Tummy Tuck: Stories

Sept 18: I'm a 31 year old mom of 3 awesome kids. 5, 3 and 6 months. I went from 150lbs before having kids to 222lbs after having my third baby. With exercising 3 days/week and a healthy diet, I have lost a lot of weight and at 180 lbs, 5'5" right which is the weight i was before i got pregnant with my third. I am hoping to get down to 175 lbs before my surgery.

I have been researching getting a tummy tuck for several months and after having consultations with 5 board certified surgeons, I finally picked one and I am very happy with my choice. Dr Youn is very popular around here and his waiting list is very long. I called to schedule a consultation with him in July and was told the earliest I could see him was February of next year. I called every other week to see if anyone cancelled and was lucky to meet him last week. Everything that could go wrong, went wrong that day. I was running late, unexpected construction, traffic, drove past exit to office 3 times (confusing numbers), got off the wrong floor twice from the elevator, gave up and used the stairs. I was 40 mins late to my appointment.

The receptionist was going to reschedule and i pleaded with her and told her my husband had to work half day so i could make it to the appointment. She told me to wait while she went to ask the dr if he could still see me. The Dr said yes and I almost jumped off my feet to do the happy dance but I had to compose myself, lol. Dr Youn was very professional and spent more time with me than all the previous drs I had met. He took his time to examine, draw and explain the tt surgery, I was so impressed and knew right away he was the one, so I put down a deposit and couldn't wait to tell hubby.

I initially scheduled for Nov 1st because that was the next available surgery date, but i was really hoping to do it around my birthday (Oct 2nd). I called today to ask if i could do it earlier and I later got a call back asking if October 4th was okay because someone just changed their date. Wow! in 2 weeks? I can't believe this. My dream is about to come true with a huge birthday gift. I have never had a flat ab, but i was very good with tucking it in and i fit nicely into a size 8 and sometimes size 6 depending on the brand.

I am looking forward to documenting my progress with my new friends and would appreciate any feedback :)

Sept 21: Today I went to the hospital for my labs, EKG, urine, blood samples, etc. It's beginning to feel real. I hope everything checks out okay. Afterwards my husband and I went to a restaurant by the PS office for lunch. Had the best flat bread pizza with bacon..... yum! Atleast it helped relax my nerves a lil' bit.

Sept 24: Hello fellow tummy tuckers, lol. Today is my pre-op. Very excited as this confirms I have 9 days left. First I met with one of the staff members and she went over my medications, pre and post op instructions, answered my questions and took pre op pictures. I have seen so many PS and have undressed so many times that it doesn't bother me that much anymore, lol.
My PS came to the room afterward to go over my labs and discussed what he was going to do to transform my mid section :)
Labs were great :) and I told my PS it was very important to me that my scar was straight because I am dark skinned and my scar will not fade like a light skinned patient. I also stressed that i want it very low on the side (not the happy face)

So here is what I will be doing
- Tummy Tuck
- Lipo of flanks, thighs and back (no lipo of abs)l
- Muscle Repair
- Spend night at hospital

The cost went up to over $10K with the additional lipo of back. It's more than I like to pay but I know it will be all worth it.
One of the questions I asked was if any patient have died during or after surgery. I was relieved to hear "NO" I wonder how many people ask their PS that question, lol.

I was prescribed:
- Keflex - antibiotis
- Tylenol 3 for disomfort
- Phenegan suppository for nausea
- Skelaxin to relax the muscle

My pre op was about 2 hours and I felt even better about my decision afterwards.

Sept 24: It’s official. I have paid for my surgery in full and i'm just counting down the days now. 1 week to go, Wow! This is really going to happen. I am still young and I know I deserve this.
I deserve to look good
I deserve to be healthy for my family
I deserve to run around with my kids without the flab getting in the way
I deserve to fit into my clothes again
I deserve to wear any outfit in my closet without worrying about how my apron looks in it
I deserve to wear clothes without spanx (at least after swell hell)
I deserve to go to any event without feeling bad about looking frumpy
I can go on and on
Please feel free to add why you deserve this ” I deserve to…….’
We all deserve this and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise :)

Sept 30: Dream! Dream!! Sweet Dream!!! For the last 2 days I’ve been watching youtube tummy tuck and lipo surgeries and my subconscious had to do a TT on me, lol. It was a great dream, the sad part was waking up and feeling my flab. In my dream, I had a tiny waist and flat tummy and was smiling ear to ear. I pray my dream comes true. Thursday cannot come fast enough. Have any of you ladies had TT dreams?

Sept 30: So I’ve been shopping my way to the flat side. Went to walmart, rite aid and sam’s club on Friday, to buy most of what I need for at least 2 weeks after surgery. I have attached pictures of some of them. I hope I am not missing anything, because I’m like OCD right now, going over my list 100 times, lol. Lots of lean turkey. Chicken, yogurt, jello, eggs, cases of water etc
I rented 2 lift recliners from rent a center to be delivered on Tuesday and picked up a month later. One for the family room and one for my bedroom. Got over 6 pillows ready. Waiting for my wedge pillow from amazon, spanx and silicon strips. Whew! What else?

