I have scheduled my lower face life, neck lift and lipo and buccal fat pad removal for April 10th, 2013. I am a very active, happy, hardworking, tired "looking" 50. I have a double chin I have hated my entire life, regardless of weight! It is time to get "gone" with it! This hasn't been an easy decision. I finally decided to stop hating what I see in the mirror and ask my Doctor for his suggestions. He is happily confident he can give me what I am asking for. I am excited and scared to death at the same time!! Having had a Mommy make over in 2007, I am not worried about the pain (I know this stuff hurts), I can deal with it for the way it changed my life. I am not afraid of going under. I am only afraid of my dear sweet husband's reaction to my "battered" post op face!!! The rest I can deal with. Ready or not... The clock is ticking ;) I am excited!!! And scared ;)Updated on 2 Apr 2013:I went to my PS's office today for a laser treatment. I love the aesthetician there. It was so good to hear positive support and look at positive results again. I know they are on "team doc", but they are such a great group of ladies. It was helpful to go over WHERE incisions will be, etc. they are so patient no matter how many time I ask the same questions. They always act like it is the first time they have ever heard it, and answer me fully. So I have 8 days to go. My husband finally told me last night his misgivings aren't the healing or results, he is terrified of losing me!!! Awe so sweet... I told him not to worry I am not going ANYWHERE!!! It is general anesthesia, and he is afraid. I feel like I am finally mentally prepared. Now that I understand his concerns I can reassure him, and it's going to be awesome. Now with all of my ducks lining up, house cleaned top to bottom, meals prepared and frozen. I can push on my final phase on my bath remodel. Husband on board (ish). I think I can build my "recovery nest" and move ahead ;) I am finally EXCITED!Updated on 10 Apr 2013:I am home! I have a headache, my jaw is sore in the joint. I have a puffy lower lip, almost certainly from working around the tube for the buccal fat pad removal since those incisions are on the inside of my mouth, though very small. So other than that I feel good. I am not "in pain PAIN", I feel "sore" in those areas. Tomorrow I go in to change my "head dress". Looking forward to sleeping :)Updated on 11 Apr 2013:The day of surgery I got to the hospital at 8:45am. I had already pre registered via telephone so it was minor check in. The staff at Lakeview Hospital is friendly, professional and personal. The nursing staff goes above and beyond. Where it is a smaller hospital it has a very home town friendly feel. My PS is the chief of the plastic surgery department so the staff is very familiar with him and his work. You can tell they all respect him a great deal. I was checked in, vitals taken, dressed for surgery, and marked up and in surgery by 10:30 or 11:00. The wait was busy with things I needed to have done or do so it was not long "waiting". I was in surgery for 4-1/2 hours. I had a lower face lift with buccal fat pad extraction in my cheeks and lipo suction and lift in my neck. I am bruised around my neck like a purple collar, just as my PS said I would. Today he teased me and said he had to hold me down because I was getting rowdy ;) I love his professionalism and his personal touch. He has a charming confident manner. You can tell when he looks at you he loves his work and he is proud of the work he does. I cannot say enough about the office staff!! Heather is the receptionist and business end. Karen is his nurse and she is warm and approachable. She is kind and well informed. Dr. Sellers treats them with respect. It feels like a family of equals. I posted pics (which I have NEVER done before) I am swollen a little and expect more tomorrow and the next day. I know this will get worse before it gets better. I am sore in my jaw from the buccal removal. I felt quite panicky this morning, I think the big headress was getting to me. I am quite claustrophobic and I think it made me anxious. I asked him for a script of Xanax to help my nerves. It is very hard for me to be "down and out" and so he gave me a small script and that will be good to have. Knowing I have it is comforting. We all heal differently nd I faced a little mental battle I hadn't anticipated. I am on the uphill side of healing, but I feel great. I can see even with the swelling I am getting what I wanted! I only wish I had a before so everyone could see the dramatic change. I am grateful for this forum and intend to pay it forward by supporting others who have chosen this procedure. If any ladies are on here in Utah looking for a surgeon, please go to Dr. Sellers website and just look at his credentials and accomplishments. From operation smile missions, to board certifications and being Cheif of plastic surgery in two hospitals, etc. This is a talented accomplished generous man with great skill! I canno speak highly enough of him, or his staff! Here I go now... Happily Healing ;)Updated on 12 Apr 2013:Beginning my 3rd day out. Swelling