I am 3 months out from phase 1 and will be planning for phase 2 soon. Dr. Paige (and his staff) are very professional, nice and explains things thoroughly and realistically. I already have a good functional result and hope phase 2 will bring an even better aesthetic result.
Hi everyone. I'm a 35 year old who currently has surgery scheduled for December 11th. Reading everyone's stories and all the forums and FAQ on this site has helped a lot, but I think it has also kind of freaked me out in the process. Although at least now I'm informed so some of the stuff I wasn't aware of won't be a surprise. A little background on me.. I've been overweight pretty much from the time I hit puberty to my 30s. I finally found a medically managed, non surgical program that worked for me and since May 2012 I have lost 200 pounds. Okay technically it's like 198 but I feel like I've earned the right to round up! :) I feel like this is the first time in my life that I've found something that not only works but that I can continue forever and not go back to the yo-yo of gaining and losing. That is why I feel like I'm ready to move forward with surgery. I don't have kids and I don't know if I will ever have any (need to find myself a man first!) but I'm doing this anyways for myself and for my own self confidence. I find myself always covering up my stomach with my arm or a coat or something and I'm tired of that, especially when now I can buy cute clothes! I will get some pics up soon but I had one question. Has anyone reading this had open gallbladder surgery? The thing I've been freaking out most from reading reviews is that having the big scar (which I have) from an open gallbladder removal can possibly hinder healing. I met with my surgeon and he saw the scar, talked to me about it and my prior surgery, and he didn't seem to think it was a problem so maybe I'm worrying for nothing. His only comment to me was that he wanted me to know surgery wouldn't make it go away but probably move it..which I don't care about. Also, I'm curious if the tummy tuck recovery will be similar to my gallbladder recovery. I did ask the doctor that and he said maybe a little similar but not really. But I still would like to hear thoughts on this from people who have been through both, but I haven't found anyone yet. Updated on 25 Sep 2014: My surgery is still a couple months away but no time like the present to take some before pics. Here's a front, side, and bending over. Can't wait to be rid of the wrinkley lopsidedness!! Updated on 27 Sep 2014: Been making a list of things I'm going to need post surgery, figure I might as well start buying stuff now to space out my expenses. Well that and I'm somewhat OCD when it comes to planning things. The 10% off my entire purchase at Target coupon I had that expires in a couple days helped my decision to shop. Not that I need an excuse to shop :D I don't have the official list from my PS yet but I got some of the basics I've learned on here like.. Tylenol (I always take Advil, not a fan of acetaminophen at all), stool softener, Gas-X, flushable body wipes, cheap undies that I can toss after the fact, gauze pads, etc. It's a start! Updated on 27 Sep 2014: I am seriously loving reading all of your TT stories. It really helps me to know what I'm in for. I definitely want to share my journey, once I have it, with everyone in hopes that someone, even just one person, finds it helpful. But that's still a few months away. One thing that kind of is freaking me out is the pain. I used to always thing I was a total baby when it comes to pain. I have some cramps during my period and I want to cut my uterus out. But then I had open gallbladder removal, a surgery that supposedly people take 4-6 weeks off from work, I was back at work in 3. Not cause I had to, but cause I felt okay for the most part. Some of my friends are like, damn you must have a high pain tolerance. Maybe I do and I don't know it, or I'm a fast healer? Either way I hope this helps me with TT surgery!! Long time ago I had been laid off and didn't have insurance and had a herniated disc and couldn't even function I was in so much pain. I went to a sliding scale clinic and my mom had to practically beg them to give me some Vicodin. I think I got like 6 pills. So I've always had this mindset that it's bad to ask for help managing pain. I realize surgery is a lot different and obvious, but if I'm still in pain 2 weeks after the fact I don't want to be afraid to ask for more. It has such a stigma around it. Trust me, I have no desire to remain constipated and loopy long term! But if I'm in pain, I need that managed.. I don't know.. I'm just rambling.. Updated