My tummy is amazingly flat now. - So Far, So Good - Los Angeles, CA

Here's an update: I'm now 13 days post0-op. I've felt a thousand times better since I had my drains removed on day 8. I'm standing almost completely straight, now. The only mild discomfort I have is a constant pulling feeling along the skin of my abdoman and a little itchiness of my scar, which is still covered in steri-tape. I'm pretty much back to my usual routine (of course no rigourous excercise or heavy lifting). I have dark scars where the  drains were, but I hope that will fade with time. I am wearing a girdle 24-7 until further notice. The black belly-button that I was worried about turns out to be normal and the blackness was just dried blood that is sloughing off. All in all, whatever discomfort I've had has been worth it because of the dramatic improvement. Even though my recovery is going well and my results are good, it is still my opinion that this operation should not be taken lightly. I believe that only those who have already tried everything else without results and can expect a dramatic improvement should consider a ftt. If you have just a small pooch or just saggy skin or just stretch marks but you look fine in clothes, then the risks and discomfort would probably not be worth it.

 I just had my tummy tuck on November 24, 2008, so I'm 7 days post-op. I had a pain pump in for the first 3 days, so pain of the actual tummy tuck hasn't been too bad. However, the drains are what are making me crazy. They pull at the skin in my groin where they attached by stitches. I hope that I will get them out in a couple of days when I see my dr. Also, I'm worried about my belly button because the inside is completely black. It may be blood that will slough off but I'm worried about necrosis of the belly button. Also, in reading these blogs, I notices that most everyone wore compression garments. My dr. has not advised me to wear one, at least not yet. If anyone has any words of experience to share re: the belly button and the compression garment, I would love to hear it. My tummy is amazingly flat now. Pre-tt I was a size 2 or 4 but looked like I was about 5 months pregnant because of severe diastasis after delivering twins by c-section. Plus I had an umbilical hernia. Now, I have a flat, washboard tummy, so I'm glad I did it and am happy with the results (although wondering about the belly button). For anyone considering this operation, I would advise them to think long and hard. If you really need it because you can't look "normal" with a good diet and excercise program, then I would say go for it with a qualified, board certified dr. And definitely get someone to take care of little kids and also of you for the first week or so.