“WORTH IT!!! Anxious but Ready! ... Almost 8 weeks postop! New pics!”

I'm a mother of four beautiful children, having the first when I was 19 years old. They are 16, 14, 11 and 2.5. I was thin before I became pregnant with my first, however I gained nearly 80 lbs with her. My weight has fluctuated since then but have been hanging between 145-155 for the past few years(depending on the season!)

I've discovered my love of running in the past several years and I'm worried about not running during my recovery. I'm currently 35 yrs old, 5'6" and 150ish. Hoping to lose a few more lbs before my big day!! I'm having a full tummy tuck as well as a breast lift with augmentation.

Nursing four children was not nice to the girls! My doc says I should be good to go back to work at 4 weeks post op. I'm very fortunate to have a very supportive husband who realizes what doing this for myself means to me! Reading everyone stories and experiences have helped me so much, I hope to do the same for others! I'll post before pictures soon.

Updated on 3 Jan 2012:
Adding photos...I can't wait to get rid of the hang. My poor breasts are merely just folds of skin, dang kids!

Updated on 6 Jan 2012:
So before I booked my surgery I had only been on one consultation, but felt very comfortable with the surgeon. I've been thinking a lot about this and have scheduled another consultation for this coming week. I guess my question is, how important are multiple consultations?

Updated on 16 Jan 2012:
So I went on a 2nd consultation last week and I loved the PS and especially her nurse! I decided to go with them and they had the day after my original surgery date available so I booked it.

One of the differences between the two is that this PS requires tummy tuck patients to stay overnight in the hospital to have a nurse take care of them. It costs an extra $600, but I think it will be totally worth it. She said its nice because they just wheel you upstairs from the surgery center and you dont have to worry about riding in a car that first day.

Im having a full TT with muscle repair, a lift and an augmentation. This PS, while not outright saying she prefers Saline implants seemed to favor them, however everything I've read says that women with very little breast tissue(like myself) are usually happier with the Silicone implants. The draw back is the MRI they recommend you have every couple of years. I don't want to spend $17,000 only to have rippling and not be completely happy with my new breasts!! So I'm definitely leaning towards Silicone, anyone have any input on the subject???

She also requires a mammogram prior to implants so I need to schedule that too!

Im so excited, I love following everyone who is going through this and who has been through it!! It helps ease any anxiety I have. The first little bit will be hard, especially with the 2.5 yo that very much enjoys sitting on my lap and snuggling, but we'll make do.

Updated on 6 Feb 2012:
Time is flying!! My pre-op is tomorrow. I'm very nervous. Somehow I've managed to gain 5 lbs in the past month, WTF?! I was hoping to lose weight before surgery not gain it! I'm mad at myself about it.

I'll update more after my appt tomorrow!

Updated on 7 Feb 2012:
Went to my pre-op today! It's all becoming very real. I decided on the 375 cc mentor memory gel smooth moderate plus profile silicone implants.

I have to arrive at the hospital at 6:30 am, and surgery should start around 8:30. They gave me prescriptions to fill before hand, pain meds, muscle relaxers, antibiotics, anti-nausea(patch and suppository), stool softener, and lovenox injections. I understand when you need a chart to keep it all straight!!!

I'm staying the first night in the hospital which will be nice and it's only an extra $600. I'll have four drains to start out with, but will hopefully get the breast drains out the next day before I leave the hospital.

I just wish I could fast forward to after the bulk of the recovery is over!!!

Updated on 22 Feb 2012:
Last night of sleeping on my side for awhile!!! I can't believe my surgery is almost here!

I hope everyone who recovering is going smoothly, and best wishes to those soon to go! I'll update soon!!

Updated on 24 Feb 2012:
Made it to the other side! It hurts, but totally worth it. My breast incisions hurt the worst when getting up and down. Im very glad my dr has her patients over night at the hospital, I needed it.

My ab and pec muscles feel like I've done an intense workout, the incisions burn when I move, but dr says that's totally normal, despite the fact they feel like theyre ripping open :/

I'll update more soon, it's hard to do on the iPhone!

