Next Stop, SkinnyTown! Toot Toot!!! Tummy Tuck and Breast Lift (No Implant)

5'7" 147 pounds
37 year old stay at home mom
Reasonably good shape (run, hip hop abs, insanity (sometimes)
Wanting stretch marks and flop gone, diastasis repaired, and sad girls put back where the belong.
Having Full Tummy Tuck and a Breast Lift without implant. Hoping to have enough natural breast to stay proportional.

Ok. I've been lurking here for a month, so I though I'd give back a little for all the stories that have helped me. First, I am the absolute last person that I thought would ever be having this done! I never saw anything wrong with it, but I just did not believe the risk was worth the reward.

Well, here I am! Friday is my big day! I'm so excited and nervous! Trying to tie up loose ends and get prepared. So far, I've only done the usual preop regimen.... Multivitamin and Emergen-C. I've been dry brushing for months and love the way it feels! I lost my mind last night and decided to do a detox bath. I'm feeling a bit dehydrated, but otherwise energized.

I'm going shopping today for some supplies/groceries and planning to prep some meals for the freezer.

Feel free to offer any last minute advice for a newbie about to cross to the other side. Thanks so much to all of you who have shared your stories, both good and bad. You have blazed the trail! :)

Got to the hospital at 7:30. PO nurse was very nice and thoughroug. Anesthesiologist introduced himself. I don't remember anything he talked about due to him being gorgeous! PS came in and talked to hubby and parents before surgery. Super nice guy. The kind of guy that I would want my husband to be friends with. They chatted about alma maters and college football. Then, he marked me up after everyone left. Hugs and kisses from parents and hubs. That's about all I remember. Surgery started around 9. They didn't take any pictures. I don't know why. So I guess y'all have to rely on my self photography.

Woke up in recovery and my tits were on fire! My throat hurt and my mouth was crazy dry. I was very nauseous. They gave me Sprite which made it worse. I don't drink a lot of sodas, so it gave me some heartburn. I couldn't tell if I was going to burb or throw up. I dry heaved a couple of times. They gave me some phenegren which helped some. I ended up being in recovery a couple hours longer than usual due to the nausea and boob pain. We headed home around 4:30.

Home felt good. I was so relaxed in my rented electric recliner. I HIGHLY recommend renting something that lifts you up. I rented mine from rent-a-center for $29 a week. I'm hoping to only need it for two weeks. I'm going to want to sleep in my ASAP.

Dozed off and on until bed time. My husband has been AMAZING! He was not totally on board with surgery. He was very nervous the whole week before. He is much better now that surgery is over, and he is so patient and helpful. I love him to pieces!

My stomach doesn't really "hurt", but is incredibly tight from side to side and top to bottom. I'm very hunched over. I haven't seen the incision yet. Drains stink but aren't intolerable yet. I feel like my boobs are right under my chin! They are SO high! Hubs is amazed. He keeps calling me Chesty La France. :)

About the boobs, I did not get implants. This was a tough decision. I lost about 30 pounds in the last year and my boobs got so deflated, and I was really hoping no avoid implants. I didn't have the extra money for implants and honestly, I don't like the idea of something floating around inside of me. My PS told hubby that I was not going to need implants and that he only took 20 grams off my breasts (whatever that means). He also said that I did not need a vertical incision on my tummy. Yay!

Pain has not been unbearable yet. Just so very tight! I'm extremely tired. It's taken me about 45 minutes to type this. Sorry the pics don't show much. I'll take better ones tomorrow after my shower. Hope everyone has a great Labor Day weekend!

Today has been pretty good. I got a little nauseated first thing morning. Probably from walking around and needing a pain pill. I have been alternating my Percocet (one pill lasts about 4 hours and two will last almost 6). My PS doesn't do pain pumps anymore, but instead he injects a numbing med into incisions and muscles. It is supposed to slowly wear offin 4-5 days. I'm not really in pain, just very uncomfortable. Muscle relaxers help just as much as the pain meds. I sleep A LOT. My poor hubby is really bored. We sent the kids to grandparents the long Labor Day weekend. I didn't want them to see me at my worst. I am very hunched over especially when I first get up for walks.

