Mommy Makeover: Stories

I'm a 29 year old mom of 3. I have 2 boys and a girl (5, 3 and 18 moths). I always knew I'd want a MM after I was done having kids. I've always been very conscious of my appearance and I never want to wear a one-piece bathing suit ;) I wore a 2 piece this past summer but I hated my tummy when I bent over. Not to mention, I had a hernia and a stretched out old belly button ring hole. It wasn't horrible but I was very self conscious about it. I started thinking about a MM a few months ago. My hubby and I started talking about it and he was completely on-board if thats what I wanted. The best time for him would be in December (bc of work) so thats why we chose now. I wanted to give myself a few weeks to heal before Christmas as well so I could participate as much as possible with the kids. So here I am on Day 4 PO and feeling pretty good. I'll come back with more about the procedure and my post-op experience in a bit.

Ok so a little more about me. I'm 5'1" tall and 115 pounds and was a pretty deflated 34B. I nursed 3 babies all until 18+ months and I gained 45 pounds with each pregnancy. My boys were both 8 1/2 pounds at birth while my girl was almost 9 pounds! Now with all that to say my body bounced back pretty well after each pregnancy. However, after my third I developed a hernia (turned out I had 2 hernias) and when I bent over in a 2 piece I had this gross wrinkly saggy skin. When I bent over in jeans or pants I had this "muffin top" and of course I just wasn't happy with the way my body looked. I go to the gym everyday and you can not see my abs. At all. I also had a 2" diastasis that I wanted repaired as well. I met with Dr T back in October, he recommended which size implants based on my size and stats/curves and also recommended I get a full TT with muscle repair and hernia repair. My goals was to have bigger, fuller breasts, a flat tummy with definition (I have the definition but you cant tell bc of the extra skin!) and I just wanted my pre-baby body back :)

Fast Forward to Dec 6th...surgery day! We arrived at the surgical center at 10am. Filled out all the necessary paperwork then Sid (the nurse) took us back so I could change and try on sizers one last time (I was between 375- Dr T's pick and 400's- my pick). In the end I went with my gut and did the 400's. So I get changed and go back out to get my IV started. Since I hadnt had anything to eat or drink since 10pm the following evening my veins were kinda small and dehydrated so the nurse blew 2 of my veins. Thats never happened before and of all things I started to get dizzy and freaked out. I refused to look at my arm and just stared in complete terror at my husband who said he's never seen me so scared before (I'm a pretty tough chick ;-) But needles freak me out anyway and the thought of him collapsing a vein made my stomach turn. But to be fair it wasnt his fault. Just bad luck. He was a nice guy and has been working there since Day 1 so it was no biggie. So the anesthesiologist came over to me to ask me questions and then she decided to give it a shot. Thank you Lord, she got the needle in with hardly any pain and no issues. Not sure my nerves could have taken another collapsed vein. After that, Dr T came over to talk to us. Once again being very informative, going over the procedure, answering any questions we had, etc... Then he took me back, took lots of pictures and made his markings. It was then that I gave my hubby a kiss (and who ran out to fill all of my scripts) and met another nice nurse who walked me back to the OR. It was very bright but actually kinda warm! As I climbed onto the table she was telling me how Dr T did her mommy makeover as well and how I'll do wonderful and how he's a perfectionist, etc... As I laid on the table we talked about Christmas, how big my babies were, how much weight I gained then it was lights out! Complete relaxation to be honest. I thought I'd be all nervous and crying (I dont know why) and it wasnt anything like I thought. I was in surgery for 3 1/2 hours (or maybe 3?) I woke up happy and asking for my husband. I remember not being able to talk. I was talking very faint and I remember the nurse telling me how sweet I was. But then it got me thinking, are people really mean to them?? LOL Maybe people say or do crazy mean stuff when they wake up bc he kept commenting on how nice and sweet I was. It was good to hear bc I was worried I wake up a mess. LOL Finally after an hour, when I pretty fully awake, my husband was allowed to come back. Surgery went perfect. I was in and out of it but Dr T informed my hubby that the surgery went well. At about 2 hours post-op, I got up, went pee and we were sent on our way. Oh and I was given Fentenyl (?) and percs to take for the ride home) Ride home wasn't bad. I was pretty numb though I felt like my breathing was pretty shallow. I felt like I had an elephant on my chest. I nodded off and on until we got home. Came home, walked upstairs with no issues, hubby got me in bed and comfy and brought me chicken soup, crackers and jello. At some point I passed out and woke up at midnight....I felt like I had been hit by a bus and it was mostly my chest that was hurting. Wasn't expecting that one! Hubby gave me percs but they literally didnt do a thing for the pain. I laid in bed moaning and shallow breathing for about 2 hours until I was allowed to take a valium. Life-saver! It relaxed me and made me pass out. I spent Day 2 pretty much the same way. It was by far the worst. I kept up on my pain meds but couldnt eat. So I basically slept ALL day and everytime I woke up it was in pain. I often asked my husband what the heck I did to myself! But he reminded me that they all say that and that it will get better. He was right. I slept all night that night and woke up to Day 3 a completely different person! I'm getting sleepy and hubby wants to watch a movie so I'm gonna go for now. But I'll be back for a more upbeat update tomorrow :)

