I'm so excited that I had my consultation with Dr. James Edwards from the Providence Medical Group today for a panniculectomy. He was fantastic and I look forward to working with him. He has great reviews on here. It's been a rocky road getting to this point but so happy to have made it. I started my journey in September of 2012 at 298 lbs and reached my goal of 165 lbs in January 2014 through hard work. I try to exercise 3-4 days a week. I use to go 6 days a week but because of spine issues I have to pace myself and be careful and I watch what I eat. I gained a little over the holidays(who doesn't) but I'm working on it losing it slowly. A little info on me: I'm 41 years old, 170 lbs as of today at the doctors, and I was 5' 51/2" which I always thought I was 5'6". I guess I lost a 1/2 inch somewhere. Anyways, as I find out more info about my procedure I will post dates and pics. Updated on 12 Feb 2015: I'm hoping I get an insurance approval fast before I get another rash. I can't stand them they drive me crazy. I scratch myself until I bleed and then I start to cry cause I get so tired of scratching. Nothing seems to help with them. I just want it all to go away. Here's some pics. Hopefully they post...... Updated on 21 Feb 2015: Omg, I'm so freaking excited. I decided to look online to check if my insurance approved my surgery yet, not expecting to see approved cause I swear I check it every hour and last night before I went to sleep it still said pending. This turned out to be a great start to a Saturday morning. Yay. Updated on 23 Feb 2015: Here are a couple before pics. I weighed 166 lbs in these pics this morning. Gosh It's an ugly site. Hopefully it'll look much better after the Dr. does his miracle work on it. Updated on 23 Feb 2015: Updated on 24 Feb 2015: I finally got a surgery date of April 20, 2015 and my pre-op is April 14, 2015. I'm so excited. I can't even grasp that it really is going to happen. Yay!! Updated on 11 Mar 2015: So the doctors office just called and had to reschedule my pre-op to April 16 instead of the 14th. I'm hoping they don't call back and have to reschedule my surgery. I also asked them about using vitamedica products before and after surgery. Have to wait for the nurse to call me back on that as she was busy at the moment. I've heard nothing but awesome stuff about the products. Has anyone used them before? VitaMedica is an FDA-registered line of pharmaceutical-grade supplements. Especially made to focus on preparation and healing from plastic surgery. Updated on 12 Apr 2015: I'm super nervous, I only have a week left before the big day. I see the Dr on Thursday this week for my pre-op but I have a couple of sores around the tummy area and worried they won't be gone by surgery date and I won't be able to get it done. I did see my pcp a couple of weeks ago for this and she gave me a cream to use on it everyday. I've been doing that but they are still there. I'll try taking some pics so you can see. Ugh if it's not one thing it's another. Updated on 12 Apr 2015: So this is a pic of one of the three I have on my tummy and hip area. I'm hoping they will be gone quick with my surgery in a week. I would hate for my surgery to be rescheduled I don't think my nerves could handle it. Updated on 20 Apr 2015: I had my surgery at 7:30am today. The surgery was 3 hours and they sent me home with a pain/numbing pump. Awesome! They Dr removed 5 lbs from my abdomen and said my muscles were good. I'll try to post pics when I can. Updated on 21 Apr 2015: Had my surgery yesterday morning. I was feeling pretty good. Then this morning my calves and feet were all swollen up. Also my upper abdomen is really swollen and thats where they have the pain/numbing pump. Then one of the pain pumps tubes is clogged at least the other one is working. Thankfully Dr gave me percocets too. I haven't seen my incision yet cause I have all the bandage and binder on. He said I could take a shower on the 3rd day after surgery. Updated on 22 Apr 2015: Okay it's been 48hours since my surger and I really don't remember anybody complaining about burning sensation where the drainage tubes are. Does anybody remember having that feeling. I also have a lot of general pain even with a pain pump. I still haven't removed my compression garment to see anything. I can shower tomorrow so I try to take pics then. This is not an easy thing to do. I'm just hoping I love the end results. Updated on 23 Apr 2015: Everybody always ask how much it costs so I'm posting a pic of the charges. It includes everybody's fees from doctors and the hospital. It's kind of interesting how much they charge insurance companies and what they charge for self pay. Updated on 23 Apr 2015: So I managed to take a couple of photos before taking a shower. I know it's to early to judge what I will look like in the end because if I had to base it on these pics I wouldn't be to happy. It's only Thursday and my surgery was on Monday. On the other hand it felt awesome to take a shower. It wasn't easy putting the binder back