“Tummy Tuck W/Lipo of Flanks - Plainfield, IL”

Hello Ladies I’m a 38 year old mother of two boys (15 & 8). I’m now 5’ 7” 184lbs. On February 7, 2011 I decided to take my life back and get healthy. I started working out faithfully 4x’s a week. I’ve lost 40lbs and am no longer a diabetic. One day I signed up for a Pilates reformer class and it changed my life. Pilates has transformed my body. The only thing that it wasn’t able to transform was this belly of mine.

I had a conversation with my primary doctor and she told me that my last pregnancy had stretched my rectus abdominis about 6 inches apart and only surgery could fix this. First of all I had no idea what the heck a rectus abdominis was so she told me it’s basically like a built in girdle that’s been worn out. I then could relate to the conversation. My doctor told me to do my homework and don’t rush. Well after 7 consultations I almost gave up. One night I was surfing the internet and came across realself.com. I’m so happy that I registered and started reading some of these awesome stories. Well I reached out to a member and she gave me her PS information which happened to be down the street from my house. I prayed that this would be the doctor and low and behold we were a match…LOL. I’m scheduled for my TT with lipo of the flanks on March 5, 2012. I went in today and paid for my procedure and had another conversation with my PS and she answered all of my questions. I’m so excited and can’t wait for the new me.

Updated on 17 Feb 2012:
I went for my pre-op today with my primary doctor. Everything went great. My primary gave me two thumbs up and a blessing to proceed with my procedure. She also gave me a hug and told me to let her take a final look at my muffin because it will be gone when I see her in the spring. That really made me laugh because she knows what I've gone through to make it to this point. I'm so exicted and can wait for my big day.

Updated on 1 Mar 2012:
I have 4 more days to go and boy am I excited. I've been doing double time to make sure I have everything in order. I'm on this site everyday looking at reviews and I just want to say thanks to everyone who has taken the time out to update their progress. It's really been a big help. Tomorrow is my last day of work. I'm an accountant so it will be a long day but I'm pretty sure my excitement will make the day go by quickly. My wonderful hubby purchased me a recliner so that I can be as comfortable as possible. He remembers how it was after I had a tubal ligation and he didn't want to see me go through that again. I will try to update as soon as I feel up to it and of course I'll update pictures.

Updated on 6 Mar 2012:
Today I'm 1 day post op. The procedure went well. I went in at 7:30 and was home by noon. I've been in my recliner for the most part. I have to keep body elevated like a W. My husband and sons have been soooo helpful. I don't know how I would've survived without them. I did ask for a pain pump but they forgot to put it in so I'm on vicodan and muscle relaxers. The pain is unbearble when I try to get up, I'm taking all precautions when I get up and down. I go to the bathroom once an hour because I had so much fluid on me. I have to walk hunched over because I can't stand up straight. My PS did call me last night and this morning. I made the mistke of laughing and thought I was going to die. No more of that for a while. I go for my first follow up visit tomorrow. The drains are easy to work with and from what I can see I have a tiny waist now, YAY. I can't believe it. Im sleeping most of the day because I relly need it. I'm also on antibiotics and a medicine call SinEcch that helps you heal faster. I will post pictures as soon as I can do it. I'm so exhausted right now.

Updated on 8 Mar 2012:
Post op day 3 and I'm moving much better. I had my first follow up visit yesterday and she took one of my drains out. I must say it wasn't a pleasant experience. The most amazing thing happened when she took out the drain, I was able to stand up straight....YAY. I also got my first look at my stomach and it took my breath away. I can't believe it's my stomach. I don't have to hold my breath in or anything. My sister was so amazed at the results that she's having a consult next saturday. I'm really swollen but no bruising from the lipo which is a good thing. My PS told me my CG will get loose next week so I will have to change it. I can't imagine it getting any looser. I did shower for the first time this morning and let me tell you. If you don't have a shower chair, invest in one. I was so happy that I purchased one. I definitely can't stand for long periods of times and I was so exhausted when I was done. It felt good to take the CG off for about an hour because I had to wash it. When I put it back on I felt all the support that it provides. I've been keeping up on my meds and watching what I eat. I did have my first BM today and it was ok because I've been taking Phillips stool softners since Monday. I finally got the energy to take some pictures so you all can see my progress. I still don't know how much fat was removed I'll have to ask that next time I go on Monday.

Updated on 10 Mar 2012:
Post op day #5 Today has been very quiet. I took a shower using my chair and it still took a lot out of me. I stopped taking vicodan officially today because the side effect is a headache. I'm now taking ibuprofen and I'm feeling good. My menstrual started today and I wasn't to happy about that but I have to deal with it. My pain has subsided and I can walk standing almost straight now. I keep my binder on because I know it keeps the swelling down and I feel that I have a better posture when I'm wearing it. I keep reading that the CG is too tight on some of the ladies and I'm so happy that I haven't experienced that. I also noticed that my CG is different from other's that I've seen on this site. My sister came over today and she was so impressed with the results. I know that it's going to take some time for me to heal on the inside but I'm patient.

Updated on 21 Mar 2012:
Ok, I'm 16 days PO and I'm back to work on half days. My PS took the tape off my scare and it's not that bad. I'm healing very well and the swelling has gone down. I'm using scare cream now and it's really soothing when I rub it on. My scar is dark but I can see it getting lighter as time goes on. My swelling is worse at night but that's expected at this point. I'm still only taking ibuprofen as needed. I did come home today and take a nap because I was so tired from working just half a day. We have had unseasonably warm weather here. It was 86 degrees today and boy did I want to take my normal 7 mile run but of course I didn't. I did get a chance to wear a cute shirt and pants and boy did my co-workers notice how small my waist was. It felt good to wear a comfortable shirt and not see that tire around my waist. I posted new pics. Happy healing ladies.

Updated on 4 Apr 2012:
I'm 4 weeks post op and I can say that things are getting better. I'm still not able to exercise but boy I can't wait to get to the gym. I have so much water weight and I hate that feeling. I go see my PS next Monday and I'm hoping that she at least clears me to do light cardio. I must say that I'm getting so many compliments but in all honesty I've gained weight but people can't tell. I need to lose 10lbs to be at my goal weight. I was so surprised that I can fit a size medium in shirts now. That feels really nice. I'm using scare cream daily and my navel is healing well.