I'm still a little nervous about posting body shots :) I guess because its the internet and once its out there, its really out there. So I may not post them on here. But I may email them to the few who are curious if you're interested :)

Ok so it's been a few days since I posted a real update on my progress. I've actually been getting alot of photo projects done that I have been putting off for God knows how long. lol With 3 kids it's hard to be able to sit down for hours and get projects done. But since I'm confined to my bed I have all the time in the world to get these random things done :)

Before I start my post I just want to say I'm not a complainer. At all. If I'm sick I dont complain. After my c-section with my first son, I didnt complain. After the vaginal birth of my 2nd son in which I lost a ton of blood, I didn't complain. Then when I went into sky-rocket labor with my daughter barely making to the hospital to have her almost 9-pound butt, sure I complained but I handled it well. All in all, I have a pretty high pain tolerance.

So anyway, like I said above Day 2 was BY FAR the worst. I'm a very honest person so I've decided not to sugarcoat anything on here. I was very grateful to read all of the "horrible" reviews on pain because I really felt like it prepared me for the worst which in the end actually made my TT recovery a little more manageable. I knew it was going to e hard...very hard. And I knew it was going to be alot of pain. What I wasn't prepared for was the breasts! Holy hooters! Everyone I knew in real life always told me the pain was "no big deal" and most things I read online say the pain was minimal and that the TT pain completely takes the pain away the pain of the boobs. So not in my case. I felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest. I felt like I couldn't take a deep breath and that my breathing was super shallow. They gave me a breathing apparatus (I forget the medical term) to use at home so I wouldn't get pneumonia and I could just barely get it up past the 500. My husband put on a movie to watch and laid in bed with me while I moaned in pain for hours. Getting up to walk to bathroom was horrible. Dr T said I could take my percs every 3 hours instead of 4 but they didn't do anything to help the pain from my boobs. Nothing. I'm assuming they totally numbed my TT bc that was fine. lol But then I had to wait another 2 hours before I was allowed to take a Valium. Once I took the Valium I was out like a light. Oh and did I mention I ate NOTHING all day? Hubby tried to bring me food but the pain was so terrible I basically yelled at him to get out of here! LOL Dr T called me a few times to check on me even though he was away for the weekend. I was very happy to hear from him bc I could ask him about my pain level and upping my meds etc... All in all he said I sounded great. But I felt horrible. HA! Oh and talking was quite the challenge. I felt like I had to almost whisper.