on with all the tubes. I have my follow up on Tuesday next week and I only plan on taking one more shower before then and I'm a type of person that showers everyday....... Updated on 24 Apr 2015: Like I was saying it's crazy what they charge to the insurance company, in my case $30,000 and what they charge for self pay.... Uhm Updated on 27 Apr 2015: Posting a couple of pics. Today has been exactly a week since I had my surgery. I'm feeling better about moving around. It still hurts a little getting up and down. I slept in the bed all night long for the first time last night. Gosh that felt really good. Still sore but much more comfortable then the chair. I see the Dr tomorrow, not expecting either of the drains to be removed but will be very happy to have this pain pump removed. Looking at the pics can you see a difference from the 3 day post pics? Updated on 29 Apr 2015: So I saw the arnp this week and she removed the belly button stitches along with the pain pump.... Yay! The pain pump hurt like like a son of a [RS bleep]. It was the worse pain ever. Then she removed the stitches. That wasn't to bad because it was still numb, which was fantastic after the whole ordeal with the pain pump. Note to self take pain pill about 30-45 minutes before next appointment because they will be removing the stitches from hip to hip and drainage tubes. Still lots of abdominal pain. Updated on 1 May 2015: Thought I would post a few updated pics. Swelling is going down. Yay! Updated on 6 May 2015: I went to my appointment yesterday and got one drained removed. It took 15 days to remove it. Gosh that seems like a long time but better to leave it in and get everything out that way. So I should get the other one removed next week and I'll be free.... Lol. Normal showers and no more hiding the long tubes. Yay Feeling really good overall. I stand up straight, don't need pain meds, and feel like my energy level is back to normal. Updated on 9 May 2015: I can't wait for this last drain to be removed at next appt on May 12, 2015. I feel really swollen still, which sucks. I hope this swelling goes way down cause my waist is actually 3 inches bigger then before the surgery. I feel like I traded two belly rolls for one big roll and wishing it was flatter. Not sure if I like it yet. Updated on 16 May 2015: Now do you see something wrong and why I'm not ready to say I like the results. .. :-( Updated on 16 May 2015: Look how uneven my tummy is.... Not liking it. I'm very sad to have waited so long and go through this pain and not like what I see. Updated on 21 May 2015: Okay, I saw my Dr today and he was awesome! I have been concerned with my tummy being uneven. He told me one side has more tissue then the other side but still wasn't happy with how I was healing. He told me not to worry and to give myself a little more time to heal and he would do a revision. I also have fat pockets at the end of my incision on both sides and he side he will remove those as well. I was pretty sad and upset when I went to see my Dr but he made me feel so much better by the time I left his office. I have the best Dr in the world. All smiles now :-) Updated on 26 May 2015: Feeling better then a couple weeks ago. Swelling is way down but still have lopsided tummy. In my last post I said my Dr is willing to do a revision on tummy and take care of the little fat pockets at both ends of my incision. Not happy about another surgery but really want it fixed if possible. Oh, I also finally saw the report of the skin removed. It said it was 15x8x1.5 inches. That was a lot of skin. I've posted a few updated pics so you can see too. It's been 5 weeks as of yesterday. Updated on 22 Jun 2015: I've added a bunch of new pics. It's now been 2 months since my surgery and I still can't say that I'm happy with the results yet. I'm thinking that I have a different figure not one that I'm thrilled with but one I just have to get use to. I fill and look like I'm pregnant and I hate it. I find myself still wearing the same old shape-wear that I wore before my surgery. When I was hoping I wouldn't need it anymore. I have no indent where my waste was, which is really hard for me to get use to and I'm 3 inches bigger in the waste area. My pants don't fit anymore.... can't button them :-(. I still feel if I would have known my waste was going to be bigger, I would have to wear bigger clothes, continue wearing shape-wear to hold in my tummy, not having a waste, trading two tummies for one big roll that makes people ask me if I'm pregnant (can't fault them I really do look prego... embarrassing), I wouldn't have had the surgery. It was much easier to hide the lose skin then it is a big fat hard tummy. Updated on 10 Sep 2015: So it's been almost 5 months since my surgery. Im going to try to post more pics but they're not uploading. So I'm posting this one before it disappears... Lol Still not liking my results. I really miss my waist. My waist is 6 inches bigger and I can't wear any of my jeans that I could wear before. Sad ???? Updated on 10 Sep 