husband being a marine, he can't just take time when he needs it. On the positive side he is home now, I'm so happy about that. But everybody please send good vibes my way that I'm not sick!!

Turns out my husband and his friend who both had the pizza last night also are sick. So it looks like food poisoning.. I really hope this passes asap! Ugh. I will be so upset if this interferes with my surgery :(

Wow, it is finally here!! We will be leaving the house at 5 am tomorrow morning, the ps office is 1 hour and 40 minutes away, surgery set to start at 8 am. Up til now I have been totally calm but wake up this morning and now my stomach is in a KNOT lol. Luckily I have lots to do today to keep busy, I know tomorrow I'll be such a wreck but I'm still super excited :D I'm praying that I can stay calm and relaxed, I just want to get it over with so I can stop thinking about it so much! Haha but anyway, good luck to my ladies who are also going in this week, its finally our time!!

LOL my husband is so ridiculous. We are cleaning up the house when he comes up to me, hugs me and says, "just think, tomorrow, all these doctors are gonna see you naked, then they're gonna cut pieces of your skin off, and sew you back up, like Frankenstein." Haha wow honey, thanks!! I'm like, who says that!? Haha but he made me laugh.. (: I just finished setting up my little recovery area in our room, I'm all set to go! Time to just relax with my love and my sweet little ones. Might update again tomorrow before my surgery but otherwise I will get on here for an update once I feel okay! Ttyl TT buddies haha see ya on the flat side!!!! :D

On our way to the ps right now, it is 520 am, surgery is at 8. I feel alright, my nerves are calm but when I kissed my babies goodbye as they slept all I could think about was what if I don't come home again? What if something goes wrong.. my only.fears right now. Praying all goes well and I will update when this is all over and i feel okay. Thank you ladies for your support, could not have done this without this website.. see ya on the flat side xxx

Just gpt home from havimg my tummy tuck done (: forgive me if I am messing words up lol I'm really tired amd on painkillers. I will get into more detail on everything at a later time, but I just wanted to say I'M ON THE FLAT SIDE BABY!!! Dr Rizzuti even said there was enough skin to not do the "T" incision, so thats awesome! He repaired my muscles, did lipo on my love hamdles, and a tiny bit above my belly button. I am not in too much pain thanks to demerol, I'm expeting tomorrow j will feel it more haha. Also zero nausea for whivh I am so thankful, holy cow I can't imagine the excruciating pain if I were to throw up right now.. well anyway I'm going to sleep now (: happy healing everyone!

It's 5 am, I am having trouble staying asleep for more than an hour at a time.. figured I would do an update since I am awake.
My husband and I left for the ps at 5 am yesterday morning. I felt totally calm, no anxiety or nerves. We got there at 630, checked in, then about 20 minutes latee the nurse called me in. They had a separate waiting area for my husband so we said goodbye there. He gave me a few hugs and kisses then the nurse told us to stop making out LOL. Then she took me into a room to put my hospital gown on, and laid me down on a stretcher. I met the anesthesiologist who put in my IV, I waited about 15 minutes then Dr, Rizzuti came in, took pictures and marked me up. I got back on the stretcher, the anesthesiologist gave me some kind of drug into my IV to keep me relaxed. Which I surprisingly was anyway! They wheeled me to the operating room, and that's the last I remember. I woke up panicking until they got ,my husband. They brought us to a recovery room and sat me in a wheelchair, and I had a little sprite and took demerol. Once we were okay to go they wheeled me to the car and helped me in. OUCH!! I slept for pretty much of the hour and a half drive home. No nausea, just a dry throat. When we got home I went right down to rest, my hubby is an excellent caregiver so far (: my kids did great, they weren't trying to jump on me or anything. Getting up from my chaise I sooo not fun.. when I'm down the pain sucks, but not too bad, like burning. When I get up my muscles at rhe top of my abdomen feel really tight, I can feel the bruising from the lipo on my sides and back. I also have stinging in one specific spot, which I assume is the drain. My wonderful husband is keeping on top of my meds, I take them every 4 hours. I'm gettig sleepy now, its getting hard to type well so I will update later. Happy healing ladies! (:

Today is post op day 2. My ps said that I can take a shower tomorrow, so I will get to take off my binder.. thank goodness cause its pinching me and it needs to be adjusted, so uncomfortable. Speaking of uncomfortable, this morning I got up, went to the bathroom and peed.. my hubby was about to empty my drains when I got this awful nausea. I wanted to throw up but I couldnt, I could only gag.. made me shake and break a sweat, it was horrible! But anyway, taking demerol every 4 hours is helping the pain, it is getting easier to get up and down too. I feel really swollen and my back is stinging from lipo. My drains haven't been putting much out, so hopefully I can get one taken out on tuesday at my post op appointment. I'm pretty tired so I'm going to rest now. Take care, and happy healing to all (:

Morning of PO day 3. I am feeling so much better than I thought I would!! Had my first bm yesterday, I was taking peri colace at night and in the morning since my surgery. I'm able to get up and down by myself pretty well, and my drains are hardly putting out much fluid, so hopefully tuesday I can get at least one out! I've been really tired, but the pain isn't too bad, more uncomfortable than really painful. I'm going to take a shower later today and get my first look without my binder on (: I havent had much of an appetite since the TT, anyone else like that? I'm just not hungry at all. But otherwise things are going well, I'm excited to see how everything is looking so far. Hope everyone is doing well, good luck future TTers and happy healing!!!

Today was pretty good, I'm able to get around with just extra strength tylenol. I tried taking a shower, I'm dying to wash my hair, but my back was aching too much. But I got to take everything off and see my new tummy for the first time! I'm so happy with how everything looks, my scar looks great, I'm really excited. I'm gonna go watch a movie with my hubby now, goodnight everyone!

Oh my.. my little darlings are just too cute.. I was on the couch and they had me laughing so hard I moved to my bedroom and put on a horror movie so I would stop giggling so much!! That is the most painful thing I've felt since this started WOW!!! Taking it easy now.. happy mothers day haha.

Today is PO day 5. I stopped taking tylenol yesterday because I really don't need it anymore (: the only pain I'm having is the entrance where my drains are, it keeps pulling no matter how much gauze I try and put on there. It sucks!! My drains havent been putting out much fluid anyway so I'm going to see if the ps will PLEASE take them out tomorrow at my post op appointment. Also I am really short, so my garment bunches up at my hips and digs in to my sides where I'm all bruised from my lipo and that bothers me too. But theres no real pain from the TT itself. OH I also got to wash my hair yesterday, finally, which is wonderful. I will update again tomorrow after my appointment!! Hope everyone is having a good day, and happy healing (:

PO day 6. Just got back from my first post op appointment.. Dr. Rizzuti took out one of my drains, he said that my husband can take the other one out in a few days. They took the tape off my scar, and also the tape and a few sutures from my bb. He is really happy with how everything looks, he said I had a cute little bb haha. They said my bb won't have a scar, and my tt scar will be nice and thin. So it all looks good! I don't have much pain at all, really just if I laugh too hard or something. I will post a new belly pic later on today (:

OH I forgot to say that the drain didn't hurt coming out, just felt SUPER WEIRD haha like a little snake or something wriggling around. Ew it was gross lol.

Well today is one week post op already! My drain hasn't put anything out all day, so I will have my hubby pull it out tomorrow (: yay! I feel awesome today, I did the dishes, and I just got done making my family a batch of brownies from scratch. My ps said not to use any scar creams on my incision yet, but he said I could use silicone strips so I put those on today. I wish I could stand up straight because my back hurts from hunching over so much, but I'm like 90% there. I slept in bed with my hubby last night, took a little melatonin and slept like a baby ALL NIGHT for the first time since my surgery!! What a relief. I also ordered some spanx to wear (per my PS suggestion) so I can finally ditch this awful cg, hopefully they fit me better. But anyway thats about it for now, will update again soon (: happy healing ladies!!