My right drain really stings. My hips/ flanks are super swollen from lipo I guess. He said that he always lipos there to smooth out the flanks. They are bulging out the bottom of my compression garmet. Swelling onboobs has gone down some, but they still feel super full. Any ideas on getting the swelling down on the lipos hips?

I've been eating normally the whole time. Not huge meals, but normal stuff. Lots of pineapple and cold pasta (and cake :). I weighed 147 the day of surgery and up 8 pounds since surgery. I don't really care about that though. Haven't had a BM yet, but I have been having lots of gas pains. Ready to get that over with.

I showered today! It was lovely! My sister and husband were there to help. Aside from drying off and taking off and putting on CGs, I did it all myself! I did not wash my hair though.

I'm so very grateful that I am not in too much pain. And for my wonderful hubby. I can only manage to stay awake for a couple of hours at a time. I'm very sensitive to meds. Happy healing everyone!

Can anybody tell me if I need to do anything for the swollen places on my flanks? It is below my CG, and its the only place he lipo'd. I have these huge swollen bulges that start right below my binder. Should ice, heat, massage, leave them alone? Any advice would be great.

Also, how long before I will be able to stand up straight? The hunchback is killing me!

Thanks in advance!

Like somebody is trying to twist me into two chunks. My drain sites sting so bad. My back hurts when I'm up walking. Other than those things, I feel ok. Going to try to reduce pain meds today. Hubs went to our favorite Mexican restaurant and brought home cheese enchiladas and rice. I know I shouldn't eat cheese (especially since I haven't gone #2 yet). But it was sooooo yummy!

How am I supposed to wear panties with these drains poking out of my whoo-ah? Still wondering how long til I can stand straight?

Well, gonna rest up for another lovely shower later. Happy healing all!

Well, I thought that I would try to wean off some of the pain meds (mainly to prove I am tough but also because I want to poop again sometime this year). At the same time, my flanks decided to swell to about four times their normal size. It feels like my skin is going to split. My PS always does lipo on the flanks with a TT to even out the contours. I can honestly say that I HATE lipo! The breast lift has been a breeze so far, and even the incision from TT has been ok. The muscle tightness is strange, but only painful when I'm moving around. But where he lipo'd my flanks, it feels like a bomb went off. I've been eating pineapple like crazy, watching the sodium and icing them as much as I can stand, but it's almost unbearable. Can anyone tell me how long until I will see some of that swelling go down? Also, when can I stand up straight? I keep seeing people post pics of them standing up very early.

Thanks for reading!

Today is MUCH better than the last few days. My head is clearer. I have more energy. Even though the swelling in my hips is still horrible, it is not as uncomfortable as yesterday. Nurse said I could switch to Spanx without the binder to help cover my hips! Yay! I think.... Not sure how comfortable they will be on my drains, but its at least a change.

I'm looking forward to a shower later on today. I'll try to take some pics for those of you who can't get a clear picture of the "busted can of biscuits" analogy. :)

I really feel like a different person today even though I slept like crap last night. Happy healing everyone!

Shower felt AMAZING! Putting back on Spanx and CG..... not so much. Hopefully, having some compression on these hips will help swelling go down. I am up 13 pounds since day of surgery. :/ Nurse said that swelling peaks at 72 hours. Maybe she's full of it, but I'm hoping for the best. Not sure my skin can bear much more. Started taking Arnica and been eating pineapple like crazy. Still no BM. :((. Might have to take drastic measures tomorrow. Still feeling somewhat normal. Really hoping I can stand up straighter tomorrow. Posting pics, but not really much change. Wish I could get one standing, but....

Big news! I pooped last night! Yay! I was getting very nervous about it. With my first child, I had a C section and didn't poop for 14 days. I was miserable. Luckily, I was more prepared with this surgery. I didn't even have to resort to drastic measures either. Just milk of magnesia, stool softeners and a little high fiber cereal every day. I had been having a lot of gas pains, so that is much better now. Plus, I am down to my last 2 pain pills, so I'm hoping to stay more regular now.

**Question- When do people typically stop taking pain meds after this? I'm trying to figure out if I need to call the dr for more.

