Tummy Tuck: Stories

Hello my fellow Tummy Tuckers and Real Selfers! My name is LexC, and I literally itching with excitement because today I scheduled myself for a long awaited, much deserved Mommy Tuck! And by that I mean a full tummy tuck with muscle repair and a little lipo love!

I am all of 23 years old, but the past 3 years have aged me tremendously, gracefully of course :). I have to beautiful delicious baby girls, they are 2 yrs and 1 yr old (insert GASP here) yes they are 11 months apart. I adore my Irish Twinnies, and have been busy juggling to toddlers, LITERALLY juggling...but I have also been Jiggling, down under---->my shirt :( , which I am less than thrilled about.

SO here's what got me here---I am 4'10" (no I am not legally a little person, although sometimes I wonder)...therefore my prego bellies had nowhere to go but OUT, and OUT they went...but when the darling chubsters vacated the premises, I was left with what look like a deflating balloon that's been rained on and stepped on, Not purdy to say the least. I have been PREOCCUPIED, depressed, self conscious, every negative self loathing feeling u can conjure up, i've felt since having my babies. It has been so bad that I kid you not, my own husband has NOT been allowed to see the Elephant skin that torments me, since our first daughter was born.

I had always toyed around with the idea of a tummy tuck, deep down inside wondering how I would ever be able to afford it...until one day in the shower- I thought I heard footsteps coming towards the bathroom, and I literally choked with anxiety trying desperately to cover my self with the shower curtains so I could run and lock the door, before my husband could barge in and see my shameful body....SAD I know...It was then that I knew that something had to give. I had always been very confident, pretty popular, and always blessed with love and attention, but now, that was all slipping into the folds of my extra baby skin (YUCK, sorry for the visual)! So I made a plan, I promised my self a year to save for my procedure, research doctors, look up (more like STALK) Real Selfer's and their reviews, and then when I was ready, make my appt, do a happy dance, and join Real Self!

SOO Here I am today! I have scheduled my appt, paid for my procedure and now I am left with a crap-load of anxiety, excitement, and an overall "OhMahGosh I can't believe this is happening" feeling! My husband has been supportive since day one (partly because he is tired of hearing my whine)..but nevertheless, his support is appreciated! My doctor has been a DREAM so far, taking his precious time to explain the procedure complete with jokes, anecdotes , and theatrical performance (my kinda guy!). I feel very confident with the doctor I chose, he suggested I do a little lipo and charged me very little extra, which was darling of him! I am in the process of losing weight to maximize my result (on the cube of cheese a day diet!) I currently weigh 118, and I hope to lose 10 lbs by April, (crossing fingers). My biggest concern right now is preparing for surgery, so if anyone has any suggestions (scar strips, vitamins, or just letting me know how bad the pain sucks) it would all be much appreciated!! My daughter's 2nd birthday is on May 19th, so I hoping I will be good to plan her party by then.

Well, this journey begins here. I thankful to be in the (online) presence of so people who know that you cannot just simply "Work Out" sagging skin or stretchmarks (I get tired of hearing that)! Thanks to you all for listening, your advice is welcome as much as it is needed! Happy Nip and Tucking :)

So sorry for the typos in the previous post, I guess I was a little too excited to spell correctly! Well today I got amazing news, my mom will be flying in from NYC to help with the recovery process and the kiddos! (we're military and live out of town). In the meantime I have been flooding my brain with preop preparation , post op recovery, high tension tummy tucks, regular ones (did not know there was a difference)...the list goes on. I guess my main concern can't really be eased by Google...I'm terrified of my scar being too high , my ps assured me it wouldn't be, so perhaps I'm irrational , but I'm obsessed with the fear...I do want to wear a bikini again , and I hope that's not too much to ask...anyway I'm happy that the basics have been taken care of, now all I have to do is endure the anguish of waiting 4 weeks before I'm willingly cut open...can't wait!!!

Well Ladies I am still 3 weeks and change away from my TT. I am still super excited but I have since started to obsess about other parts of my body ugh, I guess we girl's are never totally satisfied. My boobies are quite non-existent ( I wear a very smalll B probably closer to an A) and I am having flash backs of how much I Despised my chiquita bananas pre- pregnancies and belly bulge. So I have been going back and forth on the idea for boobies, I have to make that decision very soon though. Anywho, in other news, I have an appt with my Pricary Care Doc for blood work and clearance for my surg (he better pass me with flying colors if he wants the rest of his day to go smoothly)--hehe kidding! (sorta). I am oddly excited for this clearance appt, I guess it feels like a validation of sorts. I have tired my eyes out from peeling through countless before and afters and have decided to switch gears and obsess of compression garments. My doc is going to give me one, but I am soo confused, like: Does this mean I do not have to buy more? I see so many women on hear who buy like 20 different CG's. If so, which do I buy, there are like a gazillion choices!!

Dieting: This needs it's own section to really get the full feel of my RANT! I am dieting, my PS said that extreme diets are no bueno prior to surg, so I kicked the meal replacements, and I am well within 10-15lbs of my goal weight, but I want to produce more skin by losing belly fat to make sure the PS has more than enough skin to hide my scar as low as possible. My worse fear (or one of the 7000 worst fears) is that my scar will be too high to wear a sexy bikini...I've seen many pics on here with women modeling rather modest or high waisted bikinis and I can't help but wonder if that's a style choice or a sacrifice to conceal a neck-high scar...hard to decipher in pics. But my dieting has been rather successful, I've lost 6 lbs in 2 weeks, not to shabby I would say. I've kicked every drink but water, all junk food snacks, and have been monitoring my portions. I have also been substituting alot of starchy or fried sides for greens, I don't feel like i'm starving myself, but i'm seeing results :). Have not been working out much, not sure what difference that would make now....

I have been following many March Tummy Tuckers reviews and they have definitely put many of my fears at ease. Hope I can provide the same type of anecdotal support to future hot mamas..but first I gotta get cleared, that's tomorrow, (wish me luck!!)