2015: Updated on 16 Sep 2015: I saw the dr yesterday 9-15-15 and I told him my bb has been draining this smelly yellow discharge and he stuck a pencil size stick with this black stuff on the end of it and put it in my bb and taped it up. I took off the bandage the next morning and it looks like this (hopefully pic will post). Other then that he didn't say anything about a revision or my dogears. Updated on 16 Sep 2015: Updated on 7 Oct 2015: So I went back to Dr(Oct 1, 2015) and he did the same thing as last time 2 weeks ago. He uses silver nitrate in the belly button. Updated on 24 Oct 2015: I've decided to switch from a male to a female doctor for my next surgeries. I'm having a breast reduction and going to my tummy fixed from my first surgery in April 2015. So here is a current pic. I'm currently a 36 DDD and want to go to a 36 C. My insurance has approved me for both surgeries already. I'm scheduled to have them both done on Feburary 2, 2016. I wish it was this year but at least it's going to get done. I'll keep everybody updated as it gets closer to the date. Updated on 5 Feb 2016: I had my breast reduction and a tummy tuck with Dr. Miles from Swedish in Seattle. Amazing doctor.!! As soon as I feel better I'll post pics. I'm all covered up until I see the doctor on Feb. 10, 2016. Updated on 18 Feb 2016: Dr. Miles from Swedish in Seattle did an excellent job with my breaat reduction and a revision of my tummy done by another doctor early last year. She's the best. Updated on 18 Feb 2016: Front View Updated on 1 Sep 2020: Hi Realself.... it's been to long...So I've been thinking about getting some lipo and a bbl. I've found Dr. Brecht and went for a consultation on August 22, 2020. She was great with explaining everything and what she could do. She doesn't lead you on thinking your going to look like this when your body structure just isn't going to provide you with that end result. Me being a thicker bigger girl 5' 6" 212lbs was very happy that she said she would do the lipo and bbl. I also want an arm lift but I'll wait on that. I've scheduled my pre-op for September 12, 2020. I'll update you with more after my appointment. Updated on 16 Sep 2020: My big day is September 25th 2020 with Dr. Brecht. I'm having lipo and renuvion J-Plasma to my, thoracic roll, upper & lower tummy, left & right lovehandles, and left & right lower back. Then a fat transfer with prp to the buttocks (BBL). My total is $12,747. I'm so excited to get this done! Updated on 10 Jun 2022: I had my arm lift on June 6, 2021 at Artistic Plastic Surgery Center, PLLC. By Dr.Dehghan plastic surgeon in Tacoma Washington. Dr. Khash A. Dehghan, MD, PhD, FACS is fantastic and very reasonable with his prices.
I am a 37 year old mother of an 11 year old son. I was morbidly obese for many years and had a c-section with my son. I lost over 100lbs through diet and exercise and have kept it off for 3.5 years. I had been considering a tummy tuck for a couple of years now but was too fearful of pain and a long recovery time to actually go through with it. I also felt guilty about spending money on something that seemed so vain. I did consult with a surgeon a little over a year ago and that one consult terrified me. First of all the Dr. gave me the impression that he might leave me disfigured with dog ears and a missing belly button. Secondly he reeked of booze at noon on a Tuesday. Scary! After another year of prayer and consideration, I finally decided that I needed to go through with this procedure more for my mental and emotional well being than any other reason. Having this apron of skin and fat hanging around my middle has been depressing to say the least. I have faithfully worked out 6-7 days per week for almost 5 years and since having the weight off, nothing I do workout wise changes the shape or size of my stomach. I am an avid runner and also do crossfit. Thankfully my husband has been more than supportive of my decison to have a tummy tuck. He has actually talked me back into it every time I talked myself out of it. I had my procedure yesterday. It took about 4 hours and I was in recovery for about an hour and a half. I can honestly say that my pain thus far is way less than I expected. Walking hunched over sucks and my lower back does hurt. The drains aren't a big deal at this point, but the medicine ball of pain meds is cumbersome and annoying. I have been propped up in a recliner in my bedroom since I got home around 8:30pm last night, so a little over 14 hours ago. I had one block of sleep that was about 5 hours last ngiht and I work up pain free. I am staying on top of my meds by taking them every 4 hours on the nose, lol. I am not trying to be strong or heroic here, lol. If I can avoid agony, I will! I have 3 weeks off from work. I wait tables part time, about 30 hours per week. I am praying that I will be ready to go back to work as scheduled. I plan on taking it easy with the lifting when I do go back but the job is still very physically demanding. I work anywhere from 5-9 hours per shift with no