Tummy Tuck: Stories

Allow me to start by introducing myself. I am a 31 yr old married mother of 2 children, 10 & 5 yrs old. I've always been thin all my life. Too thin. I'm 4'11" and weighed, at the time 98lbs and wore a size 0/1.

After having my daughter back in 2003, I gained weight but a nice amount. I went up to a size 3/4 and weighed 110lbs. I was loving my body! It was when I went on birth control, THE DEPO shot, that I started gaining weight rapidly. I went up to a size 9/10 and weighed 145lbs. It was disgusting. I was depressed. I recall nights when I would cry myself to sleep. I felt unattractive and my stomach was gross to me. Just the way "it"would lay beside me like it was my significant other, lol. I knew then that I wanted to look into having a Tummy Tuck. I went to several consultations with various PS's. One that I loved and felt comfortable with was Dr. Michael Gartner in New Jersey. He offered me TT with Muscle Repair and Lipo for $8,000. I was so excited that I immediately applied for Care Credit financial. At the time my credit wasn't great so I was denied the loan and boy was I a mess emotionally. He promised to lock the price for a year or two until I worked on my credit or had the money. I was grateful but still sad. I said in the mean time I'll work my ass off with diet and exercise. I did just that and lost a few pant sizes. I went back down but only to a 5/6 and weighed 125lbs but still had a belly. Anyway, I finally got off of my form of birth control and a year later I became pregnant with my 2nd child. In 2007, I had given birth to my son. Omg, I had HUGE belly for him and he only weighed 7lbs. I know it was because I had a stomach before getting pregnant with him. But after having him I weighed 130lbs. I had an IUD inserted for birth control and said this is it. I'm focused and I'm gonna loose this weight. Since then I've been working out daily and eating 4-5 meals a day.

I currently weigh 136lbs but I do have muscle. I've lost most of my stomach. It's obviously not going any further so I decided to go for my consult at Jacobi Medical Center. For those who don't know, this is a teaching hospital. This means, you get reduced pricing performed by an attending physician while interns (medical students) are assisting. Not a big deal for me! During my consult they spoke with me about my lifestyle as far as my health and fitness. The PS asked me what I'm expecting after the procedure and we discussed the pros and cons of the surgery. I have an appointment for my Labs/Blood work on 3/19 and my surgery/procedure date is 3/25 @7am. YAY!

Btw, I didn't go with Dr. Michael Gartner because of two reasons, 1-the price "lock in" was only 1-2 yrs which had passed and 2-I researched and found out about reduced pricing and we all wanna save money right lol.

I'll keep my TT sisters updated with everything. I'll also post pictures later today. Please feel free to ask any questions you'd like. I'm not shy. Love to all.

So tomorrow, 3/19 is my Pre-Op @ 9am. I'm excited because this means I'm getting closer to my SX date. Whew! :::butterflies in my stomach::: Well, off to bed I go. Will update tomorrow with details from Pre-Op appointment.

Good Evening my TT sisters. So this morning was pre-op. I went into the hospital checked in and sat till my name was called. Once that happened, I sat with the receptionist and that's where she went over my information to see if anything changed as far as my numbers, address, etc. When I was finished with Reception, I sat and waited to be called by a phlebotomist. She walked me all the way to the other side of the hospital (just kidding. But it felt like she did) there is where she took my blood pressure and weight. Afterwards she had me sit and proceeded to take tubes of my blood. 3 tubes to be exact! I then went back to the waiting area and waited for my nurse to call me. During my meeting with my nurse Carmen, she began to ask me a series of questions regarding health change, medications I'm taking, if any, and started to explain about the procedure ie; drains, compression garments, list of supplies. Then she told me the hospital tries to have you leave 2 hrs after procedure but she recommends I stay the 23hrs. So I was relieved to hear that I had the option. Guess what??? I'm staying! She said they will show me how to handle my drains and show me how to get in and out of bed. That's great. Anyway, after I met with her, I met my anesthesiologist. There he explained how I'm going to sleep and how I'll be monitored during my procedure. He explained the risk and complications, which in a healthy person are slim to none. His words. So after meeting with him, I went to finance department where I made my full payment. So now I'm paid up and anticipating 3/25. I forgot to mention at the beginning. The phlebotomist told me that the lab results are in by the end of each day 4:00pm. She said if I don't get a call, everything's ago. If I do, well that means they found something wrong. It's now 5:50 pm and no call. YAYYYYY! So sisters this means I'll be joining the flat side for sure. But I must say part of me still has some doubts tho. It's to good to be true. I feel as if the next few days I might get a call regarding blood. I don't know. I guess this is the norm.

P.S. I posted some pics of my patient package and the surgical sponges I have to bathe/shower with the night before and the morning of.