Ok I should definitely proofread because Autocorrect is the ENEMY! Sorry for the grammatical/spelling errors. :) I swear I passed 3rd grade!!

So ladies, today I had my pre-op, and my nerves have calmed way down, thank GOD! My PS drew "practice" marks on me and let me try on my bikini bottoms to make sure it was concealed well, and now I am excited again! O had lost it there for a second when thoughts of ugly scars started to torment me...but we're back! I also got my new Victoria's Secret bikini today and it covers the practice scar , yay! My ps office also gave me arnics Montana butsuggested iI start it after surg, so don't have to get that :)..labs were ok, so I am cleared, now I shop and wait...so far I have 1 box of gauze, woke voy ' and that's about it....2 weeks and 4 days away...aaaahhh

Um "woke voy"?? wtf? That was supposed to say vitamin c. Anyway just posted pics of my new bikini, and a tight button up cardigan so I can document how horribly prego I look in it. I will wear the same one the day after surgery and take pics to compare.

WELP! I am now less than 2 weeks away, and the pressure is on to get prepared...but I don't really know where to start. I have taken note of some helpful "to buy" and "to do" lists here on RS but I haven't done or bought anything yet..not sure what all i'm waiting for!! I have started deep cleaning and organizing though. I haven't been able to sleep thinking about how my husband will cope with our toddlers while I'm recovering. I am hoping that I can truly recover and that I don't get to overly determined to pitch in (which all moms are destined to do). I have started explaining to my 2 year old that "mommy is going to be getting a new tummy because this one is to soft and she needs a harder one." Somehow she has understood that to mean that mommy has to go to the doctor to be a princess...Yes Isabella, whatever makes you grasp this all. My one year old just says "Yea!" whenever I tell her anything, so that explanation didn't go very far. Anyone out there with toddlers? Me and my husband can barely keep our hairs in tact when we care for the girls together, so I am worried about how he will cope. He does not cook anything more than an egg, he cannot brush the babies hairs into even the messiest of ponytails, and he himself is sometimes (all the time) like a 3rd kid, very dependent on me- I even wake him up for work every morning. But he is adamant that he will not need me for anything and determined to take care of me, not starve the girls, and keep the house decent. We shall see, I am considering hiring a cleaning lady once a week for a month.

Idk if it is because of my age (23) but my parents are not taking this whole TT thing too well. My mom calls me every morning to tell me she is not sleeping because she keeps dreaming of horrible possibilities with my surg, she thinks they are a "sign"...it was cute at first, but now it's freaking me out. And my dad (bless his heart) asked me over the phone the other day, if I was "still doing that thing" I'm like huh? What thing? "He responds "that terrible thing to you stomach"...lol a tummy tuck? dad, lets say it T-um-My TUUCKK! lol it was hard for him to say, idk why, he said it reminded him of when I got my first period, lol. Poor guy, well good thing my mom is coming to be with me for a few days. I don't do anything major without her right there, no clue why since she is a worry wort. But I hope her dreams are just her looneyness.

I am soo thankful to this website because lately I have felt so anxious and excited but I feel like I have noone to share it with. My husband is sweet but I can tell he doesn't understand and he is just happy if i'm happy. My friend's all have their own things going on, and I haven't told anyone else. I actually have not decided if I am going to pretend like I just have amazing genes and deny my tummy tuck...i feel like I am more ashamed of my belly as is then shouting to the world that I had a tummy tuck, no shame there! IDK what do you girls think? Anyway I am probably start getting everything I need this weekend..I think...

LAWD JESUS! My surgery is now 7 days away. I have actually been avoiding RS like the plague because it makes me more antsy to see all the beautiful sexy bods on here! But now that I am a week away, I feel like SHIT JUST GOT REAL! I have been really falling off track with my dieting...last night I ate chinese food, over the weekend I cooked ALOT of Pasta and breaded mussels and left very little leftovers :( . I am not a heavy eater, I mean drink coffee for breakfast, and then lunch and dinner get me into trouble because I work full time and ave toddler so these meals are usually whatever is convenient, fast, and toddler friendly. Not good for my diet. And can I just say WTF is with the prices on healthy food, I mean Lettuce does not really need to be $7, Idc if it's organic..isn't all lettuce organic..that shit's from the ground..it's organic lol..but HOLY COW dieting is expensive, inconvenient, and i'm really bad at it...apparently. I think it's because I am sooo close to surg that my subconscious could care less about health, they are going to lipo me anyway right? Anyway I really need to et back on track so I can develop good habits before ruining my tummy tuck results later on....speaking of tummy, I noticed something slightly disturbing while taking more before pics (I will be posting those, viewer discretion is advised), I realized that I have some HERCULES RIBS. I mean like my ribs are a bra-size bigger than my boobs, and I can see like two lines from the front...it's creepy, and I don't get why a chubster like me has just prominent ribs...I am obsessing now thinking that my ribs will make me look fat post op....this whole experience has really highlighted other areas of my body I never once cared for...

Well I still have not bought anything to prepare except for bikinis,arnica and gauze lol. My husband is getting me gloves, scar tape, alcohol swabs, and surgical tape from his job...I still have to buy more pillows for my sofa, wee wee pads so I don't soak through my furniture, granny panties, wife beaters or tanks...and a few CG's. My mom flys in from NYC this Saturday, and agreed to help me TT shop :) YAY!.

As far as fears go: Up until the other day I avoided (for the past 3 years that I have been researching TT's) tummy tuck/anesthesia related deaths....but the other day, my curiosity got the best of me...I am more nervous for the anesthesia because from what I have read, you can die from having an allergic reaction to it and you will not know it until it is too late. I guess I wont care either way, it's not like I will know...but I worry for my babies...Morbid I know...but I guess this is all sinking in now. On a more shallow note, I am worrying that I should have lost more weight before surg. I am Puerto Rican, and It is pretty hard to find people with my tummy shape on here...so I am left wondering what my results will be like. According to my doc, I might have some "intrabdominal fat" that's fat BEHIND your abdominal wall, which they cannot lipo and can only be removed through diet and excercise. Even when I weighted 95 lbs, I had a little chub on my belly (all that rice and beans is killer!)..My PS said it is more exaggerated because of the diastasis (muscle separation) ...but we wont know till he's in there...so nothing much to do but obsess. Was anyone told this about the upper ab fat? ... Anyway, I think next time I update I will be hyperventilating with fear and anticipation so be prepared for a public emotional breakdown on RS!! Love u girls, keep me posted on your fab tummy's and progress, Kisses from the Lou!