break or sitting down at all. I am on my feet and walking, sometimes running, the entire shift. My boss did tell me to take more time off if I feel I need it, which is nice. I plan on taking some post-op pics tomorrow when I remove the gauze and dressing from my wound as per the doctor's instructions. I will post them asap! Updated on 7 Sep 2012: TMI-but I would really love to be able to pass gas and/or have a bm. Lots of cramps and bloating today! I never thought I would say this but pooping and farting are things I will never take for granted again! Updated on 7 Sep 2012: OMG!! I just went through some seriously intense moments. My husband took my garment off so that he could take off my gauze. As soon as the gauze came off I started dripping with sweat, got dizzy,light headed and nauseous. I had yo sit on the toilet seat for a few minutes and do some deep breathing or else I was going to vomit and pass out. Then we had to get the garment back on! That was an ordeal in and of itself! Now my husband is gone at a job fair for the day. I will be here alone until our son gets home from school at three. Unfortunately the garment feels too tight and feels like it is rubbing on my incision. There is no way I can get this beast off and back on again all by myself. I will have to tough it out. On a brighter note, my stomach looks pretty good and incision seems even and low. I managed a few glimpses inbetween the sweating and deep breathing! Updated on 8 Sep 2012: Jeez! Between the gas built up in my abdomen and the level of grease in my hair I am a walking fire hazard! For real. My husband informed me yesterday while adjusting my garment that I stink. To be more precise that I smell like a hospital. He strongly suggested that I shower. Well now he pissed me off and I am going to torture his insensitive butt by waiting a few more days! No seriously, it's all in fun. This whole situation has been quite humorous to both of us. This is the first time in our 13 years of marriage that I have been totally laid out and out of commission like this. I have been on the go, nonstop for years. I know all you wives and mothers can relate. I make [RS bleep] happen around here. Without me holding it together and doing it all and micro managing the heck out of these two, nothing would get done! Can you relate to that statement ladies? I think on some level that is true for most women. We are the doers. Well my two men are doing pretty good without me. Granted I cleaned this house within an inch of my life and left the fridge and freezers full of homemade meals and chopped every freaking fruit and veg up possible so they would have little or no meal prep to do. Having a paleo household makes being laid up like this more difficult in my opinion. We eat zero processed or pre packaged food. Everything is from scratch...even dressings and condiments for the most part are made by moi. Last night my 11 year old was upset because Dad was too exhausted from two days of housewife work to take him to the high school football game and I of course, am not leaving this house in my current state. We normally go to all the games. Anyhoo, I felt bad for about 2.5 second D's and then I had to snap myself out of it. It's about time someone wore themself out taking care of me! I've been worn out for years! I am bored sitting here but honestly I might just enjoy the rest, even if my hair is greasy and I would kill to take a poop! Enjoy the time off ladies. It might be the only break we get! Updated on 8 Sep 2012: Who cares how I smell! I was feeling down right nasty earlier so I had hubby help me with a shower. What a joke!! I had to have the step stool in there so I could lean on it due to my crouched position and intense lower back paid. Plus I had the old exercise band around my neck, as suggested by others on this site, with the drains pinned to it, then the pain pump was hanging from the curtain rod. I couldn't even get under the water with all that crap going on. My husband ended up putting soap on the wash clothe and washing all my major crevices for me. Never in my life did I think I would have him do any of that for me! To top it all of after I got out he had to dry my butt crack because I was too weak from my ordeal to reach it! Needless to say the camera didn't get factored into this scenario like I hoped it would for some post op shots. I couldn't even fathom putting on that black pair of undies and my bra and posing for pics. On a brighter note, did get a good look at my tummy and it seems pretty flat. Lots of swelling but I am not worried about it at this time. I have NEVER had a flat stomach as an adult. I'm not sure I will know how to behave! Updated on 8 Sep 2012: One thing is very clear to me after reviewing my before and after photos on this site. I need to get some new damnable underwear! What a mess. That bra is at least 3 years old and I wear it every day. Notice how it's crooked in every pic? I'm not just a reject who doesn't know how to dress herself. No ma'am! That bra goes on crooked and