Mini Tummy Tuck (No Lipo) - Madison, WI

After having two kids and gaining about 65 lbs each time (eek!), my skin was very stretched out. I lost all of the weight plus an extra 22 pounds through diet and exercise. I exercise 5-6x per week doing (and teaching) high intensity interval training & kettlebell strength classes. I am 5'4" and 122 lbs (with LOTS of muscle) and a size two, but yet I was still super embarrassed to show my stomach. I did Tough Mudder recently and all of these girls (most of them heavier than me) were running around in just shorts and a sports bra, but I was way to embarrassed to do so. I finally did some research into local plastic surgeons. The ps I chose got fantastic, pretty much perfect reviews from others. During my consult, my ps recommended a mini tummy tuck with no lipo. I don't have much, if any, loose skin above my belly button, and I didn't have any fat to lipo (according to my ps, and I agreed).

Day of Surgery: Got lots of wonderful info from the staff and they were very warm and reassuring. Not *too* nervous. Never been under anesthesia before. Surgery only took an hour. Woke up in no pain, just a little nauseous. Took a prescribed anti-nausea med and felt better. Took the Vicodin around the clock like I was told to. Pain was minimal, though getting out of a chair was rough. My appetite was already back by the afternoon.

PO Day 1: Still taking Vicodin around the clock, but feel fine. I feel a little sleepy from the meds but that's it. I hate sleeping on the chair, so I'm going to try the couch tonight.

PO Day 2: Feel better already. A little less painful. Sleeping on the couch propped up was much better. No pain meds today.

PO Day 5: First post-op appt. Got my drain out - OWW! But, I'm glad to have it gone. I'm very swollen, so it's hard to picture the final results. My skin is definitely tight though!

PO Day 7: Every day I feel a little better. Going up and down stairs, sitting up and down, even picking up my three year old doesn't hurt! Stretching my abs, sneezing, or coughing hard still definitely hurts though! Swelling seems a little better today, but I'm reminding myself that it might get worse so that I'm prepared :) I love to exercise, so I'm getting anxious about when I can do that again. My next post-op is in five days, so I'm hoping to learn more then.