Tummy Tuck: Stories

Hello RealSelf world! I am 31 years old with 3 children ranging from 15 to 5 mos. I am scheduled to have a TT on Dec 19th. No one knows other than my husband... Then of course, you all know now. Ha. Anyway, I am having the TT for a couple of reasons; I have had 3 c sections that have left me with oober saggy skin, I had a hernia removed from my belly button, and the scar left a deformed thingamajig so I have never been able to wear a bathing suit, and because my dream outfit is a tank top and pair of jeans.(I'm a plain girl) I cannot wear such a thing because of the muffin top that creates a bad visual and paranoya on my behalf.

I work out for the most part and am proud of my figure. I was 135 for the longest. I'm 5'8 which is relatively tall. I looked at some pics of that time and thought I looked... well... sick. Now that I'm a woman, I want to look womanly, not girly if that makes sense. I gained 60 lbs with this last pregnancy and lost a bit, so I'm at 170. Ideally, 150 is cool.

I am very exicted and I have enjoyed reading all of the stories. I will get up some before pics right before I have the procedure. Bye for now!Updated on 12 Oct 2011:Well, I'm about 2 months from my date. I cant find time to work out because my schedule is bonkers. As a result, I decided to eat healthier in hopes of losing a good 8 lbs before my surgery. Sigh... Will Dec 19th ever get here?

On another note, though I do appreciate photos of my fellow tummy tuckers with their new bellies, I'm honestly more concerned with how I will look in fitted shirt, jeans and cardigans. Does anyone else think this way? Any suggestions on whose page I can get an idea from? I just cant fathom one day not having this jelly belly.Updated on 24 Oct 2011:Well, today I went to my ps's office to see his portfolio of work. My excitement grew to the extreme because his photos are as wonderful as the results of a lot of ladies on the site. November is right around the corner, so December will be here before my very eyes! I'm oooober excited!Updated on 29 Oct 2011:I've decided to upload some photos today. It's weird, but even without my face showing, I find it embarrassing. *sigh* Oh well... Here goes nothing!Updated on 31 Oct 2011:I would like to lose 15 lbs by Dec 19th. Any suggestions on some healthy ways to drop the weight? I do not have time to work out though :-(Updated on 5 Nov 2011:I cannot believe that I can say that my tt is next month! I paid for the procedure in August, and that seemed so long ago! Anyway, I have been delivered!

I had a major addiction to sweet, delicious, sugary, fattening desserts! Some way, some how, I went the entire week without over induldging! How did I do it? Well, the answer in is the title... I have been delivered! lol!

What a week, what a week! I will be down 15 lbs before I know it! Then I will have the tt and be the finest thing in my area. Ha! Just kidding, but I will be wearing my lovely tshirts and jeans. My plain jane will be back and f a b u l o u s! Whooo-hoooo!Updated on 21 Nov 2011:Goodness Gracious! I had to get dressed this weekend to go to a casual event, and boy oh boy was I glad that the TT was coming soon! I looked a mess in my jeans! But then I smiled at myself and said, "this won't be a complaint ever again after December." I put on a jacket and walked out my door with my head up and my pride on my side!

I have less than 1 month to go! I can and will do this. I am excited despite the horror stories I have picked up on. Oh yeah! It is all good! Well, have a super Monday!Updated on 30 Nov 2011:Hey there TTers! I am so excited now! No other words for it... excited! Not nervous, apprehensive, reluctant or anything else... EXCITED! But I have to say that I saw a celebrity of which I will not mention names, but she just had a set of twins and is on the cover of US. Anyway, she says in the article that she has lost her baby weight from diet and exercise, however, from all of the wonderful photos from RealSelf, I know a TT belly button when I see one! Ha! Busted! I just wish she would go ahead and join the site with us and be for real! Anyway... have a super Wednesday!Updated on 1 Dec 2011:Happy December! Especially to my fellow TTers this month! I have a question! When I hold in my stomach all tight, I look so thin! I am wondering if it is likely that my stomach will look as thin as the sucking in pose. Ha! I know it's corny, but I want a realistic idea!Updated on 21 Dec 2011:Hey there! I had the TT done on Monday, December 19th. I don't remember much between now and then. I was in a lot of pain, but I'm feeling better by the moment. The procedure took 2 hours. I remember falling asleep then being awakened by nurses trying to get me to move to a recliner.

