Tummy Tuck: Stories

I am 47, mother of 3 (24, 21, 17), 5’5 and currently 165lbs. My main purpose for writing this and posing my pics is for anyone who is in the recovery period and feel like they are the only one who hasn’t hit the flat side or they aren’t looking as good as everyone else.

After the birth of my daughter, I lost all my baby weight and was 120lbs but had the “flap.” Next came 2 more babies and each time I gained more and more weight. Fast forward to 3 years ago, I was 225lbs and I knew I needed to do something. I started exercising, hired a personal trainer and took an ongoing weight loss bible study at church. Slowly but surely I lost 60 lbs, yes it took 3 years, but I never tried the fad diets because I knew I would gain it back. I knew I had to change my lifestyle and that would take some time. I have wanted a tt for 20 years but decided at the beginning of my weight lost journey that 50lbs was when I would get it. June 2012, I hit my 50lb loss.

Jan 4, 2013 was my day, full tt with bl. I had a breast reduction when I was 18 and the girls needed an adjustment. I didn’t know about this site until a week after my surgery, so I didn’t even think to take before pics not to mention I didn’t know I’d want them to compare. Nothing bad has happened, no seroma’s, no infection, I’m very thankful for that, but recovery has been very frustrating. I had no idea how bad the swelling would get and how tired I would be. I think my PS did a great job; it’s just my body that is not co-operating! In all honesty, I think my expectations are just a little too high, after all I’m supposed to be superwoman!

My PS says I have visceral fat in my upper belly that exercise should take care of. I wish lipo could have taken care of that, but it took me many years to gain it, I can’t expect it to all go away overnight. I’m addicted to going to the gym now so I have confidence I can get that taken care of.

I haven’t wanted to post pics because I don’t feel my belly looks as good as everyone else’s, but I decided it’s important to put them out there because everyone won’t have the perfect body and we all recover at different rates. If putting my pics out there can help even one woman not feel so bad about herself then it is worth it.

I am so happy I got this done even if I don’t have a completely flat tummy. When I look at my before pics (that my PS took) and look at myself now, there really is a major improvement. I started back to the gym at 8 weeks which created more swelling but it has helped my emotional well-being and I know in the long run it can only help. The swelling seems to go in cycles, just when you think maybe the worst is over, it comes back. I made a conscious choice to quit fretting about the swell hell days, they used to really take a toll on me and I had to stop. Now I just keep reminding myself that it is all part of the process. This too shall pass.

I’m starting with my heaviest weight pic and putting the good, the bad, and the ugly! Between 8 & 9 weeks I swelled up and was distended; saw the PS and he said it is all part of healing. I also took some “suck in” and “normal” pics. I may not have a flat stomach but I look a hundred times better and better yet, I FEEL a thousand times better. So without further adieu, I am posting my pics (as I am cringing and my heart rate is going up!)

3 month update - I still have daily swelling, but at least now it mostly goes away by the next morning. I swear by the detox baths though. Yesterday I was a hot swollen mess, took a bath and within an hour felt so much better, didn't have all that pressure in my stomach. This morning I woke up feeling great with minimal swelling.
Around week 11 is when I started feeling "normal." My energy was back to normal and I felt good.
I still have around 15ish lbs to lose, I need to get rid of that upper belly fat. Can't wait to be able to do crunches, but it will come in time. Until then there are plenty of exercises I can do and I will be patient!
I am still so amazed at how what seemed like 20lbs of blubber on my belly was only a couple of lbs but what a difference it makes in body shape once it is gone.

15 weeks po. I haven't added pics as there isn't really anything new to show. Swelling is slowly getting better and my insides still feel like they are "fusing" together, it's a nice tight feeling though. I had shoulder surgery last week for a bone spur/impingement and the pain meds have me distended again. One thing I did learn is that with a flatter belly you can become distended very quickly and it is very uncomfortable. This encourages me to consistently eat clean, not to mention a daily dose of stool softners and a fiber 1 bar! I spoke to my PS about my dog ear and at my next appt (Sept) I will get that removed, it sounds like an easy enough fix. I am really anxious for my shoulder to heal because I can't wait to get back to my normal strength training. I want to get rid of this visceral fat I am plagued with on my upper belly. The tt is still one of the best things I have done, I have a renewed excitement for exercise and I feel fantastic!

My PS said most of the scar products don't work, but if I did want to use something, I should purchase "Scar Recovery Gel" with Centelline by Skin Medica. It is $100.00 for a 2 oz bottle but he said there is some science proving it does help. I bought my first tube and used it on my tt scar but wanted to see if it really worked, so I only used it on the cleavage part of my boobs as I don't really care what the rest of those scars look like. If you look at my pictures you can see where I stopped. Needless to say, I went out yesterday and bought a new tube and will be using it on my whole scar!

16 weeks po! Wow time flies! Ok, so maybe not the first 2-3 months, but this past month went fast. Everything is is same (literally) No matter what I do, my weight stays the same. I ate clean for 2 weeks and exercised....nothing, not 1 lb. The past two weeks I've not been eating to well and not exercising (due to having surgery on my shoulder) and I bounce up and down the same 2 lbs. It seems I'm not the only one though. Many women who are in the same time frame as me keep saying the same thing. This whole tt journey just seems to be a waiting game, now I'm waiting for 6 months to see if it gets better. Having a tt sure is a test in patience. That being said, I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

19 week update..the numb area around my bb is getting smaller on one side. I feel good but still don't have the stamina at the gym like I had before the tt. I swell daily and have started putting my stage 1 binder on at night on the days I work or go to the gym. I wake up each day with no swelling....not sure if it's me or the binder doing the trick. For a while no matter what I did, I couldn't lose weight, that has changed now....my weight is now reflecting what I do and eat. I'm having a hard time staying motivated at the gym because re-occuring health issues all seem to be flaring up now. Heel spur, lumbar sprain, neck pain, not to mention my shoulder is still not back to normal. I'm so tired of just doing legs and going lightly on arms. My body is fighting me right now. Gotta work through it though, I am woman!

I never thought I would be comfortable working out in the yard wearing a bikini top...life is good!