Then Day 3 I woke up and although I was a little stiff I felt so different. I was extremely happy that when I woke up my pain had subsided tremendously. I was still taking my pain meds but not as often and actually decided to unveil the "girls". They are high (obviously) but not freakishly high. I'm very happy with the size and so glad I went with my gut (even if it was only a 25cc difference). I was able to sit more upright in bed (but still very hunched over when I walked to the bathroom). At this point my only complaint was my lower back. The walker was a God send bc I could use it to rest on while I walked to bathroom and support my lower back. Hubby made me an egg and canadian bacon with OJ. Then for lunch I ate half a BMT from subway. I slept off and on all day. I actually woke up from a late even nap to a pain in my left arm. It ran from my armpit to my elbow. Very achey and just overall very sore. Of course the first thing I thought of was a blood clot! Pretty unlikely in my arm but either way it freaked me out. I called the answering service and then hubby and I ended up falling asleep for the night. Dr T called my cell phone and my husbands cell phone 5 times each and left multiple messages. He was very concerned. So then he decided to call the local hospital to make sure I wasn't there. At this point he decided we were probably asleep. But once I woke up at 7:15 and saw all of these missed calls I called him back immediately and he picked up on the first ring asking if I was ok and what was going on. I told him about the pains and he assured me it was totally normal. Just muscles and ligaments stretching. He offered to have me come in and see him but I didnt feel the need. I also asked him about taking off my binder. He said I can take it off to remove all of the padding or replace the padding underneath but that he wanted me to keep it on (obviously). So once I got up and walked to the bathroom (by myself I might add- hubby was getting the kids ready or school), I decided to unveil my belly while I was sitting on toilet. LOL Very skinny and tight right below my chest and VERY swollen and puffy from below that to my incision. But my incision is nice and LOW. Even my vertical incision isn't bad and I can easily hide that under a bikini. My side incision goes way back further than I imagined but it looks wonderful. It's nice and straight with a slight wrinkle but I know that will flatten out once I get all this tape and stuff off and with some time. He doesn't use stitches or steri-strips and I honestly never asked what he did use. Glue? I know he used stitches underneath (obviously). I think he even said he did a double layer or something like that. He made it a point to tell me multiple times that he made me SUPER tight which is why I feel like I'm wearing a girdle even when the binder is off.

So after I took everything off and hubby took a peek, we put new smaller bandages around the incision then put the binder back on as snug as I felt comfortable without it being too tight. OH and before I forget, once I took off everything I was a little concerned about how big, bloated and swollen I looked. Dr. T ended up calling me not long after and I told him about it so he had my hubby take pics of everything and email it to him so he could check it out himself. He called me back an hour later and assured me that everything looks completely normal but that it looks like I'm a bit constipated (uh, yup!) and try and get my bowels moving and that should help with the puffiness some. But I has been taking stool softeners daily and also Miralax in my juice every morning. It had done nothing. But also maybe bc I hadn't really eaten much at all. So hubby went to the store and got me a suppository. Worked like a charm! LOL

Day 4 I didnt take any pain meds. Feeling pretty good but my butt hurts from sitting on it so much and my lower back felt like it would give out at any second when walking. That really sucked. I was also really happy to have the walker to help me sit down on the toilet. Not bc of my TT but bc of my back! I didnt sleep too much today (or maybe not at all?) I did take a valium before bed to help me sleep. Staying asleep in 1 position all night is a little irritating so the Valium helped me sleep thru most of the night. I woke up at 5am and needed hubby to help me adjust myself. I think I even took a perc once I woke up around 7 bc the mornings I feel so stiff and sore. Hubby got me all settled an comfortable then went on his morning kid routine :)

Day 5 I took a perc once I woke up around 7 bc the mornings I feel so stiff and sore. Hubby got me all settled an comfortable then went on his morning kid routine :) Today I was walking a little more. Not overdoing it of course. Feeling pretty good but I did take it easy still. I want my healing to go very smoothly. I didnt spend all this money to ruin my incision. And at this point I'm "going" on the regular now so thats not an issue. Still dont have much of an appetite. Maybe bc I'm sewn so tight? My stomach is squeezed smaller? lol I also found a better way to keep my incisions covered and my binder on better. We ace-bandage my pads onto my incision then put the binder on. Works so much better. I was finding that my binder would ride up exposing my side incisions and I couldnt really tell bc they are still pretty numb. Oh and did I also mention that the drain is a PITA at this point? I havent had alot of fluid to begin with and now I think I'm under 20cc a day maybe less. I'm hopeful I'll be able to get this thing out on Friday. UGH. The day went really smoothly. I can get in and out of bed by myself and get around by myself (with a walker just in case). I havent left upstairs though except last night it sounded like the kids were melting down around dinner time and it went on for quite a while as hubby was making dinner so it made me feel awfully guilty. So what did I do? Go downstairs. Very slowly and without pain but still hunched over with my awful lower back. Hubby "yelled" at me but since I was already down there I insisted of feeding my daughter (18 months) so my hubby could eat in peace. Then he shooed me back upstairs. That was entirely too long of a walk for me though. But ONLY bc of my damn back! I also had a wonderful friend come by with sushi yesterday :) Totally made my day! I worked on photo projects off and on all day and then hubby decided he was going to rent "Ted". OMG 5 min into the intro and I thought I was going to die. I couldn't control myself with the laughing so I made him watch it downstairs. LOL I actually tried just breathing heavy instead of laughing but that wasn't working. Now I'm dying to see it but its too funny for me right now. Before bed I decided I needed to sleep in a different position. At the moment I was using a husband pillow behind me with a pillow to support my head and 2 big pillows under my knees. I wanted to try laying on my side in a V position (without the husband pillow) but that actually turned out to be a horrible position. I could feel tugging on my incision even with a pillow supporting my knees. So I got up and put 2 regular pillows at my head on a slight incline (but more laying down than the husband pillow allowed) with 2 pillows under my knees. Took a valium and slept like a baby! Loved the position. It felt more natural that way and put alot less pressure of my rear. I still need help actually getting up though. I cant use my ab muscles to hoist myself up so hubby comes over to pull me up by my arms but after I'm sitting up I can get around just fine and adjust myself in bed just fine.