Updated on 24 Feb 2012:
Ok, so a little more of an update !

Got to the hospital about 6:30 yesterday morning, the surgeon came in and did her markings about 8:00. Then the anestigiologist, he put some Valium in mt iv... And that was the very last thing I remembered until waking up in recovery! Wasn't sore at all until they got me up to go pee, then Holy Hell!!! The told me to roll Towards my side to get out of the bed. That was the WORST pain ever!!! Felt like my breast incisions were ripping open :(

Then to boot, I got super nauseated while going pee. That happened the first three times I got up to go to the bathroom.

It got a little easier as the night went on, but still hurts incredibly much! Slept pretty good when I did sleep, in between waking to pee.

I feel like a complete invalid, and I don't like feeling this way! My husband is incredibly wonderful and doting, I feel like a burden but he assures me I'm not!

I get s shower tomorrow, that should be nice! Hopefully I'll get pics then!

Updated on 24 Feb 2012:
Anyone have a drain that wouldn't empty outta the bulb? One of my drains has a blob that won't come out :/

Updated on 25 Feb 2012:
Day 2 post op - Slept remarkably well last night. I set an alarm on my phone and labeled them with which meds I needed to take when it went off. Worked great!

I'm able to get in and out of the recliner on my own which is a nice victory! I dont feel quite so needy :) it felt good to get up and sit in a regular chair for a bit.

My drains aren't getting too full. Last night one wouldn't empty because there was a clot in it, finally got that out. I'm draining about 5 cc's every 8+ hours.

I'm nervous about taking a shower, but excited too. Excited to see what I look like!

Hopefully it keeps getting better from here! I'm still not overly hungry, trying to force myself to keep up on protein.

Hope everyone is recovering quickly!!

Updated on 26 Feb 2012:
Day 3 post op - Slept ok last night, I'm getting antsy just sitting around, but I'll manage.

Took a quick shower yesterday, I was really nervous about taking off my binder and dressings. It went well though. Word of warning...it may seem like you can get the binder on tighter if you lay on top of it, don't do it!!! I thought I was dying for the brief moment I attempted to lay back. It was a really bad idea!! You can get it back on just fine while in the seated position!

I'm am super swollen, definitely understand the meaning behind swell hell!

My drains are hardly draining anything at all, I think maybe 15cc's out of each in the past 24 hrs. They aren't too bothersome.

I still don't have much of an appetite, been forcing myself to eat protein.

What else...I'm moving around ok, still slumped over and slow, but can get myself to and from the bathroom which is nice. I hated having to wake my dearest husband up to help me, he has been wonderful as always though, never complained!

If I take a shower today I'll try to take pictures and post them!

Happy healing everyone!!

Updated on 27 Feb 2012:
Day 4 - I'm feeling pretty good. I'm gonna start weaning off the pain meds, I think? We'll see how that goes!

I've been sleeping ok, might try the bed tonight. I'm almost walking upright, not nearly as hunched over as I started on the first day!

Tomorrow is my post op appointment, looking forward to it! My drains haven't really been producing anything. From 8pm last night to 8 am this morning there were only 2 cc's in each drain. Hopefully I'll get at least one out tomorrow!!

Updated on 28 Feb 2012:
Day 5 Post op! I am officially drain free!! Wahoo!! And let me tell you, it feels sooooo much better without them! In the last 24 hrs I only drained 5 cc's from one and 2 cc's in the other.

On the way home we stopped at Costco and I walked a little, and then sat a little in the patio furniture section while my dearest husband picked up what we need. It was probably the most time on my feet I've spent at one time so far. It wasn't horrible, but my muscles were very tight by the time I got back to the car. I've retired to the recliner for the rest of the day.

Dr said my implants are dropping well on their own so I dont need one of the strappy bras that push them down. I'm supposed to start massaging them 10 times per day.

