“12weeks post Tummy Tuck, swelling,puckering improved but still haunting me, ”

Ok 5 day countdown is on to TT. Im very nervous, after 7 children and 60 years my mid section isnt what it was. I have been a fitness instructor and personal trainer for over 25 years, so have spent most of my adult life doing varying forms of exercise including weight training. I also do around 2 hrs of cardio per day.but im afraid gravity has eventually won.

I would love some tips on how to get through the recovery, what to expect etc.I hate being sick and sitting around so any tips for coping with that would be great too.I also cant tollerate Morphine so will have to rely on an alternative, which is also a worry. I am also totally without scars or stretch marks, and have not a lot of body fat, mainly loose skin, so am a little sad at the large scar, and have to keep reminding myself that the flat non hanging tummy are worth it, again any tips for the best scar results?

I will post pictures before I leave for hospital and then again after.Thanks to all who take the time to read and reply

Updated on 3 Dec 2011:
3 day countdown, and packing the bags , finishing super cleaning the house, so it stays clean as long as possible as I dont trust my husband to keep it quite the way I do.


Just wondering those of you already been through this , how long until they stood up straight and how is the belly button ? It becomes an unnatural bellybutton so does it pass as the real thing?


Thank again

Updated on 5 Dec 2011:
1 Day togo!!!!!!I have cooked 6 meals and frozen them., My bag is packed, and I am nervous as hell.


I think of nothing else but this bloody opp.


I am still working ( I am a fitness tainer) and everyone wants to keep going , getting ready for Christmas.


Its so wonderful having support from other,s in the same boat, Im so grateful, for there time taken to write .


I have organized fluid retention cell salts to take after surgery, plus have my thrush therapy (just in case) and inner health to put my gut back in shape after the antibiotics. Tried to get the Silicone strips but they are sooo expensive here in Australia . So will just rely on my own body to do the job.


Any other tips?

Updated on 9 Dec 2011:
Not sure whether its day 3 or 4, its Saturday and surgery was Wednesday at mid day?


Anyway off drips and PCA,Still havnt showered, still in hospital.Nursing staff have been a mixed bag,have been ignored, left without a wash and pain meds, and pampered, with the nurse bringing in icepacks, and proping me up for comfort,ughhh....Love it when the pampering happens.


Havnt even seen Dr. yet?? think thats, a little wierd, they usually come in each day, but got a call last night, his kids yelling in the background, asking me how I was.


That was the night the nurses couldnt be bothered getting me a sleeping tablet or cenocot for constipation. Thankfully the next nurse on didnt have the same difficulty and it was all done in a wink and I was off to sleep, no pain, thankfully.


Think my Dr. will be in today, and maybe have alook at the results, feel real mixed about this,scared it wont be worth all the pain etc. Is this what everyone worries about?


Well hope someone is out there to communicate with, feel pretty isolated here,as my husband cant come visit.


Looking forward to the first shower though,might feel normal again.


Didnt tell friends or family about procedure, they think Im in for back opp. so hope I pull it off alright. Its considered a bit vain having cosmetic stuff done, but I am vain


no appologies.


Look forward to hearing from someone?

Updated on 12 Dec 2011:
1st day home, and all I can say is I dont know what id do without Realself... thank you to all who keep in touch, and please anyone feel free to answer or give me your experiences as well.


We had a 2 1/2hr drive home , which was relatively easy as sitting isnt a problem, just got out of the car each hr to walk around as per dr. instructions.


I immediately wanted to clean the floor, walk to the beach, go shopping, play with grandkids and work ughhhhh


ofcourse after standing and walking for 15 mins I was exhausted , my tummy felt extremely tight and I feel like something is wrong.!!!So didnt do any of the above (dosnt mean I still dont want to)


Ive asked my husband to do some of these things , but he dosnt think they need doing, and they probably dont!


Anyway, what is other,s experience with 1/ Standing straight. 2/ swelling.3/ going back to work.


After seeing my poor tummy, Im just amazed it can stretch at all, how does it do it?


I am drinking loads of water, I only have small amounts of Celtic sea salt, and I am resting regularly.


I am having 1 coffee a day and I would like a wine sometime, what more can I do?


I have also read some posts where some are still not standing upright for 6 months and still very very swollen, is that extreme , is something possibly wrong?


It is so frustrating and I cant wait to walk upright, oh forgot a big question, when can I swim? Thank you all so much

Updated on 25 Dec 2011:
Im on day 19 post opp. and have developed an area under my skin around the right side of my naval that is raised and when I touch it , it ripples with fluid, can anyone tell me what this is and what I do, ? I am also draining slowly but constantly from the left old drainage hole, so not completely healed yet, is this normal?


I still feel pulling when standing upright, but its not all I think about , so not as bad. Pain is gone, can even cough and laugh, (not too vigourously)


Stitches out on day 16 for the naval, all except one which we can't find the knot for (nurse, tried hard enough, it was bleeding) looking again later, they are certainly hidden. Cant really see results properly yet, no its too early, but my tummy is very flat and smooth, except for the fluid area, seemed less swollen this morning other than that area.


I have been walking around an hour a day,and basically back to normal activities other than no lifting, which is hard with the grand children.


Love to hear back from those who have had some experiences like this, as I can't contact my dr. until after christmas will have to go to GP or hospital if needed.