So here I am Day 6! I actually took a percocet this morning around 5am bc I was pretty sore and stiff so I was able to sleep in until 8:30 which was nice. I took off my booby bandages to give them some air this morning. LOL I also took off my binder and adjusted my bandages and I have to say I'm standing straighter today! Not forcing it all. No tension on incision. Its just natural. I'm still pretty hunched but not as much as I was even yesterday. As I was adjusting my bandages I noticed the swelling has gone down quite a bit! Still pretty swollen but def gone down since the last few days.

Well, thats about all I got for now :) I'll keep updating as much as I can. Hopefully next time it wont be such an overload of information but its been a few days. I'm still debating on posting pics...I'm starting to lean more on the 'yes' side at this point.

Once you add a picture is there a way to delete it? I'm going to post pics but I just want to make sure I can delete them if needed. Thanks!

Lordy I hope I made the right decision to post these pics!!!

The last 2 mornings I've been waking up with heartburn. What's up with that??

In other news, I'm a week post-op today. I go to see Dr T tomorrow. Hoping to get this drain out.

I swear every DAY gets better. The swelling goes down a little bit everyday but I have to say I still feel swollen to the MAX. Like if you stuck a pin in my belly I'd just pop. LOL The nights, however, aren't really changing at all. I still feel super stiff when I wake up. I wake up usually around 5am with my chest feeling very tight and somewhat painful. My underarms still feel achy etc... And its really hard to adjust myself into a better position. So I usually get up, adjust my pillows, take my antibiotics and then last night I took a percocet bc I wouldnt have been able to sleep otherwise. I laid in bed, played on my iPhone until I literally passed out. Then in the morning I have to have my husband hoist me up to sitting position. From then on I can do for myself. But I was hoping the mornings/nights would get more comfortable or easy. Thankfully I'm not really in pain but just pretty uncomfortable and stiff. I was hoping to be off pain meds completely at this point but it doesnt look like it. I may even ask Dr T for another script for another 7 percs or so "just in case" bc it would SUCK not to have them at a time like last night.

Once I got up I sprayed my hair with the dry shampoo then put it in a ponytail. Unbandaged myself to see that some swelling has gone down (YAY!) but like I said above not completely. I'm pretty sure my boobs have dropped a little bc from the side they are looking a little "double-boob" (implant on top and real breast on the bottom). It looks as if they are trying to come together.

Oh and I wish I had done this sooner but maybe this will help some of you. So whenever I took off my binder those pads would always fall off or when I readjusted the binder the pads would always ride up exposing my side incisions. Drove me nuts. Well, since I was given 2 ace bandages for my breasts (the kind that stick to itself-not the kind with those metal clips) and I was only using 1 for my breasts now I decided to put my pads in place then ace bandage the pads against my incision then put the binder on top of that. Now even if the binder moves the bandages dont move at all! So much more comfortable. Another thing is I have been wearing yoga pants bc I figured they were best. Well, yesterday I was sick of trying to accomodate my drains everytime I needed to go to the bathroom or whatever so I ended up ditching the pants and now I just wear a pair of granny panties that dont need to cover the drains and just kinda slip on and under the binder. SO MUCH more comfortable.

