Tummy Tuck: Stories

In less than two days I'll be having my tummy tuck with lipo to flanks and thigh area. So nervous now that it's getting so close. I know I'm in good hands with Dr. G and looking forward to joining the flat side. I'm 5"2, 127 lbs. After having two kids, one by csection, I'm excited to get rid of my stretch marks (some anyway) and have a flat tummy. My fat tends to stay in my mid section and I'm sick of wearing tight tank tops to suck it all in. I have been wanting to do this procedure for so long...and now that it's getting so close...I'm getting extremely nervous! Please let this all be over soon...And I hope and pray for a fast recovery!

Two days PO and feeling really good. Of course one never knows how they will feel at this point...I have to say I'm quite surprised at how well I'm am feeling. The last two days have been a whirlwind that's for sure. With that said, let's back up to my surgery date. My surgery was scheduled for 11:30am Monday....arrived at 10:30am....and overall we were right on schedule. When Dr. G. came in to "mark my body" up...is when it truly hit me that we were only minutes away from my transformation. All I remember after Dr. G. marking me up was going into the operating room...getting scrubbed up really good...laying down and asking how soon it would be before i feel asleep...next thing I know I was waking up in the recovery area next to my husand. In fact....I don't even really remember that part....heck, I don't even really remember the ride home. Every thing is such a blurr that first night. Yesterday I know I was starting to feel pinching and pain when getting up or down from my couch. But if I was up...I was good and when lying down I was good...it was just anything in between...any moving around and it hurt. But honestly I was never to a point where I felt it was overbearing. I think the key to all this to keep up on your meds....and having someone there to help. My husband has been more than amazing through all this. And my dear mom has been here to help here and there also. I'm pretty darn lucky to have such great people in my life that's for darn sure!
I was able to wash my hair today. Thank god. Since I had lipo done (flanks/thighs/stomache) in addition to tummy tuck, I have the full body CG on....therefore have to keep this sucker on for 5 days which means no shower. I actually feel so much better after washing my hair and cleaning myself up as best as I could. I read on someone elses real self that its key to get up each day and freshen up, get ready for the day as it will make a big difference...and it does! I'm going back to the doctor today for my two day check up...so hoping all is going well. It stinks I have an hour and half car ride to where I had my PS...but it is what it is, right?!
I do have a question for some of you out there taking Vicodin...how soon before you stopped taking the vicodine and switched to Tylenol? I really don't like how the vicodin makes me so sleepy/drowsy...but I also don't want to stop taking the Vicodin too early and end up in more pain. Any thoughts?

Well..I'm getting a little sleepy so think I am going to lay down for an hour or so before I have to take off for my follow up appt.
Looking forward to tomorrow....things will only get better, right?! :)

Went to my follow up appt. All went good and doc was really happy. I go back Tuesday and Thursday next week so hopefully by Thursday both drains are gone. Stinks cause it's a hour and half trip one way...and I'm swollen and miserable now. So glad I got a peak at my body after surgery cause this swelling business really sucks!!

had a tough morning. Had some coffee and finally had urge to have a BM which i was hoping for....but then got light headed and just started sweating to point I had to take my shirt off. Went into bathroom- still very dizzy- and within a few minutes had a BM and felt so much better. Who would have thought having a BM would be so hard but yet so rewarding. TMI I know :)
I'm going to switch over to Tylenol now and give up vicodin as I'm sure that is the main culprit here. Plus it just knocks me out anyway.
Anyone out there get lipo done too? I did lipo to lower back/flanks and thighs and can't believe how swollen I am- especially in my thighs- they look HUGE!! I feel like I'm getting plenty of rest and I am drinking a ton of water. Haven't had much of an appetite so not eating a lot but seems like when I do I'm eating toast- meat- fruits. Any suggestions or is this just part of deal with lipo to be so swollen?

I stopped taking my vidicon this morning and now taking tylonol with my other pain med celebrex. I also have my antibiotic and muscle relaxer. My doctor gave me x1 refill on each but not sure what I should refill and what I shouldn't? Any feedback would be much appreciated. Thanks and hope everyone had a wonderful thanksgiving!