So ladies my original date for SX was for Monday, March 25th. It never happened because of the teaching hospital having burn victims that came in on Friday and needed my surgeon to do skin grafts. So I was told to call this morning to see if I'm on the schedule for Wednesday. I did just that and the lady there tells me "your not on the schedule for Wednesday that's for sure" so I mentioned that when I spoke with the girl from Friday she said if not Wednesday then Friday. This woman tells me "I don't think Friday either but won't know till Thursday. Call me at noon on Thursday" I'm crying over here! I don't know if its a sign that I shouldn't go thru with this. I paid in full already and I feel like just backing out all together and getting my refund. My thought was this, if I'm not on for Friday just cancel! I'm about to get my period I'm cramping badly and today I woke up with my neck and right shoulder in a knot. Ugh! I was informed that if a "priority" case came in Mine would be postponed but I didn't think this many days away. Maybe I'm overreacting! That's the price you pay when you go to a teaching hospital I guess. :(

So I just got off the phone with the Hospital and they told me that my surgeon hasn't arrived with the list of scheduled Cosmetic procedures. I am a little annoyed with what's going on but at the same time relieved because now that "Aunt Flow" has arrived I can deal with this alone as oppose to dealing with it and the discomfort of a TT. I asked her a question that I was curious about. "Are other cosmetic procedures being postponed too?" I said "I don't want to be lost in the "system" because of what happened." She assured me that in not "lost in the system" that my paperwork is in front of her on her desk and that I'm the first to go in out if the cancellations. So I am no longer a March TT sister but I want to thank all of the March Ladies for their words of encouragement and advice they had to all my questions. I will continue to follow the March Ladies journeys because we did go thru pre op together lol. Best wishes to y'all XOXO

So, tomorrow is the day! I'm scheduled for 11:40am but I have to be there at 9am. I guess at that time I will take a pregnancy test (even tho I have IUD:/) they'll check my vitals and then I get tagged up lol aka my Surgeon making his markings. My husband just said to me, "Jen, tomorrow is the day. Your super calm. Are you ok?" I said to him I guess it's because I was let down so many times during this whole waiting period with the hospital saying, " it's Wednesday. No it's Friday. No maybe next week" it's surreal!

Well I'll keep you ladies updated when possible. The support has been great from all of you. I love this site. Any tips on what to bring to the hospital last minute?

Hugs & Kisses to you all!

Hello ladies, so last night was my first night home. I'll get to that in a moment.

So sleeping the first night at the hospital was great because all the Doctors and Nurses were very attentive but it was uncomfortable because of the tightness and lower back pain. Remember, your on your back while recuperating so the usual way you sleep isn't happening lol
I have to say that my overall experience with Jacobi Medical Center was great. I'd recommend it to anyone considering a cosmetic procedure.

So now on to my first night at home:
I slept on the sofa and my husband accompanied me on the other sofa. He's awesome. Choosing the sofa to rest was the best thing (I recommend it). We have a Temperpedic mattress which is great for back pain etc but its so high up that I just knew I wouldn't make it up and down. Remember, I'm 4'11"!

I got up every hour to urinate. I've never pee'd so much in my life lol but of course I was chugging down water like crazy. I've been taking my antibiotics every 4 hours and Percocet when needed. They also gave me
anti-nausea medication to take with the Percocet because I get sick with it. At one point, around 2am I had a massive headache and felt like vomiting. I tried throwing up in a trash can but I couldn't bring it up because I was afraid of the pain. I drank a tea and that helped with the nausea and headache. After that I was able to sleep through the rest of the night/morning until about 7am.

Today was a good day, I walked around the house every 45 minutes for about 15 minutes. I was able to get myself up and down unassisted a few times too, which felt good. I feel my hubby has a lot on his plate dealing with our kiddos too. He says "I can do it all honey. I got you" :-) so ladies I'll update tomorrow.

Post-op day/night 3:

I was having a wonderful day until 5pm this evening. My brother in-law came over unannounced with his daughter and step daughter. He was persistent. Knocking on our apartment door till somebody answered. I wasn't expecting anybody and made it clear to many that I didn't want guest for the first few days of recuperation. He obviously didn't get the memo. So anyway, my husband had to make a run really quick and asked if I'd be ok with him stepping out and holding it down with the kids. Of course I said yes. I knew he needed to get air. So my point, he wasn't here to answer the door and tell his brother to come back another day... Well I answered the door with my children next to me and he literally did a "push in"! I said"joe, you didn't get the message regarding company" he said "we're not just company were family"
in my head :::not today:::
So he came in and the kids started playing. Making messes and of course I started cleaning up. He didn't pick up after his children and I was livid. When hubby returned home his 30 minute run felt like 1 hour plus. I was so swollen that I wanted to cry. I'm typing this and feel soooo sore. I popped 2 Percocet and now I'm laying here with my feet elevated. Ugh!!! Well no more company I'm sending out an email blast regarding this LMAO

Will update tomorrow. Good night ladies

Hello ladies, sorry I haven't written since April 6th. I took muscle relaxers and it was over from there. I've been sleeping well since. I'm Post-Op day 5. Tomorrow is my first Post-Op appointment. Supposedly I will be getting my drains removed. FINGERS CROSSED. I just washed my hair over the bath tub, standing up. I have the shower head that comes down with the long hose. It felt great. Yesterday I washed up by the sink and this time I used a washcloth, dove and warm water instead of the baby wipes. It felt so refreshing even tho the bathroom floor was flooded. Lol well I can go without pain meds. It's been like that since Saturday evening. So on a scale of 1-10 pain is a 1. Now back pain....ugh terrible. It really burns. Well that's all for now TT sisters. Any questions please feel free to ask.

