My Tummy Tuck Journey - Syracuse, NY

I followed up with Dr. DeRoberts today and, when he came in, he asked if I had put up a review on RealSelf. Lol I have to admit, it took me a second to remember (I know, I know, I ignored all those reminders to update my review), but yup, this is me! It's a good thing he mentioned it because that's the only reason I remembered to come back on here and update this! I think reviews like this are really important for people trying to making an informed decision. If you don't have a bunch of friends who went through the same thing (and unless you live in Beverly Hills, who does?!), RealSelf is great for finding pictures, opinions, and experiences that are 100% honest. There's no reason for anyone to lie. No one is getting paid, no one takes down posts that are critical, and you can have an ongoing dialogue with doctors, patients, and other like-minded people. But I digress.....

I met up with Dr. DeRoberts and discussed my side rolls. Actually, I feel like my right side has gotten a bit better, but my left side got worse. He said he could go back in and lipo both side to try and flatten it out. This will be done under local anesthesia (I'll be awake for the procedure), it will take about an hour, and I should be good after a day or so (which was a pleasant surprise). I think I'll try to plan the procedure for a Friday so I don't have to take a bunch of time off from work, but I have to check with my friend to see if she'll take me.

It's funny, looking back on my old pictures, it seems somewhat nit-picky now to complain about my side rolls. I've gotten so used to my flatter stomach that I almost forgot how bad it was before! I can hear my old self saying "Really?! THAT'S what you're complaining about??? I'd pay to have your problems!!!"...yup....too funny.

So, Dr. DeRoberts, if you end up reading this, thanks! So far, this has been a great experience and I'm sure it will only get better. Make sure your staff knows I appreciate everything they've done as well. I'm pleased I decided to go through with getting this procedure AND that I chose you to do it.

(....and you're welcome for the advertising lol. Besides this review, everyone I work with knows about my surgery and I've handed out a few of your business cards to interested individuals. Maybe you should start a referral bonus program!) ;-)

I've started only wearing my binder at night (per the dr's advice). During the day, I usually wear one of those shapewear things because having some support helps, plus it keeps my clothes from rubbing on the incision. Speaking of the incision, it looks great! I'm shocked at how good it looks already; I was expecting MUCH worse. My only problem with it has been that, at the far right end, it opened up just enough (under a cm wide) to bleed a tiny little bit, but that's not that bad (stings a little, but that's all).

The roll on my right side has gotten a bit better, but it's definitely still there. I finally figured it out, though. It wasn't from the binder and it isn't trapped fluid....it was my original fat roll! The top crease is the one that used to go to my belly button and the bottom crease is the one that used to run from my hip down. For whatever reason, it didn't get completely flattened out during the tuck. I don't know what will have to be done to fix it (lipo, extend the incision and pull it flat, etc), but I hope it can be fixed sooner rather than later because it really is ugly. The super weird thing is, just before the surgery, I kept having nightmares that my fat rolls just got moved from the front to the side...and that's kinda what happened!

Today was the first day I had "intimate time" with my boyfriend. He thinks it looks great (he was hesitant at first because I think he thought that it was going to be really gross looking). He was extremely complimentary and that made me feel really good (he always is - he's been extremely supportive through this whole thing, especially considering how new the relationship is - but this was different). I didn't do it for him (or anyone else) and he has said he didn't think I needed it in the first place, but it meant a lot that he really, really liked it.

So that's it for now! This will be my first full week at work. I went back to work on a graduated schedule - two days the first week and four the second (because of Memorial Day). I'm really glad I planned it that way because it worked out well. This week, however, I'm sure will seem really long!

Here are the photos of the roll on my right side. It honestly looks worse in person than it does in the photos. It just annoys me because the whole point of the surgery was to get RID of the rolls, not just move them from the front to the side. But beyond the look of it, it hurts. It's fine when I'm wearing the binder, but when I take it off, I get stabbing pains in the fold above the roll. I really hope it's not permanent and something can be done to get rid of it. It's #1 on my list of things to address at my follow up appointment tomorrow!