4 days PO and feeling better each day. HOWEVER...last night was by far WORST night as far as sleep goes. My back was killing me. Not sure if it's b/c i stopped taking the vicodin or if my back is just in bad shape from being hunched over so much...but man, that was bad. I ended up getting back on vicodin as I just couldn't take it anymore. Just taking 1/2 vicodin...so will alternate between 1/2 vicodin and muscle relaxer for another day and then try again to switch over to tylenol. My husband reminded me that the nurse said I would have bad back pain after a few days...and boy she was right. All in all, I feel like I'm walking more upright already so hoping this back pain subsides moving forward. Anyone have any feedback on what they experienced for back pain?
My husband and I chatted last night about the "day of surgery". It's crazy b/c once he brought it up, I realized at that moment I didn't remember anything after I laid on the operating room table until after we got home. He was telling me about how he came into recovery room and nurse started going over all Pre-op stuff...and apparently I kept grabbing his arm to pull him closer to me. He said I just looked like I was in so much pain...and again on the ride home (which was hour and half drive) I was pretty out of it but moaning a lot as if the pain was bad. I told him I don't recall any of that. All I do know is that I am sooo blessed to have such a wonderful husband. He has taken such awesome care of me this past week. Gosh these past 4-5 days have been such a whirlwind. As I lay here typing this...all I can think about is how long I have wanted to get this done...but didn't think I would. Mainly because of work and also fact I didn't think I could spend this kind of money on myself. But then one day I find myself searching the internet...and then making appointments to get a few different consults. And the funny part is that I did my consults all pretty close together...and once I met with Dr. G, I was determined to do it...but not a month or two...or four months out...I scheduled my TT for 2 weeks from the day I was in for my last consult. Talk about moving fast. All in all..I don't regret one moment. I found a wonderful plastic surgeon, no time is every going to be the perfect time with our crazy lives, and I know I'm going to be so happy with my results.
Well....I suppose it's probably time for me to take a little nap before my daughter gets home from a play date with my sister and nephew. Hope you all are doing well!

Anyone else have problems with skin itching? My back is probably the worst right now under my binder. Could it be binder? Meds? Dry skin? I'm 4...almost 5 days PO and hoping this isn't going to last long....

Holy hannah am I having some nightmares. I literally woke up crying last night... scared...sweating...etc. UGH!! I have to wonder if it might be my vicodin?! Since I'm 5 days PO, I decided to switch to tylenol again and not take the vicodin. Besdies, I have only been taking 1/2 pill the last day or two anyone. Guess this will just be a trial and error. Anywho....I did sleep through taking some meds so I ended up having to take 4 different meds at the same time this morning. Then hubby made me some eggs and toast. Within a few minutes of finishing up with breakfast, I went to lay down...and got sick...so into the bathroom. This is the first time I threw up. NO FUN!! Maybe it's a combo of taking all meds together that didn't sit well? I don't know. I am just realizing right this moment that I seem to be blaming my meds for everything. haha!!! All in all...I am doing really good today...and I am doing a good job of keeping a good perspectivie on things. Keeping a positive outlook on each day is huge for me...and for all of us going through this. I do believe it helps and has helped me with recovery. As I have said before...overall this isn't nearly as bad as I was expecting. And I agree with everyone else that has already gone through this...the first week is the worse. So at 5 days PO...I'm feeling good and looking forward to the "next" day!
Ok...so I did post two new pictures from this morning. I am VERY swollen and my binder was digging into my skin. Oh...and I DO now have a tank under my binder...so thank you all for the recommendation. That was one of those recommendations taht was a DUH moment for me. Aftter people started posting to wear a tshirt/tank under the binder...to me that was a no brainer. Buit clearly I needed help for all you as I didn't figure it out :) ha!
Hope you are all healing well! (I just love this site!!)

