Very Fit Mom of Two Gets Full Tummy Tuck and Abdominal Hernia Repair

I am a 40 year old mom of two. I have been very fit and have exercised 3-6 days per week for the last 20 years. After my second pregnancy I realized that no matter how much I diet and exercise, the bulge in my belly would not disappear.

My problem was not loose skin or excess fat. I learned that I had diastasis recti. This is where your midline abdominal muscles separate during pregnancy and never come back together. I had a full tummy tuck and abdomianl hernia repair.

My Dr. stitched my abdominal muscles together from right below my breasts all the way down to my incision. I thought that because I was in excellent shape prior to surgery that I would have a quick and easy recovery. I was sadly mistaken.

Although, I had no major complications, I did have problems with my drains. My drains kept getting clogged and were not working well. At 10 days I felt great and went on a 3 hour shopping trip. That was a terrible mistake, I got so swollen that my doctor was really concerned about me.

My doctor is being very strict with me now and I am not able to start any form of exercise at least until I see her again at 7 weeks. This surgery has been a lot harder than I expected. I haven't really had much pain at all, but, it is the lack of physical activity and being able to do my everyday routine that is killing me! The most pain and discomfort I had was in the first 7 days.

The pain and discomfort I had was in my back from being hunched over and not from the abdomen. I am at 5 weeks post op and I am still very swollen in my lower abdomen/pubic area. I didn't expect recovery to take this long.

I am not 100% happy with the results at this point but I am pretty confident that I will be happy with the end result after the swelling is all gone.