stays that way all day! First stop after I get these inconvienient drains out is to the lingerie department st macy's! I never buy myself nice undergsrments because of how gross I looked in them with that stomach I had. Well bring on the thongs and slutty undies! I'm going for it ladies! Updated on 9 Sep 2012: Why is it that my mouth tastes like I've been drinking from a potholes 24/7 after my procedure? I used to brush my teeth 2-3 times per day. I think I'm now up to 5-6. I'm going to have some GLEAMING white teeth when I'm done with recovery! My co-workers are going to think I got dentures along with tt. I also have the worst case of cotton mouth ever. Speaking of hot breath.....my husband had the nerve to get agitated last night when I asked him to brush and gargle before adjusting my garment! He didn't understand why he needs fresh breathe tor that! First of all when we do it, I'm lying on my back on the bed and he's hovering over me all up in my face getting close and breathing on me. Secondly I'm already tense and trying to do deep breathing while that stupid/wonderful garment is off. I don't want to inhale his garlic breath the entire time! Am I wrong? Lol you all should picture this scene while we adjust it. I sort of feel like I'm having a diaper change. I'm buck naked, flat on my back, and with my knees bent and legs up in the air. I'm just waiting for our 11 year old son to walk in on us right in the middle of it! If that doesn't traumatize the hell out of him nothing will! Updated on 9 Sep 2012: Holy cow! I just had the most painful/satisfying experience in the bathroom ever! I have been constipated for days and in agony. I finally took the advice of a fellow poster on here and bought some m.o.m. That coupled with my stool softeners and my coffee equaled a nice poo! And this is gross but it really was similar to giving birth. There were contractions, grunting, sweat, moaning and tears involved. Sorry to gross you all out this early in the morning but I am thrilled with my achievement! If you've already had your tt you get where I'm coming from. If not, you're soon to find out. Happy Pooping! Updated on 9 Sep 2012: I emailed my mom before and after pics last night. First thing she says to me is that next I either need a boob job or a better bra! I have no plans of ever getting my boobs done. They don't bother me at all. In fact I am fine with all my other imperfections. My thunder thighs, crows feet, smile lines and frown lines oh yeah and don't forget the cellulite. All of that I can live with. But the flabby belly had to go! Just funny to me that my mom instantly picked up on my crappy ill fitting bra when that is also the first thing I noticed in the pics too. Updated on 9 Sep 2012: I really feel like a hunched back old crone! I am day 4 po and I am already tired of this walking hunched over and back pain bs. How long does it really take to stand up straight? Am I just being impatient? I am used to just popping up and doing whatever I want, whenever I want, even while in pain. I had plantar faciitis in my left foot for 18 months and still ran 5 plus miles every day AND went to work as a waitress. Granted I was limping all day, lol. I have this nagging hip problem that causes lower back pain and when my back is out I can't stand up straight but it has never really slowed me down. But this tummy tuck business is really kicking my booty. I got up earlier and dusted my bedroom and thought I was going to die. After resting for a couple of hours, I cleaned the bathroom and again it was torture! And it's not even my abs that are bothering me, it's the back. Anyone know when I will be able to walk right and stand without all this back pain? How about sleeping in the beach chair position, how long do I do that for? I am going to call my ps tomorrow because I really feel that sleeping in the posiiton in my recliner is making my back hurt worse. Updated on 10 Sep 2012: Day 5 PO. Only 5 days ago I was able to bound up my stairs in 2.5 seconds. I could run 5 miles and not even be winded at the end. I could clean my whole house, work out, get dinner ready, do all the laundry, AND THEN go to work all day as a waitress. Well, my friends, things are much different now. Just getting up to use the bathroom 15 feet from my recliner is a major production that requires planning and stamina. God forbid that I have to do something else while I'm in there like empty my drains or milk the tubes. But the saddest part of this whole story is that as much as I want to get up and do all my normal activities, I just simply can't. And I don't think I will be able to for a long time. I am so bored all day. Other than this website, I really have no entertainment. I can't get into my book and there is simply nothing but crap on tv! What do you all do for hours on end? I knew I should have let my Grandma teach me how to crochet! Updated on 10 Sep 2012: So I sent the husband to get take out and my son was walking the dogs and I thought I would be sneaky and do some cleaning! Good idea, right???? Not