It is 2am and my heart is in my throat! I am sure those of you who have had ur procedure can relate to these "night before" symptoms! Welp! The day is finally here, and I must say, I underestimated my vivid imagination...I've managed to picture every possible thing that can go wrong...thank God for some of u who have offered comforting advice that has helped to counteract my rampant thoughts.

My mom flew in from ny on Saturday...and has been a great deal of help so far, however she can only stay till this Thursday...and then we are on our own! Scary! Went to Walmart today and bought all my recovery food. Here is a list of supplies and food that I got.
-surgical tape
-gauze
-rubbing alcohol
-cotton balls
-disposable latex gloves
-neosporin with pain relief
-topical benadryl
-band aids
-ice/heat pack
-kotex (to place under garment over scar)
-vitamins c and b12 for an optimal recovery
-milk of magnesia and colace
-silicone scar sheets
-tank tops for under binder
-granny panties
-cheap sheets and towels for any leakage
-firm body pillow and a few firm standard pillows
-feminine wipes for no shower days, also wash cloth and basin
-a ton of magazines
-cough drops
-dial antibacterial soap
-arnica Montana tablets
-jello
-ginger ale
-bendy straws (was told this is a MUST)
-bottles of water
-unsalted crackers
-low sodium soups
-apple sauce
-fruit to make smoothies
-pineapple and pineapple juice for swelling
I will add anything I missed later on , but I think that's everything . Well I just wanted to keep eberone posted. I will update as soon as I am up to it (hopefully tomorrow)! O am bringing pics of what I want my scar to look like and praying that my ps doesn't find that rude...but I'm paying so whatever. So nervous I might just poop enough to avoid the dreaded constipation altogether lol. See you gorgeous ladies on the flat side! xoxoxo

So quick update girlys. Its been a while, I definitely underestimated the pain of this procedure. I do fabulous with pain, so I was ready to tale this on, but Lord Jesus is it tough! The pain feels like burning, torn muscles, bruising and pain meds do nothing more than allow me to sleep through it all. I am not draining a whole lot, about 10cc's on average. my mom and hubby have been absolute angels, waiting on me hand and foot. Wiping myself is impossible, no BM yet despite MOM twice a day, getting up and down is excruciating but it somehow still feels worth it. I took my first shower today 2days postop...and it was harder than I expected....taking off the binder made me nauseous and dizzy, I showered in like 5 seconds and then needed crackers and ice water to function after that. This has been rough but I peeked at my belly and I am very happy ...so hopefully it will get better from here. I will post pics as soon as I am able to sit at my computer without dying...till next time loves xoxo

Helloooo my loves! First off I have to apologize for two things..1.) I am 11 days PO and I am just now updating the full shebang, pics and all! Very unfair of me considering I stalked those serial updaters on here! I have good reason as I will explain if you read on, Scouts Honor!! and 2.) I would like to apologize in advance for how long this post will be, I mean I have 11 days worth of tummy tuck tales! so Bear with me or "Bare" with me if you care to undress and strut your new sexy abs, whichever you choose is fine with me! Ok So here it all goes, I will try to be as detailed as possible, I might try to split the posts up by days where not much had changed.

so it went like this:
Day of surg: I was scheduled at 12:30 but asked to be there at 11am. Mom and hubs accompanied me on the 50 minute drive and I was a shit ton of nerves. I got to the surgery center (Frontenac Spine and Surgery Center) and it was gorgeous. Very Beverly Hills, loved it, I digress. After checking in (and realizing $260 had been added to my anesthesia bill because my surg time was increased to 3 hrs..., my nurse got me had me undress and change into my gown, comfy socks, and a very fashionable surg hat. They had me give a urine sample, always glmaorous of course...and put me in a hospital bed. I first spoke to my anesthesiologist, who was sexy, and charming, dont mind falling asleep to that EVER! He explained the risks and bla bla, I tried not to pay attention because I figured, if I go, i'll be asleep, so really? Is this at all useful to me? ...My nurse ran my IV, my PS (I love him) Marked me up, asked me how low I wanted my scar and all that good stuff. They then allowed my mom and hubs in from the waiting room, mom was pale with fear and my darling PS assured her I was in good hands...all of a sudden I was calm. No nerves at all. The last person to see me large and in charge was the nurse anesthetist, she said "I am going to give you meds through your IV to calm you, you will probably not remember much after this, you will feel it in about 20 seconds, however we will give you the actual anesthesia in the op room." In my mind I was like, whatever lady, I jave watched enough discovery health to know I am going to be very much awake until you put the laughing gas mask on my face and THEN I will be K.O'd....but turns out, she knows her stuff. Her words were the last thing I remember before I woke up to a tapping, er, no a BEATING on my shoulder from my nurse...she was in the middle of also answering a question I do not remember asking..."am I skinny?" Who asks that when they wake up from surgery!? vain vain vain. lol Anyway as soon as I came to, I could def feel the muscle repiar and lipo pain. MR pain felt like I had dont a million crunches and someone stepped on me right after, and lipo pain felt like burning, stabbing and bruising all at once. I also felt tingly on my hips, numb everywhere else. I had a cath taken out, no idea ine was even in. I pee'd just fine like 5 minutes later. The surgery center gave my mom and I a huge book on menus to order from and said they would pay for it...we ordered Mexican...I think My mom was trying to kill me...thats still under investigation...but needless to say, I smelled the food and was nauseated...got some Zofran meds for that, and was asleep. I needed my percs like a half hour before the 4 hour mark your supposed to wait between doses because my pain was pretty intense. Now here was the scary part...my oxygen levels began to drop into the 70's (anything below 88 is not good) and my heart rate was 107...my nurse stayed by me for a good part of an hour reminding me to breathe because anytime I would dose off, I wiuld stop breathing..>DRAMA QUEEN lol. I was given oxygen and that helped a bit. Nurse said it was totally normal-a common side effect of anesthesia and assured my freaked out mom and hubs that it would go when the anes' wore off..which it did. I slept reclined, was the only pt in the clinic so had two nurses all to myself, pee'd every freakin half hour, did not poop for days. Next morning my nurse took my binder and dressings off...and the big reveal turned into a big SQUEAL from me..I was horrified by my results. I had a puff ball above my belly button, my tummy did NOT look flat, my scar was dark and higher than expected, and I had a sort of bulge on my right hip where the scar was. I was mortified even more when I nurse said (before taking off the bandages) "this is a good idea of what your end result will be after all the swell hell)..WTF!? I questioned everything and was told any fat pockets that remained would be suctioned in office...and my scar would lower and lighten....Not happy po day 1...went home feeling sad and regretting it all.