is still about the same, but I expect it to get worse before it gets better. The aching in my ears and jaw is much improved this morning, no doubt due to a very good nights rest! My decision to recover in our guest area has been a great one. I haven been up and around a lot. Bending to pick things up is my enemy! I have one of those grabber things because I am so short, but now I am using it to keep the floor picked up! Lol My husband has been a doll, but I know he cannot imagine why I would do this to myself! He'll see later. Bathroom issues are on track. DIY to preparing by eating to keep my self going well preop and dulcolax and some prunes post op and that area was not a problem. Lots and lots of water and iced tea has helped too. Certainly that helps the swelling.Updated on 12 Apr 2013:One thing I am doing is putting arnica gel on my bruising. It cools and comforts and I feel it is helping. I keep it away from all inscison sites! But it feels very good to put it on.Updated on 12 Apr 2013:Swelling has set it! But I feel fabulous!!Updated on 13 Apr 2013:This is my 4th night home, my surgery was The afternoon of the 10th. I have been really comfortable most of that time. No real pain, just pressure. Just a feeling of agitation every now and then. Today I was able to do light household chores. And I went for a drive with my hubby, it was nice to get out. I have dark tinted windows and that made me feel private enough. When I got home I took a nice bath (not too warm) and I took my sweet time getting my head wrap back on. I think that either allowed me to swell or I just became more aware of the swelling. Either way that was not comfortable and it took a while for me to settle down and get comfortable again. I learned this chin strap is my friend!! Much like keeping my tummy strapped after my tummy tuck. The swelling on my face is mostly on the sides near my ears. I prefer the strap to the way it felt without it. I am so happy with my results so far! Trying to imagine it san swelling, I think it has turned out really well.'Updated on 15 Apr 2013:Day 5 and I got my stitches out. All that is left to do now, is heal. I feel so much better today than I have since the surgery. Still the pesky swelling and the bruises are gifts that keep giving and having a few new surprises popping up :) Getting those stitches out from around my ears is such a corner to turn!!! They didn't hurt, but they were irritating behind my ear. I feel like a new woman. I was able to look at the before pictures that Dr. Sellers has in my folder. I am going to ask for copies so that I can post them on here. I was almost in tears when I saw them! I so regret not taking any! Suddenly the swelling and bruising are the best friends I have EVER had. He really did a fabulous job. I have to say I am happy I have done this. I would never pressure anyone into any cosmetic procedure, but I will be a great cheerleader for those who make this decision. The bumps in the road are worth it. Mine wasn't just to turn the clock back. That was part of it certainly. But my issue was my neck. I always had this floppy awful gobbler. I felt "neckless". My husband has gotten my some lovely necklaces over the years and I always hated wearing anything that was a little short because I felt it drew attention to that terrible double chin. Over the years of course it became more "floppy". But it was always there. So this transformation is something I used to push and pull on my neck from age 10 and 11 and imagine what it would be like to have a CHIN! Ladies and Gentlemen... I have a CHIN! A nice normal chin. I am going to take a nap, and take advantage of my quiet house. It won't be long till my Grandson is back for full time care so I want to enjoy my quiet time and get my strength back! I'm gonna need it. If you're considering this procedure, investigate your doctor throughly, make sure you like his staff and office. Read everything you can get your hands on. Make an educated choice, and be prepared for the reality of recovery. If you do decide to go ahead, I wish you all the best. I wish you all the satisfaction I feel when I look in the mirror. Thanks RealSelf for this site! What an absolute gold mine it has been for me on this journey!!! Hugs to all and will post before pics when I get my hands on them, and some more afters when I am able.Updated on 21 Apr 2013:I am 11 days post op and I took my new face out to a birthday party with friends who all knew I had a lift. Well I was so thrilled with the reaction. Honestly they were surprised by how much it had helped, but not changed me. I don't look pulled or weird. It was a great day with positive ladies! I am happier now than even before. Reassurance helps. My friends are darling and supportive and it was great to feel confident in my results!Updated on 6 May 2013:Tomorrow is one month since my facelift. Posting my before and after together is beyond words. I have not lost weight, I cannot believe how heavy I looked. Well I am so happy I did this.