on 30 Sep 2014: So just doing a quick count ahead it looks like I'll probably be starting my period 3-4 days after surgery. I realize you can't plan your life around your cycle but I was hoping the timing would be a little better. Does anyone have any tips for dealing with this when you can't stand up straight, walk well, etc. Don't worry about being TMI either, we're all going through the same thing! Updated on 2 Oct 2014: Adding a few before/after weight loss pics Updated on 11 Oct 2014: I'm sitting here, dinking around online, drinking a glass of wine because I don't feel like going to bed yet. Spent the day literally sitting on the couch for 7 hours with my BFF who is on a temporary bed rest because of her pregnancy. I wish 7 hours at work went that quickly!! Anyways, as I was sitting here just now I realized today is the 11th...... my surgery is Dec 11th so I've hit the two month mark. I'm slightly nervous but I know that feeling will get worse the closer I get. Right now I'm kind of freaking out about sleeping arrangements. SOOOO many people on here talk about recliners and sleeping in those. I have a history of back problems, herniated discs and such, so I can't really sleep on my back. I don't know what I'm going to do....... Updated on 19 Oct 2014: Woah major format changes. I kind of like being able to see the post that the comments are attached to, but it makes it way more cluttered. There has to be a common ground somewhere.. lol Anyways, I had a question. Hopefully someone post surgery stumbles upon this. After surgery how often are you going back to see your PS? I realize every doctor is different, people's situations, problems, etc are different, but I'm just kind of curious. Just from reading other people's stories it sounds like you're going at least once a week for a month or so. Just wondering how much $$$$ it's gonna cost me to go to his office all the time (parking ain't cheap!) :) Updated on 23 Oct 2014: So I just thought about the fact that today is Thursday (while I was thinking omg I'm so glad it's almost the weekend). My surgery is on a Thursday so I marked off the weeks on my calendar... 7 to go! While all my friends and family are supportive of my surgery, I do have a friend here and there that is like, "you should be happy with how you are" or "you don't need surgery". Granted they respect my decision and aren't going to judge me for the fact that my opinion differs from theirs. But it got me to take some pics. Standing even I think I look alright... actually compared to my pre-weight loss, I look freaking hot. But when I wear tighter shirts I see that lumpy bulge around the middle, which is 10x worse when I sit! Can't wait for it to be gone so I can stop trying to cover my stomach with my arm or my coat, etc. Do whatever makes you happy, you only live once! Updated on 26 Nov 2014: Two weeks from tomorrow I'll be on the flat side! Had my long awaited pre-op appointment today to go over everything, sign a ton of forms and of course, pay the whole surgery fee. I had a bunch of questions, mostly which came about from reading this site and here's a couple of things I learned about how my surgeon does things: 1. Drains - yes I will have two of them. I told him I've seen them placed either in the front pubic area or on the sides. He said he usually does the sides but if I wanted them in front it's something we could discuss on surgery day. Honestly, my main concern is sleeping, I'd think if they were in front it would be easier. However he's the surgeon, he knows what he's doing so I'm going to default to him. 2. Showering post op - I told him I read so many stories where people can't shower until their drains are out. He said no way, after 48 hours they WANT me to shower daily. Thank god. 3. Walking - This kind of goes hand in hand with showering. I also read stories about the people who buy female urinals. I personally don't want to deal with that and he again said they want me to get up and walk frequently and obviously hitting the bathroom is a good excuse to do so. 4. Showering pre-op - This one was new... I guess I need to buy some antiseptic soap called Hibiclens to use the night before surgery AND the morning of surgery. No prob.. I can do that! 5. Meds - Right now I have my narcotic pain prescription which I'm supposed to pair with round the clock Tylenol. However after 48 hours they want me to mix Advil in as well. I had no clue it was okay to take Oxy, Tylenol and Advil at the same time. I guess because they manage pain and/or inflammation differently they work well together. I just hope I don't end up with a tummy ache..... although that might help with constipation if I do