“6 Months Post Op”

I am 31 years old and a mother of two boys. I am 5'4 and currently weigh 140 lbs. I have been wanting to do this since after having my first child. I gained about 30 lbs with each child and my stomach just never recovered. It seems each pregnancy just made things worse and worse. I also used to have very cute size B breasts but I am currently at a 36D and they have lost all of their shape.

I am scheduled to have a full tummy tuck with lipo and muscle repair and a breast lift on Aug 18th. I'm at the 2 week mark and I have to tell you I am super excited.

I have read everyone's reviews and finally got the courage to join myself.

Updated on 5 Aug 2011:
I started my VitaMedica Clinical Support Program this week. I filled my antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, muscle relaxer and nausea medication this week and next week I will fill my pain pills. I also got some laxative pills.
My doctor's office gave me a supply of topical ointments. Any other recommendations for supplies I should get before hand?

Updated on 8 Aug 2011:
I can't believe my surgery will be here next week. I feel like it has taken forever to get to this date. At least planning to take vacation and running around to meetings will keep me occupied this week. I heard the term nesting used and I think that is appropriate.
I am lucky to have my Mom coming in to take care of me and help my husband with the kids. I will be staying over one night in the hospital so my doctor can monitor me and make sure everything is well before they send me home.

Updated on 11 Aug 2011:
1 week from today!!

I got a call from the hospital to go over my pre-op stuff. Right before the nurse hung up with me she said "You know I'm real jealous you are getting this done"

I have the rest of this week to work and then next week I fly out to have a couple of meetings before my surgery. I hope I will be so busy with work that the time will just fly by.

I had a dream last night that my surgery turned out fantastic so I hope it is a prediction.

Updated on 12 Aug 2011:
Did any of you get specific instructions from your doctor on when to abstain from alcohol before your surgery? I haven't had anything in 2 months but there are some events coming up this next week before my surgery on Thursday. Should I abstain just to be safe?

Updated on 16 Aug 2011:
I have been so busy the last few days that the time has just flown by. I'm flying home in the morning and I will be busy stocking up the house with groceries and last minute things around the house. Hope I can sleep tomorrow night because I have to be at the hospital by 5:30am on Thursday...so exciting!!!

Updated on 17 Aug 2011:
It's the night before and I am having a hard time sitting still. I'm just so worried about all the things in the house that need to be done before I go. I need to take my shower and try to go to sleep. See you guys on the other side. Tell my fat belly rolls goodbye!

Updated on 19 Aug 2011:
Well it's done! Had my surgery at 7am yesterday morning. Doc told me this morning that he took out 1 1/2 liters of fat. I do not miss it one bit. Yesterday was pretty rough for me. The pain wasn't bad but I threw up all day. So this morning I'm happy not to have nausea but I'm pretty sore. I notice the pain a lot more now. I have a pain pump and I have been hitting it a lot this morning. Still haven't see it yet. They said the nurse would help me take my first shower before I can go home so that will be the big reveal. I will try to get some pics when I get home. They said they would take out my drains on my breast already since I've had great improvement.

Updated on 19 Aug 2011:
Posted some pics. Wish I could post more but I'm really loopy and can barely keep my eyes open.

Updated on 20 Aug 2011:
I thought I posted more pics last night but apparently the pain medication had more effect on me than I thought because they were not all posted. Feeling a bit better today. Still in quite a bit of pain. I have one area to the left of my stomach that is very painful to touch. I do feel like I can stand up a little better today. The doc said it should get better each day. I can't wait to get these drains out. They are very annoying to deal with.

Updated on 21 Aug 2011:
I feel like I hit a turning point today. Woke up feeling better than I have all week. I haven't had any pain medication since last night and I seem fine. I'm still taking my Anti-inflammatory and muscle relaxer. I seem to have more energy today too. I got up and took a shower and it felt great. I have my follow up visit on Wednesday and I am hoping the doctor will take out the drains. They are putting out less each day. Those seem to be my biggest annoyance. They keep pulling on my clothes and such and hurt. I'm going to try to take some more pictures tomorrow when I change my dressings. I have some pretty nasty bruises on my hips and around my bra line. Slightly sore, but not too bad.

Updated on 22 Aug 2011:
Just as soon as I feel I'm getting better, something changes and I feel worse. I had a real high fever last night and had to call the doctor. They didn't think it was an infection since the sites looked fine but thought maybe pneumonia was trying to set in. I had to go back to the breathing apparatus. This morning I felt nauseous again as soon as I got up and the bruising is really bad. I'm getting bruises everywhere. Even around the drain sites. Small setback but I guess I am spending the majority of the day in bed again.

