“18 Days and Counting! - Palo Alto, CA ”

I've done a great amount of research and although I feel as prepared as I'll ever be, I can't help but feel a bit scared; mainly about the anesthesia, I have never been put under and that scares me!

Which brings me to this; yesterday I had my pre-op and expected to have labs and an EKG but my surgeon explained to me that because I am young and appear healthy there is no need for labs, etc. Can anyone tell me if they underwent their TT without having any work up done prior?

A little about myself: I am a 30yr old, Mother to a 10yr old son. My height is 5'3" and my weight tends to fluctuate between 115-120lbs.

I workout and watch what I eat but like most, I fall off the health wagon from time to time.

My main reason for getting the TT is my stretch marks and the pertruding stomach that I can't get rid of no matter how many ab excercises I do.

I'll post before and after pictures once I've undergone the TT; stay tuned!

Updated on 3 Dec 2010:
Front and side view preop pictures posted.

17 days prior to surgery.

Updated on 3 Dec 2010:
Preop photos added.

17 days before TT.

Updated on 20 Dec 2010:
Surgery went smooth I woke up feeling fine and even chatted up a storm with the nurse lol

Getting in bed was a little tough but that's been the hardest part so far. I'm actually surprised that my pain isn't that bad, I would say it's probably at a 5 or 6 right now but definitely tolerable.

My PS said everything went as planned and he was able to place the incision really low, as planned. I can't wait to see my new tummy!

So far so good, stay tuned and thank you for the support Realself group :)

Updated on 21 Dec 2010:
Morning of day two has been better. I was able to get in and out of bed and go to the restroom on my own.

Last night wasn't too bad and only woke up once to take my meds. The pain is a little better than yesterday. I haven't had too much drainage and spoke to my PS last night, he said they might be able to remove one of the drains tomorrow during my f/u visit.

Hope healing continues to go smooth.

Updated on 26 Dec 2010:
It's day 6 and I'm feeling ok, but still sore and found that sneezing and laughing is very painful!

It seems as though I felt better the first couple of days post surgery....

Yesterday I had the worst experience with a bowel movement in my life; it was extremely painful!!! I hadn't had a bowel movement for a few days and I am always regular, so have never experienced severe constipation :( today was a little better, although still somewhat painful.

I'm having a little bit of the blues, I guess maybe it's from seeing these horrible tubes still inside of me; tomorrow cannot get here soon enough. I'm still slightly hunched over and that's also getting a bit annoying.

All in all I think I'm pretty happy with my results and know there is a lot more progress to come. If I had to pick at one thing I would have to say it is that my stretch marks aren't completely gone (even though my ps advised me they wouldn't be). But I do have to say my tummy looks a lot better post surg. Oh yea, the one other little thing is the vertical scar where my "old" bb use to be. I wish it weren't there but again, my PS did say that scar would likely be there.

Anyway, just venting and looking forward to the days and weeks to come!

Updated on 30 Dec 2010:
I'm post op day 10 and I'm not going to lie, I expected to feel a little better than I do. But then again I guess I could feel worse and have to remind myself that I did just have surgery.

I feel like each day I have slightly more energy then the day before. The aches and pains are getting better. I'm down to 2 Tylenol's twice a day and my muscle relaxer before bed(sleeping is SO uncomfortable!)

Today I spent a couple of hours outdoors; went to Target and Ross. By the time I was about 20 minutes into my shopping at Ross I started to feel exhausted...back pain, stomach pains, you name it, and I was feeling it :( I had to use one of their display living room chairs as my resting spot lol I notice when I start to feel that way, all I need is a little time out, then it's like my battery has re-charged.

Now the swelling, Oye!!! I don't think I was really mentally prepared for that. I look at it, and at times think it looks as big as it did pre surgery. I just have to continue to remind myself that it's just a matter of time, and the key thing is PATIENCE(easier said then done).

I try not to look at my stomach too much, but when I do, my thoughts and emotions are different each time. They range from what did I do?? It doesn't feel worth it ;( To, today's latest emotion of, WOW look at the difference!! The few stretch marks left don't seem so bad and I'm really liking the results so far!

I am dreading my return to work on Monday, I have a feeling getting through the day won't be easy! Each day has been a real challenge, some days good, some not so good...I often read about how so many people experience some type of sadness or depression,but I never really believed it would happen to me AND boy was I very mistaken. In the meantime I am trying to stay optimistic, and enjoy this time off by taking it easy and spending extra Qt with my son.

Every day is a blessing!

Updated on 14 Jan 2011:
i'll be 4 weeks on Monday, Jan 17 and it feels like i've been recovering FOREVER. i'm still sore and very uncomfortable some days more then others. My tummy is still numb and a little swollen and i get little burning pains kind of like a sting every now and then. this week has been rough, i noticed there was an orange/clear fluid leaking from my incision and freaked out. I went to see my ps and he looked at it, said it was fine and not to worry. I thought i might have torn, ripped, stretched something lol I take the train to work and ran in my heels to make the train and as soon as i got on i felt some pain =/ but my ps reassured me i was fine.

I hate that i'm still so uncomfortable and not even close to feeling back to normal...the recovery period has been a much longer process then i thought it would be.

Updated on 29 Jan 2011:
I'll be 6 weeks on Monday. Still going through the motions of recovery but am feeling pretty good. Went back to the gym, low impact exercise only. Trying to ease my way back into it. Can't wait to go back full force, planning on hiring a trainer in march; scheduled for a vacation in Miami in April and want to look as close to my best as possible!