I'm glad to report the stool softeners and MOM has paid off, not having any problems there. But I'm surprised that I still don't have much of an appetite...Im making sure I'm eating enough, but it's an effort to do so! The things I'd love to eat just for the taste of them are for the most part too high in sodium.

And speaking of sodium, I will be sooooo glad when this dang swelling goes down! I know it will be a long road in that department, but it is definitely something I look forward to!

I'm also looking forward to working out and running again! I miss it already!!

I was very reflective today about how very thankful I am to have been able to do this. I am so very appreciative to my husband who has fully supported me on this endeavor. He is wonderful! Never once has he balked at the cost, or the hard work he has to do to take care of me and the household while I'm incapacitated. He's my hero.

Updated on 28 Feb 2012:
It says I voted not worth it :( but I didn't!!! It's totally worth it!!!

Updated on 29 Feb 2012:
Day 6 Post Op- DH had to work today so I was alone with 2 yo for a few hours this morning. That was definitely challenging. It's so hard not being able to pick him up like usual.

I'm still pretty achy towards the end of my four hour pain med intervals. I feel like I should be weaning off them, but I don't think my body is ready just yet. I think once I am allowed to take ibprophen I will be able to transition to that, but I can't take it yet since I'm on blood thinners and Tylenol doesn't work for me.

Other than that I'm just plugging along, the swelling is annoying. Can wait until 6 mths from now when things will be back to normal!

Updated on 29 Feb 2012:
Two words....SHOWER CHAIR !!!!

OMG, what a difference it made to have a shower chair! I can't sing it's praises enough. My attempts to shower without one were painful and nothing close to relaxing. My grandma gave me one they had and it was WONDERFUL!!

That's all ;)

Updated on 2 Mar 2012:
Day 8 Post Op - Things are going pretty well. I still have been taking my pain meds regularly and can certainly tell if I don't :( This has me discouraged. It seems like I read that every one else gets off of them fairly quickly after surgery, I've tried cutting back to one every four hours, and it works... Until I move! Tylenol does nothing for me. I think I can start taking ibprophen now that I'm done with the lovenox shots, but I need to call the drs office and check.

I guess I feel like I'm doing something wrong. I am able to walk upright and move around pretty well, unless I cut back on the pain med. I get very sore, and especially in my upper abdomen, I think where she lipo'd. I'm also still really swollen. I guess I'm just paranoid I'm not healing right. I'm sure it's fine and I'm just being paranoid, but I'm still a little worried.

Updated on 2 Mar 2012:
And one other thing I'm wondering, is anyone else swollen in their butt and thighs? Mine have been huge since surgery, and I know I haven't eaten enough to have gained weight! My left inner thigh today has a hangy floppy area the size of a softball that looks kinda like a sandwich bag half full of water. I didn't have any work done below my tummy, so it's just strange! Definitely gonna ask the dr about it!

Updated on 4 Mar 2012:
Day 9(almost 10) Post op- its amazing how good one feels after a long hot shower! Tonight was the first time it didn't strain my abs to sit in the shower for longer than five minutes. It was the first time I was able to wash my hair good too, which felt so good.

I tried to sleep in my bed tonight, but here at 4 am I'm awake and hurting :( back in the recliner for me. I miss being physically near my DH. That ranks right up there as one of the worst parts of this whole thing.

My boobs are still high, I keep pressing them down as instructed, and hopefully they'll drop soon! I'm also still super swollen. I'm up about 6-8lbs from pre op. :( I know it's water weight so I'm not freaking out, and because there is no way I've eaten enough to even maintain my weight let alone gain 8lbs! A lot of the swelling is in my butt and thighs. This has me very frustrated. I did check with the drs office and they said its totally normal. Even though I didn't have work done on my butt or thighs. And they'll likely continue, sometimes on and off until 6 weeks post op. How fabulous!! Ugh :( Hopefully I'll fit in my uniform when I go back to work at 4 weeks!

Ok, I'm going to try and get back to sleep, this time in the recliner! They should have a chat room on this sight, so when we can't sleep we can comiserate with others who are in the same boat!