Updated on 23 Aug 2011:
Had a good day today and have my doctor's follow up in the morning. Each day gets a bit easier. I only had 1 nap today for about an hour this afternoon. That is a great improvement. I even went out with my Mom to get some lunch to go. Besides the bruising, I'm starting to see some good results. I realize the swelling is still there but I can see what my breast and tummy will look like and I like it. I'm down to only taking the pain medication at night and able to handle it just with Tylenol during the day. I have to take Phenegren with the pain medication so not taking it during the day is preventing me from sleeping all day. I am trying to get into some sort of routine because my Mom will be leaving this weekend and I will be back to work on Monday. Mind you, I work from home and will be able to take it easy still. The only real pain I have is from the drain sites. They have kept me swollen in that area and sore. I feel once these are out, I will be a new woman. The incision sites are really starting to look quite a bit better. I'm hoping to be able and switch to some smaller dressings so I might be able to fit into some of my regular clothes again. I'm definitely glad I went through with this. This few discomforts don't seem to outweigh the benefits I am seeing so far.

Updated on 24 Aug 2011:
Well this day started out great. Had my follow up visit and everything is looking good. They took out my drains and said I didn't have to put dressings or ointment on anything but the drain sites for now. They also said I could wear whatever bra I wanted as long as it didn't have underwire. They took out my belly button stitches. I go back in 10 days for another look and if everything goes well I can switch to Spanx and start using my silicone sheets for the scarring. I felt so good I went straight to the store and bought a new bathing suit top, bras and camis. I had every intention of coming home and taking pictures in my new bathing suit but I got a call from my son's school and he had an accident and they needed me to take him to the hospital. He smacked his head and knees on the concrete and had a laceration on his head that would not stop bleeding. Needless to say I spent the rest of the day in the emergency room. My son is doing great. No stitches and no broken bones but I am pooped! I will do good if I get up for dinner tonight. I tend to be wiped out by dinner time anyway but even more so after today. Pictures will have to wait for when I have more energy and less swelling.

Updated on 26 Aug 2011:
I lose my help tomorrow but I feel I am much stronger than I was and I think I can handle it. Hubby is going to revamp my office this weekend with a comfy couch that I can work from. This will make going back to work on Monday not too bad. I still plan to take breaks and take it easy. It was nice having my mom here this week cooking dinner every night. That is when I am most wiped out so we might not eat too well the first week or so. I posted a pic in my new bikini. Still a bit swollen and bruised but I get the general idea of what it's all going to look like in the end.

Updated on 27 Aug 2011:
Question ladies....how long after your TT did you feel you could stand up straight? I know I am standing up straighter than I was. Now that I have the energy to go places I guess I'm feeling a bit self conscious that I'm bent over like an old lady.

Updated on 29 Aug 2011:
Had my first day back to work today and I am beat. The worst part that I didn't even take into consideration was the binder. When sitting up straight all day the binder inches up and irritated under my breast. I think tomorrow I will try to do part of my work in an elevated state. All of the energy I have been building up the last few days seems to have drained very quickly with work, ha! That sounds about right. My husband commented that my bruises are really starting to fade. I go back to the doctor on Friday and I'm hoping I can switch to Spanx. I think getting rid of the binder will help me feel more normal. I'm not really in pain anymore but you are so limited in your movements with that binder. It's like a back brace. I can't wait until I can buy new clothes. I have my first work trip since surgery end of September and I hope swelling is down enough that I can buy clothes that will continue to fit as the months go by.

Updated on 30 Aug 2011:
Added some before and after shots

Updated on 1 Sep 2011:
So I know they told me not to weigh myself yet because of the swelling but I did it anyway. I'm 8 pounds lighter already. Hopefully it will keep going down but I'm happy with that so far.

Updated on 1 Sep 2011:
This day just got even better. I fit into my slinky red dress that I wore for my engagement party 12 years ago. That totally made my day. I'm not even sure why I kept it. I had pretty much got rid of anything that small a long time ago. I can't wait to go clothes shopping. This might be the only time I've ever been excited about needing new clothes.

Updated on 2 Sep 2011:
Had my 2nd follow up visit at doctor today and it went great. Got rid of my binder. Switched to Spanx and it feels so much better. My recovery is doing so well. Doctor says I am ahead of the curve as far as my recovery goes. I should be able to start using the silicone sheets within the next 2 weeks. I'm marveling at the fact that I can already wear my old clothes and I know as the swelling goes down, it will just get better. Very happy with my results!