Anyway, those are my 2 tips of the day :) I go for my 1 week post op tomorrow to see Dr T. As much as I want to I really dont feel like leaving my bedroom. I know that sounds crazy but I'm still walking so slow and havent really done much of anything except take my time healing so having to "get ready" then go for a car ride and into see him sounds exhausting lol

Ok so I'm really getting irritated with the swelling. Not because of the way it looks (thats to be expected) but bc of the way it feels! It's just so damn tight. How is this good for my new muscle repair underneath?? I know I can swell off and on for 12 weeks (is what I read) but I'd like to get some damn relief for a day. UGH!

Also, if I get my drain out tomorrow I'm going to ask my PS if I can get a different CG. I dont mind wearing one (I actually feel better wearing one) but this binder is always riding up and I'm going to my son's Christmas recital this coming Tuesday and I want something less-noticeable. Any suggestions?

Had my post-op today. Got my drain out. Woohoo! And let's just say that was....an experience. Lol. It all happened so fast but felt totally weird! He ok'd me to get some high-waisted spanx. So hubby is in Nordstrom right now picking me up some :)

So, just as I knew they would, the antibiotics gave me a lovely yeast infection. Thankfully, before surgery, I let Dr T know that I would need a diflucan pill along with all of my other meds so at least I was prepared but man this sucks! Like I dont have enough going on.

Woke up this morning feeling significantly less-bloated and weighed myself. 115.4 pounds. Down to my pre-surgery weight except my breast (together) weigh almost 2 pounds. LOL So technically I'm at a lower weight then before surgery. Hubby said I looked super tiny this morning. I'll take it :) I'm also feeling alot more straight this morning. The tight part of whats preventing me from standing up straight is the part under my boobs. Where he said was super tight. But I think its relaxed a bit.

I also wanted to let you all know what spanx I ended up getting. I got the Slimmer and Shine high-waisted body tunic. It works wonderfully! Very snug and unhooks at the crotch. But heres a little tip....getting into can be difficult. So, being the intelligent guy that he is, hubby figured out that by turning it inside-out and upside down then rolling it up and pulling it down it was SO easy to get on without putting any pressure or tension on my incision. Then when I took it off (I slept in it) I just rolled the top down first and just rolled it off.

Today is 10 days PO. I can almost stand up straight but not completely. I'm totally taking my time with it and not rushing it bc I want my incision to be the best it can be. I started having tenderness this morning right under my breasts (where Dr T started the muscle repair) and its a little puffy. It freaking hurt to even barely touch it. And the area around near my belly button (but not my BB) is pretty bloated and tender. I've been moving it around to see if I hear or feel any fluid but so far I think its just bloat and/or swelling. Today I'm wearing my Spanx and it feels so much more comfortable than the binder. Yesterday I felt like the CG was more comfortable so at least I have options. Maybe bc I'm feeling puffed out and bloated and this forces compression on those areas so it feels good.

My boobs have really been dropping on a daily basis. Not completely at all but they are getting there. I'm wearing my surgical bra and breast band 24/7 and I'm wearing the band tight to force them down and in towards the midline. Then when I do take it off I literally sit in bed and massage them down and push them inwards for as long as I want. I think I did it yesterday for an hour while watching a movie then off and on during the day.

So hubby told me to take it easy today bc of my soreness today so thats what I'm doing. Laying in bed with my legs bent. He's such a great guy :)

Posted boobie picks :)

