Tummy Tuck: Stories

Ohhhh this makes me happy and yet has me chomping at the bit all at the same time! I am one week post FTT with ab repair for a severe 5 finger diastasis. I've put this surgery off for over 3 years due to my intense training schedule for road/trail marathons and ultras. My TT was this past Monday and the Saturday before my boyfriend and I ran a 22 miler as one last big hoorah. At day 7 I am feeling remarkably fantastic. My surgeon is a real drill sargeant and making sure I don't over do it. One question. Did anyone remember around day 7 your abs suddenly feeling "looser". I was laughing at a movie and felt a stretching sensation and ever since I am very aware of my abs. Especially the top and the belly button area.

Wow, I am so happy to hear of the great results and recovery you had. I started doing tris last year and am scheduled for TT and BA with lift in October. I am very worried about getting back into shape as I have signed up for a Half Iron in June. They said it will take 6 months to get back to where I was pre-op. This worries me because at this point I have only done Olympic distance races. Very excited for the surgery, but worried about the HI. Any advice?

Be careful!!! Swelling means you probably did a little too much unfortunately. At 6 weeks I was running at a very moderate (actually slow- like 11-12 min/mile)and steady pace (no pickups or sprinting) up to about 5 miles- but I did it on a 1 mile loop so that if I felt pain at any time I could stop and not be stranded 2.5 miles from my house. As far as biking, I have a dedicated trainer bike in my garage and I rode only on that for the first few workouts- 30 min to an hour, then when I progressed to the road I was able to ride 20-25 miles at a comfortable pace (again, much slower than I would normally train at).
As far as swimming, the first few times I swam I avoided flip turns and used a pull bouy.
It is over a year since my surgery and I have done another Ironman, 3 Half IMs, a Marathon and several other small races. My scar looks great- it is thin and almost totally white now.
I know how you feel at 6 weeks postop- you are dying to jump back in but a couple more weeks of relaxation is not going to effect your fitness. Pretty soon you will be back out there racing and you will feel and look fantastic. Good luck!!!! Hope that helps.
Oh- one more bit of advice- best to avoid training with your usual tri-buddies for awhile so you can resist the temptation to push yourself at all.

Hello all- and Thanks TriGirl- I too am an avid triathlete- accomplished the trifecta of a half-iron, marathon, and an olympic in a month before my breast lift/small implant and abdominal repair to an old surgery. I'm almost to 6 weeks, did my second 'workout' today- belly is so swollen tonight! Pushups were a non-starter, but it felt great to get my heart rate up again and work the legs on a stationary bike. I have never had to sit still for so long and going crazy. Wondering how long you ran/biked the first few workouts? Do you worry that swimming will stretch your tummy scar?

Hi and thank you for sharing your experience. I also do triathlons and marathons and have put off having these same procedures because it's so tough to give up something I love doing for so long. Last year I canceled my scheduled surgery because it was too close to a marathon. I am planning to have it done in the Fall but also have a few events coming up in Jan and February that I am looking forward to. My doc also suggests not doing the BA and TT at the same time for comfort reasons. Any advice? Was the surgery worth it? How soon were you back to running, swimming and cycling? If you were to do it all over again would you do those procedures separately or still all at once.

Hi, Im thinking about having the same exact things you had done and I am doing my research. I live in Port Saint Lucie Fl and I was wonderng what doctor you went to?

Hi TRigirl, I am 47 and in great shape as I've weight trained since 1986. I was heavy in high school and resulted in loose skin on breast and stomach. I had a benelli lift and augmentation in 1999 with great results. My frowning belly button is really getting to me. Please recommend your dr. thanks

Hi all. I am 9 weeks post op now and feeling fabulous! Rode 40 miles on Saturday, ran 10 miles yesterday, swam 3000 meters this morning and then spent 2 hours running relays at field day for one of my kids. I started swimming, biking and running again at 6 weeks, but it was not until week 8 that I truly started to feel great (before that I would get some swelling if I pushed it too hard). Now, there is absolutely no swelling and no discomfort. At this point, all of my work has been below threshold base building, but I plan to start speed work again next week and targeted ab exercises will probably wait a couple more weeks. Hope that everyone is feeling great also! One thing I am excited to do is go bikini shopping :))!!!