I am a 37 mother of 6 who recently had a vertical cut tummy tuck, or fleur de lis tummy tuck, to fix diastasis recti, umbilical hernia, stretch marks, and loose skin. Getting a vertical cut on my stomach rather than the usual, low, horizontal cut, was an oddity in the surgery world, especially for my small size. I am 5' 4" and weigh 100 pounds. However, I had the above mentioned issues. Dr. cut 8 inches off horizontally and the results are early, but AMAZING! Updated on 19 Sep 2012: After looking over some other “reviews” I thought I might put more information about myself and my surgery. I am the mother of 6 with kids ranging in ages from 19 years old to 14 months old. Dr. Seller and I chose to go with the vertical cut tummy tuck for several reasons. First, I had quite a few stretch marks above my belly button that would still be there, but pulled down to a lower position, with a traditional horizontal cut. If I have to look at those ugly stretch marks still anyways…what is the point of having surgery. I’m betting on a clean, white scar that I will barely notice in comparison. If that doesn’t happen, anything will be better than what it was before. Second, I have a very long torso and my belly button sits kind of high. So, my doctor would have had to make a vertical “seam” anyways, if I had gone with the traditional horizontal cut, in order to sew up where my old belly button had been. Third, with my diastasis or muscle repair, I have probably lost an additional inch or two off of my waistline. In a traditional tummy tuck, this would have left me with even a little more skin horizontally. However, vertically cut, he was able to just cinch it all in once the muscles were repaired. This option was not discussed with any other doctor that I consulted. I don’t think it’s very common and usually only an option on obese people who have lost a ton of weight. As I mentioned before, I am very small framed, 5’ 4” and weigh 100 pounds, and THIS particular surgery will not leave me disappointed with the results as a traditional tummy tuck may have. My friends and family that I have shown off results to have all said, “hmmm…maybe I need to go with a vertical cut!” That being said, I am not a bikini wearing Mom. If I were, this may not have been such an easy decision. I had no lipo suction done at the time of surgery. I did not end up needing drains because there was little, if any, skin trauma from the surgery. I have a 3 inch horizontal scar right at my pubic line and a vertical scar running from that point to about 2 inches below my breast line. I have recovered quite well so far. Most of the first 5 days were spent in my recliner. On day 6, I have been up a good part of the day and taken only one pain pill around noon. I, of course, can not lift anything. However, I can clean up a little after kids, make lunch, work on the computer, go up and down stairs, pretty much anything that does not involve lifting or bending over. I am looking forward to having working stomach muscles again! I’m sure they have been a part in the back problems I have dealt with on and off for the past 8 years. I’m just amazed everytime I look down at my new tummy! Updated on 20 Sep 2012: Dated: September 11, 2012 My surgery is scheduled for tomorrow. My dear husband gave me a Priesthood blessing tonight. I am not so much scared for the actual surgery, but more anxious about the unknown of it all. How will it turn out? Will I be happy with it? Will I notice a big enough difference to make it worthwhile? Have I chosen the right doctor? Will he sew up all my muscles like I want him to? How will the recovery be? I’ve read different things, some people say pain not too bad during recovery if keep up on pain meds, others say first few days SO painful. Which will I say? Some people say just taking a shower that first week totally zaps all your energy and wears you out. Really? I totally can not even imagine that! After my babies, I am pretty much up and at em by the next day, no laying in bed for me. Will I not feel like getting out of bed for weeks after this surgery? I know my stretch marks are not all going away with this surgery. Will I notice the ones that are left? Will they still wrinkle when I bend? Will my incision be straight? Will the scar fade or stay red? How will I take care of my baby (14 months old) for the next month? My biggest concern is getting him in and out of his crib. I just don’t know how that’s going to work out! And, I’m totally not ready to give up naptime for him yet, for this. Luckily, and hopefully, my 19 year old will be home most days to help out with this. Then of course there are the real worries. Ones like, what if something goes wrong and I leave my kids without a mother all over my vanity. I know my hernia and muscles are being repaired and as well, but neither one of these things is deadly or absolutely necessary, so could I be setting myself up for a lifetime of problems unnecessarily? My sweetheart took me to my favorite, Chick-Fil-A, for dinner tonight. I slept until around 4:00, at which time I awoke and had a hard time getting back to sleep with all the thoughts running through my mind. Updated on 20 Sep 2012: Dated: September 12, 2012 - Surgery Day had to check in at Lakeview Hospital