Had a great day yesterday. It was my birthday and I had a great time with hubby and kids. Best Birthday Ever!!!
In less than 24 hours, I will be on my journey to the flat side. I am expected to be at the hospital at 7:15 am to start surgery at 8:30am. WoooHooo!
My bag is all packed and ready to go. Thanks a lot for your support, I appreciates your prayers and good wishes :)

Ever once in a while I get this feeling of "I can't believe I will be going under anesthesia, and putting my life in someone else hands to control my breathing" but over all I am very excited and looking forward to my new waistline. I am surprised I am not nervous, I guess after having 3 kids with different experiences, i am ready for anything. I have a high tolerance for pain so I'm not too worried about the pain. After my c-section with my first daughter I went home 2 days later and didn't take any pain pills because I didn't need them, though I expect this will be more painful :(

Oct 4: Thanks my new friends for all your prayers, well wishes and support :) I am finally on the flat side and couldn't be happier :) It has been about 8 hours since surgery and I am surprised how great I feel. Surgery lasted for 4.5 hours (muscle repair, tt, lipo of back, thighs and flanks) I didn't even know when I fell asleep all I know is I had a great sleep and woke up in a room still feeling sleepy. I felt a tightness in my abs, a little sore throat and a crack in my voice but no pain at all or nausea. It is not as bad as I feared. I drank a lot of water, orange and cranberry juice and walked to bathroom hunched over with no pain 2 hours later, only tightness and a little pinch in the area where the drain is connected. I stole a peak at my binder while in the bathroom and it looks great :)
I am staying on top of my pain though. I felt pain 3 hours ago and the nurse offered me a pain med but it was only a 3 on a scale of 1 to 10 and 30 minutes later I went for a walk around the floor twice with zero pain. I am so shocked I tell ya. I hope it continue this way with little to no pain. I do however feel a tightness in my ab muscle which feels wierd and I am walking hunched over but I am quite comfortable.
My husband and 3 kids came to visit and just left a while ago. It was the best feeling in the world until they had to leave :( I am pumping and dumping right now since I am determined to continue breast feeding when I get the 'go ahead' from my doctor hopefully in a week or 2. Wishing all the ladies doing their surgery today and are yet to have surgery all the best and happy healing to those who are already in the flat side club. I wi
I willl post pictures soon. Stay tuned.

Oct 4: PS, did I mention that my doctor is the best? He has great bedside manners, so down to earth, humble and definitely knows his stuff. I never feel rushed when i am talking to him, I feel so blessed :)

Oct 5: Dr came to my room to see me. Said everything went very well and I had more lose skin in my upper abs than he originally thought, so my upper abs is flatter than he thought it would be. By the way in the pre-op he told me I will have a bulge because he believed there was fat around the muscle, but it turned out to be extra skin. He removed my binder and OMG, I was very impressed. I was flat and could finally see my BB. My incision is very low and. I left the hospital at about 9am and have been very sleepy all day. Toward evening I had heartburn and after calling my PS, he said it was okay to take tums and that helped a lot. I have only one drain and a pain pump. My out put was 35 cc (light red) and PS said if it's less than 35cc in a 24 hour period when he sees me on wednesday, he will take it off. I got up to use the restroom and my pain pump was dripping, so I put an additional tape to keep it in place. I have been eating lots of fruits, smooties, drinking a lot of water and walking as much as I can.
By the way, my PS delivered flowers to my house, WOW! that was a pleasant surprise.

Oct 6th: I feel good tanananananana, lol
Woke up today with no pain, feeling much better and sipping on a smoothie. PS said I can take a shower today, so I am looking forward to taking my binders off to see my tummy.
Wow! what a difference. Just added some pictures. Obviously swollen, but I can already see the change :) Very, Very Happy!!!

Oct 7th: Day 3 PO: I feel good today, but quite drowsy with less energy. Went downstairs to put my hot compress in the microwave and started cleaning the kitchen, lol. I had to remind myself that even though i was not in pain I was still healing and need to rest. Have not had pain meds yet, though I still have a pain pump, which I will be taking out today. Took my antibiotics and colace. No #2 yet, PS said I should take MOM if no #2 by the end of today. My output for the last 24 hours is 25cc. Yeaaa! Looking forward to taking out my drain on Wednesday (first post op appt). Happy healing to everyone and looking forward to great results for those having surgery soon.

Thanks RockinMom for your suggestion. I ordered miso soup, seaweed salad, cucumber and avocado sushi last night. I don't have a lot of appetite right now, and couldn't finish my soup and salad, but I really did enjoy it :)

I will spare you all the details, but I finally had #2 after taking MOM this afternoon. Whew! what a relief. I felt stuffed and bloated prior and now I feel much lighter.

