It Hurts, but It It's Worth It - Nebraska

Okay, so I'm 9 months post-op, and I still love my results. What I DON'T love is the pot-belly I've allowed myself to grow. However, my "fat" days now are still way better than my "skinny" days pre-op! Everything feels great still!

I had my drains removed at the 1 week check-up. I was NOT prepared for the pain associated with that. Doc said everything looked great and was healing well. He said the yellow on my breasts were bruises. I've never seen a yellow bruise! I also had some redness on my belly that he said was something associated with the capillaries or something. He used a medical term I didn't recognize, nor do I remember. Point is, it was not an infection.

It was so refreshing to have the drains gone, I almost felt normal again. Almost. Still had some trouble standing or sitting without getting short of breath. Was actually able to help make dinner on Saturday night (9 days post-op.) The scars on the sides of my breast are lumpy and hurt when I lay on my side, and I noticed the lower part of my abdomen felt really tight. By Monday (11 days PO) I realized the tightness was fluid building up under the skin. It was like pressing on a waterbed and watching the waves bounce back and forth across my belly. EWWW! So I called the office and went in for my two week check-up a bit early. Doc pulled 100mL of fluid out and said he'd probably have to do that several more times. I also have some new bruises that have come out in the last week here and there, but nothing to worry about. There is also a part of my left breast that has a huge scab, where the vertical and horizontal incisions come together. Doc suggested putting some ointment on it at night to help the scab come off sooner.

I have to say, when my hubby and I first discussed this surgery, he was concerned about the scars. They are pretty horrific, but I told him that I don't run around half naked showing off my body, so I didn't really care how big or visible the scars were. I do have to say NOW though...I'm so darn happy about the results, I actually DO want to run around my house in just a bra and panties! I need to take my 2 weeks pics, but the kids have been home for the last 2 days (snow days!) and I don't think they need to see Mom in the buff!

1/19/11 – My story is like so many that I have read on this site. I gained 40 lbs in 6 months when I was 14. I gained another 30 over the next 4 years. Graduating from HS, I was 5’4” and 160 lbs. I managed to lose 30 lbs at the age of 24. Thirteen years, a husband, a career, 1 set of twins boys, 6 half marathons, 1 full marathon, MANY smaller races, and a third son later...I’m 37 years old, still 5’4”, and 123 lbs on the day before my Mommy Makeover. The last few days have been kind of a haze for me. I’m not scared of the pain, I’m nervous for the results. I keep telling myself that the “after” CANNOT be worse than the “before,” and that I’m never going to live long enough for the chunkiness of the renaissance women to come back into style. I don’t necessarily care about my stretch marks. I just want breasts that don’t fall out of my bra when I bend over, or out the bottom of the bra when I run. I want a belly that doesn’t roll.

I don’t want anyone I know to know that I am doing this. So only my husband knows and he’s being very supportive. It has been really hard containing my excitement about this huge change I have initiated in my life. I met with two plastic surgeons in my area and chose the one who I felt I could speak to candidly. After meeting with both surgeons, I knew for sure that I would proceed with a breast lift. I originally wanted a reduction, but both surgeons assured me that most of my volume was excess skin and that the removal of skin during a breast lift would reduce my size to a C cup which is exactly the size that I want. I was quite a bit more hesitant about the tummy tuck. It was kind of a last minute thing on my part, so I had done no research on it at the time I met with the surgeons. Afterward, I found this website and read the reviews and then had a million questions. I changed my mind about having the procedure probably a hundred times. Finally I called and made a follow-up appointment to ask my questions. The doctor was very helpful and talked me through all of my worries.

As the day of the surgery has approached, sometimes I get scared and get that sinking feeling in my gut. I also worry that I’ll oversleep and miss the appointment. We’re under a winter storm warning here today, and I’m worried that the snow will be so deep that I’ll get into an accident on my way in tomorrow. I’m prepared as I can get. I waxed “stuff” on Monday. I’ve been cleaning the house and doing laundry. I packed a little bag for overnight. I’ve taken my “before” pictures. Now I wait.

1/21/11 – Well, I didn’t die. I was extremely nauseated though. So for most of the afternoon, I nibbled on some food and tried to keep it down. I needed my coffee, but I figured the pain medication given for the surgery would take care of the caffeine headache. It didn’t. I didn’t have a catheter either, so I had to get up to pee about every 1.5 hours. The second time I did that, I puked. I literally felt the pop, pop, pop, pop all down the front of my belly, and I was certain I had ripped all the stitches that cinched me together. The nurse said I didn’t, she even looked for me, and I asked my doctor and he said I’d have to try pretty hard to rip those stitches out. That’s a relief b/c I was depressed when I thought I had ruined everything. In light of the pain from the tummy tuck, the breast lift is respectively pain free. The tuck actually hurts worse than the C-sections. I was able to nap on my sides when I got home and that hurt, but let me actually get some sleep. I got to take a shower at the hospital in the morning before I left, and peeked at everything. I’m so happy at the reduced size of my breasts. I can’t wait to see them again! And this was the first time that I can remember EVER being able to sit down and see my girl parts without my belly rolls getting in the way. Yay me!

1/24/11 – So I don’t think my breast size is really that much smaller, but they are in the right place, and that’s much better. I said the tummy tuck hurt more than my C-sections, and that’s true. But the recovery is much quicker. I can already use my stomach muscles for certain things, like getting out of bed! And I’ve stopped taking the painkillers altogether. I hope the drains come out during my check-up in a couple of days. My husband went back to work today, so I’m in complete control of my baby again. He took a shower with me this morning and only grabbed for my drains once. But I could tell he was looking at them. Then when I got dressed, he kept trying to peek under my shirt, looking for them. It was kind of cute.

Some tips I’ve learned about the Mommy Makeover...
1) If you are at all squeamish about blood, this is not the surgery for you. You have to empty your own drains, and that makes me a little green around the gills.
2) Take your sleep mask, ear plugs, mouth guards etc. to the hospital with you. Whatever you use to sleep under normal circumstances, you’ll want there too. Especially if you end up with a roommate who insists on staying awake all night so the pain doesn’t “sneak-up on her.”
3) Cut back your caffeine or cut it out entirely prior to the surgery. My headache from caffeine withdrawal was worse than the pain of the surgery. And for the following few days, I had to struggle to get all the water I needed and the caffeine too.
4) Make sure that whoever is going to take care of you afterward is also willing to rub your aching back.