Tummy Tuck: Stories

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I got it :)

  • posted 1 year ago
  • updated 1 year ago
  • Worth It
  • New jersey
  • before
  • before
  • aaaaa :-O
  • 3 days PO
  • 3 days PO
  • 4 days PO
  • 4 days PO
  • 7 days PO
  • 7 days PO
  • 9 days PO
  • 13 days PO

Hello ladies! I'm 32 and have two kids a boy 7...

  • 30 Apr 2012
  • 4 days pre

Hello ladies! I'm 32 and have two kids a boy 7 and a girl 3. I've always had a problem with my weight even before kids I was never skinny... I'm 5'3" and currently on my largest weighting 152 lbs :( i gained around 50 lbs with each pregnancy, however I was able to loose a lot after my first one, it got really hard after the second... Im like a yoyo I loose some, I gaine it back, bun even if I would loose a lot, my belly and love handles stay with me always... Recently I was layed off from my job of 10 years and was very excited to get in shape. I joined a gym and started taking kickboxing classes and running on elliptical 5 times a week. I was very patient but after a month I didn't see any result whatsoever :( that was really frustrating and I thought maybe it's time for the tummy tuck... I went for a consultation and decided to go with it. This is the only possible time when I don't need to take time off from work for recovery since I'm already home. I'm very scared, just hoping that it's not as bad as c-section, I had two of them and second one was not bad at all. I can't wait till Saturday, only 4 days left! I'm staying in the hospital for a night so at least I will be looked after the surgery. Also I'm worried of how it will turn out, if the result would be as I hope. Will I have a flat belly? Will the love handles go away partially or all? How long the recovery will last... Will come back with updates Any comments welcome!

Also read some more reviews yesterday that some...

  • 1 May 2012
  • 4 days pre
also read some more reviews yesterday that some docs didn't do a lipo on the flanks... i have a lot over there and really worried that my doc is not going to suck it all out...
i'm going have to stress it again for him before the surgery in the OR when he draws on me.

Adding some embarrassing pics...

  • 1 May 2012
  • 4 days pre
adding some embarrassing pics...

I just wanted to add that I'm not only doing it...

  • 1 May 2012
  • 4 days pre
I just wanted to add that I'm not only doing it for the good looks. My abs muscles have separated and they are so weak overall that every day by the dinner time I feel like I'm 6 months pregnant, my belly just "falls out"... Also if i eat anything more than a salad and have a large cup of tea I feel it just hanging out...

Me again... Two days left!!! One of the...

  • 2 May 2012
  • 3 days pre
Me again... Two days left!!!
One of the difficult things was to stop smoking... Not that I was a chimney, but I catch myself once in a while wishing to go outside and enjoy a sigarette :(
going to a drug store now to buy some Tylenol... What else....

I haven't told anybody about TT except my husband...

  • 3 May 2012
  • 2 days pre
I haven't told anybody about TT except my husband and my mom.... Keeping it a secret... Kind of embarrassed too :( all my girlfriends are battling with weight of course, one I think just stopped eating altogether and in a year she lost almost half of herself... Another one works out like crazy and I can see now its showing good results...So it might seem that I'm cheating and taking an easy road... We see each other every weekend and I wii have to tell them something sooner or later...
I will see everybody on the may 4th, my friend is having a birthday dinner and a broadway show afterwords, so I will be home really late around 1am and the next morning at 8 I will be in the hospital for a TT.

This time tomorrow I'll be in OR! It's tomorrow!!...

  • 4 May 2012
  • 1 day pre
This time tomorrow I'll be in OR! It's tomorrow!! I want this day to be over already...
Told my In-laws yesterday, didn't give it a name, just said it for muscles tightening. They are so great, the will be helping to pick up kids from school the first week. My husband is going to work from fome first 3 days and then I'm on my own.

So I had it done earlier today! I'm in the...