Will contine with PO Days 1-7 in the next post.

Ok Ahem! POD 1-7
Well POD1 I went over in the previous post,
This whole week I had a horrible tickle in my throat and could not get up for cough drops or water unassisted so I had a few PAINFUL cough attacks. I finally smartened up and decided to have these things next to me at all times. I pooped I think on day 4, and then could not stop...had a bad bad case of the you know whats...I had been drinking 2 tbsp of milk of magnesia twice a day along with colace...phew! cleaned me OUT! Gross I know, but you'll understand soon enough if u haven't had surg yet....anyway I got my drains out on POD7, it was not too bad...just burned and took about 3-5 seconds to pull it out, damn it's long! But better out than in. ...This whole week was pretty painful with lots of swelling. On PO Day 7 My PS's nurse said I was more swollen than the average patient...I had gotten my Period the day before, so not sure if that was why. I was unable to get up by myself, muscles were very sore. I had trouble breathing whenever the swelling got worse.

Binder: I had a love/hate with the initial binder I was given post op, I would get dizzy everytime I took it off and swell almost immediately...which is normal. I guess because I am 4'11" the my binder was a little "long" for me and bunched up on the sides, pinching my scar OUCH. I would cover the sides with like 7 gauze pads, like a little pillow. I could not sleep on my side at all, I slept on my sofa with a million pillows and my husband :). I did go to target on POD7 and sat in a wheelchair...but still swelled and felt pretty wiped out by the time we got home. So my advice, is rest, rest, rest, and only walk around ur house to prevent clotting.

I had more swelling on my right side than my left, my PS says it's still too early to tell if it's a fat deposit that was pulled down from the top (in which case he will suction it in office after 3 months)...I also had so swelling above my belly button which again he thought was a mix of swelling and menstrual bloating...that has since gone down considerably. I LOVE my belly button, I can't feel it at all, which was very convenient when the sutures came out on POD7!! So as per my PS, I was to treat my bb with neosporin while sutures were in after each shower....and I was to treat it with A&D ointment after sutures were out. I was a good lil girl and followed every rule :) .

Read On for POD7-today POD11 :)

Now Where were we...? Oh Yes! POD7-11 (today)!

After the first week I was told to stop taking my percs but continue valiums as needed, I have been able to get up unassisted as I have not slid flat while sleeping, damn pillows! today POD11 I have not needed Valium. On POD 8 I believe, I went to the ER and need oxygen,,,they did a whole work up to check for the dreaded bloodclots but all was well and my breathing troubles were attributed to my excess swelling and me height (Compressing my lungs a lil). I was a lil freaked by that, but I am better now that GOD! so swelling continued, but at least now I am noticing a difference between morning and night, garment and no garment and so on. before it was like a constant blimpy belly. POD10 I got my second drain out, that one had been irritating me since day 7 or so when I got my first one out...for some reason it hurt like a MotherF to get that one out, cold sweat and nausea kinda burning pain! I wanted to smack my nurse, but she's so sweet, I couldn't bring myself to do it, kidding :) They also put me a new way more comfortable garment. It goes from my thighs to under my breast and compresses wayy better than the original binder...and another PLUS my scar nooo longer pinches and hurts. Just a TIP: my ps said scar pain is rare but a good solution is to rub it so as to irritate the nerves and that will kill the sensation...One new development have been what I like to rfer to as Ninja stabs. Occassionally I get these sharp stabbing pains (they last like a mili sec) mostly with increased activity, and I my PS said that is from my nerves regenerating. They hurt but are short lived, he said I can expect to feel those on and off for months..
Drains: From day one I was draning very little which is why I think I got my drains out so early, I was very happy about that. My highest recorded drainage was at 7.5cc's and that was only pod1 and 2..after that it was 5cc's and 2.5cc's!

Wiping my own butt has gotten easier lol, It was near impossible at first. Also, Lipo pain has improved but that has been by far the most painful part of this whole experience. POD11 feels good, still very uncomfortable when I swell...feels really tight but other than that I am doing really well! Hugs and Kisses To you all! Ask me anything you want in case I missed something :)