Updated on 6 Mar 2012:
It won't let me upload photos :( Grrrrrrr!!!!

Updated on 6 Mar 2012:
Had my PS appt today. She said everything looks great. One breast is riding a little higher than the other, but there dropping. I'm supposed to massage the higher one 4 times to one of the other. She also told me to take the sterestrips off my incisions. I did that this evening when I took a shower. That was scary for me. I was afraid I was going to rip my incision apart! The incision lookspretty good as far as incisions go. The tape on my nipples made me the most nervous!

Today was definitely a turning point for me. Yesterday I only took motrin first thing in the morning, and didn't take anything after that until the evening. Then I took one pain pill 45 minutes before I took a shower in the evening. Unmedicated during the day I was very sore and tired easily. I sat most of the day and I couldn't walk as upright as I could. Yesterday I was trying to figure out how in the world I was going to be ready to go back to my job in 2.5 weeks! I woke up today and took some motrin to get me past the morning creekiness. My dr appt was at 1130, then my grandma and my 2yo and I went to lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. After that we walked around the mall a little bit. I wasn't sore and had a ton of energy! I'm of course very swollen tonight, and but it was wonderful to feel back to myself!

The overnight difference was amazing! I tried to post pictures earlier but the website is screwy :(

Updated on 7 Mar 2012:
I knew better, I totally knew better... But I did it anyway. I ate ONE measly slice of pizza last night. And today I'm swollen up like the Goodyear blimp!!!! Damn you sodium!!!! Damn you SwellHell!!! For as swollen as I am I might as well have eaten the whole dang pizza!

Other than that little update, after turning the corner yesterday I felt up to being "intimate" with my darling husband ;-)

No more sodium for me!!

Updated on 8 Mar 2012:
I wish I could post some new pictures, but the website isn't letting me do it :(

Im officially 2 weeks post op today. Feeling pretty good. I was exhausted all day today after waking up with a HORRIBLE back ache! My front felt just fine but my back was on fire! Ugh!!

So, I was looking at my first Post op pics I posted and its amazing how much my breasts have dropped since then. At my dr appt on Tuesday my left was riding a little higher than the right, but Ive been massaging it more and its dropping nicely. My incision still looks pretty good. My breast lift incisions have been more tender since I took the tape off, I think Im going to get some more guaze squares and see if that helps them from rubbing on my clothes.

I'll update more when I can figure this picture thing out!!

Updated on 9 Mar 2012:
Finally, got the photo upload to work(Thanks Angie!!!).You can see my breasts are dropping quite a bit, however the left is being a bit more stubborn than the right.

These pictures were taken at the end of the day and Im pretty swollen in them. Im feeling pretty good today. Got out and had lunch with a friend. I found the bikini at a discount store for cheap! Picked it out and didnt even try it on before buying it!! I have NEVER been able to do that before :) How cool is that?!?! At the same store I found both the top and the bottom of "Spanx" and got both for about $25! It was a good bargain day ;)

My incisions on my breasts are still tender, that's my main complaint during the day. Nighttime is a whole different story. I'm trying to sleep in bed instead of the recliner and Im not able to get very comfortable. UGH!! And I wake up with my back screaming from being in one position all night. A friend suggested taking an Aleve before bed time, so Im going to try that and see if it helps.

Hope everyone is doing well!!

Updated on 12 Mar 2012:
Day 18- I'm losing my mind not being able to workout :( ugh!! I just got the new fitness and running world magazines in the mail and I feel like they are taunting me! I feel like my muscles are atrophying!

Doing pretty well other than that. Finally figured out a routine to sleep comfortably. Before bed I take an Aleve and flexeril, then when I wake up in the middle of the night and am in pain, I take one pain pill. The last few days I have not been in excruciating pain when I wake up! I'm still propped up on pillows sleeping on my back, but it's bearable now. I've only taken the occasional motrin during the day lately.