hah! Anyways there's more but it was a really good appointment. I'm so excited but I'm getting super nervous now.. ahhh!! Updated on 4 Dec 2014: Well.. one week from today I'll be on the flatside. It feels like I've been planning this for months (I had my first consult back in July). I'm not really nervous yet but I know that will get worse the closer I get to next Thursday. Honestly right now I'm dreading the first few days of recovery more than the actual surgery. And there's also a part of me that is excited to have some time off from work!! haha To anyone out there that had a TT as an outpatient surgery, how long were you in recovery before they sent you home? My dad is going to be my babysitter/driver and wants to know how long I'll be there. I'm a dummy and forgot to ask that. They are going to call me a day or two before so I'll ask then, but just curious about other's experiences. Updated on 11 Dec 2014: Well, I finally did it. After a year or so of thinking about it, making my appointment months in advance surgery has now come and gone. I feel pretty good at the moment. So I got to the surgery center at 9:45 for my 10:30 surgery. Went into the little preop room and met with nurse #1 who went over how it was all going to work, took my vitals, got me dressed in the lovely paper panties and gown, etc. A few minutes later my PS came in to go over everything and draw all over me. I had asked him about drain placement at my last appointment and he said while he normally does it in the hips, if I wanted it in my pubic area I could. He wanted me to think about it because the only reason I had not wanted them in my hips was for sleeping. We talked about it again and I said honestly, you know what's best, so do whatever you think once you're in there.. I will deal with it either way. He's like "good answer!". Turns out he put them in my pubic area. After he left the anesthesiologist came in to go over her portion of my care. My PS does not use general anesthesia but rather epidurals, local and sedation. After she left, nurse #2 finally came in around 10:45 to take me to the OR. From there, they put all kinds of tubs, IVs, blood pressure cuffs on me, then I had the epidural in my back. I laid back down and she said the sedative drugs would be going in and they tend to hurt at first. I noticed my hand felt numb, then it hurt and that's the last I remember. I woke up and they were done! Updated on 11 Dec 2014: So once I was awake they took me to recovery. Since I wasn't under general anesthesia they got me dressed and sent me home after about 45 minutes. I wasn't cold but I couldn't stop shaking. The anesthesiologist said it was normal and if i tried to contain the shaking it would make it worse so just let it loose haha. I think after 10 min I was fine. However I remember having a really bad stinging sensation, not pain, but stinging. My PS said it was probably just the skin around the incision so they gave me a little more pain killers. Once I got home I was starving, from not being able to eat since the night before, so I had a snack and took my first round of pills. So far if I'm sitting in the recliner I'm not in any pain, granted I know the pain pills are helping with that because I was getting close to needing to take more and feeling sore again. But it's a sore, kicked in the gut feeling, not omg I'm going to die pain. I think the pain in my upper back from just sitting and being hunched is going to bother me more. And I don't really feel anything around my incision, all the pain and soreness is higher up, which I assume is from having my muscles tightened. I have to wait 48 hours before I can take the binder off and shower, so I guess I'll have to wait until Saturday to see how it looks! All in all, things are going pretty good. Dr Paige was seriously awesome through all my appointments and surgery. I felt completely comfortable with him, he just seems like an all around nice guy in addition to being a great doctor. He even called me this evening to see how I was doing. Hopefully my posts were mostly coherent... I am typing this an hour or so after taking pain pills :) Updated on 12 Dec 2014: Well, I'm still less than 24 hours out of surgery but I'll call today day 2. Had to sleep in the recliner last night, only got an hour here and there of sleep which sucked. I have a neck pillow but woke up with a really bad neckache from how I was tilting my head. I ended up kind of half ass moving to my side, kind of half back, half side to give my neck a break, but then when I needed to adjust myself again a few hours later I couldn't. I had to basically stand up and sit back down again. So far when I'm reclining I feel no