12 days post op and things are looking up! I woke up with some tenderness on my right upper ab muscle...kinda felt like something was pulling it upwards and it was tight. But that has since gone, actually, what's weird is that I have virtually no more muscle pain (and of course even this makes me worry like "maybe he didn't tighten my muscles enough".) My husband is a PT Assistant and so I had him do a lymphatic massage on my Lipo last night, and believe it or not, the tenderness there is almost alllll gone! I know I know, Lucky me! lol While we are talking about Hubby's, has anyone else been a victim of sexual advances and borderline harrassment by their significant other? I mean Lord Jesus Boy, "Keep your filthy paws off my silky draws ...or binder"!! Too bad for my handsome lil devil, my PS said not to resume ANY activities until at least 6 weeks post op. I guess I will have to lift the ban on adult videos for him, ahh u win some u lose some, right? I'm rambling: So back to TT business, not to get anyone jealous or anything, but I feel DAMN good today. I knew all was right with the world when I took my CG off mid afternoon after chasing my toddlers all morning, and my swelling was significantly less than the previous days. I did a happy dance in celebration and did not even wince a bit! Pshhh, I got this! BUT on that note: A few boo-worthy things i've noticed, first off ha anyone seen my ass? Like really, who has it? I want it back, not sure if the be-hind is a part of flanks ( I mean I know i'm short, but I cant comprehend that type of confusion!!) Has anyone else had an arse or at least the sexy lil arch that gives justice to your assets, gone missing? I have a hunch it might be that my back is swollen and makeing my better half look a lil, well, sad. Hopefully I will get those buns hun! Another thing, there are these little stickers or tape that were put over the lipo hole sites on my bootay, and I was told they would fall off...they have not and they are starting to annoy me. Anyone still have tapey butt? and here is the last of today's rant: I still have not shaved since the day before surg...yes, yes 13 days, I know. I was fine with it till today because I am not an overly hairy person, but I am still scabbing where the drain holes were and we all know my hypochondriac self does NOT need an infection, sooo hopefully I will be able to tame the mane soon, sry for the visual! But who am I kidding. we all have been parading around our "Cuca's" (what my daughter calls her girly parts, pronounced Coo-Kah) for a while. Okay end of rant...On the Bright side I am pain free today but oddly enough still cannot sit up on my own when going from laying down. Don't know why. I am off all meds, (I'm gonna miss them Vals and my sleep)...but it feels wonderful to be back to normal. I thought of milking it a little longer, but then I saw the outfit my husband picked for our girls, and I had to draw the line. Mama's back! Until next time little muffins! Stay sexy keep me posted with your progress and or questions! I will upload more pics as soon as there is a significant change in the appearance. Toodles!

MY HOW TIME FLIES! I I am sitting here all 2 weeks post op and all and I feel pretty good. In my last post I bragged, hooted, and hollered about that NO pain I had...I have since learned my lesson- Don't speak so soon when it comes to a Tummy Tuck. So nothing MAJOR has changed but my scar has started to scab, and because I was told by my PS not to put any lotion or creams on it till 4-6 weeks (so as not to strip the tissue glue they used to close the incision)...my scar has been pretty dry. I have mentioned before that I had a sort of bubble tht my binder pinched on my left side, well now my right side is scabbing and it literrally feels like a small piece of skin might have opened or gotten cut I can't really see it myself, so I took a pic of it and it is still unlear if I cut it. Also, yesterday I started to regain sensation of the whole scar, and it was tender...no deathly pains, just annoying to ride in the car over bumps because of the tenderness. My husband got a few death stares because of it...but he's alive today...so no biggie. I will just say this, if you get the CG that goes from your thighs to your breast bone, get help putting it on. That thing is a B to put on, my huibby went back to work this week so I am having to wait for him to get home to shower and have him help me. I think that is how I cut my scar a little, trying to get it up.

Another new development is this weird diamond shaped bulge of swelling (I Hope); it is centered and goes from the bottom of my bb to the top of my scar. THen under my scar, my "Cuca" is HUGE and swollen. While in the shower yesterday, I negan getting these sharp stabbing pains like from the inside of mu "cuca". Haven't gotten them again, but weird nevertheless. I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that my PS pulled some of my mons pubis skin Upwards to avoid any sagging skin down there?? not sure. I heard it was normal for the pelvis to swell especially after drains are taken out, but I am kind of worried the other bulge is a Seroma. I did some research and read that one tell-tale sign of a Seroma is if you press it with one hand, and then feel with your other hand the the other side of the bulge, you should be able to see and/or feel the liquid move like a "waterbed" effect. I did the test, and nope this bulge is more firm. Like I rolled of tissue ball. IDK if its the way my garment sits, but I have started putting my original binder over my garment now, just keeps getting sexier and sexier lol.

Lipo: My Lipo swelling is stil a little tender but nowhere near the "curse a MFer" out pain that was there before. I have started to obsess about a new development i've observed...I am sure my PS will shoot me when I bring THIS ONE to his attention (no he wont, he's awesome at handling my paranoia) :)....Well, seems to me, as the swelling goes down, I still have some flank flab, Not as much as before, but I will ask him if that can be revised...either way my butt needs to work out when I am cleared to, so one way or another we will burn that sucker!

BellyButton: I professed my love for my belly button pre-suture removal. After they removed the sutures I was amazed that it could get evenCUTER...but that was short lived. About a day or 2 later It seemed to be getting smaller (that was like pod8or9) and now it has a full on cauliflower look on the inside, and I am starting to notice the scar around it. I am not at all concerned for the scar, I knew it would be there, and it is sooo thin I am confident it will fade nicely...but the little buds inside my bb..wtf? I tried to take a pic of it...I hope it's just doing some funky healing and will be or victoria's secret again in the months to come.

One other concern I have is that my scar is a little higher on the right side, I have mentioned it to my PS but he said he will look at it more closely when some of the major swelling has gone down and will revise if needed...OK Dude, ur the boss, I guess :(

I think I am out of the woods for blood clots or any major infections for now...I hope so! I thought I was able to do more, but just sitting at my desk ( I work from home) and then attending my little cutie baby's daycare conference, WIPED me out. I called my boss and was like, look lady I need a nap, she was very nice about it, so I guess I am on half days till further notice.

The "the Ninja Nerve stabs" have continued on and off. They are just a part of my new normal for the next few months , so everyone say HI NINJAS!

Anywho, I posted new pics, I even posted crusty looking pics of my scar and BB so viewer beware. The swelling is going down, be prepared for swelling to be uneven and even lumpy at times. In my pics you can see I look prego from one side, and flatter on the other...whereas in the first few days I just looked plain fat! I still look about 3 or 4 months orego by the end of eachy day esp if I've sone too much walking..then i'm back to hunched and reaching for valium....So it's a Slooowww process, but I keep reminding my self not to freak out until at least 3 months in! Luv to all u girly's out there! Heal well, and good luck! I will continue to share any new developments, ask me anything you want!