Swelling has at least not gotten any worse. Not sure if it is better though. The Spanx help me to feel a little more contained and my skin less sensitive. It feels like I'm having Braxton Hicks contractions all the time. Not painful at all, just tightness and hard to take a deep breath.

I really want to get up and be more mobile, but I just get tired so easily. Hubby is out of town today and tomorrow, so my parents are here to help with the kids. Praying I don't have a depressing funk while he is gone. It seems like I am due since I haven't had mine yet.

Anyway, that's all for now. Here's some more before pics.

I thought I had turned a corner this morning when I woke up. I felt refreshed even though I am not sleeping well. I was walking more upright. Quickly, my back started hurting, and I was using the walker again. :( I wasn't in a lot of pin so I didn't take anything for pain. I left a message with the nurse to find out what they want me taking when I am not needing the strong stuff. I ate a little, and took a nap. When I woke up, the room started spinning and I got really nauseous. By the time I got back to my newly coveted rental recliner, I was covered in sweat. I popped half a Percocet, ate some lunch and felt a bit better. Thought I would take a shower..... Wrong! Barely got wet before I got nauseated again. Got in my chair and took a little nap. When I woke up, I was determined to shower. My mom helped me get unbound and in the shower. I feel like a whole new person!

I started wearing Spanx under my binder because of the swelling in my hips that gave me that nice "busted can of biscuits" look. The swelling has gone down a lot. I'm only about 5 pounds heavier than preop. I've been hitting the Arnica tablets hard. Not sure if that's what is doing it or not, but I'm going to keep at it. I FINALLY starting to see a smaller waist! I wish I could get a standing pic, but getting unbound is exhausting and keep forgetting.

I have my first post op appt on Tuesday. Hoping the bruising on the girls goes down some. They are getting tender. Ready to see the actual incisions too, so I can know what I'm dealing with. Wishing everyone well in their prepping, recovering, healing, and enjoying their new bodies!

That's it.... Stupid Drains!!!! That's my update. :/

Okay. I know that my stomach is supposed feel like a balled up fist. I paid good money for that, right? But when exactly do I get to walk normal and more importantly......stretch? Stretching is apparently an important part of my daily routine that I clearly took for granted. I want bust out in a back bend so bad, but from my groin to my rib cage is trying to coil around each other. Seriously, can any post ops tell me when I'm going to do a decent Cobra?

I've got spot under my left boob where the - meets the ).... You know o-)

Well, mine stings really bad! I'm icing it, but didn't know if I should bother calling in over it. It feels like the stitches are hurting or maybe my nerves are doing something weird.

Anybody have any knowledge to a boogie newbie? :)

My boob is still tender but feels much better today. Right now, I'm just so tired of being bound! It's Saturday night, and I just want to put on some flannel pajama pants and get comfortable!!! But NOOOOOOOO! I have to wear this stupid binder and feel all twisted and contorted. I feel like I should be standing straighter than I am for one week post op. One side is tighter than the other. Tonight, I was determined to get a couple of pictures. They are terrible, but that's that. I feel thick in the middle. I feel like I'm never going to be able to pull my shoulders back and have good posture again. My grandmother would NOT be happy.

Going to try to sleep in the bed AGAIN tonight. I miss cuddling with my man. I miss sleeping on my stomach. I miss sleeping in a loose nightgown.... JUST a nightgown! Definitely miss not having drain tubes poking out of my who-ah. And not having to carry my own bodily fluids around with me all day every day.

Sorry for whining. I know I DID this to myself. I just had so much more energy today and feel like it was wasted. I don't know about the rest of you, but I have been hungry all the time. I really hope it lets up soon, so I don't fluff up.

Anyway, no new news. Ready for Tuesday's appointment. Just a plain old boring Saturday night for a post op.....

Hope the rest of you are doing well.

***DO NOT READ BEFORE OR DURING DINNER***

So I wanted a shower this morning. While I was undressing, a piece of yellow colored gauze type strip that was in my belly button was coming out more than it was. Late last week, the steri strip holding it in came off in the shower and about two inches of it came out. Well, a lot I'd it was hanging out today, so I thought I would just take it out. So, I pulled and I pulled. I thought it would never end! Like a magician pulling scarves out of his sleeve..... except....IT WAS COMING OUT OF ME!!! My husband watched.... totally horrified. Later, he joked that it looked like the scene from Braveheart when the little people were acting out William Wallace's impending disembowelment. Needless to say, I needed an antinausia pill to get through my shower.