I am not draining much at all and I am about to stop taking my pain med. I wish I could potty like most ladies on here day. I still haven't eaten. Well, I've eaten some nuts and raisins, but that's it. I wish I could have a bowl of soup of something, but the thought of eating makes me sick!

Well, I will update again later.Updated on 22 Dec 2011:This is day 4 and I feel better. I am still in a lot of pain, but I was able to hold my baby today, so I feel better. I am sore in the muscle area, and I feel like the drains are pulling which is annoying.

I am swollen, but flat and that feels good. I look forward to wearing clothes. I will keep updating as I can.

...and today. Day 5. I'm still hurting, slow and a bit bent over. I am officially done with all pain meds! I've been hallucinating! No kidding. I saw my teenage son in shiny lipgloss and hoop diamond earring. Then I saw my entire neighborhood Smuf blue with Smuf blue Cadillacs parked out front. WHAT? I need healing. I'm going bonkers. I can't remember anything else that I saw in my sleep, but I know it was all just some dreams or nightmares. Trust me, my son in lipgloss and hoops is not a good image.

Maybe tomorrow I will feel normal. Oh and as for these drains, I am barely draining anything so I'm sure they will be gone Tuesday. I hope everyone is doing well! God bless you all!

DAY 5- What? What? Who finally woke up feeling herself? ME! Booo-ya! Oh yeah, raising the roof over here! SCORE! And if you cannot tell, I am beyond excited about feeling like ME!

So basically, I took a pain pill at 3:00 a.m. despite the fact that I begin to see crazy things in my sleep! Seriously, it's like watching a dumb movie on the back of my eyelids. One with no plot, setting, reasoning or anything. Well this morning, I saw some silliness again. I can't remember it all, but I do remember sparkles and a basketball gym, but not a pep rally....

Pain is way tolerable. I noticed that my daughter put silly bands on the Christmas tree. That wasn't a hallucination either. I laughed and made it through.

I showered myself and put on a white cami afterwards. I wasn't lumpy but smooth as can be. That brought a smile to my face. I am taking pics but will edit them and post later. Have a great day!!!

Hey everyone! I'm 7 days post op and feeling fine. I'm not near where I want to be but I'm surely beyond how I felt on day 3. I have put on a few articles of clothing and even with the cg they look great! Today I can honestly say investing in the tt was one of the best decisions I've made regarding my body. I will post pics tomorrow after my drains are removed!

Hey there good people! I got one drain removed today and boy did it hurt! I made it though because I am woma, hear me roar! I didn't get the other one out because it isn't procedure to remove them both symotamiously. Oh well. Friday already has a highlight because I get it gone then if I'm not draining 20 Ccs. On a happier note, next Wenesday I start the process for my breast reduction. Yippeeeeeeeee!!!!!! G's you have got to go!

But how do I feel today? I feel fine. The stitches coming out didn't hurt at all. I'm still a bit sore but it is so bearable. I feel great! Well thanks for reading!

Day 9- I feel fine today. I'm still not feeling too legit to quit but it is all good. Sadly my bra rolls returned. I don't know how or why but I'm so disappointed about that. Oh well Maybe they will go away with the breast reduction.

Hey guys! I finally feel so much better! So much so that I haven't even been home for the last couple of days. I've been shopping and going to different sporting events. I have been swelling, but it isn't bothersome. I must admit that I am extrememly surprised by the fact that without huge amount of skin, I am still bigger... weird!