Hey I am 13 days PO, I don't plan to bore anyone with a long review since I pretty much wrote a novel yesterday....but I did have some important key points that I wanted to share before my toddler's ramble my brain and I forget (this happens often).

Key Point 1: Muscle Spasms are a nasty reality and when you are off of Valiums they hurt and are stupid..just plain stupid! The good news is that they dont hurt like hell, they feel kind of similar to a full-grown fetus kicking you in the ribs, its more like an eye-popping "WHAT THEE HELL!??" kind of pain. now at 13 days I spasm mostly in the morning and I am pretty sure that is because my dumb-A thinks it's great to get a nice loooong morning stretch in, until...the spasms! :( ...My PS said this will last on and off for months...GREEEAAT! Valium is the only think that helps, but I am down to like 3...so I am trying to man -up before I have to beg like a druggie for a refill.

Key Point #2: I feel like my healing has been going really well because I have been taking it REALLY easy. That being said, I did a few test-runs (one bday party dinner) (one stop at the mall in a wheelchair) (one target run) ...but mostly I have been working from home and kicking my feet up when I can....and here's what I gathered, TAKE IT EASY! No really! I know the weather is getting nice almost everywhere in the country, I know you are skinny and excited to shop and walk with a twist...but let me humbly remind you that after about 7 steps and too much "SWAG" walking ...you will look like a little bloated prego penguin. ...not to mention you will be putting yourself at a higher risk for more swelling, seromas, and even breathing troubles (see prior posts, this is from experience). I see a lot of you on here eager to get back to "normal" but there is NOTHING normal about nerves regenerating, while liquid sloshes around in your belly...let your body heal. And may I warn against the days after you have been following all of your doctors orders- those days are when you will feel your best, again, until you take a few steps. Heal honey, heal.

Diets: Don't do anything drastic. First let's be real, I don't care how many carrots yo eat in a day, you are not going to be burning anything for at least 6 wks PO and as my PS put it, you do more harm to your recovery process if you don't keep your body in familiar territory. This does not mean FU** IT have a burger, add bacon and a milkshake to wash it down...no, this just means eat what you normally did, within reason, and worry about weight loss when you can actually burn a damn calorie!!

Lists: There are many many many suggestions about what to get on here and they all confused the hell out of me, so much soo that I was convincing my husband of badly we needed a toilet raiser and a recliner. Um no honey. I slept on my couch (still sleeping there) all you need is at least one body pillow, and several other pillows so you can sleep reclined. Look, I have 2 herniated bulging discs (another contribution of pregnancy) and I was worried about the strain this surg would put on my back condition...I never had back pain separate from what I normally have (not considering lipo). My PS advised me against confining myself to a chair. Only get a recliner if you are not going to have someone around to help you up because that's the ONLY challenge about sleeping on a sofa or bed. Also, there is a site tuckthattummy.com that has printable lists that were really helpful. I also have a list in one of my earlier posts, and from my list you can cross off heat pack, it makes swelling worse, ice is better.

Short People: One of the biggest challenges I faced while researching a tummy tuck was finding people with my body type and height. Well, I want to make sure I say that there are differences in tummy tuck recovery and results that are worth mentioning in case a fellow tiny tummy reads this post. Size DOES matter...short people: your scar will appear a little higher if your mons pubis needs to be raised. This is especially true for short girls with short torsos like me, (more leg than body). Do not be freaked, your panties will still hide it, just make sure you remind your PS that your torso is short and therefore he should plan your scar as low as possible (remember scars will be a bit higher than planned esp if your pubic area needs a lift). Also, beware of swelling, shorties with excess swelling might experience shortness of breath because swelling compresses your lungs esp when everything is in such close proximity to each other, if you have shortness of breath however, go to the ER because it could be a bloodclot) in my case I was diagnosed with SHORT, as though I didn't already know this. Another point about swelling my short sisters, dont freak when you look more swollen then anyone on real self, lets face it, just like our babies, our swelling has nowhere to go but out and to the sides (see my first few PO pics, I was mortified, but it has improved so much). Binders, CG's and little torso women don't mix. For one I have the smallest binder known to man and it is still long on me, so it constantly pinched the ends of my scar. This was easily relieved by padding the sides of my scar with gauze..so get A LOT of gauze. I would advise shorties to get lipo if needed because we can easily look like spongebob if we don't, cinch that waist while your gettng tucked...we do not have the luxury of being tall and seeing automatic results, so help yourself along and embrace the lipo love. Lastly, although my MR pain ended a week ago, I still have trouble getting myself up without either assistance, or a lot of wiggling, pulling on my couch, and pushing my self up with my legs. I was worried I had lost feeling or strength in muscles, but again, no, this has to do with my torso being shorter. Basically, because we are short, our abs are also short, so if you have torn abs, they are probably lax all over from top to bottom, so when once repaired, it will take a while to regain strength in them. In other words, tall women might have some areas of their ab muscles that were not effected my pregnancy and therefore will be able to fall back on those abs after their muscle repair, but as though God has not been cruel enough to us....we most likely will not have to much "good" ab to work with.

Welp! That's all the tips I have thought of for today. My plan is to update weekly but if I learn anything new, I will be sure to share it with you :) Did I say this wouldn't be long? Ha! And you believed me!?? xoxo take care girls!

By the way I am 15 days PO not 13 sorry, read previous post :)

So Ladies I was not planning on posting until nest week when I make 3 weeks. That was, until I decided it was time to take a sitting pic without my garment on (why do we do this to ourselves?!) Anyway, I nearly DIED when I looked at the pic, it looks as gross as Pre-op. I impulsively sent the pics to my PS's office stating that I understood swelling was a reality and bla bla bla, but WTF is this, (sumthin like that)...When I am standing I am IN LOVE with everything, from the side is like eh, getting there...but sitting WHOA Buddy!? So We shall see what they say, I have uploaded new pics including the disgusting sitting ones...not sure if THAT's what the mean by swollen....

So I have made it to 3 wks PO today and I am not as enthusiastic about it as I thought I would be 1 week ago. Everyone wants bad news first so that's where I will start, with my cons so far.

