“From sags to flat!!! - Philadelphia, PA”

Hi all! I'm a 26 (27 in March) yo mother of 2. After working out, I experienced great pain, and found out that I have a hernia. During my consultation, the surgeon commented on my tons of excess skin, which I was also so depressed about. She bought in the office plastic surgeon and we talked about him joining in on the surgey, which I'm ecstatic about! I have my boy (1) & girl (6), and may not have more kids, as I wanted to knock them out early (LOL), and I deserve to look like the young knockout that I used to be!! I just completed my pre-admissions yesterday and will be having my surgery on Friday the 17th. I will add pics soon!

Updated on 16 Feb 2012:
Just got my call to arrive at the hospital at 8:30am!!! I'm pumped that I don't have to wait too long, especially since I can't eat pass midnight today. Question though, what have you girls been wearing? Just big t-shirts, or button down pajamas?? Also, are you getting maxi pads to cover your drain holds to prevent leaks??

Updated on 16 Feb 2012:
My nerves are going craaazzzyyyy!!! I'm now trying to finish laundry, fold, and put them all away. I then have to bathe, shave, give myself a pedi, and pack my bag! Hopefully my chores will keep my nerves at bay. Check out ewwww before pics!

Updated on 17 Feb 2012:
Today's the day!!!! And I'm a ball of nerves! I found a nice sweatsuit to put on that zips up in the front. I'll just wear that when I go home, since I'll be staying overnight. Can't believe I'll be waking to a flat tummy soon!! I found some low cut panties to wear, which my PS suggested to ensure the scar is covered. I just packed reading material and a toothbrush in my bag, ready to go!!

Updated on 18 Feb 2012:
1 day PO and Im feeling a lot better. Yesterday, I checked into hospital at 8:30, & at 10:30 was taking to pre-op. my PS asked me to wear low cut panties and he marked to get the scar as low as possible. Asked me where I wanted drains, either side or front and we agreed on sides. At 11-11:30, I was getting anesthesia and Woke up around 4-5. My husband told me that the dr told him it was longer than expected but that I'll be very pleased w results. I awoke to tightness and pain, askin for meds which made me nauseated. I felt horrible last night and they asked me to drink n eat crackers, but I could barely do that. I think they were gonna send me home since the hernia wasn't as big as expected, but they realized I was in no shape to leave. So I was moved to observation unit and slept for the rest of the night.

Updated on 18 Feb 2012:
I'm feeling a lot better, as I can eat more and I'm not getting sick. There's a lot of tightness and soreness down there, but nothing out of the ordinary. I seen my stomach and am very pleased with the results, I can't wait for full recovery!!!

Updated on 20 Feb 2012:
3 days PO and I had my first BM! I drunk some MOM yesterday and woke up around 4am with burning stomach and lots of rumbling. I drunk some more and sat on the toilet and just passed a lot of gas. Around 9am I awoke again with the same symptoms and this time, it came out. I was afraid on what it would feel like since I didn't take any stool softeners but it was really runny. Sorry if TMI. Ive been moving a lot more by myself. Last night, I went downstairs and back up. Feeling better and hoping this day will be much better than the last. Time to get washed up, til next time!

Updated on 23 Feb 2012:
6 days PO! I had my follow up appt and will try to add pics soon! There's still a bit of swelling, but overall, it looks great!! I still can't believe that this is my stomach and am overjoyed with the results! My PS said that he took about 4 lbs of skin off, I lost 3 lbs from before surgery, and I still have fluid retention, so now I just have muscle toning to look forward to. I'm so happy with everything!! My drains are still in, as he said he wants a total drainage under 30cc before taking them out, which should be next week for sure. He undid my incision dressing and showed me how low it was, covered by my panties completely!! And there's glue on top of my stitches. He also took out the plunger from my belly button and redid my dressings at my drain site. I had to say bye to my flat tummy while he retightened my binder, which he said I'd have to wear for at least another week after the drains are removed so that I don't swell up. He also showed me how to milk my drains if they continue to get backed up. Gotta take a nap now, bc I'm exhausted. Looking forward to sleeping more straighter!! :-))))

Updated on 1 Mar 2012:
At 13 PO, I just got my drains out. It didn't hurt at all, just a little tug in my stomach. I'm moving around great, recovery has been easier with each passing day. I think my scar is a little higher than expected but my bf says it looks great and I'm being a worry wart. Now that my drains are out, I can actually pull my pants and underwear all the way up, so I'll try to take new pics soon.