I picked up a soft, non underwire bra on Saturday. Up until the last couple days i've been bra-less. When I saw PS last week she said I could get a supportive non underwire bra if I'd like. It's weird wearing one after going without for two weeks.

Swelling is still ridiculous :/ I tried on my uniform pants and had to dig my "fat pants" out of the closet in order for them to fit over my binder. I'm planning to wear my binder for the first several weeks after I go back to work just as an extra layer of protection. I'm starting to have a little anxiety about being ready in just 10 more days. As long as PS says I won't damage anything doing my job, I can tough out the discomfort. I'm a police officer, and I can sort of take it easy, but at the same time we don't get to choose when someone's going to get squirrelly on us. And I don't get to run away from a fighter(nor would I if I could), so that's my biggest concern right now. I don't think my duty belt will bother my incision(I hope!) And my vest should keep the girls fairly contained ;)

Hopefully the next 9 days will hold a dramatic improvement for me!

Updated on 16 Mar 2012:
Well, actually three weeks and one day. Up until this week I haven't had a melancholy period, but this week I am. The swelling this week has been off the charts :( my hips and thighs are getting the brunt of the swelling and it is making me feel really fat. It probably wouldn't be so extreme if it weren't for my flat stomach. Go figure, my flattering tummy makes my ass look huge!! :/ I'm about 10 lbs heavier on the scale than I was pre surgery. I know I'm not supposed to get on the scale, and I know it's water weight, but it stillscrews with one's mind :(

Physically I'm doing pretty good, not having to take anything during the day unless I overdo it. My breasts are tender, and my abs are tender to the touch, but ok otherwise. My scars look really pretty good, I'm going to ask at my appt on Tuesday if she recommends using anything in particular on them.

I'm able to lay on my side in bed for short periods. It's much harder to get up from that position though because it involves a lot of pillows propping me up. I've been sleeping better, even though I'm on my back. Haven't been needing the pain pills in the middle of the night the past several nights.

I'm still having anxiety about going back on work. The first two days back I have training that will consist of standing shooting birdshot out of shotgun for a day and ahalf. Ugh! I can't get out of that, but at least the bird shot doesn't have much of a kick. The holding the shotgun up for that long will be the worst part. The next two days ill be back to patrol, so I will just be driving around for 10 hrs a day.

Can't wait to get back to working out. I think that's big part of my current mood and negative self image. I don't feel strong like I did presurgery and so I feel weak and fat. This will pass, I just hope it's soon!

I was going to post a three week picture, but I'm really not feeling it today:( maybe later or tomorrow.

Updated on 16 Mar 2012:
Adding pics, you can tell in the picture my left breast is still not where my right breast is. It's way more noticeable in the pictures than it is in real life. I'm going to up the massaging today!!

Updated on 16 Mar 2012:
Dang it!! Why are they sideways :( ill try to fix it

Updated on 21 Mar 2012:
Tomorrow is 4 weeks, it has flown by. I'm feeling good, finally able to sleep on my side!! I go back to work tomorrow... Fingers crossed that goes well!

I had an appointment at my PS office yesterday. They trimmed the surface stitches that hadn't desolved yet. I also had a spitting suture, which is one of the internal sutures that my body decided to push out through the surface. It started as a red area in the scar, then had a little pus pocket under the skin, then it drained and scabbed over. I guess they are pretty common, and sometimes the suture has to be removed too. It's weird, I feel like my scar should be pretty solid at 4 weeks post op, but I guess I'm still not totally out of the woods yet. Ugh! One more thing to worry about!!

I'm not supposed to sweat until my incision is healed back up from the holes left where they trimmed the stitches. So another week or so until I can start back into running :(

My left breast still has a little bit of dropping to do. In two weeks I'm supposed to get a good underwire bra and wear that day and night for 6 months, then daytime until I hit the year mark.

They don't have anything particular they recommend for use on the scars, so once my scars are totally closed up I can massage them with whatever I would like.

Hopefully the next four days at work go by quickly and uneventfully! That's my anxiety right now!