so much. First I scrubbed down my range top. Next came the counters. After that I did the microwave. God bless my dear husband for doing all the work around here, but even though everything is "picked up", there us a film on every surface in my kitchen. Ok after that I wiped down the diningroom table. Then since I had the wet wash cloth I decided to dust the living room. Some of which I had to be on my hands and knees to do. Ok then I moved to just getting under the bookcases with that cloth and getting up all the dog hair that hubby misses with the broom. So far so good. Then! I tried to get up and barely could! I have a dull ache in my abdomen now. anyway my son came in as I was down there and yelled at me! This sweet child, whom I brought I to this world, actually yelled at me! He said, "Mom, can't you ever NOT clean?" No, no I can't and I'm sure I will pay for my OCD behaviour fir the rest of the evening. Moral of the story Ladies? Just stay on the damn percocet and do not leave your room for any reason! Updated on 11 Sep 2012: Day 6.... Last night I went online and ordered my spanx on Amazon. My ps said that I could wear something like that after 2 weeks in the binder. You know, prior to having my tt I was looking forward to NEVER wearing any type of sucker-inner type control clothing EVER AGAIN!!! My, my how things have changed! After spending the past 6 days in this uncomfortable, itchy, bulky, horrible, wonderful binder I am actually looking forward to wearing the freakin' spanx! I got the one that is a body suit but has an open bra area. I ordered it in black since I wear all black to work and if my shirt comes untucked while I'm picking up macaroni and cheese off the floor, (that these brats throw around like confetti and their lazy a$$ parents never pick up), I'm hoping people will just think it's a tank top under my work blouse. Oh the freedom! The joy this spanx will bring. It should be here on Thursday and I can't wait to try it on! I'm hoping it won't be so darn itchy. That really is my biggest complaint about my current binder. I feel like I could easily scratch my skin raw under here. Good thing it's so tight I can't even get a toothpick in! So, I'm curious, what are you all wearing after your binder is burned? Another binder? Or just going right to spanx? It seems there are so many different recommendations from different ps's on here.... OK, I'm heading back to my chair for my morning nap! Updated on 12 Sep 2012: Yay! I've made it to my first week anniversary! It's been a boring week sitting here in my reclined but surprisingly enough it has gone by pretty fast. 2 things are clear to me now. This recovery is both easier and harder than I thought it would be. Easier in terms of pain. I have very little pain in my abdomen. The pain I do have is mainly a slight burning sensation around the incision and a muscle ache. Harder because I am not able to walk more than a few feet while doing my hunched over old crone routine! My back is killing me. No lie. I guess I know what I will be for halloween this year if I'm not upright by then. I'm thinking something along the lines of the evil old crone from snow white. Only I will be an old bag with a rocking body! Yesterday I noticed that I have blisters underneath my srei-strips along my incision. I called the ps's office and his assistant thinks its just a reaction. I have my first post op appointment tomorrow so I'm sure he'll check it out then. I also got up from my chair last night and noticed that my pain pump tubes got ripped out some how! Woops! It was empty anyway. Here's what is bothering the crap out of me right now...the itching under this binder! A nd not to mention this binder...I hate it but I love how it makes me feel all sucked in and supports my back. I stand the straightest right after it's been tightened. Well wish me lu k tomorrow at my appointment. I'm praying I can get both of these drains. Because really I'm over them already. I also want to leave this house and I WILL NOT do it with these things! Updated on 13 Sep 2012: 8 Days post op.... Yay! I had my first post op visit today. My doc says everything looks good. Also said I can walk for exercise and wear spanx instead of that ill fitting binder. I'm sitting her in my spanx right now and it feels soooo much better. After my visit my husband and I went and ran errands. We went grogery shopping and also to Marshall's where I bought a couple of new bras and undies. I can't wait until I can wear my new sexy stuff! Afterwards we went out to lunch at my work so I could visit with all my friends and co workers there. I miss them! Now I am exhausted and back in my reclined. I was officially out and about for 6 hours today! Woo boo! the very best part of my day was riding the electric ca4t at the stores we went to. I have been waiting my entire life for an excuse to use on of those things! If you think I was going to pass this opportunity up, you're crazy! Those things go pretty fast and turn pretty good as well. I got busted by the husband while "driving " and talking on the cell at the same time though. I just ignored him and kept going. Lol. well the bad news is that I'm stuck with these stinking drains for a few more days. Poop. I really wanted to can them this morning. Oh welln as long as they are doing their job then I will have to suffer a bit more. Doctor said he took 5 lbs off of my stomach! I really can't believe it was that much. I thought it would be closer to 2 or 3. Ok I'm taking a nap now. Hoping that I will be revived enough in a couple hours to go watch my boy play some ball. Have a great day! Updated on 14 Sep 2012: 9 days PO today.... So yesterday I wore my spanx instead of the binder for the first time and while it's waaay more comfy it's so much harder to use the bathroom in this thing! It is a body suit with an open bra area and it has a snappy crotch. Trying to undu and redo that snappy crotch when using the bathroom is anything BUT snappy! First of all with my abdominal pain it is hard to even bend over far enough to see down there to reclose those hook thingy mabobs. Why puts a hook on a body suit? Why not spaps? Secondly this suit is so tight that I have to really pull on each side of the crotch to get them to come together. It's ridiculous. The first time I did it, I had to have my husband help me out. LOL, had to lie on the bed while he put it back together! Now I've figured out that I just need to pull the crotch over to the side and pee. Much easier than trying to get it undone and redone for a quick bathroom break. At my son's football practice last night I had to use the porta potty. Not fun with this thing on. I had to hover and hold the crotch with one hand and the tp with the other. I thought I was going to fall in! Today was another adventurous and busy day for me. I got up and cleaned the bathrooms and the kitchen. Then since I was feeling so good I decided to go for a walk around the neighborhood. I put my sneakers and headphones on and hobbled around for about 20 min. It felt good. I did have to stop every block or so and lean on a lightpole to rest, but I made it home safe and sound. Later hubby and I had to go get new military ID cards, then we went to lunch. I am currently resting in my chair because later we are going to the high school football game. Swelling....well as you can see from my newest pics I am swollen, bloated, ect. I can definitely see a big difference between 4 days out and today, 9 days out. Also, today I started feeling more of the muscle soreness in my upper abs from the repair. It must be due to my increased activity. Oh well, I need to get up and get active or I am going to lose my freakin' mind. Updated on 15 Sep 2012: Holy Cow! I was so swollen last night after we got home from the football game. It was actually scary. I looked about 5 months preggo and on the right side of my abdomen the swelling was bigger, rock hard and painful. I was starting to panic. I reaaly am trying not to freak out about this. I feel like I am gaining weight just sitting here and not exercising for so long. I normally work out 6-7 days per week and I have to do that to keep the weight off. I am not sure how I am going to get through this. I really don't. How do you fellow exercise addicts do it? I am praying that by 3 weeks PO I will be able to start running again. Is this expecting too much? I read a bloc where a lady's doc cleared her to run at three weeks. Well today I am going to TRY and take it easy. My husband testing for the state patrol today and I ail have to take care of things around here and get our son to his football game. Once I getter there I will be able to sit for a couple of hours and rest Then I am coming home to do the same for the of the day. Any tips about how to deal with the lack of activity would ne greatly appreciated. Updated on 17 Sep 2012: Day 12 Today I went back to the gym! I took it extremely easy. I did the recumbent bike for 30 min. Tried the elliptical for 5 and walked on the treadmill for 5. I also lifted weights for five minutes. The weights were very light and I had my husband bring them to me and I did some sets of upper body from seated and lying down positions. My workout was so light that I didn't even break a sweat. It wasn't a five mile run or a crossfit workout but it felt great anyway! Other than that nothing much else to report. I still can't stand up straight, I hate my binder, my back is killing me and these drains need to disappear! My ps said I could have the drains removed as soon as the are putting out less than 30cc each in a 24 hour period. The right one is close but the left is putting out about 100cc still. I have my second PO appointment on Thursday so I hope they will both come out then. Keep your fingers crossed! Well I'm off to have a nap! Enjoy your day! Updated on 20 Sep 2012: I had my 2nd po visit today. Everything is good. Incision looks nice. I got my steri strips changed, and the stitches removed from my belly button. I also got my right drain removed. It had 20 cc output in the last 24 hours. This damn