Thank you

Updated on 25 Dec 2011:
Can I hear from anyone out there with a seroma ?

Updated on 30 Dec 2011:
17 days post op. Wow it does go quickly, was doing pictures this morning, but the day got away, will try again tomorrow. Morning is best as swelling distorts the shape a little
I have a wet section on the incision scar where the last drain was, its still leaking and causing me some concern, as a result I'm still on anti biopics, as a precaution. Can swim when it heals , so very eager to heal, as we have 42 degree weather predicted for the next few days, ill be sitting in the air con. by the looks of things.
Tummy looks great otherwise, belly button seems to be healing well, my back is truly killing, (don't see much mention of this from others??) is this still me bending forward a little, I try so hard to stand straight, but the pulling is still pretty intense. I know it gets the better of me when I'm tired.
Still wearing the binder, just go into a lighter one (only started yesterday) to go out in nice skinny clothes.
Pain totally under control.
Swelling seems to still be in lipo,d area, is this normal or is the lipo just not good enough? when do you know?
Thanks to anyone for listening, and adding their comments

Updated on 7 Jan 2012:
ok, surgery was 1 month yesterday, and I really want to see what I will look like, Please please will someone talk to me who is further down the track?
I am almost losing hope, although what I would do about that, I dont know.?
I am so swollen on the right side and where I had lipo on my love handles on the right side , looks either swollen or uneven with the left side,I still have right hand love handle!Also the right side of my abdomen is still very swollen and the pucking on the right side more pronounced.
I have a very small amount of draining from the first drain hole, but only a drop now. so hopefully will finish soon, and I can swim.
I really cant see what I am going to get, or at least I hope I cant , cause if this is it, I will be devistated.
Am posting pics of 3 weeks then 1 month milestone,s including close ups, of puckering, so any information or feedback will be so appreciated.
On a good note, no pain, still not doing weights, as dr. said 6 weeks, so not long, my training buddy is very impatient. Being an old time body builder, my weights are heavy and no point with the light ones, so will just wait it out.
stretching is still bothering, and seem to have some stretch marks appearing under my boobs, but I hope im imagining this. Will find out at ps visit, I guess.
Thanks for taking time to read, if you got this far.Good luck to all you girls out there .

Updated on 13 Jan 2012:
ok, 2 questions 1/ How do you get the Dr.s on Realself to answer a question? I have asked the question about the pleating/ridges on the upper half of my wound a couple of times hoping for some answers from them also , but no such luck, so wondered where I direct the question, the second question is do any other,s have trouble with their husbands after this procedure?
My husband dosnt want to look at me, let alone touch me, I am finding it very distressing, I feel down anyway and this is making me feel absolutely horrible. I am wishing I didn't get this done, as I feel like we will never be the same again.
He, when asked about 10 times tells me, he didn't want me to get it done ( not what he said before) and he hates the scar/puckering/flatness of my tummy, he can see know way of it getting any better, we see the ps on Monday so hope he can reassure him, as Im not having any luck. He just gets angrier with me.
Please please someone help.!

Updated on 16 Jan 2012:
Well, 6 weeks down post opp Went to my PS visit yesterday for the checkup, and he is happy with my progress, I have a small skin irritation near a drain hole. I thought it was leaking from the wound , but apparently it is only an irritation from a self dissolving stitch. Will settle with time,
I CAN SWIM! YAHOO, He believes 90% of the swelling has settled and I should relax and enjoy my new tummy.
If I have advise for anyone else, It would be to do just that.
Sometimes the negative stories from others dosnt help, unfortunately.
I can't thank all you beautiful ladies enough for sharing, but I think Im too much of a worry wort , so need to just take my own journey, as well.
My scar line is very very low, which is great on one level, but would have loved it to go up at the end,s to fit into my bikini. Although next summer when it is a white line, Im sure it will be ok.
I still have a raised scar line which it sounds like will persist for up to a year.
Will post new pictures after tomorrow.
Thanks again for everyone,s help.

Updated on 28 Feb 2012:
Well this has been a long time coming , but life just gets going once recovery is on the way, especially with 7 children 7 grandchildren and a personl training business to run.
Today is 12 weeks post opp., I'll start with the good stuff.....
Have been wearing my bikini with pride, once the scar is covered, my lovely flat tummy looks amazing and my profile without the lumps of love handles looks great too.
I have been swimming and sunbathing to my hearts content, and even wearing a midrif top to show off!!! Thank you ps.
The down side,The puckering is still quite prominent and I really hate hate hate the scar in general.
My scar is like a very wiggly line up higher on the right side , infact love to hear from others about there scar, Please , please, please.
Infact my scar is totally different on the left side to the right side, I like the left side better, the love handle is smaller, the scar flat and lower and more faded, how come???
I still occasionally wear my compression garment, (didnt wear the lighter ones , I bought at all, so my advise is dont buy them) the tightness is still very apparent,, infact I feel as if I have a very tight girdle on .
I am in a smaller sized jean and pants, but just the one size, I was a 6/8 and now Im a 4/6 but im happy with that, I didnt mind my size.
I am back doing abdominal work, as I normally did, I also do heavy weight training and Im fully back to that.
Love to hear from other,s thanks for listening
Good luck all tummy tuck ladies