  • 5 May 2012
  • Day of treatment
So I had it done earlier today! I'm in the hospital room. I was prescribed a bed rest and position of the bed cannot be changed.
Girls I read so many reviews here but I guess I'm the only one having this problem... I couldn't pee on my own :-0 the minute I woke up in the recovery room I felt that I needed to pee, they gave. E a bed pan but I couldn't make myself go... So 4 hours later I still can't go! I was feeling like I was ready to explode and the only thing I felt on my body was the bladder :-0 and as a "bonus" my two nurses are young guys... So I had to call him and he offered a catheter... Had to ask for a female nurse to do it though... Omg I thought the bag would not be enouhg... The nurse explained that anesthesia affects the muscle that helps to pee... Anyways now that I'm empty I feel great! :))
I had a chance to speak with the doc when just woke up and don't remember much of what he said... Something about getting a lot of fat from flanks I think and something about really weak muscles ... But not sure, will talk to him when he comes tomorrow

Forgot to mention i don't have the drains at all!...

  • 5 May 2012
  • Day of treatment
forgot to mention i don't have the drains at all! yay for that!

2 day PO. Let me tell u... No reviews could've...

  • 7 May 2012
  • 2 days post
2 day PO. Let me tell u... No reviews could've prepared me for that first day :-0
The evening after the surgery was ok because I was drugged, the worst thing was that I couldnt go #1 and they put the catheter. In the morning they removed it and I tried to get up and go to the bathroom and that was an awful experience... I felt noutiose and dizzy and went to bed again... Next time I went to the bathroom i almost fainted, 5 nurses rushed to me and got me into the bed again. When the doctor showed up to see me I was a green color and wearing an oxygen mask...
I felt a little better after I ate a little bit. By 5pm I was able to get out of bed on my own and at 7pm I was home.
I'm not even thinking of the results right now....I feel like a swollen balloon. My flanks are two balls sticking out...
As of pain, it not bad, I'm taking 1 Percocet every 4 hours and 2 advils in between.
Will try to take a shower.

Oh I should add that I was so thankful that I was...

  • 7 May 2012
  • 2 days post
Oh I should add that I was so thankful that I was in hospital for a night and the next day until dinner time... I can't imagine what I would do without the help of wonderful nurses and just the feeling of safety of the hospital...

Second day is going a LOT better! I'm doing...

  • 7 May 2012
  • 2 days post
Second day is going a LOT better! I'm doing everything on my own, went to shower, changed the dressing on scar, don't even understand how it looks, I'm so swollen everywhere. Today I'm only taking Advil!

3 days PO Added some pictures. Feel fine, almost...

  • 8 May 2012
  • 3 days post
3 days PO
Added some pictures. Feel fine, almost no pain, but very swollen in the front and also in the flanks lipo area. There is also some bruising... I don't have any drains.

4 days PO. I almost don't feel any pain, took...

  • 9 May 2012
  • 4 days post
4 days PO. I almost don't feel any pain, took Advil twice today, no heavy drugs... Drove my son to school and then went to a pharmacy later. I feel I can do almost everything normally, but get tired fast. took a shower, got another look at my tummy. It's not flat at all :( its kind of the same big as it was...not flubby, but still round :( I hope it's swelling and goes away soon..
Posting pics of day 4...

5 days PO. Recovery is going nicely, I'm almost...

  • 10 May 2012
  • 5 days post
5 days PO. Recovery is going nicely, I'm almost back to normal activities, driving, walking around, took only Advil twice today. Don't feel any pain, only when I have to cough.
As of now I don't see a flat tummy, it's swollen same as yesterday... Lipo sides start to hurt more, there is a lot of bruising there, so i can't sleep on my sides.. Tomorrow morning I'm going to see a PS for the first time after the surgery and really hoping that he would tell me it's a swelling which goes away soon...

7 days PO. I feel like I'm back to my normal...

  • 12 May 2012
  • 7 days post
7 days PO. I feel like I'm back to my normal activities. I only took Advil once before bed. I went to see the PS yesterday, he and the nurse were so surprised how fast I'm recovering, the scar looks very good too. He said that the tummy is still round because it's swollen and there are gases and liquids probably there... He said he best solution is to walk a lot, not just do regular activities, but walk to get rid of gases and force swelling to go down with gravity.
I was able to sleep without sleeping pill, found more or less comfortable position on my side, it doesnt hurs as before. Now the back hurts because I'm still walking not 100% straight...
There is still no flat tummy :( I have to be patient and just wait...