Updated on 3 Mar 2012:
At 15 days PO, I'm feeling pretty normal, but I find my back hurting quite a bit when I walk around too much. Last night, me and the fam went out for dinner, and I was very happy with the way I looked while I was dressed. My tummy was sooo flat!! My back started upsetting me though while out, and I got pretty uncomfortable. Anyway, I still haven't showered. My bf looked at both of my holes and they're almost closed, but I'd rather wait until tomorrow. Hopefully they look a lot better. My belly button is really crusty and I'm hoping it is cleaned out with the shower. I've been in a funk, with me PMSin this week, but it's finally going off and I can feel better. I actually had thoughts of returning to work early, but figured I need all the rest I could get. We planned to finish the kid's rooms before I return to work, so I definitely need to enjoy this time off with my family, especially with my back issues. I still haven't driven yet, but plan to take my daughter to school on Monday, it's only around the corner, so it'll be a nice first drive.

Updated on 4 Mar 2012:
I went out for my first drive today, and it went pretty well! I was afraid to lean forward to push the seat up, but found a way to make it work. I jogged a little in the market when I was in the line and had to run back to get a different item. That did hurt me a little, and I remembered to take it easy. When I got home, I took my first shower since my surgery....I used all the hot water! LOL It felt soooo good, I needed it so badly, omg I really enjoyed it. I got a little tired afterwards, but nothing major to stop my routine with the kids. Although I did have a cup of coffee on my way home from the market, so that could've been the culprit to keep me moving. Needless to say, I'm feeling pretty well. I even thought about going back to work earlier than the 19th, but figured I should enjoy my time off, especially with the pain I'm in after doing too much, and my job is about an hr drive, so I'm definitely not ready for that. I'm finally on the laptop and able to attach pics!

Updated on 6 Mar 2012:
Yesterday was a really bad day. For the past four days, I'd get a headache when I'm about to go to bed and wake up with it, or if I didn't get it that night, it's waiting for me in the morning. Yesterday, I was really nauseated badly and it made me feel terrible. I eventually took some Tylenol, had coffee and took a nap. I woke up feeling a lot better but a little pain in my back and midsection. I also had that pain today, expectedly though because I was doing way too much with my son. He just turned 1, and walking all over the place, so I was chasing him around too much. I was exhausted by 8pm, when usually I go to sleep at 1-2am. I'm definitely in no shape to go back to work. My bf bought me some palmer's vitamin E skin therapy oil, which I used after my shower. It says to use 3 times a day, so we'll see how that works. I'm about to go to bed, good night!

Updated on 13 Mar 2012:
Hey ladies! I've been feeling pretty well for the most part. Peeled off a lot of the glue that was over my scar and am shocked that the scar is so light. It's a bit higher on the sides, but whatever. My belly button still has crust around it, which is annoying, and I want to see the final result. It's red around it, but that's to be expected. I go back to work next Wednesday, and am not looking forward to it. I enjoy being home with the kids. This weekend, I'm having a girls trip to NYC and am excited to dress shop! I can't wait to see my new body in a cute little dress. I'm hoping I don't swell too much during this trip though. I have to still purchase a flexee or something similar to wear under my regular clothes. This Hanes waist cincher isn't really good b/c it doesn't tighten you up, just kind of smooths things out.

Updated on 13 Mar 2012:
Okay so I'm not sure if it's swelling or what, but I have a little pooch that I'm feeling very worried about. :( I've added new pics. Yes, I still have stretch marks, as the top of the belly became the bottom, and I had stretch marks EVERYWHERE, so I couldn't get rid of them entirely.