Day 6 PO and I'm feeling great today! Yesterday morning I stopped taking vicodin and ran out of my other pain med that I was taking x2/day...so now I'm just on my muscle relaxer (which I haven't been taking as faithfully as I was the first 4 days...and also taking Tylenol as needed. Oh and of course still taking my antibiotic. I did feel a little cramping little while ago...so it's clear I still need my meds. Going to stay on meds i just talked about until I see the doc on Tuesday to see what he says. Anyone else tell me how long they took their muscle relaxer for?
My gosh I can't wait to take a real shower. And I also cant wait to get this full body CG off. I'm just waiting for my leg hairs to grow out and pop thru and start itching. lol. I am the type of person that cant go more than 2-3 days without shaving my legs as my leg hair grows fast. gross! I'm just really excited I'm PO 6 days already. This inbetween stage of feeling ok but yet not just really stinks. I haven't even left the house since my surgery with the exception of going to my 2 day follow up appt. All in all- I just can't wait to shower, wear normal clothes, and....well...be NORMAL again! I'm so worried about over doing it....so I have been doing a good job resting...but man I'm getting bored. I swear I have a bit of ADD so this sitting around is killing me. I'm usually on the go quite a bit. This is all worth it...so I'll just continue to be patient!
Hope everyone is doing well!

PO day 8 and I went to see my PS today. First I met with Nurse...she tooks out my left drains and also took out stiches from lipo areas. Then PS came in to see me. He was so happy to see me doing so well at day 8 and said my fluid level is way low and whatever I am doing to keep it up. Then he looks at me and says "should we just take the other drain out too?" I was so happy... I felt like a little kid in the candy store! lol. Wow- for those that have commented it makes a difference to have the drains out weren't kidding. I feel soo much better. And man..I can NOT wait to shower tonight. I honestly wanted to come right home and shower but I figured maybe I better wait for my husband to be home. This will be my first shower...and first time with this full lenght CG and binder on...and I have heard from others that have gotten dizzen from having it off in the shower the first time...so thought I would be smart and wait for someone to be around home. Gosh...I honestly can not beleive it's only been a week and 1 day since my surgery and I am feeling THIS good. Plus, I am only on Tylenol and my antibiotic too! A week ago today I wondered what the hell I was doing having this surgery...and today I am so in love with the new ME!!! Ok ladies...It was just a brief moment I had when I asked myself what in the heck was I thinking having this surgery...so those of you that are getting ready to have your surgery...don't let that worry you. I guess my point is...you have your ups and downs, espcially the first 2 days...but every day it gets better and the pay off is incredible!!! Now that I can shower tonight..I'll try and post some more up to date pictures of my progress.
Happy Healing all my RS friends!! :)

