“Recovering from Surgery Day! - Hampton, VA”

Hello everyone! I am currently scheduled for March 9th for a tummy tuck, liposuction on the hip rolls, and liposuction on the medial thighs. I had a rough pregnancy with my son due to many terrible health conditions, and it caused me to swell up like a balloon. Then, to make matters worse, they had to put me on bed rest, causing me to gain weight faster due to inactivity. Long story short, I went from weighing a healthy 145 lbs strong to weighing in at 215 lbs after childbirth. I am now down to 157 lbs and still losing. The weight loss was importat because I am active duty Air Force, and the weight could risk my job. I can't wait to have my surgery! I have worked hard to get back down to my pre-pregnancy weight, and getting all of the extra skin and stubborn fat out of the way will definitely boost my confidence towards losing the rest of my weight.

Updated on 4 Feb 2012:
I'm growing so impatient! I talk about my surgery to my husband every day, and it seems like it can't come fast enough. I've lost another 3 pounds, so hopefully I will be able to get down to at least 150 lbs before surgery day. I have no hesitations about the surgery at this point, and I couldn't be more excited. I will post my before pictures soon(even though they are very embarrasing.)

Updated on 17 Feb 2012:
Surgery day is getting closer! My pre-op in on February 24th, and I am getting a little anxious. I wish time would go by faster, because I am tired of being trapped in this body. I was uploading my pictures, and it was really an eye opener as to how disproportionate my legs are because of my awful thighs. And my stomach is just, ugh. Come on, March 9th! Get here already!

Updated on 28 Feb 2012:
Hello everyone! Alright, so I had my pre-op visit on Friday, and it went really well. There are a few things I am now concerned with. The first thing (the main thing, really), is one of the prescriptions they gave me. I currently have the Mirena IUD in for birth control, and it cannot be removed for surgery. Because of the horomones in it, they gave me a presciption for Lovenox to prevent blood clots from occuring. The only problem is that it's a daily injection! I'm not really all that sure on my abilities to give myself injections, but I'm sure my husband will figure it out and help me along. We discussed the entire procedure I will be undergoing at great length. I will have a full tummy tuck with liposuction, liposuction on my not-so-lovely love handles, a hernia repair, and my muscles will all be tightened and placed back where they are supposed to be, along with liposuction to my inner thighs. Right now, my muscles are kinda just floating, so that part is that part is what I'm really looking forward to! Surgery day is next Friday, and I am beyond thrilled for it to be done and over with! I'm not scared or nervous about the procedure yet, but I'm sure it will set in a couple days before the procedure. I'm mostly worried about the recovery time. I really wish there was a definitive time that I will be able to lift over 20 lbs, run a mile and a half quickly, and do push ups and sit ups. I will have a physical fitness test in July, so I'm hoping that I will be able to complete all of my components by that time frame. Well, I guess that's all for now. Happy healing everyone!

Updated on 8 Mar 2012:
Well, surgery day is tomorrow. I decided to ask for today off so that I could make sure everything was ready for my big day tomorrow. I'm still not nervous about the procedure...I thought that feeling would have hit me by now. I'm more anxious than anything. I feel like I have been waiting forever for this procedure! My doctor is going to call me this afternoon to let me know what time my procedure is at tomorrow. Hopefully today will go by very quickly!

Updated on 10 Mar 2012:
Day One:

I woke up from surgery, but everything was a bit fuzzy. I managed to get up the stairs and into bed with some help from my loving husband. The hardest thing so far is going pee. It's quite annoying. I've been keeping on top of my meds, so I haven't been in any real pain. I've been sore, but I think that's from sleeping upright. Well, I suppose I'm going to get some more rest. Happy healing everyone!

Updated on 10 Mar 2012:
Day 2:

I guess this is technically day one since surgery was yesterday, but I'm calling it day two anyways. I'm having a slight burning sensation where I had liposuction, but it's very tolerable. I've been in and out of sleep constantly, but that's okay. It takes me a while to pee, but I've read this is normal for the first few days. My tummy is sore, nut that's about it. I've managed to go up and down my stairs twice, but I'm staying upstairs from now on. I'm staying on top of my meds, so that's good. My back is killingme from sleeping upright, but that's to be expected. I have tried to pee with my leg garment on, and it was interesting. Probably won't try that again. Will update pictures after my shower. Happy Healing!

Updated on 11 Mar 2012:
Day 3:

Well, I've had to take it easier today than the past couple of days. I'm finding it harder to move around due to some gas issues, and adjusting my leg binder is a real pain. Today I'm just taking it easy, not moving around too much unless absolutely necessary. Still not in a great deal of pain, just some discomfort from little coughs and from gas. My back is killing me though! I'm ready to see everything all healed up, but I know it takes time. I don't wanna rush anything, so I'm just going to take things nice and slow. Maybe this evening I will build up the courage to shower. I can see from the pictures that my husband took I'm a lot smaller! When I feel uncomfortable, I just look at those pictures to remind me of what is underneath all of this discomfort. Happy Healing everyone!