9 days PO. Back to normal life :) no meds,...

  • 14 May 2012
  • 9 days post
9 days PO. Back to normal life :) no meds, sleeping is ok now. although sides still hurt a little bit on lipo area, but I'm able to sleep on both sides now. Getting really tired of the binder by dinner time, just want to take it out and let it breath...
I think the tummy looks better now, not as swollen as couple of days before and I can feel it now, last week it was all numb. I think I have a seroma, thinking of calling a doc, but he said it can go away on its own, so maybe I'll wait couple of days...
Oh, and I lost 3 lbs, maybe it was the water from swelling or maybe it helped that I'm also watching what I eat...

Great review?

Comments (49)

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You look great! Happy healing.
  • Reply
Thank you! I'm still very swollen bellow belly button, but i keep telling myself that it's only been two weeks and it needs time...
  • Reply
I agree with Kathy, you are looking great!
  • Reply
wow, big difference just from day 8 to day 13 post op
  • Reply
You look great! Insee a super flat tummy on you! Yay! I go in on Tuesday! I am ready! Flat tummy here I come! Happy Healing!
  • Reply
Thank you guys. I took this photo first thing in the morning before swelling and before eating...it's still not very flat especially around the scar...
  • Reply
Definitely and you will be amazed how much you are going to love your results! we will all be thinking of you.
  • Reply
I can see your curves and for sure the swelling is going down...take it easy, I m 7 wks post op and for some reason everytime I come home from work I'm a bit swollen on my lower back, can't wait for all this to go away....:)
  • Reply
You look awesome!
  • Reply
Thank you :)
  • Reply
hay vesna999, i think your looking great..i can even notice the difference from day 4 to day 7 po...give it time sweety, you are going to look awesome,and love your results, im sure of it..keep positive thoughts it will help you through this..congrats to you for making it to the other side!!yaaaaaa
  • Reply
Wish I could answer that. I kw the drains are supposed to be a pain in the butt, but are used to prevent a Sonoma, I'm not even sure I know what that is or how to spell it. I was told today that I probably won't have much drainage because I didn't have a lot of skin.
  • Reply
You look great and it will only get better! Is there more sweling with no drain? What is the benefit to having no drain over a drain?
  • Reply
You look great and it will only get better each day. The swelling is the worst part because you don't see much of a change and are not as flat as you expect to be. I am 3 weeks 2 days po and the last 2 mornings I have actually gotten to see for the first time how flat I am now with minimal swelling but then by the afternoon I am swollen like a beach ball again. Just keep thinking positive and make sure you listen to your body and don't do too much.
  • Reply
You look fabulous! I go tomorrow morning, woo-hoo!
  • Reply
I will be thinking of you, Gil!
  • Reply
You look wonderful... Happy healing...
  • Reply
So inspiring, you look great! I'm having the no drain also!
  • Reply
You look great!! I'm glad you got some pictures up :) Hope your healing goes smoothly.
  • Reply
So I'm staying the night at my PS office in a recovery suite and they are cathing me, so this is a good thing it sounds like??
  • Reply
Thevoice, catching is good. It's uncomfortable for couple of seconds when they insert in, but u feel so relieved when your bladder is emptying without u using your muscles...
Not sure about the recovery suite but as I mentioned before, I was so thankful that I spent a night and a day in a hospital. The first day was just sooo hard...
Good luck to u!
  • Reply
*cathing
  • Reply
you look awesome vesna,and its only the beginning!!
  • Reply
There was a woman on youtube, her same is Sarah, she had the same issue with not being able to pee. She ended up in the ER and I think they gave her a catheter as well. Well, you look great! I can't wait to see how things progress.
  • Reply
Wow you look GREAT!
  • Reply

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