Denis J Winder

I'm a 46 year old mother of one son. He's 26. I started gaining weight after having my son and eventually got up to 250 lbs. Over the past year I've lost 105 lbs on my own but I'm left with a lot of extra skin in a lot of places. The part that has always bothered me the most has been my stomach, especially now.

Since I did lose so much weight and have been left with so much extra skin my abdominoplasty will entail not only the standard incision from hip to hip but also a vertical incision from just below my breast bone down. I have been reading the posts here since I decided to have the surgery but have not seen anyone yet with this type of incision. I'm normally a pretty private person but I thought it might help someone else with my issues to see what I'll go through. And maybe someone out there has gone through the same thing and can give me some inspiration.

My surgery is scheduled for June 21st. My best friend is flying in from out of state to help out...she's a nurse so I'm going to have my own private nurse for a week. :) And of course my husband will be here for me as well. I'm excited to get rid of what I like to call my fanny pack of flesh but I'm also scared.



Updated on 24 Jun 2012:
day 3 PO I've been so loopy it''s hard to keep track of the days. My surgery went fine. No drains. My Dr says he's been doing this so long he's figured out to not use them. I'm hoping thats a really good thing for me. Thank goodness my best friend came to help me. I know my husband I would have been fine but having her here to manage things has taken a lot of pressure off. AND she cooks for us and she's a fantastic cook.

1 day PO I got nauseous and puked a couple of time. It wasn't fun but not as bad as I thought it would be. I spent the first night after surgery in a surgical hospital so it was fine. The Dr. gave me a prescription for phenegren and that seems to do the trick with the sick feeling. Yesterday, day 2, is pretty much a blur now. I'm in the recliner in my family room and it's quite a walk to the bathroom but I figure that's a good thing. The more I move the better. My husband keeps asking me to come lay on the bed with him and cuddle but I can't imagine how much pain that would put me in. I am trying to take fewer pain pills because I dont like feeling loopy.

I'll try and post a couple of "before" pics and maybe tomorrow I can get some after pics taken.

Updated on 25 Jun 2012:
Day 4 post op - woke up and feeling pretty good today. Pain is better today. I haven't had any pain meds so far this morning although I have a sponge bath and hair washing planned for today and my best friend/nurse tells me I'm going to take half a pill before hand whether I like it or not. I'm not quite as hunched over when I walk and it's easier to get in and out of this recliner. I will try and get some post op pics today during bath time. I'm swollen of course, today mostly in my hips. I have saddle bags. So far I'm so glad I don't have to mess with the drains. I've got my fingers crossed that it won't cause problems not having them...but so far it's great. Being hunched over hurts my back but I got some arnica rubbed on it twice yesterday and that helped. And biofreeze sprayed on my lower back made it feel much better. My favorite things so far are this recliner and my ice packs. I'll start hurting while I'm up and around but as soon as I get back in the recliner and get my ice packs on it's all good. Ice it ladies!

Updated on 25 Jun 2012:
Just did my sponge bath and took a pic. You can't see much because the dressing is still on but I'm way tickled so far. I think it's a big difference. woo hoo!

Updated on 26 Jun 2012:
Ok ladies. It's day 5 and today was my first post op visit with my Dr. I woke up a little sore but still not bad at all. I took half a pain pill and off we went. Dr. Winder took the dressing off and I saw it for the first time since seeing it when he changed the dressing the day after surgery. I was pretty looped so I dont remember much from that view. This time I got to see it all. I still think I look like a Tim Burton movie. The Dr snipped off the knots from my stitches and said the others should dissolve. He said everything looked good. He thinks he will take the stitches out from my belly button next week. He explained more about the no drains thing. He said that if you separate the skin and subcutaneous layer of fat from the muscle then when it's pulled back over the muscle fluid builds in those areas and has to be drained off. 'So he said for me he only had to pull that skin away in a very small area...but everything else was left intact. He said he doesnt like to use drains because he thinks that there are more complications after the drains are removed and more chance of infection. He also said that my muscle repair was smaller than he had thought at first. It did not need as much repair...so that's why I'm feeling better than we thought I would. I think my belly button looks a little weird and the lower incision isn't as low as I thought it would be but since I wont be wearing a bikini anyway since I have the vertical incision too...I guess that wont be an issue. It was such a cool thing to look down and see my tummy now. No more extra skin. It's still pretty unbelievable to me. He said I'm ok to drive if I'm not on pain pills and feel ok. No stick shift. Still take it easy. Don't over do. My next appt is Monday. I took a picture. It's a little gross...sorry. But I'm still pretty amped about it. Today I am of the opinion that this was totally worth it.

Updated on 27 Jun 2012:
Warning: this is a TMI post today. Today I pooped! I havent been this exciting about this even since I was probably 2 and got a cookie for going potty. It wasn't a particularlty pleasant experience but it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I didnt have to take any stool softener or laxative at all. I've just been eating a lot of fruit and some prunes and a fiber bar yesterday. So this has gone better than I anticipated. Last night I noticed a small area on my right hip that was leaking a little. Checked this morning and it had just leaked a small amount over night and seems to have stopped so I am pleased about that. I had my first shower last night. It was heaven. The Dr said as long as it was a short shower with warm, NOT HOT, water and I did not soak my surgical tape that it was allowed. My husband got the water started at a soft flow and I sat right in front of the shower with my back to it. I soaped up what I could. And shaved my legs...sasquatch is gone! Then my husband helped with what I couldn't reach. He helped rinse me off and dry me off and got my binder back on. I felt like a new woman.

Just remember girls...it really does get better each day. Today I'm going to drive for the first time....wish me luck and get out of my way ;)

Updated on 1 Jul 2012:
Hey girls Yesterday was day 9 post op. I took a couple of pictures. Tomorrow I go to the PS so I hope to get some better pictures then. I've been driving for a few days now (although the AC went out in my car and this binder is freaking HOT). I have been feeling really great. Still sore and swollen but not as hunched over and I'm taking fewer and fewer pain pills. Yesterday was awesome so of course I did too much and ate to much salty food and I'm a little uncomfortable today paying for it. Don't get all excited when you feel great and try to do too much. Not a good idea. So today I've been in my recliner and bossing my husband around. I hope I get a good word from the PS tomorrow and that I'll be able to give you a good update then.

Updated on 5 Jul 2012:
Hey girls. It's been two weeks today. I've been a little down for the past couple of days though. It seems like it looks the same as it has for the past two weeks. The bruising is better but I'm still swollen and the incision looks the same and now I'm bleeding from my right above my belly button and where the vertical and horizontal incisions meet. The Dr's office says thats normal and I'm probably just spitting sutures but I'm tired of it. It's been two weeks and I'm ready to see a difference. I'm trying to be patient and still take it easy but I'm ready to move forward.

Updated on 3 Dec 2012:
It's almost 6 months now. and having that tummy tuck was one of the best decisions I ever made. I am totally happy. Sure....I've got a scar....bigger than most since I had both vertical and horizontal incision as well, but I don't care. It's freaking awesome to not have that sagging stomach anymore. I"ll try and post pics soon.

Updated on 7 Dec 2012:
Ok......Here it is. before and after. I had my surgery on June 21st. It's almost 6 months now. Sure I've got a nice scar or two....but I'll still take this over the before. It's all been worth it to me. :)