Wish I had my old body- San Diego, CA

I had a full tummy tuck with lipo of the flanks, breast augmentation, and lift on July 11th, 2013. Although I had my stitches and drains taken out very quickly ( four days later) the process has seem unbearably slow. I have been very sore mostly from the lipo surprisingly!! At times it can be unbearable because the only acceptable resting position is sitting up, which is very uncomfortable on a black and blue back and butt! Hoping to walk straight soon because the hunched over position only accentuates the unbearable back pain I have from the lipo. As of now my stomach feel's way to tight to stand straight or lay flat. Hoping I only have another week walking hunched over and wearing the knee length compression garments. Trying to stay positive and take everything one day at time. Sleeping right now is the worst part. Can't seem to get comfortable no many how many pillows, ice packs, or pills I take. Desperate for a good nights sleep!????

So I was able to get some sleep last night for the first time in 3 days! Yesterday was my first day home alone with my two and half year old and four year old and man it was rough! The first half of the day was ok but once the swelling and pulling on the sides and tummy kicked in after being up allot I was in tears. Then my kids were upset because I was upset and by the time my husband was home it was such a hot mess here omg! I think this website has giving me some honest insight to the healing process. When I initially started my research four years ago All I looked at or cared about was what doctor to use. I knew this recovery was painful but I never really forced myself to look at any of the horror stories since I didn't want to scare myself out of it. Man I wish I had been looking on people's blogs prior to really prepare myself for the length of recovery. My PS told me I would be good in 10 days but I am on day 12 and the back pain and tightness in the tummy and hips is unbearable. Really hoping based on everyone's comments ect that week 3 or 4 is really the turning point. Show me the light! Lol. Hope I get some sleep again tonight as it really helped me cope better today! Friday I go back for my next doctors appointment and I hope he has some ideas to speed up the process! I will post some new pics after!!

So I defiantly feel better right now during the day! I am still obviously getting swollen fairly easy but for some reason it's still better than the pain I feel lying down. Can a girl get a break? I so long for a normal night of sleep where I am not constantly woken up by my tailbone or hips on fire! I had my two week post op on Friday and my doctor said I should be feeling 100% in two weeks! I think he is trying to make me feel better because it doesn't seem that anyone on here felt 100% back to normal after a month? Luckily I have had a fairly easy recovery considering my drains came out after only four days and I have had no complications. My results are amazing so far I can't complain about that. The scar is super thin and my Breast are the perfect size! I am wondering though if my scar is going to drop a little? Seems a little higher than he promised but I am assuming I need to give my skin time to strech and settle in! Anyone out there still having a hard time sleeping at 4 weeks out?

Hey fellow mommy makeover friends! My husband planned a business outing to the horse races and dinner with clients this Friday and I feel obligated to go. Originally I said yes before this surgery because my doctor like most ps said I would be good in 10 days. Well guess what? It has been 19 and I defiantly don't feel like doing much of anything that last's more than hour or two! Not to mention I am still walking with a slight hunch and my back is killing me. This leads me to the question of what is back to normal after a tummy tuck? Or what is considered 100%? This is so confusing to me because allot of people claim to still be having tightness and swelling at 4 and 5 months post op! Anyone ahead of me in the 8-12 week time frame feel pre surgery normal? Also any suggestions to help loosen the muscles and skin is greatly appreciated! I do hair and I am extremely nervous to go back to work in a week and half because I feel no where close to back to normal. I feel better than I did a week ago but I am not sure if it's really that I feel better or just more comfortable in the fact that I am not going to be 100% again for a long, long, time!

Today is the first day I am actually walking fully straight. I am not sure if I have much swelling since my surgeon uses the progressive tension method which I believe causes less swelling. Still super tight and I am extremely anxious for that to loosen up! I tried to switching to Advil pm at night and found myself super restless and exhausted the past two days. Guess I will stick to the Vicodin at night to get relaxed. My breast have been super tender the last two days and my arms seems to be very weak. Wondering if that is the norm? Other than walking straight nothing new here! Doing my first lymphatic massage next week hoping to feel better by then.

So I am now one month post op as of tommorow. The sleep has gotten a little bit easier. I can lay with my pillows a little less propped so my tailbone isn't on fire by morning. Still would love to be sleeping on my side but I guess that will be another month away.lol.

This past few days I have noticed the center of my incesion pulling up and that is freaking me out. Kinda wish my scar was a little lower as well but I am assuming my doctor was trying to get rid of all my stretch marks. I can't wait to start the scar therapy next week so I can see if that helps.

On another note I did notice all the talk on turmeric and I decided to give it a shot. I took the kids to lunch, target, and Jimbos yesterday and was so swollen and tight I couldn't bare one more step. When I got home I took the turmeric and bromalien together and within an hour I was fine. Sounds hocus pocusy but it really did work.

Don't mind the dirty mirrors! Clearly not much cleaning is getting done around here!

Lol

So I started work this weekend and it has been a little rough! I do hair so by the time I finish a cut and color I barley have the energy to do a blow dry. I also started my period which has been a huge inconvience but the icing on the cake is the sore throat and runny nose I woke up with as well! Plus sleeping on your back sitting up with a sore throat and runny nose is no fun! Up to 4am again just when I starred to get some good sleep! I wish it was October already so I could feel even 75% like my old self!

On another note does anyone have any scar therapy products ect that they like so far? I can start scar treatment Monday but not sure what to buy?