I would love to compare notes with you. I had a full tummy tuck on 12/14. I live at the gym and the Pilates studio and not working out is just about killing me, but I am still experiencing pain and know I am not ready. How are you feeling at this point?

HI there I was just wondering if you had a great recovery being so fit and healthy. I do a lot of running and plan to get TT in March this year and was wondering how "fit" I should be going into surgery. Did running hurt when you started again?

Thanks for your help everyone! I am over 6 weeks post op now and my doctor said that I can begin gradually building up all three sports again. I have been running and biking for the past week, but have yet to go back to swim practice because I don't feel ready to do flip turns which require a lot of ab twisting...yikes. I have relatively little swelling at this point and am extremely excited about the way that my body looks- after 4 kids I had saggy belly skin even though the rest of my body was lean and toned! I am really happy that I didn't try to rush off the couch and am trying to take it easy building back up. It is really hard to do, but I think absolutely worth the struggle :)

I am 1 week post tmmy tuck surgery. I ran my first full marathon 2 mo ago and feel like I was in good shape. I have ran a couple short triathlons. I have been surprised I have been on the sofa for a week. I left the house for the first time today! I had my ACL rebuilt and was back to work in 1 1/2 weeks. I expected to be on my feet faster after this surgery. But I am folowing the rules so I can have the best results. So far I am VERY pleased w/ my tummy. It is so hard to tell what it will look like at this point. I am swollen and have drains. I am so excited to see my tummy at the 6 weeks mark. I have cut back on my diet. I have done NOTHING. I really have sat on the sofa and have done nothing so I have had salas and lean meat and fiber muffins. I am worried I will turn to slush and not be able to run a single mile!

Hi Trigirl, I know exactly how you feel. I am 5 weeks post op...and it feels like it has already been months since my surgery. I was in excellent shape before my tummy tuck. I work out 5-6 days/week and was at 10% body fat. I thought I was going to have a miraculous speedy recovery because of my pre op condition...I was sadly mistaken. At 10 days post op I was feeling great and went shopping for 3 hours. That was a huge mistake. I got so swollen that my Dr. was really concerned. My doctor has me taking it very easy. I can't even think about exercising until I see her at 7 weeks. It is very hard to go from a highly active non stop mom to a couch potatoe! My Dr. did also advise me that many patients do experience post op depression...I have had some bouts of that as well. I see and feel my muscles atrophying. My Dr. has told me that my mind is way ahead of my body and I have to force myself to not do too much, otherwise I could be stuck with this swelling for up to 6 months. My recommendation is to do what your doctor tells you to do. We all recover at diffrent speeds regardless of our condition prior to surgery. Anyway, hang in there and know you are not alone!

Also not a DR... but I play roller derby and went into the surgery VERY fit. So I imagine your situation is somewhat similar. I am at two weeks and am allowed to ride the exercise bike and use the elliptical machine without the arm bars. I have also just been cleared to get back up on my skates... as long as I only skate, don't "play". The most important part my doc told me was to avoid twisting motions... so anything with the legs that avoids a lot of upper body seems fine. I am also allowed to lift small hand weights. I should be clear for derby around week 6.

I'm certainly not a doctor, but at 5 weeks it was ok for me to do moderate pace walking. By 6 weeks I was allowed to lift light hand weights (5lbs)...by 8 weeks I started back to cycling and low impact cardio. By 9 weeks I was back to Kickboxing and pilates. Pilates and pushups were the hardest to do for awhile, but I gained my ab strength back after a few more weeks. Keep in mind, if you push yourself too hard, too early, you risk additional swelling, more bruising, and maybe even issues with your scars. So I know it's frustrating, but do moderate activity and LISTEN to your body. good luck!!