UPDATE POST OP DAY 6:

Hey there TT Sisters. So I'm finished with my Post-Op appointment. Everything went well. I'm BALLS free. Thank god. I saw my tummy for the first time. It looks great. I got the ok to start showering YAYYY. When that binder came off I was sooo itchy. I wanted to scratch so hard but didn't wanna ruin my new tummy. The drains didn't hurt coming out. Not sure if it was because I was on 2 Percocet... The way to describe what I felt was a BURNING SENSATION. Everyone who still has BALLS and are afraid of the removal don't be. It's not that bad. Good luck.

POST OP DAY 7:

Good morning ladies, so last night was rough for me. I had severe gas in my stomach near the left side of my ribcage. It was so bad that I broke into cold sweats. I tried ginger tea, ginger ale, water, gas x. Nothing helped. I took a muscle relaxer and I fell asleep so I wouldn't have to deal with the pain. I DO NOT know if this is due to having a TT. Well I am better this morning so I hope to have a good day. Will update later.

Have A Good Day Sisters!

Post Op Day 9:

Yesterday I over did it going to the supermarket. I should've kept my derrière home. I was feeling good and decided to go for it. I came home and for the first time since surgery, I was SWOLLEN. I took a muscle relaxer and fell asleep around 9:30 pm and woke at 6am to help my husband get our children ready for school. My tummy feels like a rock. I DO NOT recommend going out or moving around this early post op.

POST OP DAY 11

Everyday gets better. I am standing up straight! I actually been straight since POD5. But comes the evening....I'm slightly hunched. That's when I need to use my cane to walk. I don't mind. I'm bored at home. I can't wait to go back to work. Hubby has been super supportive since day one and has continued helping me with the kids. Some weekday mornings he doesn't want me up helping. He says "I prefer you to recuperate so we can get mommy back" love him! Well nothing else has changed. My BM's are regular again. That happened POD9. Thank god. I have 2nd Post Op appointment on 4/16 @ 9:30am. Don't know what they are going to do at the next few appointments. The hospital called me Thursday saying my insurance is inactive. I never went there with insurance information! I thought post op appointments were included with the surgery. Oh well, I guess if not they will have to bill me or I'll just walk over to their billing department. Will update you ladies soon. Xoxo

POST OP DAY13:

I just finished at my 2nd post-op appointment. My PS was so happy with my results aka his work. He said im still swollen. I was happy to hear that because I was starting to think these were my final results. He cleared me for sex. So hubby was excited about that LOL.
I CAN NOT workout heavy yet but I can walk and work on my arms with handweights/dumbbells. He says I can rip open my incision and then that'll be major problems. He mentioned that all that over the counter stuff is a waste of time and money ie; the Bromelain and Arnica. He swears by the binder/CG and says I should continue wearing it for another 4-6 weeks. He strongly recommends Silicone Strips but says I can tape my incision if I want. I'm gonna go buy the strips now. My next PO appointment is in 3 weeks. At that appointment he will take photos and do a comparison with my Pre-Op pics. I can't wait!

POST OP DAY 14=2 weeks today

Went out to the mall this afternoon and Hubby bought me a Beautiful pair of Michael Kors heels! He said "babe for your two week TT anniversary!" So sweet. They are so sexy. I can't wait to wear them out.

Post Op Day 21

Hello Ladies, hope all is doing well.
So I haven't updated much because nothing has really changed. I will start to post every week unless something new comes up.

So today makes 3 weeks since I had my Tummy Tuck with Muscle Repair. I can't believe it. Feels like just the other day. Anyway, I feel great! It's been smooth sailing for me. Thank God. I got a cold the ending of last week so it was about 6 days with LOTS of coughing, sneezing and chest congestion ouch! But I survived lol. I'm back in my bed. I left the sofa Friday night. Oh how I've missed my bed. I've learned to cope with the CG/binder but for the past few nights I found myself ripping it open in the middle of the night and falling back asleep. Strange... Anyway, my next PO appointment is in May. That appointment I will be having pictures taken and I will ask when I can workout. I miss working out :-( summer is around the corner and I'm noticing some cellulite on my @$$.

UPDATE POST OP 1 MONTH

So I've reached the 4 week mark. I've been feeling great up until the past few days. I'm swollen from sun up to sun down :-( it's odd to me because every story is swelling from the beginning and goes away as the weeks go by. Also, I sit down and there is a fat roll! WTF?! Is this happening to anybody else? How do I deal? It's making me sad and upset. I'm so looking forward to start working out.