Been 10 days since I last posted when I was at 8 days PO...and now 10 days later...at PO 18 DAYS...Things are coming along but certainly not as fast as I wish they were. This really is a process and I am finding myself becoming less patient. I know..I know...I need to and I am...it's just hard some days. I actually took some pictures tonight and I didnt even want to post them because I am feeling so bloated and swollen. Well...that's probably b/c I AM!! ha! Not only am I swollen, but it's also "that time of the month." Double whammy! Boo! Seriously though...why do I feel like I am so big but look small?! What if I'm not as swollen as I think I am and it's just not the results I thought I would have. Clearly I am venting and having a rough night. Sorry to vent.
Ok- so let's move to a positive note. In reality gals- this whole process has been MUCH better than I ever expected it to me. Here are my pro's and con's.
Con's:
First couple days were a little tough. Coughing/sneezing hurts. And no doubt my back hurt. This was definitely not something you want to do alone. In fact. have support with you for sure 24/7 the first 3 days for sure. I was more than fine making my home on the couch for the first week and half. Lots of pillows of course. I did have a wedge I used to evelate my feet..and I still use it today when I get home from work to rest.
The compression garment. UGH I hated my compression garmet. Then again, maybe it wasn't so much my original one I got sent home in, but once I was given the ok to move to spanks type one..which I bought for $14-$15 at walmart which I highly recommend them (CUPID is name brand)...I also bought a few other more expensive one and CUPID brand fits best. But either way..I hate wearing them. I would much prefer to wear my binder that I can tighen around my waist as tight or loose as I want. My first days back to work, which was PO 14 was hell. I wore my more expensive CG that went to my knee and up to just under my breast..and 3-4 hours into my work day I was sooo uncomfortable and felt like I was going to pop right out of the damn thing. Needless to say I was miserable. But I also chalk it up to maybe being too soon to go back to work. I have a desk job so it's not like I am standing all day. I also didn't get up to walk around as much as I should have but there really isn't a lot of space to just walk around and I did not want to take a walk outside...and as everyone would have wondered why I was outside walking. But note to all you that return to work after being able to rest a lot at home. GET UP and walk as often as you can. And that also goes from the day you get home from your surgery. Walking is the best way to heal....that I do believe. Don't overdue to it by any means...but just get up and walk frequently and then rest again. I just can't stress that enough. OH and drink LOTS of water. Those two are key to a good recovery. Oh...another con was I did not like my vicodin. I have horrible nightmares. But I guess it was either that or pain...so I guess I would rather eliminate the pain. And I think I did a pretty good job as I feel like overall I recovered quickly and remember even telling my husband each day that I was progressing rather quickly...and he thought so too. But keep on top of your meds. My husband started writing down all my meds on a sheet of paper of when I needed to take them and I was faithful at it. It can be hard obviously when your trying to rest..but if you can, set an alarm or take them right when you wake up if your late.
Ok...let's most to the PROS:
Again, this whole thing has been much better than I expected. I know I was complaining earlier on my post...but trust me..you will have really good days and then a few bad moments here and there. I chalk it up to being a normal combo...or maybe I am bi-polar. ha...kidding! I do love my results...my PS is amazing and I am so happy I made this decision. I'm not going to lie..I wish I would have been a little more motivated to kick it in high gear 3 months ago and worked my leg muscles a little more. Now they are just feeling really saggy and need some toning for sure!! Gosh I hope I get some motivation soon.
Sorry to get off track...but does anyone else feel like your munching more or just plain not motivated? Could it be a little depression during the 2-3 week of Post op blues because of off the swelling and feeling numb. I really need to get on a schedule to get back to walking on treadmill. Maybe I'm just lacking energy...I don't know. Protein shakes perhaps?!
All in all- the end result far outweighs any of the cons. And I know you have heard this a ton already...but try and stay positive and don't listen to "everything" you read. Remember- it's always easier to speak out about the bad things we go through rather than focus on the good...and that's partially becuase it's human nature to pick up the computer and start writing to vent when your having a bad day. Because when it's a really good day...were probably up doing fun things. That's just my two cents anyway for those that write a lot of negative stuff.
I am really in aaww that I am already 18 days PO. Part of me feels like it was just yesterday I got my TT/lipo done...and another part of me is getting inpatient with the waiting game so I can see what my true final result is.
So for those that are PO longer than 18 days....what can I expect for the next couple weeks. And when will I be able to go with out my binder and not feel like I'm "falling out". I do hate this numb feeling. It just feels so strange and I wonder how it will feel when I'm wearing jeans and tight shirt and nothing sucking me in underneath.
So I do have to apologize for all my typo's. Clearly there is no spell check on here...and I natually type fast and then run spell check afterward to correct my 50 mistakes. ha!
Well- it's late and I better get some sleep. I promise to try and take some more pictures tomorrow morning since I'm didn't post the ones from tonight. Besides, this is my work computer and I would have to email them to myself...then open/save..and attach. Oh...it's just a lot of work just thinking about it!! :)
Hope you are all having a good recovery and staying positive...and for those that have yet to get your TT done...also stay positive. As long as you trust your PS, then you will be in good hands and have amazing results! Take care off my RS peeps!