My swelling looks more like fat now then it did in the first few weeks. I am certain there are areas my PS will have to revise. Since the day I first saw my results, I noticed swelling above my belly button, my belly never looked as TIGHT as some women on here, and I had a noticeable bulge above the right side scar (it looks like a rubber band squeezing my hip and spilling fat over top). Well since then, the bulge is less noticeable, however, I still see that my results are not symmetric which I know will be revised at the 3 month mark, but it just sucks! I still have fat rolls after lipo of the flanks on the right side, but none on the left, and it becomes more evident as the swelling subsides. I have whined my husband's ear off about it, I have adamant about contacting my PS's office after scrutinizing my results...and I have come to this conclusion...there is nothing I nor anyone can do to fix this until the time is right, so I should avoid mirrors and pictures....sound advice that I do not listen to, unfortunately. I still feel tight, I still cannot get up from a lying down position without a considerable struggle and I have a new odd development. On the right side right where that bulge is, it has started to get hard under the skin and is starting to make it impossible for me to stretch even an inch to the left. I still cannot sleep on my left side because it feels as though it will snap the right side in half...not sure what that could be but I have my 3 wk PO appt this friday, and I will ask. Also, I have been getting migraines and neck pain, which I guess I can attribute to the fact that I am still sleeping on my sofa with pillows ( still cannot go flat). Morning spasms still are occurring, they do not hurt, just are weird feeling, like a baby kicking in there. I still do not fit into my pre surg pants, and with all my Buddha belly swelling, I am not worthy of tight shirts yet. But most of all, I wanted to share this:
I made a HUGE mistake of sharing some after photos with a friend. I consider her a pretty close friend, she is a lot older than me (37, I'm 23) and has been considering a tt, but her husband is against it. Since I got my surg she has been saying she no longer wants it because OMG the scar and yadda yadda, which I find a bit surprising. But anywho, I sent her these pics and she did not respond for a whole day (out of character for her)...when she did respond she said "Hey I got your pics, I am hoping you will be ready for bikini season." Now maybe I am just overly sensitive during this tranisitional period of swelling and what not...but I was like WHO ANSWERS THAT WAY? I took it as though she chose her words carefully so as to avoid complimenting or insulting my result...it bothered me, and I was moody that day so I fired back by saying "well I feel it looks amazing now and my husband likes it, bla bla, i'm really happy." THIS B**** responds "well that's all that matters, that you are happy"...WTF!? Now I am fuming that she is being sooo passive aggressive and I can't understand why, but you can't bring a gun to a knife fight so I feed her fire with fire and I again respond exaggerating how THRILLED I am and how much sexier I know I will be by the summer"...her response, AND I QUOTE "hahaha". By this point it was getting out of hand and I was being immature by engaging her but for the past few days her lack of a comment be it a compliment or constructive feedback....has eating at me. Now I NEVER would EVER give 2 you know whats about what someone else thinks...but this is my girl...could it be envy? Could it be that she thinks it looks bad and refuses a white lie? Not sure why I care, but you know, I believe in women empowering one another so I am against competition and jealousy...and I feel that's what I am getting (from someone nearly twice my age!) It just was not a good time being that I am already being overly critical of my result. anyway, WARNING: Do not show your tummy till u r fully healed because haters are gonna hate!! Anyway the real Lexy in me is saying to bring it up to her and call her out...but the adult in me is like...is it worth it? Not sure, what would you do?

Anyway, Positive: The swelling has gotten better to where I am flatter and happier in the mornings. I am doing a lot more like light cleaning, and even took my baby girls to the farm this past Sunday. I was fine walking slowly, I have more trouble going from sitting to standing...I did need a Valium that night. I am almost all pain free except for some in between sore and numb feelings in my lower belly and incision area. My muscles are slowly but surely getting stronger each day. I finally have the energy to make myself healthier meals...we were doing a lot of take out before and that was messing with me head as well, eating healthier (not dieting yet though) has given me back a sorta sense of control over my healing and my body. I am excited to go to my appt on Friday, just to get some reassurance since its been such a hard week!!

Hoping everyone is healing well! I am looking forward to read about new Tummy Tuckers in the months to come! As always, if you have anything you want to ask, ask away! Take care gorgeous girls!

Hello My LOVES!!! I just wanted to update you girls on my drama with the hater friend as well as the hard lump I mentioned in the previous post that was making it difficult for me to bend to the left side....So I will start with my boring story about my friend...

So I took all the wonderful advice I got from so many of you on here, and I weighed how much I valued our friendship....anyway she was blowing up my phone like I owed her rent for 2 days and I FINALLY called her back after avoiding the wrath I knew I would bring to her. It's not as easy as you may think to let it just SPRAY out your mouth "Your a jealous B, and I dislike you very much!". lol...So I did not say that, but I did tell her pretty matter of factly that I knew she was avoiding complimenting me but I was not sure why...she at first got very defensive, then I had to be allll "Look it here B***H...!" so she relaxed herself enough to give me an apology while continuing her denial of any hateration. ...so I accepted her half assed apology and took a mental note of where she stood in my long ass line of people in my life. A BIG thank you to all you down-to-earth, straight forward mature women who are a thankfully a tad bit older and wiser than me, I needed to hear everything you girls offered yesterday! So Big Mwaaas to all of you.