Hey all....allot has changed in the past 2 weeks since I last checked in! First I am able to finally sleep without any pain pills other than the occasional OC the pills. I am also starting to lay with my pillows pretty flat at night although I still like to have one under my legs! I am pretty much pain free besides the right hip where I have had a localized pain the past two weeks! I guess this typical on patients with less skin to pull over the hips. I have pretty much been stuffing pads in my spanx to add some pressure in those spots! I am still pretty numb from the belly button down and obviously still pretty tight from the mr as well. I can't wait for that to loosen up and feel more normal. Obviously still swelling but I felt it was better this week than last two weeks( ironic i know since I though swelling peeks at six weeks).

Okay so on another note breast look fantastic I couldn't be happier about them but I am now obsessing over TT scar. Starting to really wish my incision was lower. I know some people might think I sound crazy but it Kindove has been bothering me lately so I hope my doctor has some answers for me on the 9th! As of now I am using silicone strips 24/7 besides showering. Hope everyone else is healing fantastic!

Few extras

Not much new going on here besides that I ditched the spanx and binder. Having a hard time with the scar! Knew it would be there and never bothered me on other people but has gotten the better of me lately. I think in my mind I pictured a way lower, way shorter incision. Obviously that would be a mini tuck so not sure why I thought that. Just not feeling good about this whole procedure if I am being honest. I wake up and feel extremely weak and tired and I am kind of sick of that. This is "Real Self" so I am just trying to to keep it real. I know the whole body dysmorphia thing is normal just never thought it would be an issue for me. Does anyone else have a hard time looking at the scar? I feel awkward naked and I don't like it :-(

On a more positive note I took the kids to the beach yesterday and to lunch. Was able to find a swim suit that covered the scar so I wore a two piece :-) a whole day with no compression and no binder yippee!

Afterwards I went to my 9 week check up and told my doctor how I felt about the scar. He of course said I was crazy and he wished all his tummy tucks turned out like mine. Still think my scar is an inch higher than where he marked me but what can I do at this point? Also I really can't handle his nurse. She always acts as though I am annoying her when I ask questions. She even made a comment about "not getting her started on this one" (in reference to me) to another nurse when I asked about endermology. Not happy about her attitude to me at all! What would you ladies do? I though about calling the office manager and telling her my thoughts but I really don't want to be known as the crazy lady when I go in there. I just don't like the attitude of this procedure being no big deal to them. It's not like Botox or something that just goes away after a while if you are unhappy about. I only have one body and I think my attitude is normal.

9 week scar with silicone tape on

I have been laying low on real self lately because my view on this whole mommy makeover has changed considerably. I am sure I will get allot of backlash for this review but it's my realself page and I intend to be real. For everyone that is happy with their decision to have this procedure I am happy for you but I can't say I feel the same.

Here is why I regret ever risking my life or altering my body. After having my first kid at 24 I was devastated looking at the stomach full of stretch marks. I tried everything to get rid of them from lasers to creams. Nothing worked! I spent four years avoiding the pool or beach and felt like a bad mom for denying my kids those activities. I though if I could just wear a swim suit than I would get to do all these wonderful things and be a better happier mom. Well let me tell you the reality of all this. I am no better off. I now have a huge hip to hip scar, lifted pubic area, bullet hole for a belly button and no sensation in my stomach. Totally not worth wearing a bikini! I would rather never wear a swim suit again than have to look at the mutilation I willingly did to my own body. You think you will stop swelling after months? That is what your doctors tells you but I know plenty of people who still swell years later. Look it up if you don't believe me! I may have what some of you call "great results" but I look in the mirror at a women who bought into the idea of something that wasn't real. I had two children and I got stretch marks bringing them here and sure they weren't pretty but it happens. Maybe if less women ran out and got these kind of procedures than we could all feel better and be more at peace with the reality of baring children rather than comparing ourselves to unrealistic images of motherhood.

How many of you thought about the long term effects of this procedure? I hate to be a fear Mongol but to say you will never gain weight again is unrealistic. I know plenty of women who were skinny their whole life and things like hysterectomies and thyroid problems that occurred later in life caused weight gain. We can't control those things! Here is what doctors also don't tell you. If you gain weight it won't be normally or naturally. Your upper abdomen will bulge and you will look weird. Again if you don't believe me look it up! Ask people who have gained weight after. Also god forbid you ever have cancer and need your stomach fat to build new breast! This may seem dramatic but certainly things I wish I thought of. This procedure is permanent and very final. I hope someone looking into this kind of procedure comes across my review and has a chance to weigh these things out cause I certainly wish I did.

You think a flat stomach or perkier breast will make you feel better about your body? It won't, it will just give you a thousand and one other things to look at and hate on your body. Look at everyone's review on here and see what the first words are when looking at their "new bodies!" Usually it something about how fat their legs now look, or flat their butts now are ect...now you will spend the rest of your life narcotically critiquing the rest of your body and looking at crazy scars.

The whole depression thing makes me the angriest. You hear you will have mood swings or bouts of depression but the reality is you will spend hours and days and in my case months depressed. This depression doesn't even touch the kind of depression you get post partom. Why? Because babies eventually sleep through the night (there is a silver lining). There is no silver lining after a tummy tuck. You can't decide you want your old body back or get in a time machine and undo it. This isn't a bad haircut you can just grow out! You are forever altering your bodies capability of aging in a normal way!

Now when I bend down to shave ect I have a ledge of skin that unnaturally folds at the scar line! Here is the real kicker. I now have new stretch marks that are coming out of my scar from being pulled unnaturally tight. The sole reason for having this done has created the exact opposite. I am so embarrassed I would do this to my body or put my family through the emotional hell and trauma. Again I regret ever doing this procedure! I could have taken my family on a nice vacation or started college funds for them. Instead I exemplified to my children the upitomy of vanity and selfishness. Please think long and hard about why you would exchange a perfectly healthy functioning body in for anything less than that.