Tummy Tuck: Stories

I'm just a couple of days away from something I've dreamed of for years. I'm a late thirty-ish year old mom of 2 sets of twins ages 13 and 18. I'm 5'2" and weigh 123lbs. I've wanted a TT since the day after my second set of twins were born. The kids definately left their mark on me. It's time to do away with the "twin skin". Yay!!!! I've never had a flat belly, I was always a chubby kid and then gained a ton of weight with each pregnancy. I'm hoping I can finally stop trying to hide my flabby belly after this.

I usually don't post much about myself online but I felt different about this. It has been so helpful reading about other people's experiences here. A couple of months ago I had no idea which surgeons to consider or what to expect after the surgery. The reviews and comments I've read helped me to choose my surgeon and hopefully be better prepared for my recovery. A BIG thanks to all of you who have shared your stories! I hope mine will help someone too.

I'll post some before pics soon..... Gotta get up the nerve!

I'm just abouto go in! Im so excited! I took some before pictures this morning. I'll update as soon as I can. Keeping my fingers crossed for a flat belly, nice low scar and a cute belly button.

I'm spending the night in the surgery center an so far it's not too bad. My gallbladder surgery was way worse. It must have been the anesthesia. I feel a bit groggy and the only pain I'm having is toward the top of my abdomen from the muscle repair. Right now it's tolerable (3/10) but I think I'll ask for something to help it out now before it gets worse.

Everyone here is very nice I'm so glad I'm able to spend the night. It takes a lot of pressure off my husband and in turn me.
My husband is being so caring and sweet. He's off on a hunt for Jolly Ranchers for me. I have a funky taste in my mouth.

I'm 3 days post OP and feeling pretty good this morning. I finally got a good nights sleep. The first couple of days I was waking up every couple of hours. It was pretty hard getting into bed so my dear sweet husband went out and bought a recliner. It definately makes it easier to rest. I proably could have done ok in the bed but this is much easier on me and him. I was scared he would throw out his back tryng to help me in and out of bed

As I've heard other people say, the back pain is probably the worst. I'd have to agree with that. My tummy is sore, but the Valium that I'm taking really seems to help.

I haven't been able to see my tummy yet. I have an appt with my PS this afternoon. I can't wait! I already know it's going to be good. When I sit up, I dont have a flabby belly sitting on my lap. Yay!!!!

Well, I went in for my first post op visit yesterday and all I can say is wow! Looking down at my tummy was like looking at someone else. They took off the heavy gauze dressing and I could kind of see the incision line and it looks pretty straight. My belly button was swollen and lumpy but it guess that's to be expected at this point. My PS said he was surprised at how much I held in my tummy while awake. When the anesthesia kicked in there was a lot more he had to work with than he originally thought.
They told me not to get on the scale because of all of the swelling and IV fluid I had but I couldn't resist. I'm just a few oz over what I was before the surgery. I asked how much was taken off with the TT and the lipo and he said about 4lbs. I can't wait to see the finished result.
My PS also said to watch my carb intake I guess he doesn't want me putting on weight in the areas he just did lipo on?
Has anyone else been told that? So much for the Hagen Daz I was thinking about.
Any helpful hints on dealing with the back pain?

WOO HOO! Last drain came out today! Now on to finding the perfect compression garment. I go back to work on Monday and this binder is so bulky on me that there's no way I can get through the day without having to adjust it a million times. I hope I can find one that gives good support to my tummy and hips but isn't too hard to put on and take off for potty breaks.

Well the past month has been a blur. The holidays and work have really kept me going. My tummy is healing well and after over a month of constipation, things are finally moving along better. I am still wearing a binder but a smaller one made of neoprene. My PS wants me to wear it until my 2 month follow up. It is a lot thinner and lighter than my original one and it fits better under my clothes. It does make me sweaty so I still wear a cami underneath it like I did my first one. I find that I end up taking it off in the middle of the night and feel ok with out it while I'm getting ready for work but I feel better with it in during the day.
I can honestly say that each day is better. The only times that I have problems is when I eat too much or the wrong things (fatty/ salty stuff). My PS put me on a low carb diet and it has worked. So far I'm down 9lbs from my pre op weight. I'm still swollen so after the swelling subsides, I hope it will be 10lbs. The diet has been a bit of a challenge. I love bread and pasta and cookies and.... Well you get the idea. I'm figuring out what works for the and what makes me happy. He told me to keep it at 50gms of carbs a day and for me that was pretty tough. I do it most days but I found that I was constipated and grouchy if I kept it that low for more than a few days in a row. I continue to loose weight and feel better over all as long as I keep it under 100gms of carbs each day.
My incision is healing well mostly flat but getting dark in places. Now I have to figure out what to treat my scar with I'm thinking about the silicone strips. Any suggestions on which ones? Any other treatments better?