Tummy Tuck: Stories

On 07 December I will be having an extended TT with MR and lipo to flanks and thighs!

As a teenager i put on a huge amount of weight and then lost it when i took up exercise. But that left me with a huge amount of stretch marks and then I had my daughter which left my stomach a mess.

I have wanted a TT since her birth, which was in the mid 80s. I must admit back then i did not know if it was possible but i wanted it, i used to dream of snipping away the excess skin and stitching it back up. As the years passed and i realised it could be done but was so expensive it remained a dream.

I can not believe after all my dreaming, wishing and tears i am week away from it becoming a reality. I would have thought i would be a mess, but i am very calm. Last week i had a cwy days where i got a bit nervous, but this week i have been so busy at work i have not had the time to really think about it (which is a blessing really).

I know that the next few months will be tough, but oh so worth it. I can not remember what my body looked like without all the hanging skin, the stretch marks but not the skin. BRING IT ON!

I have found this site a great source of information and comfort along with LYB. So i thought i would chart my journey with the hope it may help someone like others have helped me.

I will post some pictures soon.

Yesterday i went for my pre op and i was feeling nervous as i have caught a bit of a cold, my nose is running and my throat has a bit of a tickle going on :-(.

What if they say they won't do it when my blood work comes back? What then? I am now off work in preparation for tomorrow, my partner has sorted days off! That would be a disaster, not to mention how devastated i would be.

Apart from the tickle panic i am doing ok, really thought i would be a bit more nervous, i am just so happy that i could burst :-). Excited does not cover it...

I took some before pictures the other night which i will put up soon. You will see why surgery is my only option.

I must have packed and unpacked my a dozen times and i am still sure i am forgetting something.

I have been practicing on my spirometer like a good girl but not sure my lung capacity is changing. I will keep going and hope for the best.

I am not sure if i will post tomorrow, but if not i will be back on the flat side.

To those starting the journey good luck and the ones on the other side happy healing!

Hi all, just a quick one.

Well i am all checked in and waiting to be drawn on. I must say i look rather fetching in my designer gown and tights and not forgetting my paper knickers lol.

It's not even one yet and i won't be going down before five and i am so thirsty :-(.

But it's all gonna be worth it...

Be back soon!

It all went well with no surprises.

I was on morphine but had to stop as it did not agree with me. I am taking a cocktail of tablets which seem to months job, i am in a little pain but loving the flat stomach even with the swelling ;-)

I am 3 days po and i must say the most painful thing at the moment is my thighs where i had lipo.

If you have any questions feel free to ask.

Ok i am now 5 days po and not feeling too bad, i had a pretty bad day yesterday with regards to getting comfortable and staying pain free.

My swelling was really bad, i really don't think my skin can stretch anymore,i know i will be swollen for some time, but i hope it recedes a bit as this is awful.

I did do a bit more yesterday as i changed my binder and had a good wash down instead of around! I was also up and down the stairs more, add that to travelling home the day before i suppose i would swell, well i am hoping that is the reason...

The pain management was totally my fault i forgot to take a dose of medication, by time i remembered i was in pain and it took a while to settle back down.

I am still finding it really hard to sleep, i tried to don't without sleeping meds last night and spent most of it awake. Back to the pills tonight i think.

Until later happy healing and a positive journey to those not there yet.

It has been a while since my last update, I am 7 weeks po tomorrow and still feeling very swollen.

The journey to this point has not been issue free.

At 11 days po i developed a seroma and i had to have it drained after 13 days. At first it was leaking out through my belly button which my surgeons nurse was happy with, messy but effective (her words). Then the flow ebbed and was only dribbling now and then so it had to be drained, 420mls.

I then developed an infection in my belly button which made me feel quite unwell.

So between my seroma, bb infection and swell hell i was not having a very good time of it!

The seroma is still there slightly, but the nurse is happy for it to be absorbed naturally. Not to happy about that as i do not have the flat stomach i was hoping to be sporting by now!

To add to this, I had lipo to my outer thigh and now that i am wearing normal clothes again i am really disappointed to find that my thighs are bigger now than they were pre op! Does anyone know if the swelling travels down? At 7 weeks po i would have thought most of the swelling should have gone??

I will post some pictures soon i promise, i Ned to get my lazy butt on the laptop...

Until later.....

It is probably my own fault trying to uplpad lots of pictures at once, but if it crashes again......

As you may gather I am pretty pants at updating my post, especially pictures! Hopefully it works this time...