I had my 2 week post-op appt with Dr. T today I went in with a bunch of questions and as usual he went over everything I was going to ask before I could even ask him! He's so great. My vertical incision is practically non-exsistent under the scabbing/flakiness (which I'm super excited about bc I most worried about that). My sides are still a little rippled but Dr T said once they stitches dissolve underneath everything will flatten out. He said he's never had a problem with that not flattening out. He said my breasts good awesome for being only 2 weeks and he can see a significant difference in just 1 week. I had a spot on my sternum that was super tender and puffy. I thought for sure it was some sort of seroma but he assured me that its just swelling and totally normal. He said he'd like for me to wait another week before starting any scar treatment (to which he recommended Vit E and Cocoa butter). He said silicone sheeting is a little "over sold" but I may try a few things. I didnt do any scar treatment on my c-section scar and it healed very nicely, thin and white. But this is obviously a bigger incision and scar so I will be proactive about it. I dont see him again for 2 weeks bc everything looked great. I'm still very swollen but thats to be expected. I just feel more "bottom heavy" then I did before my surgery if that makes sense. Yes my belly button is great, my skin is nice and new but I felt smaller on my lower-half before surgery. BUT I know its just bc of swelling and bloating and eventually (I'm thinking a few months) my body will go back to normal. Its funny though bc I'm actually 5 pounds lighter then pre-surgery and even with almost 2 pounds boobs (both together). All of my clothes fit on my lower body and I love how smoothe everything fits (not more muffin top!) so all in all I'm super happy. Just waiting for the swelling to die down and for my breasts to drop fully :)

Oh and did I mention I'm sleeping on my back now with my incline? Heaven! I still put 2 pillows under my knees though bc I'm not completely straight yet and I dont want to mess up my incision. But just laying normal helps my back so much better. Before I was using a husband pillow to keep a more upright incline but not anymore. I am still taking a percocet every now and then. Either 1 before bed or one in the middle of the night bc of soreness and tenderness. It really helps but I'm hoping to just stop them soon.

Yesterday I was home by myself with the 3 kids for the first time. Thankfully, son 1 went to Kindergarten all day and son 2 was in preschool from 9-12:30 but I had my daughter with me all day. It wasnt bad but when son 2 came home I put him and daughter down for a nap then I crashed too! It felt amazing! My friend picked up son 1 from the bus stop and he played at her house until 5. So I def had help and breaks but it was definitely exhausting.

I can't believe what a difference a day makes! I woke up this morning not feeling so well (more on that later). Anyway, I basically ate very little (bc of nausea), laid around and napped this afternoon. After my nap I decided to take a shower. Well, I took off my Spanx and was SHOCKED at how much the swelling has gone down since yesterday! I can also stand up straighter today, too. I know the swelling will come and go but I'm thrilled at how I look right now. Yesterday I posted about feeling "bottom heavy" meaning from the belly button to below bc of all the swelling. I still have a ways to go with the swelling but I'm thrilled so far.

Ok now onto the sucky part. I slept like crap last night so when I woke up I was pretty tired. But also, I had decided that today I was DONE with taking my percocets and I was going to switch to Ibuprofen for aches and pains. Well, it had been a full 24 hours since I had one (the first week I took them around the clock 2 percs every 3-4 hours and it was totally needed. When I went to see Dr T a week later I asked him for more bc I only had a few left and I was scared I'd be in pain with nothing to take. He offered me Vicodin which I guess is Tylenol-based but I've never taken them before so I declined and asked for the percs which he gave me. So for that whole second week I took them sporadically but the last few days it was basically just 1 time a day). Anyway, I woke up with an immediate migraine aura and felt pretty nauseous. I had Fioricet from my pregnancy with my daughter so I decided to take that to knock it out bc if I hadn't it would have been a doozy! I get very dizzy and "out of it" when this happens and can't hardly see anything in front of my. So I laid back down in bed until the aura went away. Went downstairs and still felt very foggy, dizzy, nauseous and not "all there". I can't explain the feeling but I just felt kinda horrible and not myself at all. I started thinking about it and I wondered if maybe my body had started some sort of dependency on the narcotics. Headaches, nausea, diarrhea, etc... I just sat on the couch in a daze then went to bed and stayed in bed from 11-4pm. My eyes closed the entire time and I finally fell asleep from 1-3-ish. I woke up feeling much better but as I sit here I'm starting those feelings again. I would say its VERY mild. And its def NOT a virus or anything like that so I'm almost 100% sure this is what it is. Like I said, its not horrific or debilitating or anything (well, I guess it kind of was earlier but I also slept like crap last night -Oh which reminds me withdraw also includes insomnia...) So basically, when I could have been using Ibuprofen (but he said no before week 3 or at least week 2) for the slight aches and pains I was using Percocets. Bad idea. Tylenol does NOTHING for me. Nothing. Or at the very least I should have took Dr T's advice on the Vicodin instead of insisting on another script for the Percs. So thats that. Just another slight hurdle but I'm glad I realized it before it got worse. Jeez! It was nobody's fault but my own but maybe we putting this out there will help someone else. So anyway, all scripts are in the trash and its Ibuprofen from now on.

