8 weeks and feeling much better - new pics

well ladies here I am at eight weeks post op and on the whole feeling sooooo much better about things. I am getting back in to exercising (god knows I need it!!) and can now do most things without any problems. Still swelling if I overdo things but mostly its ok.

Went for a girls night out on Friday and wore jeans for the firt time in several years, not a big thing to most people I imagine but for me it felt great.

Still not entirely happy with my scar but I can at least see now that it is improving. Since I stopped using the tape at five weeks it has improved a lot. The redness seems to be settling down and I have less of a ridge now than before. Although on my left side I can feel a series of hard lumps under the skin. It feels like a string of beads or dried peas (daft I know but can't think how else to describe them!) Oh well keeping on with the massage and hoping they will go along with the dog ears I still have.

like so many of you on here I am still hating my hips!! They seem so much bigger than before. I could easily feel my hip bones prior to surgery, but now they seem to be covered in a layer of fat, since I had no lipo I guess when the PS pulls down the upper ab skin, the underlying fat comes with it and gets redistributed over the lower area? Seems like the only logical reason I can think of for now having fat rolls over this area. I also think, like many of you, that one side is bigger than the other but trying to be patient and wait the full six months before passing judgement. On the whole feeling happy and looking back to how I was before it is definitely a vast improveent.

five weeks post op now and really starting to feel more myself physically. I have less pain and discomfort and can move pretty much freely. Tried lying on my stomach in the garden yesterday to try and tan the backs of my legs (the fronts are lovely and brown from sitting in the garden, but the backs are looking a bit pasty), anyway did manage to lie down but couldn't stay there for longer than about ten minutes. Everything felt really stretched out.

Saw my PS yesterday for what should have been my six week appt. It was originally booked for the 12th Sept, nearly eight weeks because of his holiday, but I didnt want to wait that long, I still have some issues and questions regarding my facelift which I wanted addressed so I changed it to yesterday.

He said my scar was healing beautifully, not sure I agree with that but he's the expert. He told me not to use the tape anymore since I was having a reaction to it and told me I no longer needed to wear the compression garment if I was finding it uncomfortable. He advised waiting a couple of weeks before beginning massage therapy for my scar because of the redness and soreness from the tape. He really doesnt mind which oil or cream I use and said that anything which allows massage without pulling on the skin is fine. The puckering over the ends of the incision should improve with some serious massage. I also asked him about the "ledge" which I seem to have developed. It is an area of swollen tissue (or fat?) directly above my incision, when I bend or sit it seems to roll over just like my belly used to before the TT. He said this is due to the tight ridge of scar tissue which prevents everything from settling nicely and lying flat. The answer apparently is firm massage for at least 5 mins twice a day and it should be fine in about six months. Thats an awful lot of massage!!

Like some of you other ladies on here, i have gone from being over the moon with my results to questioning whether I am really happy and was it all worth it? Not sure what the answer to that is at the moment. My upper abdomen is still a bit flabby, some fat still, but then I didn't have any lipo so I knew that it wouldn't change I suppose. I am hoping that getting back into exercise will help with that. Also I am desperate to lose the "ledge" but can't help thinking that once the swelling has gone and I have lost some weight, am I going to be left with loose skin again. Anyone on here got any experience of weight loss post op?

Started walking on the treadmill a little more energetically today, I did a mile at about 3 miles an hour, doesnt sound much I know but after my previous experiences I don't want to overdo it and be in pain. If I am ok later I will do it again this evening and then up it two miles in one go tomorrow and see how that works out. I used to do 3 or 4 miles daily on top of walking my dogs and can't wait to get back to it. My weight is exactly the same as it was before surgery but my legs are definitely more fat than muscle at the moment. I am hoping that not having the belly anymore will mean that when the weight starts to come off, it will come off from other areas, like my arms and back. Wishfuol thinking perhaps!

Anyway enough waffle from me, hope all you ladies are doing well and starting to feel good about your new bods! x

Four weeks po tomorrow. So much for the driving again!!! I drove to my parents house on Friday, (about 45 mins away). I was feeling uncomfortable by the time I got there, but I put a brave face on it and managed to stay for lunch. I just couldn't get comfy though wherever or however I was sitting. I had my big support knickers on and they felt like they were digging in my bb although they are actually much higher waisted than that. Anyway I stayed for a couple of hours before thinking I really have to get out of here and get home before I burst. I got about half way home and was really in so much pain that i had to stop and buy paracetamol (the only thing I could get from a garage). I got out had a little walk around (all hunched over and nearly in tears) before setting off again. By the time I reached home it was all I could do to make it upstairs and collapse on my bed. My incision was burning and the swelling on the left side around my hip area was huge and quite red. I had to take tramadol again for the firt time in weeks. I really was in so much pain that I just didnt know what to do with myself, it was like being in labour again!! I lay down, got up and paced around, lay down again, cried a lot, by the time my hubby arrived home I was in such a state that he wanted to take me to the hospital. It eventually settled when the tramadol kicked in, but that is an experience I certainly don't want to repeat. Don't think I'll be driving any distance at all for quite some time. Does anyone else have experience of such severe pain, at nearly four weeks, I honestly thought I was long past the really painful stage. i am worried I may have a seroma, since my swelling is usually much worse on one side and is quite painful. Should it hurt?? My big knicks seem to be more of a hindrance than a help, they don't actually stop me swelling, just squeeze and hurt when I do. i am not wearing them overnight and my swelling is much less in the morning.

Can't wait for my PS appointment next Monday (22nd) I hope he will be able to answer my questions with some useful advice. Not entirely convinced though, I think he will be just the same as the cosmetic nurse, full of meaningless plattitudes. I know it all takes time but I want to know what is normal and how long this awful swelling and pain will last.