at 9:45 this morning. My hubby and I drove the kids to school and then headed out this way. My oldest son will be watching the little ones this morning and my Mom will come over for the rest of the day around 11:30. Upon arriving at the hospital, we had to wait. And, wait. And, wait. Dr. Sellers finally came in to visit with me around 1:30 or so. His first question to me was, “So, did we decide to just make the one horizontal cut or the vertical one?” Interesting that this was the first thing he discussed. When I had been in his office, and I had suggested the idea or asked about the idea, I got the feeling from him, my hubby, and his nurse that I was a little crazy to think about that. They DO do tummy tucks like that, but few and mainly just on very large people who need like a total body lift. I however, wondered and have wondered the past few weeks since, if I would be happier with that cut over the low, horizontal one. So, when he asked me about it first thing, it just felt right to me. My dear husband, Dr Sellers, and I quickly came to the decision that I would be getting the long vertical incision with a short 4-6 inch incision at the pubic line. This decision was made because of the following reasons. First, it may be able to remove ALL of my stretch marks. I probably have a good 2-3 inches of stretch marks above my belly button that would be left behind with a traditional tummy tuck. I was not really happy about that. I kept wondering if I’m going to have those stretch marks anyways, wouldn’t it be better just to have the 1 vertical scar rather than the 4 inch wide/possibly 4 inch long patch of stretch marks left behind? Second, I am very long waisted and apparently have a high belly button. Most peoples belly buttons line up with the top of their hip bones. My belly button sits about 1-2 inches above that spot. The problem with that is when he cuts the belly button area, he was going to have to do a vertical incision/stich up approximately 3-4 inches anyway just to get that old belly button hole sewn up. Third, although I had quite a lot of loose skin below my belly button, the skin above was stretchy horizontally, but not so much so vertically. Therefore, that skin could not be pulled down a lot, resulting in the left behind stretch marks. So, I left for the operating room around 1:30ish and woke up in recovery around 5:30. Time stood still for me during that time. I, of course, remember nothing. I will be staying the night at Lakeview, since it was only an additional $200 for this option. Kind of a no brainer for me for safety reasons as well as taking a break from 6 kids for the evening! My hubby will be staying overnight with me and actually has his own bed in my room. When I got to my room, I took some nausea medication as well as some Lortab. My pain is mostly soreness in the muscles above my belly button. Those ones were split significantly more than the lower muscles. In fact, I have felt no discomfort in the lower muscles or incistions. My vertical incision appears to go from pubic area to maybe 2 inches below my boobs and my horizontal incision is right at pubic hair line approximately 4-5 inches. I have an abdominal binder on with steri-strips and a small piece of gauze covering them. One good thing is I didn't end up with drains. Because I had no liposuction done and the Dr didn't have to lift the skin up from the tissue to fix my muscles, he didn't feel like there was a need to put drains in. Horray! I was NOT looking forward to this part of the recovery! I, of course, haven’t seen the incision (I’ve peeked under there a little bit, but don’t dare look), but I am feeling very confident with the results and with the surgery that we decided to do. Only time will tell, but I’m expecting to be happy. Updated on 20 Sep 2012: Dated September 13 - 1 Day Post Op I don’t think I’ve ever had a worse night sleep! I wouldn’t even say it was pain from my surgery that kept me up all night, it was just “hospital living”. Several things. First of all, the leg compressors they had on my calves were highly annoying. They constantly reminded me that I could be developing a deadly blood clot in my leg. At times, I guess just from the pressure of having them on, my legs felt “tingly”, which worried me and made me wonder if they were too tight and cutting off the circulation. Ok, maybe I wasn’t thinking totally clearly with all that medication, but still! Then, to have it feel like someone is taking your blood pressure on your leg every 15 seconds while trying to sleep, just doesn’t work. My next complaint is the loudness of the hospital. When I, or anyone else for that matter, push the “nurse call” button on my bed, it dings outside my room rather than at the nurses station. No big deal if it’s only ME calling the nurse and she comes right away. But, when the people around you are ALSO calling the nurse all night, and you can hear their “beep…beep….beep…” until the nurse finally gets to their room…annoying! Last complaint, the nursing staff. I heard people talking here and there throughout the night, but at 6:30 this morning, several nurses were having a