Ok now onto the good stuff---NEW PICS!!

Oh and my daughter pointed t my belly button tonight and said, "Bell-bun!" Hahaha! Thats the first time I've heard her actually try to say belly button. But it also made me happy bc she can actually recognize it :) Dr T said he was "quite proud" of my cute little belly button. LOL That was a HUGE deal to me since I hated my last one :/

Ok well now I'm thinking it wasn't the percs! Went to bed fine, slept great and feel fine today. Maybe I felt bad bc of the migraine that I woke up with yesterday?

The holidays haven't been good to me. LOL I was pretty depressed yesterday and the day before because I was experiencing the swell hell I've read all about. But with a little detox and a little relaxation my swelling has gone down some. I'm still really swollen though and even on my hip-area. I still have a long way to go but thats ok. It's all part of the process :)

Also, I posted a pic of my new boobs in a shirt bc someone asked me to (can't remember who).

So I had my 4 week appt with Dr T today. Everything went well. He said my incision/scar looked great as did my belly button (although still swollen). He said my breast looked great and were dropping nicely. I still have to wear "the strap" though bc they aren't done dropping yet. It doesn't bother me too much so I don't mind. I give myself breaks from it though and I'm usually massaging them when I'm not in the strap. He showed me another aggressive way to massage the breasts. Not the most comfortable thing but whatever works. He gave me the go-ahead to start cardio and another 2 weeks until I'm allowed to work my abs (although I wont be doing ab exercises anytime soon- I can barely get myself out of bed using my abs! F a sit-up!) So I'll do cardio starting on Monday and do that until the 18th then I'll see what he says about weight-lifting. I miss my TMC (Total Muscle Conditioning) class but I'm thinking that might be too much right now. I'm allowed to get back to my regular routine though (picking up my daughter without worry, taking the kids to school, etc...) Hubby is back to work now so its all me anyway :) I'm not sure how you all do it without your husbands taking off work for so long. Mine was home for a month with me! I had a pretty big stitch hanging out on my incision that he pulled out. Ouch! It was a stitch with a knot on the end of it. It didn't really hurt bc I'm still numb but it def pinched. Then it started bleeding. He put some gauze on it and by the time I got home you couldn't even see where it was. The weirdest thing is I have some stitches poking out the incision. Like little prickles. They will dissolve with time.

Anyway, here are some pics I took tonight. I'm pretty swollen below the belly button but these pics were taken at night after a full-day "job" with the kids (2 of which who were puking!) Crazy thing is I'm down to 112 pounds! That includes whatever weight of skin they took off plus almost 2 pounds boobs! LOL I think its bc I cant eat as much in one sitting as I used to be able to. Everything is so tight that I get full very easy. Its a good thing bc I always thought I over-ate and now I can't but I'm not hungry.

I'm 5 weeks 3 days PO. I'm feeling pretty down the last few days. Starting Monday I had a stomach virus and threw up a few times. As if that weren't enough I then caught a horrible cold which caused me to cough. I tried everything to limit the coughing but on most occasions I just couldn't help it. The area above my belly button (which has always been the most tightest) is sore and very swollen-looking. It also feels like my insides have been a punching bag and they are very sore. Thankfully I think the coughing is nearly gone but I'm just so paranoid and stressed out that my coughing caused some muscle repair damage :(. I've never been swollen above my belly button and I'm freaked out bc that's what's swollen the worst now! I'll be so upset if a friggin' cold ruined my MR :(. It's all I can think about. It's completely consumed my thoughts and I'm just really trying to hold it together.

I have an appt with Dr T on Fruday but I may see if I can go in tomorrow to have him examine me.

Ok I'm feeling much better today. I was a mess and nervous wreck the last week with me being sick and worrying about what the coughing was doing to my muscle repair. But I'm happy to report that last night I didn't wake up coughing at all. So I'm hopeful that I'm not sick anymore.

And since I woke up today feeling pretty good I decided to hit the gym! I did 30 min on the Arc Trainer (I used to be able to do 45min-a hour pretty hardcore but I don't want to "over do" it. So I stopped at 30 min. Then I came home for lunch and had a salad with ham, salami, pepperoni, grape tomatoes, mushrooms, bacos and light balsamic vinaigrette along with some raspberries. YUM! It was very good.