Updated on 5 Sep 2011:
I went on a huge shopping trip yesterday to buy clothes. I had to get a few things that would work for my business trip in a couple of weeks. I felt great when I left. Was busy trying on clothes everywhere and was happy that I was fitting into smaller clothes. However, I really paid for it when I got home. I was so swollen and uncomfortable. It definitely was the worse swelling I've had so far. Husband says I should stay off my feet today and give it a rest.

Updated on 9 Sep 2011:
Had a rough couple of days. Seems the nerve endings are healing because I'm getting a lot more feeling back. I was putting ice packs on in the evening to reduce the swelling but now that is painful. It feels too cold. I do good until the end of the day and then I'm sore from everything rubbing against my clothes.

Wish there was something that truly helped with the swelling. Has anyone talked to their doctor about taking diuretics? I know it's just part of the process but I feel so fat at the end of the day.

I would take some more pictures but I'm waiting for some of the crusting to disappear. Hopefully soon so I can start the silicone sheets.

Updated on 10 Sep 2011:
Looking at some pros and cons at my 3 week PO mark.

Pros-
-Despite the swelling I can fit into all my pre surgery clothes. I even bought a pair of pants a size smaller.
-Crusting is starting to fall off and some parts of my scar are already starting to fade.
-My body is definitely starting to take shape
- I get more energy every day

Cons-
-I still have some rippling and lumps on my stomach. Hope these smooth out soon.
- Still have puckering near certain parts of the scar.
-Hypersensitive skin especially towards the end of the day.
-Peeling skin

I posted some new pics today as well.

Updated on 10 Sep 2011:
Looking at some pros and cons at my 3 week PO mark.

Pros-
-Despite the swelling I can fit into all my pre surgery clothes. I even bought a pair of pants a size smaller.
-Crusting is starting to fall off and some parts of my scar are already starting to fade.
-My body is definitely starting to take shape
- I get more energy every day

Cons-
-I still have some rippling and lumps on my stomach. Hope these smooth out soon.
- Still have puckering near certain parts of the scar.
-Hypersensitive skin especially towards the end of the day.
-Peeling skin

I posted some new pics today as well.

Updated on 16 Sep 2011:
Do any of you still have pain with the drain holes? I'm 4 weeks PO and at night I still get burning pain with the drain holes. I would like to use an ointment with pain relief but my doctor's office was pretty adamant about not using Neosporin, only Polysporin. Do they make Polysporin with pain relief? I feel stupid taking pain medication for a superficial/topical pain.

Updated on 13 Oct 2011:
It's been a while since I have been on because I have been so busy. Thought I would pop on to celebrate 8 weeks today! Took a few pics this morning as well.

Feeling really good. I'm back at the gym, although stomach exercises are still a no go. I get really bad swelling after I do them. Most of my swelling is starting to subside. I still have some but not nearly as bad as before. I can go the majority of the day without compression garments now. I still wear Spanx when I work out and if I know I'm going to be on my feet all day.
I still have some hard spots that I am trying to massage daily to soften up. I'm really starting to see a difference in the scars by using the silicone sheets.

Updated on 3 Nov 2011:
So I need to see if anyone else is having strange swelling at the 10-11 week mark. I am completely done with swelling below the belly button. It is as flat as it can be. But now I have swelling above the belly button and it is bad. I have it first thing in the morning which I find strange. Usually the morning is the best time. It is very weird looking too. Could this be something other than swelling? Should I be concerned? I'll try to take some pictures later if I get a chance. It has caused a part of my belly button scar to widen.

Updated on 15 Nov 2011:
Almost 13 weeks post op and feeling great. I'm not wearing any Spanx anymore which is very liberating. I still wear an undershirt to tuck in if I'm wearing jeans. Just because it still feels icky having jeans right on the skin.
I bought quite a few new clothes over the weekend. My shirt size has went down to a medium and I'm able to wear button up shirts-YAY! My large breasts never allowed me to do this before. My jean size is pretty much the same as before, maybe a bit smaller. My butt and hips are the same size and all my weight and problems where higher up on the stomach. The only great difference now is I don't have a huge muffin top lapping over anymore. It's fantastic. I feel so much better about myself now. I still have minor swelling but nothing major anymore.

Updated on 21 Feb 2012:
Yesterday I was officially 6 months post op. The last week I feel I have finally made a turn around. I haven't had any swelling for a whole week! The only part I was still having swelling was the upper belly. I was getting discouraged because every time I worked out I swelled horribly. However, this week I have worked out every day and so far so good. I'm really anxious to start working out those muscles and toning everything up. I go to the doctor tomorrow to have my 6 month check up and to take my after shots. I made some before/after shots this morning.