left drain had 40 cc in the last 24 and it needs to have less than 30 before he will remove it. Seriously. I might remove it myself! No, no I will be a good little patient and do what the good doctor says. So I was knocked flat out for 2 days this week with a stomach bug my darling child brought home for me. I was vomiting had fever, chills, body aches. It was horrible. Now I think I am dehydrated. I haven't been able to eat or drink much. Everything gives me intense stomach cramps. Anyway I just went to the bathroom and my urine was orange! I am going to put down some water and if it doesn't change I will call the doctor. other than that everything is going great. I'm still not standing fully upright but its better and my back pain is less. I walked for an hour this morning and only had to stop to rest my back 2 times. I was able to squeeze into a pair of my jeans today. They were super tight. Dissapointing but I'm sure its just the swelling. Updated on 15 Oct 2012: Hi all! So sorry I have not updated this in forever, but work and family and life are all taking up my time! I have been feeling very good. My energy is pretty much back to normal. I am pretty much back to my normal work and workout schedule. I am running 5 miles every other day, spinning and lifting weights. I had my 6 week check up today and everything looks great. My scar is low and thin and I couldn't be happier with my results at this point. I am going to post morecpics later in the week when I have some time. My doc said I could quit wearing the spanx if I want to. AND HELL YES I WANT TO! Those things ride up my crack like nobody's business!
Since I was a year old I have been overweight/obese. I figured I would just be fat and gross for the rest of my life. Finally, my junior year in college, I got on the scale and it said I was 280lbs. HOLY COW... literally COW. I wanted to die. I couldn't believe I did this to myself. I just looked at myself in the mirror and cried. I had had it. I made a promise to myself that same day that I would do whatever it took to lose that weight, be healthy, look better, and most of all, I just wanted to be happy. At first, I was so embarrassed of myself that I would get up at 5 am every morning and do a workout just so people would not see me. In 5 months I lost 80lbs. Then I got pregnant, had a horrible pregnancy, and gained 65lbs. I was again depressed at myself for a little while after the birth, but then I snapped out of it and finally decided I was the only one that could change me if I was unhappy and I started working out again and dropped those 65 lbs plus another 40...of course, my husband and I decided to have another baby. I only gained 35 pounds with my 2nd, but lost most of it all quickly. After all that weight gain/loss/gain/loss, I was left with a not so pretty tummy. I do not blame my children because it was a mess before I even got pregnant. ha! I am 5'10 and I am tired of looking way bigger than I should look. So a couple months ago I decided it was time to get a tummy tuck. I had been researching it for over a year and I went to go see some plastic surgeons to see what they all thought. My husband and I picked the doctor we thought was best and scheduled the surgery date for May 4th 2012. So lets get all the bad things out first: The surgery went good, except for the fact that I woke up in extreme pain (they gave me meds fast that really helped) and I was so super nauseous and I kept gagging like I was throwing up but nothing was coming up. That hurt really bad. They told me it was a reaction to the anesthesia. The nurses kept trying to get me up and walk, but every time I moved I wanted to puke. It was horrible. Finally, about 8 hours after I got out of surgery, I got to go home because I didn't feel sick anymore. I pretty much laid in bed for about 3 days and only got up to go to the bathroom. I wasn't in pain, I was just really tired. This may be TMI, but its worth saying for people who may suffer from this. The worst part of the surgery was the constipation. I am very active and I am used to going to the bathroom about 2 times a day. I didn't go for a whole week after surgery. I had horrible stomach pains for about 3 days before I finally was able to go. I have never in my life been constipated and I never want to be again. The doc did give me stool softeners, but I guess they didn't work. This was the WORST part of the surgery. The only other problems I had was the blisters I got because I was allergic to the tape they put on my belly after surgery. Plus I got super itchy from the pain meds. haha. The pro's? Just look at the pics and see for yourself. :) So far, I am very happy with the results. I did not get lipo with my TT because I plan on going back in for a circumferential body lift next year and I figured if I need lipo to contour my body, than I will get it then. I think my doctor did a WONDERFUL job. I am only 3 weeks PO but as of right now I am so happy with it. I finally got my last drain out today and I am ready to get some new clothes! :)