I am now 8 weeks post op and feel like my recovery is repressing. I would have thought at this stage of my recovery i would not have rolls or hanging skin.

My stomach looked so much tighter 5 weeks post op. I am hoping that it is all part of the long healing process and it will tighten up again...

Bit of a negative post but it's how i feel at the moment.

Oops regressing not repressing. ..

I know it has been a while since i have been online. But i was fed up with moaning about my setbacks!

I hope all the post oppers are healing well and the up and coming are getting all their questions answered.

I am now 12 weeks post op and whilst not fantastic i am a lot better than i was. My seroma has finally gone (i think) i still have a protruding budge in my lower belly which is getting to me a bit, i am hoping it is swelling from the lipo which Mrs Kat is fond of. The only problem with that theory is the swell is quite firm!?!

I am still uneven, my left side is definitely better than the right. I have a over hang above my bb on the right side which i think is down to having a seroma for so long the skin has not reattached itself.

My left thigh is still numb to my knee and painful in places to touch, which is really strange because the right thigh is fine!

All that said, do i regret it, HELL NO! My stomach is sooo much better than it was. I just wish i had better after care!! 

I have added some new pictures, think I will be fine, eventually! I HOPE!

I was 14 weeks po on friday just gone and I am not happy, my stomach is still ugly. Not the stretch marks I always knew I would keep them, beside I am kind of proud of my stripes!

Its when I lean forward, it is a reduced version of what I had, I am still unable to wear tops that are hugging, as soon as I lean forward we are back in yuks-ville....

I have my 3 month check up on Tuesday and plan to discuss my unhappiness with my ps, at length!

I have uploaded some new pics of my unhappiness.....

I will update again once I have seen my ps.

I had my 3 month check up today, I feel as though I got to say most of what was bothering me but I don't feel that it was addressed sufficiently, but then that might be me wanting an immediate fix, I have been known to be a tad impatient .

She apologised for not being clearer in what I could expect from a lateral tt. All she said at the time was that I would need an extended tt as I have excess skin on my sides. Nothing about me being left with almost the same amount of skin!

To resolve.......

She has offfered me laser treatment to help retract the skin (not that she thinks it will make a huge difference), combined with going on a diet, seeing her physiotherapists (I did not make the 6 week appointment) and exercise.

Or the extreme option as she puts it, a fdl.... this will incur a charge, but she has not said how much, I will be emailed the amount.

Next steps.....

I plan to follow all of her suggestions and take her up on the shrink wrap treatment. I will also think about having revision surgery, but that will take some serious thought and time. I will see if the alternatives she has offered/suggested make a difference, more importantly if I still feel the same about the results in a few months when it has settled down further and I have lived with it!

Who knows a miracle may happen, the skin will contract and the lower belly bulge will disappear!

Only time will tell.....

Well, I have done some investigation in to the Soprano Infrared Skin Tightening (SIST) and I don't think it is a real option for me. Although it sounds quite good on the face of it, the results can last for one or two years. After the amount of money and emotions I have invested, i want results that last longer!

So that leaves me with two options, a revision or live with the outcome that I have got (with the temporary fix).

I am not really the type of person who just shuts up and puts up, if I was I don't think i would have started this journey! Looks like I have made my decision, now the wait begins (again). Nothing will be done for months yet and of course there is the small thing about cost as my ps has indicated that there will be one.

Watch this space...

I am 2 days shy of 5 month po and i have a lump, I was sore on Friday and it appeared on Saturday. It hurts to touch and does not appear to be going down, why on a bank holiday weekend??? I have posted some pics! Thoughts appreciated.

Well when I woke up yesterday, my lump was smaller mainly because it had leaked during the night. I went to see my GP and I have an infection and possible seroma.

I go to see my ps on Monday, I am amazed that 5 months in I can have a seroma and an infection which has opened my bb again. The pale pinkish liquid has stopped and now it has started to bleed!

Oh and the lump is still there!

Well it is now 3 weeks since my lump, seroma and infection.

I saw my gp and got antibiotics for the infection, it stopped oozing after a few days and started to heal, again!

I saw my ps 2 weeks ago and was told that it seemed as though i had pockets of fluid and was referred for a scan. I had my scan today and it appears I have no fluid remaining, I am confused, if I have no fluid why does my stomach look like it does? (I will take some pictures tomorrow)

So.

The infection has gone, the lump has receded, a bit, and it appears I do not have a seroma! But I am still not happy, the question is will I ever be? I think I am getting jaded with the process.

I am waiting for the next episode!

I have decided, I will wait until November before I make the decision on the FDL......