very loud, laughing, 10 minute discussion in the hallway near my room. Seriously?! Don’t they know where they work? Don’t they realize that people who are recovering from surgery have a hard enough time sleeping that we don’t need THEM interrupting our sleep that early in the day! I thought it was very rude and weird that this concept would not dawn on them. I am taking Lortab every 4 hours…not sure on the dosage. My nurse didn’t wake me up in the night for medication, so at one point, I spanned almost 5 hours and felt it. After that, I started to watch the clock myself and ask at 4 hours. Dr Sellers came in this morning around 8:00. He said the surgery went great. He again confirmed the decision to make the vertical incision was the way to go. He said that once he sewed those muscles together at the top of my stomach, which had been separated about 2 inches, it would have only created more loose skin horizontally…however, with the vertical incision this was not an issue at all. He also said something about had we done it the other way, my belly button incision would have had to go nearly to my new belly button…so again, good decision to go with the vertical incision to begin with. My stitches on the horizontal incision are on the outside. The vertical incision has dissolvable sutures on the inside. Both areas are covered with steri-strips. I am free to shower at any time now, but will probably wait a day or so, because mentally it just doesn’t seem right to me at this point. At 10:00 or so, it was time for us to leave the hospital and return home. Good and bad, I guess. More comfortable at home, but more chaos as well. Upon walking into my house, my baby saw his momma and walked towards me. He stopped at my leg and gave me his “uuuhhh” grunt which translates to “pick me up!” Sadly, I could not. He was not happy about that. My hubby picked him up and he cried. I leaned in and he gave me a nice, long hug, stopping with the fussing immediately. We couldn’t stay like that forever though, so Grandma moved in to take the baby. He threw quite a fit for a minute or two, but then it was done and he was fine. I planted myself in my bedroom recliner and pretty much stayed there for the rest of the day. Every once in awhile, Baby will come up next to my chair and I’ll reach over and pat his back. He likes this…and then he’s off to make more trouble somewhere! I tried to sleep throughout the day, but it rarely happened. I was however, able to sit there and rest, which was what I really need. I think Daddy's already had it with being a “stay at home Dad” after just this one afternoon. Lots of work with a 14 month old in the house! He’s ALWAYS into something! I said many times before this surgery, “Are you SURE we shouldn’t wait until Baby gets a little older and easier?” But, my dear husband reassured me there is never going to be a “good” time for this type of thing. He may be reconsidering that response now. Too late! Speaking of my sweetheart, he’s been so tender and supportive of me throughout this process so far. Helping me in and out of bed, slowly and gently. I just looked at him last night as he was getting ready to spend that same “unsleepable” night in the hospital and felt an overwhelming sense of love for him. I am truly blessed to have such a giving, wonderful friend and partner to spend forever with! Last night, my Mom spent the night to help out with the kids. Love her! My parents are always so supportive and helpful when the need arises. As far as pain meds, I am taking 7.5-325 mg of Oxycodone every 4 hours. My instructions say take 1-2 every 4 hours. Once I took 1 ½ pills…it made me feel quite loopy, so I will probably stick to taking 1, but maybe 1 every 3 ½ hours instead. At that 3 hours mark, I can really start to feel the pain coming on again. I haven’t really had much of an appetite today. I’ve eaten a piece of French toast, yogurt, Hostess cupcake, watermelon, and a piece of wheat toast. Maybe I’m afraid to eat, because I’m afraid to have to go to the bathroom. My doctor advised me to use a stool softner, so I’ve been taking Colace now for a week or so. Still…. It’s hard to describe the pain I’m feeling. It’s there. It’s not deathly by any means, but it’s pain. Updated on 25 Oct 2012: 6 weeks post op, and I am loving my results! I feel like my posture is much better and my backaches are gone now that my core muscles are working properly. I happily trade my loose, stretch marked skin for a long vertical scar. I don't think I have a single stretch mark left....amazing! No way I could have had these results with a normal, horizontal tummy tuck. Too much extra skin and stretch marks above the belly button. My doctor took 8 INCHES of skin off vertically. Again, amazing to me considering my size. I am 5' 4", weighing 105 before tummy tuck. Never gained weight except for 20-25 pounds during each of my 6 pregnancies. My post-op belly button is not ideal. It is flat and I wish the doctor maybe had made the circle a little smaller. However, again, the trade off for this new tummy is incomparible! Because of my herniated belly button and the fact that I have virtually