Updated on 22 Mar 2012:
I made it, 4 weeks post op. Today was my first day back at work. Last night I tried on my gear to see how it felt. I can say the vest felt MUCH more comfortable when I was flat chested!! I'm glad I have the heavy duty binder with foam padding underneath. It buffers my incision from the duty belt. The duty belt rubs and hurts my hips anyway, but with the incision there I'm very paranoid. I'm going to be wearing the binder and pads for probably several months at work! I don't notice it under everything at all.

I was expecting the worst today, but I survived. I'm of course swelling and tired now, but not in pain like I expected to be. So the dr told me not to sweat on the incisions, we'll under the vest my bra was drenched when I got home :/ I showered and I'm drying stuff out, but I think sweat is inevitable :(

Well, I'm going to try and go grocery shopping with what little energy I have left. Then I'm praying to get to bed early! That will be up to my 2 year old though, if he decides to go to bed good. It's just him and I home this evening.

I posted pics of my gear on so y'all can see what I'm talking about. It's 37 lbs worth of crap!!

Updated on 28 Mar 2012:
Five weeks down! I survived my first week back at work! It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I'm still on the swelling roller coaster, I can't wait until that goes away.

My incisions has some stitches poking out of it again, anyone have experience with this?? It's getting annoying!

I feel like I'll be waiting forever to work out if I wait for my incision to stop spitting stitches :/ I'm already sweating all day at work on the stitches, so what's another 30-60 minutes?

Updated on 3 Apr 2012:
I'll be 6 weeks on Thursday, is that even possible?!?! I'm probably at about 95%. My fifth day back at work someone decided to fight and run, so my first "run" after surgery was unexpected, but went well ;)

That little incident reminded me I can't afford to waste any time getting my strength and stamina back!! Fortunately it was an older heroin addict I was dealing with and not someone younger and stronger. I described the incident to my Sgt as two old ladies slapping and chasing each other around!! It was pathetic! So anyway, the next morning I got up early to start on the elliptical. Since then I've gone on a run(a slow 3 miles) and also started my weight training too. I definitely feel like I lost ground as expected, but it's quickly coming back.

I went yesterday to have my bra size measured, I'm a 34DD or 36D depending on the bra. I got some underwire bras at VS, very happy! I did my first night of wearing the underwire overnight as instructed by PS. Only 6 more months of 24/7! Yikes!

My incisions are doing OK, my right breast lift incision is spitting a couple stitches, my word its annoying!! I just want them to be sealed up and stay that way!!

It's so nice to go to the mall and look at clothing and just know they will look good. Before is see cute things but when I tried them on tops didn't fit right, baggy in the chest if they fit my arms and shoulders. Now it's perfect!

Still dealing with swelling. Yesterday I went most all day without my binder, I was soooooo swollen by bedtime it was ridiculous!

Hope everyone is healing well!

Updated on 17 Apr 2012:
Almost 8 weeks! How did that happen!? Definitely back into the swing of things, I would put myself at 98% of normal. I love my new body!

I still wear my binder at work and while working out, but other than that I'm weaned of it. I still will get occasional pains and twinges in my abs that hurt, I think it's just the nerves reconnecting. My right breast incision still wants to spit stitches, just when I think it's done it opens up with a new one. It doesn't hurt, it's just annoying as he!!.

When I started running at 6 weeks I felt a burning in my upper abdomen, so I stopped for a couple more weeks. I ran last night and my abs didn't bother me, yay!!

I saw my PS last week for a check up. I don't go back for another 6 months!! She said I'm "Internet worthy" and would like to take pics next time for her website. :)

So I'm currently working on dropping a few pounds. But the funny thing is, I love my naked body now. I want the weight off for how my pants look on! Funny how that works.

I don't get on here nearly as much as I'd like to. I try to keep up, but once I got back to not having an excuse to sit on my butt, I don't get the chance!! Good luck to everyone waiting for their big day, and happy healthy recovery to those on the other side!!