Updated on 12 Mar 2012:
Day 4:

Hello everyone! It is morning time on day four, and I feel great today. I'm not very sore yet, but that's probably because I haven't moved around too much yet. I'm not sure if I need to continue taking the percocet or not, but I'd rather take it and be safer than sorry at this point. So I know I've hit on this a few times, but the amount of gas I have is insane! I'm not eating anything crazy, so I'm not sure if all of this gas is normal or not. I took off my binder for a moment yesterday, and it really freaked me out. I felt like I had taken my stomach off! The most annoying thing is still going to the restroom. Trying to pee with the compression garment for my legs on is a pain, and taking it off and putting it back on is no better. I'm amazed by how well recovery is going, but I'm still waiting for the rough part to come. I haven't had an emotional spell yet, and I haven't had any sort of regrets. Maybe I prepared myself for these moments so much that I'm skipping them altogether? At any rate, I hope to continue down this positive road. Happy Healing everyone!

Updated on 12 Mar 2012:
Day 4 Part 2:

I just took my first shower since my surgery. It felt so nice to wash my hair and clean myself off a little bit! Coudn't have done it without my husband and my shower chair though. Hubby helped me into the shower and left me to clean myself for the most part, unless I called for his help of course. I have been dreading the shower, but it wasn't too bad at all. I'm glad I waited until today though...I kept telling my hubby I wasn't ready for the shower, and I really don't think that I was until today. I went to the bathroom and decided that I felt so good, a shower would be okay. A word of advice for women getting ready for their tummy tuck procedures: have a shower chair if possible! Also, don't rush into anything! My ps said I was allowed to shower 24 hours after the procedure, but I wasn't actualy ready for it until today. That's all I have for now I suppose! I'm going to take a nap I think. I keep drifting in and out of consciousness anyways! Until next time, heal well everyone!

Updated on 14 Mar 2012:
Day 5 + 6:

Well, yesterday was just one of those lazy days. I took it easy and kind of just lounged around the house. I didn't want to move around too much because my back was feeling very sore. This morning, I went to my first post op appointment. It went really well! He ended up taking 3 lbs of skin off of my stomach and about 4 lbs of fat from my sides, tummy, and thighs! The skin looked crazy to me. I am almost able to stand straight, and it hasn't even been a week yet, so I'm excited. The doctor says my healing is going extremely well, and that my results are going to exceed both his and my own expectations once the swelling goes down and the skin has settled from my liposuction. I had one of my drains removed today as well, and I didn't feel anything. I was expecting for it to hurt or be at least uncomfortable because of the stories I have read on here, but I honestly didn't feel a thing. I had taken a percocet two hours prior, so that might have had something to do with it. I haven't been taking any pain medications minus the one prior to my appointment for about two days now. Not even tylenol. I am so surprised at how easy recovery has been in comparison to what I was expecting and how other ladies have experienced on here. I have been truly blessed throughout this entire process. Thank you everyone for your continued support! Happy healing!

Updated on 15 Mar 2012:
Day 7:

Today has not been a very good day for swelling. I am now experiencing the swell hell everyone has been talking about, and it is very uncomfortable. I thought that since I had been doing so well, that I would venture out into the world and go to lunch with some friends and co-workers. It went pretty well, so I thought that a trip to the store really quick would be no big deal. I was very wrong. We got into the store, and I realized that my legs had swollen up to the point where they looked like elephant legs! And on top of that, my back started hurting like crazy, and my stomach started swelling as well. We were in the middle of grabbing some items, so my hubby went and got a wheelchair for me so we could finish up quickly and get out of there. Needless to say, I am now medicated and in bed taking it easy. Hopefully this swelling will go down tonight while I'm relaxing. Everyone remember to take baby steps! Healing thoughts to everyone.

Updated on 19 Mar 2012:
Day 11:

It's been a few days since I've been on here and given an update, so here's what's been going on with me. I have been recovering very well! My belly button is looking a little funky from this little blood bubble, and I'm not sure if it's just a big scab, so I'm not touching it until I see my PS on Wednesday. I have still yet to see my incision mark since it is still covered with tape, so hopefully the PS will take both the tape and my remaining drain out on Wednesday! I'm not standing all the way straight yet, but I'm getting there! I am still terribly swollen in my legs from the lipo, but that's to be expected. I am also still very bruised in my back/butt area, which is strange since I had lipo on my sides, but alright. I'm that odd green/yellow/red/purple color all over, so I'm still a little tender. I feel great overall, and I'm only in the beginning of recovery still. I'm excited to see what each new week brings me! Hope everyone is healing well!