Well my drain didn't put anything out yesterday, so this morning my husband pulled it out. Yay no more drains!!! It is so freeing haha. I also switched my cg for spanx, I feel SO WONDERFUL now!! (: added a few new pictures today as well. Hope everyone is doing well today, happy healing!! xxx

Well today I finally took a "real" shower.. it was wonderful! (: I was feeling so good today my husband and I took the kids to the store for a little grocery shopping. My back didn't bother me at all, and it didn't tire me out so I'm happy about that. Although, there is a McDonalds at our walmart, my hubby decided he wanted to grab some for dinner on the way out. And I love my french fries. SO that was a huge mistake haha my stomach cramped up for like half an hour :p but I'm fine now. But basically a really great day (: I am feeling so much better than I thought I would after this tt, its such a relief. Hubby goes back to work next week, and I feel like I'll be just fine dealing with the kids myself. I'm just so happy (: this was soo worth it to me!!!

Hey y'all. So today I was changing my silicone strips when I saw that there is a stitch poking out from the end of my incision.. is this okay? Should I call my ps or is this normal? Anyway, still doing great, every day gets even better. I can't wait to see how I look and feel in a few more weeks (: my bb looks better all the time to me too. Hope everyone is doing well, happy healing tt ladies ;)

Hello! I said I would update when I got my new spanx in, and they got here today. I'm wearing them now :p first of all, let me say they were NOT EASY to get into haha but now that they are on, very comfortable. I think just being new and all they are super tight. As they should be, I mean thats their job haha. They have adjustable straps, a nice padding on the tummy, the shorts are really soft and not cutting into my skin tne way my cg did. They also have an open crotch so there is no need to take it off 5 times a day. I like them! Hopefully they get a BIT easier to get on and off as I wear them more, but overall, so much better than that awful cg. Yay for spanx (: for anyone who wants to check them out, here is where I ordered from, I got a size small (I am 5'1" and 113 pounds)
http://www.mycamila.com/shapewear-braless-1385.html

Today I am 12 days post op. Everything is healing really well, my incision and bb look great. Last night after I ate dinner my upper abdomen was really swollen, it was almost hard to breathe in deep. It has also been a little more tender up there, though I have been laughing more since it doesn't hurt so much, and I also sneezed a few times yesterday from my allergies. So maybe the strain is just causing the tenderness and extra swelling. But last night when I was getting ready to shower, I noticed there is a small hard almost lump in my upper abs, kinda feels like it has gotten bigger but I can't say for sure. It doesn't really hurt, it's just there. I think I will wait until my next appointment to ask my ps about it, unless it changes. I'm figuring it is just my muscles getting too strained from me doing too much or something. But otherwise things are great, I'm working on straightening up more, which is nice on my back.. I drove the other day, only thing about that was it was hard to twist around to see to back the car up haha. So I think I should wait until I can do that better before driving again. I really wish I could go swimming with my kids, I hate having to sit on the side while my family has fun in the pool :( gonna ask Dr. Rizzuti about when I can do that when I go on the 30th. My husband is having minor surgery today, right now actually.. having a cyst removed from under his eyebrow. So it is my first day being with the kids on my own since the tt. And of course, they are being extra difficult just for mommy haha. I slept all night last night, only the second or third time I have done so since surgery so that was nice. I'm not sure what that's about seeing as how I am EXHAUSTED

got cut off there for some reason. I was going to say I don't know why I can't sleep all night seeing as how I am soo exhausted during the day. Also adding a few pictures. Nothing much different, my bb is drying up though and looking good. My skin is also smoothing out more, not so "gathered" at my incision. That's it for now. I will update after my appointment on the 30th. Good luck future TTers and happy healing ladies (:

Haha I just wanted to say that I just received an email back from the nurse about my stitch that was poking out, she said the stitches dissolve so it is nothing to worry about. She said if it becomes bothersome to just snip the end off. So that's good! One less thing to think about.

Wow, time flies!! Already been 2 weeks. Today was really fun, I went fishing with my husband and his shop.. caught some fish for dinner (: I did get seasick though, threw up a little.. which hurt my muscles haha but overall it was really fun. My upper abdomen muscles have still been extra tender, and also my sides where the lipo was done has been burning a little, I think I am just getting the feeling back there. Everything looks good, I just posted pictures the other day but I figured I would put some more up since I'm at my 2 week mark. I will probably start updating weekly now. But over all I have been feeling pretty good, just get tired easily, standing up straight, and my incision/bb are healing really well. Will update next week, happy healing to all (: