4 years ago I had my son. I was 129 lbs before I had him and a size 4. Now I am 130 lbs and have to wear 9-11 just to fit my stomach. I live everyday thinking about my stomach. I hide it pretty well in clothes but it's so uncomfortable. Monday morning I am calling to schedule a consultation and I can't wait but I am also very nervous. Updated on 29 Dec 2014: I called this morning and scheduled a consultation for Wednesday. I'm very excited/nervous/scared. I've wanted this for 4 years now and never really expected it to happen. I chose a woman doctor. I just feel like I would be more comfortable with a woman doctor. Updated on 1 Jan 2015: My consultation went well. First she had me go in a watch a video on how the procedure is done. I had watched a million of these videos on Youtube so for the most part I knew what to expect. The I got to put on the LOVELY black photo panties to take picture. lol They are awful! It was pretty awkward but the nurse taking the pictures was good and helped me laugh and get the humor of the situation. I ended up having to take my husband and both kids with me so of course he was making jokes too. Next the Doctor came in and explained everything to me. She was very nice and spent lots of time with me. She didn't make me feel rushed at all! I appreciate that because a lot of doctors act like they don't have time for you. She gave me my options and asked me what I would like to accomplish. We decided to do a full tummy tuck and muscle repair with no lipo. I originally wanted lipo but she said most likely I won't need it after it is all said and done. We scheduled it for March 19, 2015. Our 5 year wedding anniversary! lol Not for mission lose 10 lbs before March! Updated on 11 Jan 2015: And this my friends is why I need a tummy tuck! Yikes! Updated on 29 Jan 2015: Most of the time when I share with someone I want a tummy tuck they look at me like I just grew a second head or something. Yes, I'm small boned and petite but I hide my flaws the best I can. I wear high waist pants to hide the extra skin. I don't wear skin-tight shirts. I also wear some sort of compression if I do wear anything remotely tight. Every single day I worry about my stomach and I try to hide it. It affects my life every-single-day. Not only do I worry about it (because I have been asked if I was pregnant a million times) but it also affects my husband and I's love life. It doesn't bother him (so he says) but it bothers me and I am so self-conscious that it holds me back from him a lot. I even get mad if he touches my stomach. I hate my stomach and I don't feel like myself anymore. I just want to feel like me again and be happy. I have watched a ton of YouTube videos. I usually look for someone who is about my size then I watch every single one of their videos. lol I've also read tons of reviews on this site. I type in my age and weight and Tummy Tuck without liposuction just to see if I can find someone who is similar to me to see what my results could possibly be. During Christmas break my husband and I bought ourselves a Groupon for a trip to the Bahamas. It was supposed to be for our 5 year anniversary/honeymoon/Christmas present to ourselves. We didn't buy each other any other gifts so this was big for us. Then I started panicking and all I could think about was having to wear a bathing suit. You see, I avoid anything where I have to be in a bathing suit in public. We have been asked to go to the lake, water parks, friends houses to swim and I say no or I'm the one sitting on the side fully clothes while everyone else has fun. So though the Bahamas sounded wonderful all I could think about was my stomach in a bathing suit. Then I think how stupid! there are people of all sizes on the beach and they don't care... but I can't get past it. So after complaining and panicking my husband finally said "Why don't you just go schedule a dang consultation for a tummy tuck. You know you want one!" So after talking about it and figuring out how we would pay for it, I researched doctors and picked the one I thought would be best. I had 3 to choose from in my area and I chose the one I did because she had great reviews and because she is a woman. There was another doctor who had wonderful reviews but I prefer a woman over a man. After choosing her I called and made a consultation date for 12/31/2014. We already needed to go to the city that day for my daughters doctors appointment so it was perfect. After the consultation I felt so much better! She told me that I was a perfect example of someone who NEEDED a tummy tuck. That made me feel better that it all wasn't just in my head. I'm very excited to have this done and I can't wait to feel like myself again. I can't wait to feel appealing again! I can't wait to wear normal clothes again and not feel like jeans are cutting me in half! Updated on 16 Feb 2015: My Tummy Tuck is a little over a month away and I'm getting really nervous! I don't know why all of a sudden I'm scared it's not going to look good. Maybe I have read too many reviews on here. Majority of the reviews I see the tummy tuck is paired with lipo. I asked my doctor about lipo and she said that was something she did later if necessary. So does that mean I have to pay again to have that done? I feel like my love handles need lipo. I will ask her again at my pre-op. I'm also nervous about my belly button. I don't want it to be perfectly round. I would rather it be the tear drop shape. I guess that is something else I need to ask her about. I've been trying to lose 10 lbs. So far I've lost nothing. I'm very disappointed in myself and how lazy I am when it comes to eating right and working out. I am better at the eating right than I am at the working out and now I only have a month left. I just want the best results I can get considering I am spending $8,000 on myself. Updated on 26 Feb 2015: Today is the dreaded day of paying for my Tummy Tuck. I knew it had to come sooner or later. Considering everything has to be paid for before it can be done it came a lot sooner than I wanted. I am 3 weeks out from my TT surgery. EEEKK! It doesn’t actually have to be paid for until the 10th which is my pre-op but since we have the money, my husband wants to go ahead and get it over with so we are leaving a little bit early to make the hour drive to pay for it since I get a $500 discount if I pay in cash. It’s really hard spending that kind of money on myself. I feel guilty. I feel like my husband is upset about it even though he says it is fine and that it doesn’t bother him. I’m sure it is all in my head but when you are a mom/wife you spend every bit of your time devoted to your husband and kids that when it’s time to spend money for yourself or do something for your self it is hard. (it is for me anyway) My husband got a bonus one time and gave me half to go buy myself some clothes. I spent ALL DAY shopping and ended up with more for him and my son than for myself. See?!?! I have a problem! So anyway… today is the day I DO spend money on myself. I will be glad to get it behind us though. I’m so ready to get this TT over with. I know it will be painful and I’ll probably think “WHAT IN THE WORLD HAVE I DONE!!” but it will all be worth it in the end. Updated on 2 Mar 2015: I'm feeling kind of down. My surgery is only 2 weeks away and I'm coming down with a cold! UGH!!!!! I sure hope it goes away before the surgery. Will they cancel if I'm sick? It can't be canceled!!! ALSO, I'm up 7 lbs!! :( I just want to cry! I'm hoping it is only because I ate Chinese food last night. It usually makes me swell. So now I am in the diet mode big time! I only have 2 weeks and I would really rather have most of it off by my pre-op next Tuesday! Updated on 6 Mar 2015: My pre-op is next Tuesday and I've been trying to come up with questions. At the end of my consultation when she asked "Do you have any questions for me?" my mind was completely blank. lol I think I was so excited and not believing I was actually at a tummy tuck consultation that it left me blank. Since I have had about 3 months to think about it I know have a small list of questions I need to ask her. Here they are in case anyone else is blank like I was! lol 1. What shape will the belly button be? I have seen round, tear drop, and hooded belly buttons. Personally I think the perfectly round ones look face and it gives away that the person had a tt so I would rather have oval or tear drop shaped if I can. 2. Is she SURE she doesn't want to do lipo? She says I don't need it but I feel like I do. If she still says no then I guess I will just have to work hard afterward to work that fat off. 3. Will she let me know how much skin was removed and exactly how bad my muscles seperation was? 4. When can I start scar treatment and what does she suggest? 5. What is her policy for revisions? (probably should have asked this before we scheduled it!) 6. Will I have staples, stitches, or strips across my incision. I'm pretty sure we already talked about this and she said internal stitches but not sure about the outside. 7. How long will my incision be? I want her to actually point and show me. Also, I need to be sure to tell her that I have had reactions to anesthesia in the past where it takes me longer to wake up. My grandpa has too so it may run in the family. I didn't think about that at the consult. Updated on 7 Mar 2015: I am a little less than 2 weeks from surgery and I'm having a lot of doubt. Not enough that I don't want to get it done but worried I picked the wrong doctor. When I asked her about lipo she said I didn't need it. She said it made the healing process longer and that if I needed it I could do it at a later date. I understand that but honestly we don't have the money to do a second surgery for lipo. I would rather do it with this surgery if I can. The more I think about it the more I'm afraid its not going to look good and I'll have spend $8,000 for nothing. I'm really hoping my pre-op on Tuesday makes me feel better and reassures me. I remember when I left from my consultation I was on such a high and the thought of not having lipo didn't bother me at all. Now that I've read 1,000 more reviews (or so it seems! lol) I see most people get lipo with their tt. It doesn't help that I am up about 5lbs that I normally am. If you look at my front picture you will notice my left side is bigger than my right. This is partially why I think I need lipo. Don't they need to be even? I also have a lot of little knots under my skin. You can see them toward the top of my stomach. The doctor said those won't change my results but I'm afraid they will look worse after the skin is pulled tight. I guess it's not good that I have had so much time to think about everything.... all it does is make me question and worry. I sure hope I feel more at ease after my pre-op Tuesday. Updated on 9 Mar 2015: I bought my first bikini top since college yesterday! I don't know why I'm so nervous about that! The whole reason this surgery got scheduled in the first place was because my husband booked us a trip to the Bahamas for June and ALL I could think about was being seen in a bathing suit. I could not get past it at all! My husband finally said call about a tummy tuck! So here we are only 11 days from surgery and I ordered a bikini top. I have black shorts style bottoms that I love. Usually I wear the shorts with a long tankini style top that had ruffles so it would cover everything. I'm still not sure I have the courage for the bikini but we will see. I bought a red Victoria Secret one so its sure to hold the girls up! lol My husband said I for sure have to wear it in the Bahamas since we won't know anyone anyway. I sure hope I have the body I've been wanting and waiting for to be able to have the confidence to wear it. We will see! Updated on 10 Mar 2015: I went to my pre-op this afternoon. I was there 30 minutes early and they called me right in. I met with a nurse instead of the doctor. I was a little upset because I really wanted to ask the doctor all my questions. I asked the nurse and she answered some questions but couldn't answer all of them. I guess I will just have to wait til surgery day to get the rest of my questions answered. This nurse seemed rushed and kept looking at her watch. At my consultation I never felt that way and both the nurse and doctor were extremely nice and took their time. This nurse was nice but seemed really rushed. First I had to sign all the consent forms and we went over what not to do before surgery. Then she answered a few of my questions. Next I was sent to the front desk to make my appointments for 1 day after surgery and 6 days after surgery. Then I was sent to the hospital to get labs done. I thought they would do more than they did but all they did was take one vile of blood. I guess since I am young and not on any medications that is all they needed. The lab tech girl was wonderful. I've never had my blood drawn so quick and so painless!! She did great! So that was it and next Wednesday I'm supposed to call to set up surgery time then I will have my surgery Thursday. I'm ready to get it over with! Updated on 13 Mar 2015: I got my prescriptions today. Except for pain medication. They don't give that til the day of surgery. I guess they think I will take it all at once before hand or something. lol Anyway I was given Promethazine for nausea, Cephaliexin as an antibiotic, and Emend. Emend is ONE pill that I take an hour before surgery to keep me from getting sick from the anesthesia. The Emend cost $85!!! for ONE pill! Before insurance it was $110 so I can't complain too much. The doctor did say that it was optional but I figured it was better to go ahead and get it because I don't want to risk throwing up afterward. In all the 3 medications cost $96.00 total. I don't know how much the pain medication will be or what kind it will be yet. Only 6 more days! Can't wait! Updated on 15 Mar 2015: 4 days til surgery and my son is sick! Puking and 104 fever last night! Please oh please don't let me get sick!! I really don't want to reschedule!!! For those that pray. Please remember us in your prayers. We have spent all morning disinfecting the house. Updated on 16 Mar 2015: Oh joy! My four year old tested positive for the flu THREE days before my surgery! I called the surgeon and she said to take the tamaflu and as long as I didn't have fever the day of surgery everything is good to go. Please don't let me get the flu! I will be devastated if I have to reschedule! Updated on 18 Mar 2015: Everything is a go! Yay! My son is feeling better and no one else in my house is sick. I have to be at the hospital at 8:00 in the morning. I will try to update tomorrow sometime when I'm feeling up to it. Hopefully I will recover like a champ because I'm only planning on being 12 days post op when I go back to work. I have a desk job and my PS seems to think I will do fine. Since I have been off with my son being sick I really don't want to miss more than I have to! SO anyway next time you hear from me I will be on the flat side!! I hope!! lol Updated on 19 Mar 2015: Well I made it! I'm feeling very sore! This surgery is tough and I'm not usually a baby about pain. The most annoying thing is that I keep feeling like I need to pee and my bladder won't empty all the way. I can pee and feel like I need to pre again 5 minutes later. Stomach muscles are extremely sore!! I don't really feel the incision. I've been sleeping on and off all day. The hospital was wonderful and were very careing and compassionate. My husband is being a great nurse! I don't know if I mentioned or not but today is our 5 year anniversary. We didn't realize that when we scheduled the surgery. Lol I'm starting to feel a little groggy so I'm going to get off here. Updated on 20 Mar 2015: I'm very happy with how it looks! I still can't believe this is my stomach. They said they cut off 2 lbs of skin and that my muscles were torn a lot. Updated on 20 Mar 2015: I'm having a hard time eating. I guess from the tube being down my throat. Everything I try to eat gets hung. So far I'm sticking to soft food. I'm hurting more today. I'm sure because all the anethesia has worn off. I've also had a hard time peeing. It's getting a little better though. Every time I try to go it just comes out in little trickles where I can't empty my bladder completely. I keep looking at my picture that was taking at my post op today and I just can't believe that is my stomach. It looks so different and so much better. Even swollen and laying on my back its a huge difference. When swelling goes down and I can stand up straight it will look amazing. My next doctors appointment isn't until next Wednesday so I can't take the binder off at all do I won't see my stomach again until Wednesday. No showers either until drains are out. I MIGHT get one out next Wednesday. The other will still be in a while. I'm ok with that though because it helps with swelling. My legs are swollen. I'm sure from the fluids they give you in the hospital. They said they gave me 4 bags. That's a lot. I may have already said this on the last update but they cut off 2 lbs of skin. That seems like a lot! She said my muscles were very seperate also. I'm so glad I did this. This will be life changing for me. I've had depression over the past 4 years and I honestly think my stomach had a lot to do with it. I didn't feel good in my body. Some may say that seems silly but it's true. Anyway I will update how I feel tomorrow. I won't have any more pictures until next week. Updated on 21 Mar 2015: I am feeling it today. My back is sooooo sore! As far as my stomach goes it doesn't hurt but my back really does! I slept a little better last night but that may be because I took Benadryl. The pain medicine makes me itch. I remember itching pretty bad from pain medicine after my foot surgery last year too. I'm icing my back right now. I asked about the heating pad and the PS said no. She said it would cause too much swelling but that ice on my back is ok but not to ice my stomach. I still haven't pooped and I've been taking Colace, miralax, and coffee. Hopefully I can soon and it won't be too bad. I usually have problems in that area anyway. Even though I'm hurting I am still so glad I did this. Just from the sneak peak yesterday I am so encouraged! Updated on 21 Mar 2015: I must be swelling pretty bad because I feel like my compression garmet is going to cut me in half. I've been very uncomfortable today and hurting pretty bad. Thankfully my dad is on his way to stay a few days. My husbands been doing a good job but it's March madness and he is consumed with basketball and my dad always makes me feel better. The kids come back tomorrow. I sure hope my husband can handle it! I'm ready to start feeling better. I wasn't doing too bad until today. Today I hurt really bad all over. I've been trying not to take more than one pain pill at a time but I may have to. Updated on 22 Mar 2015: I slept til 4:30 this morning and woke up in so much pain. Took some pain meds and now I'm doing ok. I'm pretty much walking straight. It hurts so bad to bend over because of my back. I have a bad back anyway. My husband left about an hour ago to go get the kids. I'm so nervous about them coming back home. I have a 4 year old and a 4 month old. The 4 year old is full of energy! I sure hope I can still rest with them here. I miss them like crazy but really feel like I need more time to rest. My husband was trying to help me adjust my binder yesterday and he pulled my drain tube a little. He must have pulled a stitch because it bled through my binder a little. It was just a tiny bit so I didn't take it off to look at it or anything. My dog is loving me being down. She gets to cuddle by me all day. :) I feel like I'm rambling so I guess I'll get off here. Thanks for all the comments and support ladies! ;) Updated on 22 Mar 2015: Oh here is a close up of my belly button. I like it so far. It's very deep though. Looks like I could stick a whole finger down in there. Also my stretch marks aren't near as bad as I thought they would be. It's hard to tell because I'm so pale right now but maybe after I get a tan they won't be too bad. Updated on 23 Mar 2015: Pain is ok today. I have a headache though and I'm not supposed to take Tylenol for 7 days after surgery. I only have 6 pain pills left so I'm really trying to ration them out. My weight is down to 132 with my compression garment on. I was 134 the morning of surgery so I'm down 2 lbs so far. She said she cut off 2 lbs of skin so I expected to lose 2 lbs at least. I'm eating a whole lot less so I'm sure I will lose more over time. My drain sites burn every now and then. It's more annoying than anytime. I'm tired of being in the recliner all the time. My back is so sore. I've always heard the first four days are he worst so in hoping It starts to get better from here. My son wants me so bad but doesn't understand why I can't let him by me. He's only 4 and he's hyper so I'm afraid he will pull a tube or something. I do pretty good getting myself up and down to go to the bathroom now. I don't have to have help anymore. Good thing because my husband is consumed by the kids right now. Updated on 24 Mar 2015: I'm 5 days post op and still no bowel movement. Im taking Colace, Miralax, laxatives, and drinking water and coffee. I don't know what else to try. I'm so scared its going to hurt so bad when I finally do go since its been so long. Today I feel better than I have any other day since the surgery. I Only have 3 pain pills left so I'm saving them for night if I can. Yesterday was the worst day as far as pain goes. My drains haven't been too bad. They are annoying more than anything. I'm actually glad I have them because I haven't seemed to have near the swelling other people on this site have had. I feel swollen sometimes because the binder gets tight but it's not bad at all. I do hope the drains are gone by the time I go back to work next Monday because I don't know if I have clothes thanks can hide them. I go back to the PS tomorrow so hopefully one will be removed then. Updated on 24 Mar 2015: I finally had a BM!! I didn't do anything specific so I guess it was just all the different laxatives and stool softeners combined. I feel like I still need to go more but I'm at least happy to see some action down there. Updated on 25 Mar 2015: I got my left drain removed today! If my output is good on Friday they said I can come in and get the other one removed. It feels really weird. Not painful but not anything I want to feel again. Almost like a snake slithering under my skin. She took the gauze out of my belly button and replaced it with new gauze. I hate that feeling too. It feels like someone shoving their finger down in my belly button. Anyway my stomach looks good in a Frankenstein sort of way. I'm exhausted today! Just from getting up getting dressed and putting on makeup. Then went to my appointment and out to eat. Now I feel like I need to sleep. I don't know how I'm going to go back to work Monday but that's the plan. My husband is starting to lose patience with the kids easy. It makes me feel bad because I know I can't help. Updated on 25 Mar 2015: I guess I am the dog magnet! Lol they can tell mommy doesn't feel good. Updated on 26 Mar 2015: I'm a week post op and feeling much better. This first week has been tough. I'm not gonna lie! It hasn't ontl been hard on me its been hard on my family. Having two small kids at home is hard with mom out of commission. So far I love my tummy even though I haven't gotten to see it except lying down at the doctors office. Once I get my second drain out I will feel better about taking my CG on and off and will take some pics standing up. I go back next Wednesday to get a new CG and have the doctor check everything out. She has been out on spring break so her nurse is who I saw yesterday. She took out one drain and have me a new prescription of pain pills because mine were almost out. This morning I woke up sweating and dizzy. I stood up and nearly passed out. I'm not sure why. I'm feeling much better now though. Updated on 26 Mar 2015: Finally talked my husband I to taking the CG off. He wasn't happy with me. Then after I wished I hadn't looked. I'm just swollen and huge. The top is a bikini top I ordered for our bahama trip. The bottoms are just tights I've been wearing around the house so I know they don't match. Called the doctor and I get my second drain out tomorrow and a new garment. I don't really look forward to the new garment. They said it went between the legs and had a cut out to pee. That doesn't sound fun!! Updated on 26 Mar 2015: How are people sleeping in the bed? I've been in a recliner but in trying to lay in the bed now with tons of pillows and oh it's horrible! My stomach feels like it's on fire! I don't think I'm going to make it! Updated on 27 Mar 2015: So here it is the lovely new compression garment. Haha! It has the privates cut out so I can still use the bathroom with it on. Lol that is why my underwear is on over it. It zips and hooks down each side. It's actually a lot more comfortable than the binder. It is extremely tight though!! And and ps... I'll be glad when I can stand up straight again so I can look like I have a butt again. Lol Oh and I did get my last drain out!! Woo hoo!! Updated on 28 Mar 2015: Who is this girl? It can't be me because I've never had this flat if a stomach!! I'm loving trying on clothes when I hated it before. Updated on 29 Mar 2015: I went to church for the first time since my surgery this morning and two ladies came up to me and where like Wow look at you skinny! What do you do to lose all that weight over Spring Break?!?! Haha they thought I went on some sort of cleanse when in reality I'm only down 3 lbs on the scale. I thought it was pretty funny. Lol Updated on 30 Mar 2015: I finally got to take a shower this morning! I had to wait 72 hours after getting my last drain out. It felt really good to shower and to shave! I was able to take a few pictures. I'm very swollen but even with the swelling I look better than before. I go back to the doctor Wednesday morning and get all the steri stripes removed. I'm anxious to see how bad the scar will be. Low rise underwear do not cover the tape right now but my bathing suit bottoms do. I'm not so sure about my belly button just yet. I go back to work today. I'll let you know tonight how I handled it. Happy healing ladies! :) Updated on 30 Mar 2015: Today was my first day back at work. I work as a secretary doing paperwork and answering the phone for the most part. I felt fine all day but as the day went on noticed my muscles tightening and my hunching a little more. After I got home o was ready to crash but my husband had to go to some awards banquet so I'm taking care of both kids tonight alone. It would be fine but I have to lift my 5 month old and I'm already exhausted and extremely swollen. The rest of the week will be better because he will be home at night to help me. I sure will sleep good tonight! On a really happy note all my coworkers noticed how skinny I looked and said what a huge difference it was after I told them about my surgery. So far everyone I have told has been very supportive. Updated on 1 Apr 2015: I went to the PS this morning and they removed all the little strips so I can see my scar. It looks much worse in the picture than in person. She told me to massage it everyday and it would help it to flatten out. She showed me how hard to push and I'm a little nervous..lol it seemed awfully hard! I will do it though. She also told me to find an ear plug and put in my belly button. She said circular scars try to close up so the ear plug will keep it from doing that. She said everything looked wonderful and I was healing really nicely. I am allowed to pick up my baby now. She is 14 lbs. I am not cleared for exercise yet. Two more week before she will release me for that. Overall I am happy with the results. I am feeling good about it and can't wait for all the swelling to go down. Updated on 1 Apr 2015: Updated on 5 Apr 2015: Here are some updated pictures. I hate my flanks but I didn't have lipo so I guess that is part of it. I will just have to work my butt off once I can work out. I'm looking really flat from the side now. I started using Arnica gel for swelling and it seems to really be helping. I bought it and arnica tablets on Amazon. I haven't gotten the tablets yet but I'm hoping to see a big difference. Updated on 6 Apr 2015: I mentioned in my last post that I was using arnica gel and tablets for swelling. It has made a huge difference. Last week I was barely making it through the the day at work because I felt so swollen. Today I worked a full 8 hour work day and came home and cooked dinner and took care of kids with very little swelling. I really think this stuff works! I also posted a picture of the ear plugs I am using for my belly button. My PS said that any circular scar will try to heal shut so she suggested the ear plug to keep a nice shape. So far I love how my belly button looks. I also attached a picture of some close ups of my scar. Where I had some stretch marks I have a weird pleated look. But other places are so nice and thin and will probably heal great! And I don't know why some pics are side ways. Updated on 9 Apr 2015: I made it to 3 weeks!! It really hasn't been bad. Some days I'm pretty swollen and that makes me really uncomfortable but for the most part I am back to normal. I am sleeping in my side now so that is helping me sleep better. I'm just not a back sleeper. Work is going fine and I don't feel super tired when I get home like I did in the beginning. As far as weight goes I'm 2 lbs lighter than I was before surgery. I had lost 6 lbs but that was right after when I couldn't eat. Now that my appetite is back I've been eating junk and gained most of it all back. My pants are hard to judge. One day I put on pants from before and they a huge and they next day I can't even button them. I think it will be a while before I know my true size. Shirt on the other hand are the same size as before because of my boobs but they fit sooooo much better and I have so much more confidence because of it! I'm not tugging all day trying to hide my belly! This surgery has for sure been worth it and I can't wait for the four week mark when I can have sex with my husband again. I have held myself from him and pushed him away so much in the last four years because of my stomach. That is it for now. I don't know if my stomach looks any different but I posted a picture with and without the compression garmet. I'm going to need to order a new one soon because this one is getting looser and crinkling on the sides as the day goes by. Updated on 12 Apr 2015: Tonight when I got out of the shower I noticed I have lots of new stretch marks. My old ones didn't look too bad but I didn't want new ones. I tried to take a picture but I just couldn't get a good one. I'm a little bummed but over all I just wanted the extra skin gone. Updated on 15 Apr 2015: I had my 4 week post op appointment this morning. Everything looks good. I have two small places that aren't healing as well. One had a stitch trying to come to the surface and the other had a hair growing there. The stitch was pulled out and the hair was pulled out so they should heal fine now. She cleared me to do anything I did before surgery. (Yay! I can ride roller coasters when we go to Universal Studios this weekend!!) I'm still supposed to wear the ear plug in my belly button. She said it will be several months of wearing that. I only have to wear my compression garment during the day now. I will probably still wear it at night though. I'm not sure I can do without it yet. It's kind of a security blanket for me. Overall I am feeling really good and am happy with my results. I do need to exercise and try to slim down my sides though. (I say that as I'm eating pizza! haha) I am not the best at discipline eating! I do have swelling by the end of the work day but its nothing too bad. If I eat something really salty it is worse of course. Current Weight: 132 Updated on 23 Apr 2015: I am 5 weeks post op and feeling pretty good. I have very little pain anymore. I am extremely swollen in these pictures because I spent Friday-Tuesday in Orlando chaperoning a band trip. 20 hours on a charter bus both ways. The. Two fully packed days at universal studios. So I'm extremely swollen! I'm not surprised at all because that is a lot for someone who just had surgery. Plus I rode roller coasters. They didn't bother me at all. I ate terrible while I was there as well so a lot of swelling is from that. Anyway not much else going on so I'll update next week. Updated on 24 Apr 2015: Here is a picture of my scar. You can see one side is healing really well and the other is really thick. I have no idea why but I wish both sides were thin. Updated on 24 Apr 2015: Updated on 29 Apr 2015: 6 weeks post op and I pretty much feel normal. I do have places that are numb to the touch but that is normal. I've been massaging morning and night with a homemade cream of coconut oil, corn starch, witch hazel, lavender oil, and tee tree oil. It is my go to cream for my daughters diaper rash and works great for repairing skin. So far I love the way it feels and smells and I think I can see a difference in the scar too. I am very disappointed in myself and my eating since the surgery. I've gained 5 lbs! Thankfully my stomach is still very flat but my back, sides, and thighs show the extra weight. I'm only 5'2 so every bit of weight shows on me. I have got to get with it. I thought I would be more motivated after this surgery but so far I have just been lazy. I've never been one to eat right or exercise and I know I need to. I weight 135 right now and I'm not happy with that. I want to be around 125. I find I am still not happy with my body and I don't think I will be until I lose the weight. I'm happy with my stomach but now I see my thighs and arms and start criticizing those areas. I just need to work out and do the work it takes to have the body I want. Any advise for getting started and sticking with it. I have an extremely busy schedule and two kids with a husband that works a LOT! Updated on 8 May 2015: I can't believe it has been 7 weeks already. It really just flies by! I love the way I look in clothes but hate the way I look without. Yes, it's 100 times better than before and I'm very thankful I did the surgery but I still hate my body. Maybe I am just one of those people who is never satisfied. It's the stretch marks, extra stretch marks, scar, ect. that looks so bad. Maybe a tan would help camouflage some of it. Anyway enough with the negative comments. Lol. I'm really not that down I promise! All in all I feel back to normal except my skin is sensitive and itchy all the time. I'm always putting oil or lotion on and still feel itchy. I'm still wearing the same clothes as before they just fit a whole lot better. My current weight is 133 and I am still wanting to lose about 8 lbs. I haven't started working out really but I plan to soon. I'm still not comfortable in a two piece which is unfortunate because we are going to the Bahamas next month. Updated on 22 May 2015: I am 10 weeks post op and I don’t really feel the need to do weekly updates anymore. Nothing has really changed. I am pretty much 100% back to normal other than some swelling if I do a lot. For example we are in the process of moving so I’m doing excessively more than I normally would so I’m pretty much swollen all the time right now. My biggest fear was that my sides would be a muffin top while my front was completely flat and that is exactly how it is. I’ve gained 5 lbs since surgery and it looks horrible. I knew I should have found a doctor who would do lipo at the same time as the tummy tuck but I really wanted a woman so I didn’t look for any other doctor. I could always do lipo later but I really don’t want a second surgery or to have to pay even more than I already have. Overall I am happy with the results because at least now if I lose weight and work out I could have the body I want. I just need to not be so lazy and do the work it takes. Updated on 31 May 2015: I haven't posted pictures recently because since my surgery I had gained 7 lbs!!! Yikes! For someone who is 5'2" that is a lot. Though my stomach stayed flat my sides and back did not and I felt really self-conscious about it. I've been working really hard to lose the weight and finally have. I don't have any pain at all and my swelling is behind my belly button. I've noticed a lot of people swell at the bottom under their belly button but that part is always flat for me. I'm at 133 right now and would like to ultimately be 125. In just 3 weeks we will be in the Bahamas and I still don't think I will wear a two piece. I have way too many stretchmarks on my stomach and thighs and I know I will still feel very self-conscious. I guess that is something I'll never be able to escape. Overall I'm very happy I had the tummy tuck and I feel so much better in regular clothes. As far as showing my stomach off. That probably won't ever happen. Updated on 3 Jul 2015: After my surgery I kind of let myself go. I guess I figured since my stomach was flat I didn't have to do anything. I was wrong! I gained 10lbs! And for someone who is 5'2" that is a lot! So for the past few weeks I've been working my butt off eating right and exercising everyday. My husband and I have been doing 21 day fix and I'm down 7lbs. I still want to lose a lot more and I'm so glad my husband is in this with me this time. It's a lot easier to stick to something when you have support. On a side note: I think I'm forming a dog ear on the left side and I hope she will fix it. I asked her about it in the beginning and she said it would flatten but so far it hasn't. It seems worse to me. I go back at the end of this month and I will see what she says. Updated on 14 Sep 2015: It's been 4 months? The time has flown by! Getting the tummy tuck has been one of the best decisions I have made. My confidence is so much better than it was before. I'm still self conscious and probably won't be wearing a bikini or anything. I just have too many stretch marks and most bottoms don't cover my scar. My scar has faded a lot but it still has a way to go. I'm pretty sure I have a dog eat on the left side. The PS doesn't do anything about those until a whole year has passed. But they way she was talking was like mine wasn't bad. And yes standing up it doesn't look bad but when I lay down it looks really bad. I guess we will see what she says when a whole year has passed. Updated on 6 Apr 2016: It's been over a year now and I'm completely healed. I still experience swelling behind my belly button somettimes. I still have numbness around my belly button as well. I am glad that I decided to get a tummy tuck. The only thing I would change is I wish I would have picked a surgeon who would do liposuction during the surgery as well. Other than that I am happy with everything and am so glad to not have that extra skin anymore.
I am going in February 25th this coming Friday to have a tummy tuck fix the Diastasis recti. And breast aug gummy bear implants 550 cc very excited. I'm 28 and have 5 children 9 8 6 4 1 it's time for this mommy to get her body back been working out 6 days a week and eating keto. 5/4 128lbs my doc won't do lipo on my flanks she said that if I want it done to do it 3 months later people are telling me I don't need lipo because after she dose the tummy tuck it will all be tight I hope I don't get the doggy ears on the sides Updated on 25 Feb 2022: Had my surgery so far so good. My boobs feel like they are engorged with breast milk but not bad pain. My tummy burns under the muscle while sitting/laying in my chair feels like I have done bout 10000 crunches and sore when I get up to used the bathroom on the incision but I am pretty good with pain so not to in to much pain yet just mild discomfort. I hear day 2/3 are the worst ready to get day 2 and 3 over. Will update as the days go by. Updated on 9 Mar 2022: My doctor was great but I wanted lipo of the flanks. She wouldn't do that at the same time as the tummy tuck. And now I am let with love handles. And my boobs gonna get them lifted now. This is so upsetting all working out I done and eating healthy for years just to look like this Updated on 29 Mar 2022: I was super swollen and just wasn't giving it time swelling is going down I still want lipo of the flanks gonna go back in 2 months to get that don't :) does anyone know how much it is to get your lipo of the flanks an estimated price