Now back to TT Business since that's why you all really pay attention to this post anyway!! Ok, A few posts back, and in one or 2 of my earlier pics you can see I had I bulge on my right hip at the end of my scar. Well that bulge went down considerably, then over the weekend (as mentioned in my last post) I developed a Hard Knot type of thing right around the bulge area at the end of the right side of my incision....bla bla bla right? So since I feel like annoy my PS office with all my hypochondriac questions, I decided to MAN UP and wait until my Friday appt to address the situation with 'Ol Doc. UNTIL I this morning----There I was, Just laying there, Minding my own business...when IT happened! I experienced my very first back SPASM! NOT AT ALL Like the cute little thumps of the typical ab spasms...it was HORRIBLE, omg charlie horse type of pain, it was my lower right back extending to the side where the hard bulge is. As soon as THAT was over, and I regained consciousness

Hey mi amores! I am 2 days late for my 4 Week PO. I have had quite the week with both my babies being sick, and trying to plan the most fabulous birthday party for my girls! Phew, hectic. But the good news is that I feel almost 100%! I can FINALLY get up out of any position by myself, no struggle whatsoever! I can walk, and sit wihout too much of the horrendous tightening. Before, when I would sit or walk for too long, I would end up walking hunched, not the case anymore. I am mostky swollen on the bottom. The glue on my scar has started to peel off which I am happy about. I still feel numb from my belly button down. I bought ear plugs (more comfy than a marble) to put in my belly button because it was closing up, it seems to be helping so far.

Now here is where I am NOT happy: I still have this bulge on tp of my belly button. My belly is NOT completely flat, and it is still noticeable in clothing. I have gone over this time and time again with my PS and he says it may be swelling, or fat either way there is nothing he can do until 3 months PO. I see him in 2 weeks for my 6 week follow up, so we shall see then. Its very discouraging, I just try to ignore it for now, but when I see it, I want to choke someone. Fat can be Lipo'd and swelling will eventually resolve but then curious ol' me was researching other possibilities of a bulge over the BB, and now Im freaked. According to my research, one can have a bulge if the surgeon did not sew the muscle repair all the way from the belly button to the breast bone, OR if the sewed the bottom ab too tight, it can make the top ab bulge. The reason I think this may be a possibility with me is because I noticed the bulge the day after surgery. I am going to ask for a copy of my Op report so I can know exactly what was done. Anyway that's basically it for 4 weeks PO. I'll be back with 5 weeks next Tuesday!

You know what I forgot to say earlier today in my 4 wk po review??...that everytime I eat, I notice the top of my belly bulge more, but the bottom stays the same. It looks really odd. Has anyone else noticed this? All I can say is I can't freakin wait for 6 weeks to get here so I can workout and not feel like the lump that I feel like right now. Anyway Lump or no lump, I need to be happy even if this is as good as it gets...lets face it, those before pics are NOT cute!

Cioa Bellas! I had to calculate how far PO I was before writing this, I guess that's a good thing! :) I hope everyone is doing well. This here is my 6 week (and 2 days) PO review. I already had my 6 week appt last week, that went pretty much the same as the previous ones...doc looked at my tummy, seemed pleased, acknoweledged some excess swelling (or fat, I'll get to this) and sent me on my way. Only major difference was that I was told I could start working out and stop wearing that God Awful Strait Jacket---um, I mean Compression Garment. I titled this review "The Truth" because that's what I have had to come to terms with. It has been difficult to see so many fabulous results on here, and not be sure about my own...If you read my previous posts, I am probably whining and complaining somewhere in there about a upper ab bulge. Welp! It's still here, but my whining has turned to to utter despair (ok, maybe that's a little dramatic)..but you know, i'm disappointed. I do not know at this point if the upper ab thing is fat, a loosened stitch, or what....but I know it is certainly no longer swelling. Most of my swelling has subsided, I swell now only below my belly button and around my lipo'd areas (which by the way are still sore). I KNEW from the beginning that my upper abs were not completely flat...but nothing could really be done. Finally at my last appt, the PS said that he would probably need to Lipo the upper abs as well as a little bit of dog ears/muffin top I got going on. Over all my belly is flatter, but it does NOT feel tight and right like I though it would, Boooo me :( . Now the hardest part is waiting till I hit my 3 month mark to get "revised" and what not. In the meantime, I have gotten really serious about starving myself, (what some may refer to as dieting). I have started to build an exercise routine, and that has made me feel more in control of my body and has given me hope for a better result. I do not think I will rock a bikini this summer (which sucks because I literally raided Victoria's secret's Bikinis)...I guess I will just hang them in front of my fridge as starvation incentive....SIGH. I am relieved that my surgeon is willing to tweak my fat, but I can't help but feel a little "Awww Man!" about this whole thing (by the way, if this review sounds grumpy and sappy, just know i'm on my "monthly girl stuff" - you understand, right?)...Anyway, I feel great otherwise. I still feel some tightness if I over exert myself. I tried lifting my little butterball baby (omg, she's soo delicious! :) ) and I realized that I still cant do heavy lifting too well. My legs were shaking and I could not walk while carrying her, so I guess my core is still a little weak. My pre-op jeans STILL don't fit, but i think it because my lower back and sides are still very swollen from lipo, they are still sore as well.

Some noteworthy weird sensations: In a previous post, I describled the hard lump of dead fat on my right side. That's still there (its supposed to dissolve---annnyyyy dayy nowwww...) ...whenever I turn to lay on my opposite side (left side) I get this burning sensation on the right lump side...weird. It doesn't last too long though.

Scar: My PS used scar glue on my incision, so i did not see my scar till last week when her gave me the OK to peel the glue off (I found this fun, like when kids put elmer's glue all over their hands just to peel it off, maybe that was just me...anyway..) I was pleasantly surprised by how well my scar healed so far. BUT since I peeled away the glue, my scar itches like HELL every now and then, I put topical Benadryl on it , and VOILA its cured! My husband is supposed to be stealing some silicone scar strips from his job today ( i told him to do this MONTHS ago, but he's a man, what can I say)...anyway I hope he remembers because I was given the OK to start scar treatment last week.

Belly Button: I am still using a kids earplug in my belly button, if I take it out, my bb still tries to close, (stubborn little thing!) My babies are fascinated by it, they love mommy's "orange belly button". Little Weirdos. lol..

Sex: is great, but you already knew that! No seriously, my sex life has improved massively. Even though my belly is not going to be entering a swimsuit competition any time soon, It still looks better than before, and my self-esteem is better because of it, which makes me a GODDESS in bed :) (Sorry tmi) .

That's all the goods I have for today. I uploaded some new pics , I hope everyone is doing well, as always, ask me anything you'd like and I will do my best to answer truthfully :) Have a good day, stay gorgeous girls!