Tonight, I was proudly cooking dinner for my family for the first time since surgery. I felt a couple of drops hit my foot. I was scared to look, but I knew I had to. When I got to a private place, one of my drain holes was oozing stuff that should be in the drain bag. GROSS!!! I looked at my almost empty drain and the tube was kinked shut. Hopefully, that will fix it. I am so effing ready to get these things out. I told my husband to prepare himself, because I WILL cry, more likely sob, if my PS makes me keep them in.

Tuesday can't come quick enough!

Ok. So I think I have already overdone it today. Any suggestions to combat this? I am icing my belly and laying flat (as flat as possible anyway). Also started my period today. :/. HELP! What can I take or do? I don't want to wake up tomorrow looking like the good year blimp!!! First post op appt tomorrow! What was I thinking?!?!?

I am going to my first post op visit today, and I am very nervous/excited. I want these drains out more than anything, but I know he won't take them both out. In the middle of the night, I made one of those mad dashes to the toilet that you do when your on your period and your about to get blood on the sheets (gross, I know. Sorry). Well when I pulled my undies down, BOTH of my very full drains dropped like they had bungee jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge. Bounce.... Bounce.... Bounce..... I thought I was going to die. I went back my chair cursing and in tears, although I never did go back to sleep. I'm quite sure I will lose it in the Drs office today.

But!!! I'm also really excited to see my incision! It's really hard to imagine what things will look like without the tape. Also, I'm hoping to graduate to a different kind of compression garmet. I don't care if its more or less. I just want it to be more uniform. This squeezy in the middle business is wrecking my hips.

Anyway.... I hope everyone is preparing and recovering well. Have a great Tuesday! Be well, my friends!

They took the evil drain. Still have one for a another day or two. I'm cleared to do whatever! Just let my pain (and swelling) be my guide. If I swell because I do too much, it needs to resolve itself by the next day. If not, slow down. Yay! Incisions look awesome! A few small places that need air. My BB is one of those places. It never got any air because of that foam thing under my binder. Peroxide to the rescue!

I can't get over how quickly it all came and went. I'm still really tight, but otherwise good. I will try to post picks later. Going to milk "rest time" for as long as possible. :)

Be well!

Still have one drain in, but its not bugging me. Still wearing binder 24/7 until it comes out. We will probably take it out this weekend. I had a "normal" day for me. On my feet all day from 7am to 8:30pm. The only time I usually sit is to pee, eat a pb&j for lunch, waiting in the school pickup line, and for dinner. I had plenty of energy. My tummy started getting a little tingly later in the day. Not painful though. When I got the kids in bed, I went to the bathroom and noticed my tummy is SWOLLEN. Like I'm wearing an floaty! Ice on, feet propped, pineapple breathed, and resting. Apparently, 13 days PO is too soon for a normal day.

Still massaging the dent in my left breast. It borderline hurts to rub it. Might call nurse tomorrow about it.

Be well!

Not much to report. My hubby pulled my other drain on Saturday. I was only draining about 12cc. (Turned out to be clogged :/ but oh well). I felt like a new person the second it came out. No more stupid binder! No more hiding drains! No more showering with drains!! And NO MORE DROPPING DRAINS!!!! Dang, that hurts!

Anyway.... Bought a Walmart shapewear to get me by until my Spanx arrive. Had to add the binder to it at times. I'm not good at "taking it easy", especially when I feel fine. So I'm having some swelling, obviously. Spanx arrived today, but I haven't tried them on just yet. I hope they are tight enough. I don't like being confined.

Incisions are healing nicely. Still massaging the dent in my left breast. The nurse SWEARS its just a suture and will dissolve in 6 weeks or so. We will see. I really hope so.

My new plan to combat my inevitable swelling is to reserve an hour in the afternoon (or more if I have it) to lay flat with feet propped to allow the fluid to move around and not have a chance to "settle in". I've been really blessed so far with my healing, so I owe it to myself to be proactive. Even though I feel like I could run 5 miles, I know I shouldn't. I've put a reminder in my phone to lay down.