Well I'm almost 6 weeks PO. It's been a journey to say the least. Lots of ups and downs. But rest assured all my fellow TT RS friends that are yet to get TT done..it's overall been a good experience and I wouldnt' change it for anything. I know everyone has good and bad things to say....but remember....I guarantee it's because we are ALL our own worst self critics! I do believe that. So with that said...let me vent..ok?! :)
Overall..I am feeling so good. Every days certainly is better and better as far as pain wise. In fact, I haven't had any pain really in a while. Numbness...of course. And swelling still, obviously...but again...this is all a process and I continously need to remind myself of that. I'm not going to ly, it's hard. More so because I am finding more or more each day that I am a very impatient person! ha! It's hard because I read so much on Realself and internet and have heard so many people AND experts say that around 5-6 weeks you should start seeing about 80% of your final results. SOOO...based on the readings...I am having a hard time wondering why I feel so "fat" and have so much swelling. But more so...I have to wonder if this IS MY FINAL result. Mind you, I didn't JUST have a tummy tuck...i also have Muscle repair and liposuction to my flanks, inner/outter things. So it's leaving me a little worried. I am certainly not as flat as I hoped. Although I do have some intra-abdominal fat...so maybe that's why? And I can actually "grab" fat/skin on my sides and back....which I wasn't expecting I would be able to do. OH...the doctor told me he took off a pound of fat from tummy tuck and 2300 ml of fluid from lipo....which he said equals about a liter of pop. Gross hah?! I asked if that was alot of fluid/fat he removed from lipo...and he said "well..yeah...it was a good amount." So why am I not feeling like I even had lipo done at all????
I'm not going to ly...I haven't been excercising as much as I would like. But in all honestly, I am feeling so icky/swollen by the time I get home from work that i just want to get off my feet. As far as eating habits...yeah, I have some bad days with maybe not eating that healthy, but I also have days I really watch myself. I have always been like this though.
I had my last check up with my PS on Dec 13th and felt like I was coming along really good. He was very happy with my results...and I even had the ultrasonic massage or whatever it is done. The lady who did my massage was complementing me on how fast of a healer I am...and I didn't have any "bumps" etc going on anywhere and she was super pleased. But since then...which was 2 weeks ago....I kind of feel like I have taken 2 steps back instead of 2 steps forward. Gosh...maybe it's in my head...but as you can see from my pictures...I am still swollen and not sure what to think. Maybe I'm just being whinning and not giving it enough time...i don't know.
Thanks for letting me vent!! ha! Don't get me wrong...I am happy. I mean, how can I "not" be...I dont have all this over hang of fat going over my jeans every day. :)
Hope you ALl have a very blessed Holiday...and here is a new year in 2013~ YAY!!

Ugh! I'm so confused on my results. I'm not happy and not sure if its just "me" or if what but for the amount of money I paid for my TT/MR/Lipo, I guess I would have thought my results would have been better. And not to mention, I'm very confused from my follow up appt yesterday with my PS.
I went in for a 5 month check to see what my PS would have to say about my results. while I was there...I asked "should I have this" as I grabbed fat from my sides (love handles) and thigh area. As he examined me very briefly, he did state that we maybe should have gone around further...meaning rather than incision stopping at hip bones, he should have gone around further around the back and pulled the fat down from sides. So he said "we could go back in a extend the incision, pull down the fat there, and it would extend the incision 3 inches or so on each side." I asked "can't we just do more lipo and he said that its more loose skin that anything and would need to be removed.
Let me be clear that during my visit...which was seriously like a total of 5 minutes IF that in which I was with with my PS...he wasn't very friendly which surprised me. I honestly feel like he wasn't liking my results either and was trying to get the hell out of there too. But the part that REALLY confuses me is that he told me if he would have me speak to Sarah and to hang tight. So then he left and Sarah comes to get me, brings me into her office, and is writing up some stuff...hands me the paper and there is a quote for $4,500+ to do the surgery again. I looked at her and told her I was confused as to why PS didn't just do this is the frist time and now I have already paid $8200+ and now I have to pay another $4,500? I'm not a plastic surgeon ...but I really feel like we go in for a consult, describe what we don't like about our bodies...and it should be THEIR job to tell us what we need done in order to get the look we are after. And yet here am I unhappy and he isn't willing to do anything to fix it other than treat me like a new patient? I'm not as angry as I am sad! Sad that I spent this amount of money only to feel like I have my front tummy pulled under...and as if no lipo or anything else was done :( Not happy and I feel like I just totally got screwed :( If anyone has any feedback...I woudl appreciate it. I am posting new pictures as well that I just took today!