I have my 6 week appt with Dr T on Friday. I have to say that my boobs look amazing! I think they are almost completely dropped and filled out with a tiny bit to go. I love them! And I'm loving my tight, flat tummy.

We just booked a summer vacation this summer and I can't wait to show off my body. haha

So I just had my 6 week appt with Dr. T. He was thrilled with my results. He said my breasts look great and since they look dropped I can start wearing a regular bra! I have to keep massaging them down and push them towards the center but otherwise thats it. He did say they will continue to drop and change over the next 6 months but he doesn't have any concerns with them at all. I go back to him in a month unless something comes up. Can't wait for summer! LOL

Tomorrow marks 8 weeks! Crazy how time flies these days :) Loving my new body. Loving my results. Although I do have one minor complaint...below my boobs at the very top of my sternum where Dr T started the muscle repair its puffy. Somedays its puffier then others but its def not flat. However, its not a huge deal. I mentioned it to Dr T at my last visit and he said "Believe me, I don't think anyone is going to be looking at that! LOL" My entire stomach is flat so I really don't have any complaints but if I'm going to complain about 1 thing that would be it. It's been 2 days since I've worn my Spanx. No problems with swelling so far! I honestly haven't really been that swollen these last few weeks. I was scared to get rid of the Spanx (it was like a security blanket for me) but I think I'm done wearing it. I don't swell when I work out and even being on my feet all day and out and about with the kids I seem to be fine. My breasts are BEAUTIFUL!!! Seriously. I do not have any regrets with size (big or small) and I'm certainly not experiencing any "boobie greed" LOL Sure I probably could have gone bigger but they fit my body perfectly. Glad I went with 400's though (as opposed to the 375's). I went with my gut and I'm glad I did. Half of my vertical incision is practically nonexistent. I won't even need a higher bathing suit. In fact, I tried on an old VS super low-cut bikini (just for fun) and it completely covers my incision (minus a little of the vertical) but I don't mind it at all. I'm also still keeping off a few pounds since surgery. I'm thinking its bc I haven't drank in a while? Before surgery hubby and I would enjoy a glass (or 2!) about 3-4 times a week. Thats alot of empty calories right before bed. We've decided to stop "casually" drinking at night and just drink when we go out or on special occasions. It's great! I don't miss it at all and I feel better without it not to mention I'm convinced its what held onto those 5-7 extra pounds. Anyway, I will leave you with a bikini pic I took yesterday :)

It's been a while since I've been on here. Just busy with normal life stuff :) I'm def feeling alot more "normal" lately. I used to feel scar tissue going from my sternum down to my incision (along the MR) which made things super tight but also made it hard to sneeze or cough or laugh bc it hurt and there wasn't much laxity, if you know what I mean. I didnt really have a whole lot of range of motion bc of the scar tissue underneath. But I'm here to tell you that I'm pretty sure the scar tissue has broken up. I can feel it somewhat but my range of motion is much more normal and I can get up faster when sitting down. I'm back at the gym 5 days a week and back to working with my personal trainer 2 of those days. We are slowly adding things and just last week I was able to do some side ab work (butt on the bosu ball kinda to the side while crouching and piking my legs to an angle). I can't do any sit-ups though because I just dont feel I'm ready yet. But I can do any cardio now (including running which I've been doing alot of lately) and I'm complete;y done with the spanx with zero to very minimal swelling. Everything is still very flat even though it feels more relaxed now. No diastatis and no leftover skin anywhere :) My boobs look amazing too. 110% happy with my boobs.

I've also gained back a few pounds since I've started working out again (WTF?) and I dont know why. Maybe I'm eating more bc I'm working out more? I was 117 this morning. Would like to get back to 113 again like I was a few weeks ago. I'm working on it. Been eating mostly Paleo lately and I'm loving it. Hoping that shreds these pounds but I need to stop cheating! The boys wanted to make cinnamon buns tonight and of course I have NO will power! UGH! Not to mention, I got my period this morning and really slacked at the gym today. So glad I have my trainer tomorrow.

I have an appt with Dr T on Friday which will be a whole month since I've seen him.