no fat against my stomach, a flat belly button is my result. Ok with me. Updated on 10 May 2013: 8 Months Post-Op I LOVE the results! Not perfect, but SO MUCH better than what was there before!!! I basically ended up with no belly button. I am naturally VERY thin, pretty much no fat under my skin, which can result in no belly button after surgery. Oh, well. Because of my thinness, my veins are also a little more noticeable than other women's, but again, oh well. I'm not a bikini wearer...to look good for ME and my hubby was all I was aiming for. And this surgery did it! I am SO glad I went with the vertical cut tummy tuck. After researching further, I have seen post-op photos where there were still a lot of stretch marks (ones that had been there above the belly button prior to surgery). No doubt, I would have had stretch marks and most likely extra skin still if I had done the traditional tummy tuck.
I love being a mom and I gave my body for 4 incredible kiddos! Over the years I struggled with self image, clothes, being asked if I was pregnant, wishing I could keep my nursing breast size, pain and nausea with pressure on my stomach and whether cosmetic surgery was "okay" for me to do. I'm sure many of you understand at least part of what I'm talking about. Through a supporting husband, listening to experiences of others and lots of personal meditation and prayer I came to feel for myself that there was nothing wrong with doing this for myself but that it shouldn't define me. I knew I had to feel confident in who I was and how I looked before undergoing this so I didn't rely on surgery to determine how I feel about me! I waited a couple years after that until the time felt right. I have relied on so many of you for tips, encouragement and loving, kind remarks. In gratitude I share my own story as it continues to unfold... Updated on 9 Jan 2015: Am I glad I did this? I don't know yet. This is harder than I thought. I have struggled with regret at the same time reminding myself that I can't know how I feel about it in the middle of the hardest part! I WILL say that combining all the procedures I did at one time may not be the best choice. I had tummy tuck with hernia repair and major diastasis repair. I had lipo of flanks and abdomen and I had a breast augmentation. Yikes! So far the most painful recovery has been the muscle repair and BA. That's not true of everyone. In fact, everyone's procedure is a little different depending on where they start from, their skin and what they want as a final result. I think my surgeon did a great job but he really beat me up with the surgery so healing is going to take some time. Maybe the aggressive surgery will result in a better look? I also had a complication from narcotics that landed me back in the emergency room three days after surgery. My bowels had completely stopped! I was in so much pain that I had to go to the hospital and have a tube put down my nose into my stomach. I don't want to go into detail because the experience is still fresh for me and it was a nightmare. Now that I am back at home and starting to do a little better I feel encouraged. The result of that complication is that I have not been able to take any narcotics cents D3. I am on ibuprofen and Tylenol which I've never done much for me. I think I have been in more pain than you usually would need to be. Please be careful and baby your body! Be careful what you put in it and make sure you give all your systems the attention and care that they need to function properly! Updated on 18 Jan 2015: OK, here are a few tips I got from other people on this site and from my own experience that I really like. 1. Get a walker. I got a used one from the ads in our community paper and it cost me $10. Don't spend much on this because you will probably only use it the first couple weeks. However, with muscle repair and tummy tuck, your back will be aching after standing or walking for a few minutes and this really helps take strain off your back! 2. Have a recliner available to rest and sleep in. Again, I got one from the ads in our local paper. I slept in this exclusively for 2 weeks because I could get comfortable and stay elevated without pillows slipping out of position. My husband had to help me in and out since I couldn't pull the lever to raise my feet but he was a trooper and I'm glad I had it. I can now get in and out of my own bed but I use the recliner to rest during the day and I can pull the lever on my own at 15 days out! 3. Start stool softeners BEFORE surgery. I wish I had done this. It may have kept me out of the ER a couple days after surgery when I had a blockage in my small intestine which caused me a night of pumping everything back out through a tube down my nose. Miserable, awful, nightmarish experience that should have been avoided. Fiber Therapy or Psyllium is also great for constipation. It is a powder you add to anything and works wonders. It doesn't taste but has a gritty texture so best added to something with texture. Mixed with Gatorade it does a great job but I had a hard time choking it down. 4. A lanyard is perfect around your neck to hold the drains while you shower. Better than ace wrapping your middle and not being able to wash easily. 