klcasper

Mini Tummy Tuck (No Lipo) - Madison, WI

I added some new pics :) The scar is still very red, but that's totally normal. I've had melanoma, so I have quite a few scars from that. They do flatten out and turn skin-colored eventually, but it can take months to a full year. Plastic surgeons definitely give you better scars than other doctors (I can say that from experience!).

I was very nervous about the anesthesia - I had never been under before! I went from talking to the nurses to totally out, and I woke up a little groggy and nauseous. I took my anti-nausea pill and felt better shortly. I was a *little* worried about the upper ab bulge that I had read about, but my diastasis wasn't very bad, so my abs are holding my guts in just fine :) I could take a photo after eating (probably won't be very flattering!), but my upper abs don't bulge then either. Have you had any consultations yet?

MomofthreeZ - I am very happy with the results :) My tummy is definitely flat! I still have some minor swelling right above the incision, but my ps said that is the last of the swelling to subside, and it may be a few more weeks to totally disappear. I can already tell my tummy will be very flat though. I still have some laxity in my upper abdomen when I bend at a 90 degree angle, but it's not that bad, and I knew that wouldn't change with a mini. My concern was the wrinkles and bad laxity below my bb. That is definitely fixed and doesn't even wrinkle when I sit down! The diastasis below my bb was less than one inch, and I have no bulging in my upper abs, so if I have any diastasis up there, it's minimal. I do have some dog ears that he said we will wait on until my 3 month appt. He said it's 50/50 whether they'll resolve on their own, but that it's an easy fix if they don't. I will try to take some pics tomorrow morning and post :)

*Oh, and all of those exercises use two kettlebells, so the weight is per arm.

I honestly don't eat any particular way. I *try* to choose healthy items, but I certainly indulge too. As for kettlebells, it depends on the exercise. I use 12k's for double snatches (16's if I'm going heavy & fewer reps), 20's or 24's for double cleans, 12's for true renegade rows, 16's (20's for fewer reps) for back presses & push presses. I typically max out at 24's for Turkish Get-ups. There are many more exercises we do, so it all depends. The kettlebells at my gym are in kilos, so 12k's = 26lbs, 16k's = 35lbs, 20's = 44lbs, 24's = 53lbs, etc. We also utilize a lot of bodyweight exercises, ie - pushups (many kinds - Hindu, divebombers, plyometric, etc), body rows, pullups.