KiwiMum

Hi there, no it's covered in 3M Micropore Tape in the last pic. I'm supposed to leave that on for three months. I'm off to Hawaii next week so have been on the sunbed (it's the middle of winter here) and have left the tape on so now I have a big bright white line around my scar! Lol. Anyway, guess that's better than getting it sunburned. I will update my pics soon.

Hi Stay Young. I sent you a rather long-winded email which I hope helps you in your preparation, but here’s an abridged version for those who might be interested. As far as being prepared for surgery ... well, I was physically prepared but not mentally I don't think. It's a little like being a first time mum - no one else can really prepare you for it and everyone experiences are quite different I arranged for a friend to come and stay with me and she did everything for me for the first week. I also borrowed a "walker" - one of those things with wheels on the bottom of it that you can lean on. I found being stooped over incredibly hard on my lower back and the walker helped me heaps. I have heard that some people are standing up straight at 10 days but it honestly took me about 3 weeks before I was completely upright. Even now, at six weeks, to say lay over a Swiss ball would be very uncomfortable for me. I also put a seat in the shower to sit on while I was showering. I use a tape on my wound called Micropore Tape. Its skin coloured and really aids healing and I will use it for 3 months. I definitely think that it’s helped the appearance of my scar. I didn’t get my wound wet until they took the dressing off and put the tape on at two weeks. I wore a compression suit (came up to just below my boobs and below my knees) 24/7 for six weeks and compression "socks" (long socks that came up over my knees) for two weeks. I had two of everything - one in the wash and one on. I had two different suits, one with hooks and zips down the sides that I wore for the first four weeks and them just a plain pull -on one that I wore for a further two weeks. I didn’t drive for four weeks. I read and watch movies and didn’t do much of anything for the first two weeks – I don’t think I even ventured to the end of the driveway! Something else that happened to me, which I don’t know if it is normal or not, but I got really emotional for the first few weeks, really unlike me. Maybe it’s a combination of the general, being tired and being sore. I did spend a bit of time wondering what I’d done to myself (all in the name of vanity) but now it’s all good and I don’t regret having the surgery done at all. The most important decision you make regarding surgery is your surgeon. Mine was just fantastic – down to the little detail of making sure that I still had a mole on my belly button. In my first picture you can see a mole about two inches above my belly button and one just at the bottom of my belly button. He managed to move the top mole very near where the first one had been! I thought he did a really good job on the belly button and since is what people see a lot of if you are in a bikini or something then I think this is fairly important. All the very best with your surgery, just remember to take extra-special care of yourself and get lots of help at home.

Oops, meant "wouldn't share" not would share!.

I believe that it is very hard to compare your recovery with someone elses after major surgery. I had my tummy tuck (with lipo, drains, etc)6 weeks ago too. And although I started exercising a week ago, I was very active prior to surgery and was desperate to get back into it. Lister to your body, eat well, drink plenty of water and gently ease yourself back into an exercise routine. As an aside, I did asked my surgeon if I could do myself "any damage" at this stage and he said "no". Maybe you should seek some reassurance from your surgeon as well to make sure he is happy with you embarking on an exercise programme. Good luck and it will get better.

Thanks for your positive feedback. This isn't normally something I would share, but know how I felt after having it done ("what have I DONE to myself?!") and just wanted to share that it does get better!