I will try to post morning and night pics tomorrow. Hope the rest of you are healing well!

Well. I am three weeks post op tomorrow. I know everybody says this (and at the time you think it will never get better), but the past three weeks have flown by and are just blur! I am super happy with my results so far. I definitely have quite a lot of swelling, some incisions that are still a little crusty, and a MAJOR dent in one boob, but I think they will all resolve themselves in time. When I start getting bummed about my jeans being too tight or the freaky alien boob, I have to remind myself that ITS ONLY BEEN THREE WEEKS! :).

I'm so ready to get back to exercising and losing some weight! I don't know what happened to my ass! It's like it got jealous of all the attention my tummy and boobs are getting and decided to rebel! Its all like.... "Yeah, all you do is sit on me and take me for granted! I'll show you! I'm gonna get all floppy and dimply, and you'll HAVE to give me some attention!" Ok...Ass! Message received!!!

Posting pics incisions, the dreaded "alien boob", and various before and after from three weeks ago and today. Hope you are all doing well! :)

Ok, so after reading the advice of MANY PSs that advocate the use of papertape over silicone strips, I decided to give to go. I've been using it off and on since my steri strips came off. I was taking them off to shower and when my hubby frisky :). The last few times I have taken them off, it hurt like Hell! I noticed it was super pink after. So, I'm off the papertape now. My skin is sensitive to adhesives, so I don't know what I was thinking. I think I was just being cheap. Now, I'm off to find some silicone tape. My PS sells Mepitac in his office, but I think it's even cheaper online. I'm open to any suggestions or recommendations for silicone scar treatment. Thanks in advance!

It's early....

Went to an amusement park yesterday, and let me tell ya...... It was too soon! I only rode two rides, a lazy train and a water ride. There are just no comfortable places to rest in amusement parks. I tried to lay flat on a bench for my afternoon "flat time", but I just ended up getting stuck in an even worse position and unable to get up. I looked like an upside down cockroach. :/

Well, my scar tape came today! My PS sells and recommends Mepitac. It's a pretty cheap alternative to silicone sheets. I like it because its flesh colored, and when I look in the mirror in the
morning, I get a small glimpse of what I might look like a year from now. So I'll keep you posted as my scar healing progresses.

Today in my rest induced boredom, I started to research why I feel so thick in the whole area around my TT incision especially over my hip bones. I feel like I am wearing a tool belt all the time. It's hard and thick and numb. I've been telling myself that its swelling, but I'm afraid it's not. :((. I looked at countless before and after pics, and even if people can't tell on themselves, you really can see the shape people will be early on. Unless of course, they have massive swelling... like seroma level swelling. I have always been pretty flat with the exception of the pooch of skin and fat. BUT.... I never had a waist before. I was flat..... Flat like the broad side of a bus! Wide, flat butt. Wide, flat front. So I'm afraid that all that stuff had to go somewhere. :(. He said I had 3-4 inch diastasis, so that explains why I have a waist now. Unfortunately, it also explains why everything from the BB down is just as thick if not thicker. I really, REALLY hope I'm wrong, but I'm preparing myself. I guess it could be worse. If my waist hadn't gotten smaller, these boobs would DEFINITELY be too small. For now I'm holding out hope that once I get my flabby ass back on the track, the boobs will be "enough" at best.

Kinda bummed, but still glad I did it. Ready to hit the pavement. Friday is 4 weeks, so I'm jogging come hell or high water!

Stay thirsty, my friends! I mean...... Be well, my friends! :)

I just did something really bad. Trying to roll over in bed. Arm above my head. Hella sharp pain shot through my left boob. It was on the outside edge of the anchor. Felt like I pulled/popped/tore something. Broke out in cold sweat and almost through up. Looked at it right after and didn't see anything abnormal, but I can still feel it stinging a little. Kinda afraid I'm going to be purple tomorrow or worse. Any recs out there? Ice? Anything???

Holy moly, that hurt! DO NOT DO THAT! :'(

Hey RS! I can't believe it was 4 weeks ago Friday that I had my lift and tummy tuck! It really did fly by. I've felt really good ever since the drains came out and the pain meds stopped. Had plenty of energy and still feel pretty strong considering. I've probably been lifting more weight than I should, but that's life.