Well if you have any quesitons, please let me know. I check this page more than facebook! Ha!

2 weeks post op! I have returned to work today and who would have thought? I remember thinking a week ago that it would be impossible for me to return to work in 2 weeks. I was so wrong! I feel really good!

I absolutely still have some discomfort, but nothing that I can't handle. It's funny, yesterday, I went to church and was scared to take off my jacket because I didn't want it to be obvious that I had a procedure. No one noticed a single thing lol. I was embarrassed after I did that.

I wore a spanx instead of the CG. Why oh why did I do that? I felt so... so... naked lol! But I got over it!

I am at work today and so far so good. I also must say that if you notice on my pics, I looks uneven on my hips where I had lipsuction. Well, I have been massaging that and it looks better.

Well happy New Year TTS! Love ya'll! (even the ones I don't know!) HA!

Hey Ya'll! Goodness Gracious! I swelled like a whale yesterday after work! It was horrible. It was so bad that I thought that I may have popped my sutures and my abdominal wall spread back. Then I woke up this morning flat again, so I was cool. I tried to wear a Spanx today instead of the CG.... I took that thing off not too long ago and put back on my CG.

I'm 2 weeks and 1 day post op. I go back to my PS tomorrow! We will take pics for the reduction then! I am beyond stoked! Well, if you have any questions, let me know!

I'm 18 days post op and just found out that tts need to wait 6 weeks before intercourse! That's like having a baby!!! Well since I had about 7 lbs of skin and fat removed, I did have a baby lol.

I still haven't seen my scar and won't until the strips come off. I feel like I have a pooch but I'm hoping it is swelling and being bloated. Overall I'm happy that I did this.

If you have any questions please ask!

Hey Ladies! I am 3 weeks post op today. I feel so much like myself. I am not 100% but I am surely close to it. I almost slept on my stomach last night. That was exciting. The only complaints I would have are the swelling and uneveness on my right side. I have noticed that in the very early morning, I can get a nice glimpse of my final result on the left side. I have a beautiful hour glass shape again. But then on the right side, it looks very strange...

One more thing... I had a 1 day post op visit and a 2 week. My PS said the next time he sees me will be for the 6 month visit. Is that bizarre or what? I read about some of the ladies on here who goes on the 1 month, 3 month, and then 6 month appt.

I hope you all are having a lovely Monday!

2legit2quit :-)

Good morning TT Friends! I am 4.5 weeks post op, and I feel really good. I decided to try to wean myself from the CG this week, and all is well. I get some twitches here and there, and I also find myself getting bloated and having my stomach feeling like it is about to explode by the end of the day. When this happens, I just put on my CG and lay it down.

I feel like I look really good. My right side still swells and look deformed, but in the morning, it doesn't look this way. This gives me hope and leads me to believe that it is just part of the swelling and will subside later.

I will post pics later this evening. I stil come to the site daily are read the updates. I think I will for quite some time. Everyday is a day of healing. If you are about to have a TT or you have already had one and find yourself annoyed at the slow healing, just know that it gets better. I promise!

Hey ladies! I have a question... I'm wondering how many of us are holding in our stomachs when taking pictures for this site. I'm asking because some look so flat, and though my doc sewed and sewed my muscles, I've yet to naturally look as flat as most of the pics from reviews. When I hold my tummy in, I look ideal, but I'm wondering if this is the case for most. Please let me know so I don't call and complain for no reason.

Another question... Has anyone had their menstral after the TT? I did and either I was Oober bloated OR super swelled OR I'm not flat. I would describe the was I looked as a "pop belly" :-(. I will patiently wait for replies. Thanks guys

Hello all! I am 6 weeks post op today and feeling great. I have no pain whatsoever unless I sneeze. I am still swollen most days. Even on some mornings I am swollen. It looks like a little buldge that I was worried about but not anymore.