Oct 8th: Day 4 PO - It does get better guys. My pain pump fell off last night, stopped taking pain meds on day 3 PO. Have been moving around a lot more, still a little hunched over but standing up straighter. Just posted a new picture this morning.

Lots of rumbling in my stomach (gas X helps), tightness and some swelling but overall i'm getting my energy back.

Oct 9th: Wow! It's day 5 already. Had a good night sleep and having a great day so far.
If you haven't noticed already, I have a big butt, lol so the hospital CG/wrap did not work for me because it kept rolling up at the bottom and my flanks were hurting, so I now wear a girdle under the CG to create a smooth result around my flanks and back. Thanks to tjuana for giving me that great advice.

Here is a funny story. After I had my last baby, my 5 year old asked me if i was having another baby because my tummy was still big, lol. I showed her tummy for the first time today and asked her if I looked pregnant. She looked at me weird and was like "No?". That just made my day at it's only 9am. I am healing very well and already standing somewhat straight, but forcing myself to hunch over for better result I guess.
Happy healing sexy ladies.... enjoy more pictures :)

Who knew taking a shower was going to feel like heaven. My lovely husband installed a new shower head with extension and I was able to control the shower head in different settings and flows while sitting. I had the best shower EVER!!! with hubby's help. If you haven't had a shower since post op, please take one when you can, it's sooooooooooooo worth it. I am more flexible and getting up easier, I even tried on some tops in size small and guess what? IT FIT. lol. This is so worth it and I am very happy I did this.

From size XXtra large to cover all that extra crap in my mid section to size small. This is HUGE!!!. OK, I'm getting emotional.

Oct 10: 6 days PO.
What a day!. Went to my first PO appointment and had my drain taken out which was painless. My tapes were also taken out and replaced and I was very happy to see my incision was very low straight and thin. Before being wheeled into the OR my PS asked if I had any question and I said I only have 3 requests. I want a flat tummy, thin waist and a low, straight incision with slight curve (no happy face or high scar) and so far he has delivered. I am still swollen, but I can already tell it will get better with time.
Yes, I drove myself to my dr's appointment, because I had no choice, but it felt great. Afterwards, I stopped by victoria's secret to get some sexy lingerie, checked out some other stores at the mall then to the beauty supply store and got home 5 hours later, lol. I don't feel tired, but I know i still need to take it easy even though I feel great because my body is still healing. I will take my 7 day PO pictures tomorrow :)

Oct 11: 7 days PO
So ladies, there you have it. It's exactly 1 week PO and here are the results. I get better everyday, but still dealing with swell hell, very tight from MR and slightly bent over after getting up from a seat, but walking straight up gets a lot better after a couple minutes of getting up. My appetite is low, i've been eating quite healthy and get full very quickly, so definitely not as much as i used to eat before surgery. My weight is still the same as it was pre-surgery at 175, but i'm not worried about it. My problem area was my tummy, and it's been fixed so i just need to tone other areas. I will be taking my last dose of antibiotics today, so I am looking forward to breastfeeding again soon. To those on the flat side I hope you are loving your results and healing well and blessings to those having surgery in the future :)

Oct 13: 9 days PO
Hello friends, 2 great things have happened in the last 2 days

1. I am breastfeeding my baby again. Yeaaa! For those of you who are wondering if it's possible, Yes, it is possible. I pumped enough milk for about a week or 2 and stored them in the freezer before surgery, I also stocked up on baby food (oatmeal, rice cereal, sweet potatoes, banana, carrot, peas, etc). After surgery, I pumped and dumped about 2 to 3 times a day and 24 hours after my last dose of antibiotics, the milk factory was open again. He literary wants to jump out of hubby's hands when he sees me. Of course, this is not for everyone, it's just very important to me and i feel blessed I can do it. PS: I was told not to lift more than 10 pounds in 2 weeks, so I only hold my baby while sitting down, not standing, though I held him standing today for a short period of time and i'm fine.The hardest part of this whole experience was not being able to hold my baby for 2 days after surgery. I just had him next to me with a pillow on my tummy for short periods. I wouldn't have had my tummy tuck at this time if my hubby was not a super Mr Mom and super supportive. He took 7 days + weekends off work and has taken care of everything and everyone like a champ and I don't know how I got so lucky to have him in my life. Also, we are blessed to have a live-in aupair, so that helped too.

2. I slept in my bed last night and on my side (well partially). I am a side sleeper and have not been having a good night sleep on the recliner since i stopped taking my pain meds, so last night i decided to give it a try. It was a challenge and quite uncomfortable at first, but I had the best sleep i've had in a while.

In other news, I had the worse swell hell yesterday, but this morning I was the flattest i've ever been.....go figure. One of my new favorite things to do now is trying on clothes in the morning and being in awe of my new look and how well they all fit :) i'm sure you guys can relate.

For those that have surgeries coming up, you are in my prayers and happy healing to those who are on the flat side, you all look fabulous.