One strange thing that I've noticed the last three or four days is that all my nerves seem hypersensitive. Its almost like a stinging or burning. Sometimes I think I'm cold, but I'm not. It's very strange! Also around the same time, I started getting more tired than I had been. I find myself sleeping longer and harder and not wanting to do as much. I'm going to be starting my period soon, so that could explain some of it. I haven't been taking my vitamins regularly, so I'm going to do that starting today. Anybody else have a slump around week four or five?

I have my 2nd post op appt on Thursday. Can't wait to see what doctor thinks about this dent. Been massaging, but no better.

Anyway, all is good. I'm determined to shake this funk! Going for a long walk this afternoon if it's the last thing I do! Happy fall y'all! :)

All taped up. Four weeks and three days post op.

Also, I've been eating WAY too much sugar lately, so that may be part if my tired funk. Going cold turkey today! :)

Walk/jogged today for the first time post op, and IT FELT AMAZING! Didn't hurt a bit. Was able to keep up with my friends that were 5k training. It wasn't fast, but I ran 20 broken minutes. I don't notice any swelling more than usual.

Yay me! So pumped! Wonder if I'm up for Insanity tomorrow? ;)

I know everybody says this, but I really don't know where the last 5 weeks have gone! Feeling great! Had my second post op last week. I have a little dog ear on one side of m hip where is just didn't get pulled tight enough. We are going to watch it and if it does not go away, he will revise. The dent in my left breast is slowing working its way out. I massage it several times a day through my silicone tape and it does seem to be going away, but he said the stitch may not fully dissolve for another 6 weeks. I'm not worried about it at all.

Still using the Mepitac silicone tape everywhere. I leave it on pretty much all the time. I take it off about every third shower to clean and really massage scars. He said I can massage my scars through the tape and it will do just as well. I did take them off last night and massaged them A LOT during a movie last night. I think it made me pretty sore today, but no pain no gain, right? I haven't taken new pics because there is not much change, but I do think the scars are lightening up some and getting softer.

He said I could stop sleeping in compression if I want to. IF I WANT TO?!?!? It feels so good to sleep in normal pjs again! No bra! No stupid Spanx! Of course if I overdo it on a day and have extra swelling, I might sleep in the Spanx. Luckily, my swelling seems to be leveling out. I still definitely have swelling, but I don't have the swing from flat to Michelin Man anymore. I haven't been watching my salt AT ALL and have really slowed down in the Arnica too. I haven't noticed that it is affected either way at this point.

I have a question for "those gone before me". Obviously, I still have swelling, but did you notice a big difference in your "first thing in the morning" flatness and say... Your "six month to a year" flatness? I'm trying to get an idea of whether my final result will be more like in the morning now or if it will change dramatically. I'm really needed to buy some clothes, but I don't want them to be too big a month or two from now. Any thoughts ladies?

Be well everybody! :)

Not much to report. I still feel great! Nothing hurts, just still very tight in the tummy. I've been exercising, but not as much as before surgery. Going to start 10k training on Monday. Trying (and failing) at staying away from the Halloween candy. I honestly don't know why I haven't gained weight during these last nine weeks, but hey, I'll take all the luck I can get.

Still using Mepitac on incisions. Not sure it's helping, but at least I'm trying something. I read somewhere that the scars look the worst at 8 weeks, so I'm hoping to see slow improvement over the Winter. I still feel very "thick", but I guess it's not as bad as I think. Everybody says I'm crazy when I say that. I have a small dog ear on one side that they might correct. Boobs feel good. The dent is slowly falling out, I think. They are smaller than I would like, but it's okay. Hubs says NO WAY to implants. He says they are "plenty". I'm okay with it too, because I would be so afraid they would get saggy again if I got implants. And I do NOT want another surgery! So, it will be push-up bras for me which are cheaper anyway. :)

All in all, I'm really happy with my results. I was very blessed with a quick and easy recovery and rebound. I know that not everybody is so lucky. I probably won't update again for a while unless something drastic happens. Thank you to all the ladies who have shared their stories and support, and thanks for reading mine. :). Be well and God bless!