I guess I was really afraid that swollen was an excuse because you weren't as flat as you thought you would be. That's what was in my head. Regardless I look a lot better. I finally got the tape off of my incision and can see my scar. It is dark, but very, very thin. I am using Mederma. I've only used it for two days, but we shall see what happens later.

I am not always wearing my Spanx. The CG is no longer for me. It was stretched out. The back of it was cutting in to my skin. I think that's about all I have to offer with this review. Have an AMAZING Monday!

I am 8 weeks post op and feeling pretty good. I still swell by the end of the day. I swell so much that I wonder if it is really swelling or plain ole fat. I remember before the TT I would wake up significantly smaller than I ended up by the time I got off work. I don't see the difference here. Nevertheless, it is a lot better than before the TT.

My incision is lovely. It was really dark at first, but now it is hardly visible. I am really proud of it. I am down 10 lbs since the procedure. That feels really good on the inside. After my breast reduction, I am going to work out like nobody's business. I have such large twins that I can't jump, so I avoid the gym all together. I've been eating much better.

I think I will need a bit more lipo on my flanks. They literaly fold under. It isn't adorable at all. When I sit, I still have a layer of stomach. I hope this resides over time because I really don't want to be poked or sucked out of again.... Well have a great week and I'll update next week!

Good morning all!
I am now two months and a week and half post op. I am definitely flatter, but one thing that's not the bizness is the fact that my flanks and love handles are still very fatty. Late in the day, I can literally pinch a super thick chunk. IT reminds me of what I was able to pinch on my stomach before I had the TT. It makes me pretty discouraged.

As for flatness of my stomach, I even feel that I have a buldge above my belly button. I don't know if it's permanent or not. All I know is that It will have to be fixed. I don't like the fact that I don't see the PS until my 6 month post op appt. So he saw me at 2 weeks then 6 months... RUDE! In the mean time, I guess I will keep eating better so that he cannot say it's because I didn't take care of myself.

Well, I am still glad I did this. I am not wearing my CG ever. I only wear a SPANX when i need to tuck in my shirt. If you have any questions, please let me know.

Well hello there! I am just about 3 months post op. Nothing much has changed. I feel pretty good and am healing well. I am trying not to focus too much on the TT because I do find myself discouraged on some days. The tummy gets really big like I am a blowfish or something. I don't like it at all. But it could very well just be part of healing.

I had a breast reduction this past week, so my newly pic reflects a surgical bra that's simply no sexy. lol. But my scar is healing well. I need to work out and tone these jiggly thighs I have. I have lost a total of 17lbs since the TT. i am really proud of that. I've been watching what I eat using myfitnesspal.com. If you have the time to plug in your foods, it will help tremendously. If you have any questions, please ask.

Please excuse the no bra pics. It is easier to add pics that show my tummy along with my reduction. Here are my 4 months updated photos. So far, so good. I have some serious love handles, but I remember the doc telling me that I would be able to get those liposuctioned in his office at no charge, however, I am not so sure that I want to have another procedure. I will start working out this week, so hopefully I can get rid of them by exercise. We shall see...

I still swell. Worse, I got my tubes tied. Apparently,they inflate your stomach with oxygen, so I have a pop belly right now. It will go down though. Well, have fun updating and reading!!!

Happy New Year Guys!!

I have not updated in forever! Nothing much has happened or changed except for his past week. I had a dog ear revision this past week. It was an uncanny week because this time a year ago, I was in a similar though not as extreme pain.

I have not lost much weight at all. I am currently 165! That's descent I guess, but like many of you all, my resolution is to drop 14 lbs this year. I can do it!

Well, a year later, I am flat and was pain free until the revision. I don't have any swelling anymore. That's such a blessing. I still bloat and get a puff tummy, but I like that I still look natural. After the tummy tuck, no one noticed a thing, so I transitioned well. However, after the breast reduction, I had a lot of questions about weightless.