5. I LOVE having the shower chair I bought at Walmart. It was not expensive. I used it with the handheld shower head and it made showering much easier. Again, you will only use this for a couple weeks so if you can borrow or sell it afterward... 6. Freezer meals prepared ahead are your best friend unless you are blessed to have lots of church and family that bring in meals for you like I did. :) Don't plan on doing ANYTHING the first week. Anything! Well, you can walk to the bathroom and around the house a bit but not much else. 7. Prepare yourself mentally and spiritually! We plan ahead for physical challenges but forget often to cover the rest of it. Write a mission statement about your goals and reasons for doing this. Write your expectations and then leave room for eventualities. I wrote a few paragraphs that also include how grateful I am for my healthy body and read it several times when I got discouraged. It was really helpful. Take before pictures to go with this. You will be surprised how quickly you forget what you looked like preop. 8. Don't let yourself form opinions or make decisions the first week at least. You will wish at times you hadn't done this. Don't compare your worst day after surgery to your best day before. Just watch movies, read books and don't think about it for a while. You WILL feel better. I promise you will not be miserable for long. In fact, it will surprise you how quickly you will improve if you just relax and don't worry too much. 9. Call your surgeon as many times as you want. Don't worry about bothering someone. Don't feel bad about bugging them. Call any time you have a question. If the make you feel like you are a bother, remind yourself that you paid a lot of money for this and they are there specifically to answer YOUR questions. Get over the feeling of bugging people and make those calls! 10. This shouldn't be last. It's really important! Have someone with you the first week. It is very hard to remember what meds you took when. It's hard to get your own food. It's dangerous to walk around a shower without someone close by. It's depressing to struggle through something this difficult without support and love. Find a buddy and keep them close. My husband is my hero. I could not have done this without him. Grab a sister, friend, spouse...You will be glad you did! Updated on 18 Jan 2015: I'm doing so much better now. I'm going to try to post pictures soon. I just couldn't bring myself to do it before now. I still have burning in my BA incision. The surgeon pulled skin up from my rib area to make into breast and I think that is why it is hurting. My TT incisions have barely bothered me at all. My muscles feel funny from being manipulated and I still can't straighten all the way but I am very encouraged about the progress I have made in two weeks! I think I will be glad I did this in another week or two. :) Updated on 1 Mar 2015: I am now 8 weeks out from surgery. I quit counting days and even forgot which week I was in! I haven't been on this site in several weeks either. All signs that recover is well under way and I can actually think about things other than surgery now! I still have annoying swelling. It is different throughout the day in location and severity. I worry that I'm gaining weight since I haven't been as active. But then I wake up and my tummy is slim and I realize it is still swelling. I gained sensation back in my stomach a couple weeks ago and it has been very tender and painful. I have vertical and horizontal incisions and the top of the vertical is extra tender, somewhat raised and feels hard underneath. I am holding judgment on many things since I know I still have months of recovery before I will know for sure what the outcome is. However, so far, I'm happy I did this. My G.I. symptoms are gone! Totally gone!!! My back no longer hurts because my stomach muscles are where they should be. I love the way I look in clothes. I still pause when I look in the mirror and see my scars...they are pretty scary looking. My husband says I don't look like a Frankenstein experiment but I think I kind of do. :) I can get in and out of chairs easily now and sleep is easier. I can do a slow jog but I feel like ab workouts and a really good run are still way in the future for me. This is really an emotional journey. I have been pretty even emotionally but I will admit that I have had self doubt and a fear that I will regret this. Right now, the only thing I may regret (still holding judgment) is the BA. As fun as it is to look better in clothes, they still don't feel like me. Being small was really convenient. These things are sometimes in the way a little because I'm not used to having them! I have a constant fear that they will fail on me someday soon. I just don't have a great comfort level with them yet. I'm hoping that will come with time. As happy as I am with the way I look now, sometimes I wish I could get them out so I could quit worrying. I have no regrets about the TT and lipo. Happy healing everyone!