pain, and when I'm up I just feel extremely sore. I dumbly wondered if the pain pills were helping, so during the night I didn't bother taking them. Probably 2 hours after I should have taken them I realized yeah they do help. Because I was in pain even not moving. Won't be doing that again for a couple days anyways. This morning I think I'm more hunched over than yesterday. I was up in the bathroom dealing with the drains, etc and I think I was up too long because I started to feel nauseous. I went and sat back down for a few minutes and the feeling went away. One of the nurses called today to check up on me which was nice. One of my drains isn't putting out much but she said as long as its not clogged (i've been stripping them when I empty them) that it's fine. Pretty uneventful today, get to watch crappy daytime tv woo! Updated on 12 Dec 2014: Couple binder/drain pics. Haven't seen what's underneath yet! Updated on 13 Dec 2014: Or would today be considered day 2? Technically I'm still under 48 hours since I had surgery.. Oh well whatever! Last night as my second night since surgery, was able to kind of lay on my side and got a little more sleep than I did the first night. I've been trying to space out my pills but I don't think I'm ready yet. Waited 5 hours instead of 4 to take the pain pills and I was really hurting. Today I can add ibuprofen into my cocktail of pills so I'm curious to see if that helps with the swelling. This morning I was taking my pills and the water went down the wrong way, yeah that really sucked. Trying to cough out the tickle in my throat was so painful! And instead of coughing I was making this gagging sound to try and get rid of it and freaked one of my dogs out haha. I'm looking forward to showering later today for the first time, mostly so I can take a peak at my new tummy, but also because I want to re-adjust this binder. I feel like it's giving me a slight reflux, that or maybe that's a side effect of the surgery? My binder is too long so I have the top part by my boobs folded over which is why I think it's that. Updated on 14 Dec 2014: Hard to believe I had surgery only 72 hours ago. Yesterday I started to feel a little more human and normal which is surprising, I figured it would take a lot longer for that to happen. Yesterday I worked ibuprofen into my pill schedule and I think that really helped. That or it's all in my head. Tylenol never works for me, which is why I take Advil for every ache and pain I have, so now that I can start taking an anti inflammatory, I think it helps. Who knows. Going to try to space out the pain pills more today. The first couple days I was taking 1 oxy every 4 hours, didn't really need more than one but I definitely needed them every 4 hours. I waited 5 hours one time and was in so much pain. But today I think I'm gonna start bumping it up to 6 hours. We'll see. I also noticed that I feel like I'm standing significantly straighter as well, that seemed to just change overnight. I know I'm not completely straight because my back starts to kill when I'm up too long, but it's better than it was. As a result of being more mobile and upright, I took my first shower, which means I got to take the binder and all the dressings off. I was kind of afraid to do that, didn't want to pull on anything I shouldn't, but it was all good. Holy crap am I swollen. After reading tons and tons of reviews on here about swell hell, actually seeing it and feeling it on myself is a new experience. My new belly button looks huge, but I'm trying not to judge anything just yet, its too soon. As for the drains, one of them is slightly leaking out of where they are attached to my skin, but not really putting out any fluid. I'm wondering if maybe I should go get that one out in a few days. The second drain has consistently been putting out about 25cc every 4-8 hours so that one will have to stay. My first preop appointment with my PS isn't until the 22nd, but I can go back next week and meet with a nurse to have the drains checked. However, my PS is downtown so getting downtown in traffic, paying to park, etc seems like such a waste if I go and they tell me they won't take them out. It's only Sunday, I still have 5 weekdays ahead to decide. Meanwhile, I slept laying down last night! Had my upperbody really propped up on pillows but was able to be on my side. Still not the best night sleep ever, but a lot better than the previous two nights. So far so good! Hope everyone else is doing well! Updated on 15 Dec 2014: Okay so I think I've hit that phase of mild depression. I'm just ready for this to be over, which is so stupid cause it's only been 4 days! Seriously, 4 days ago at this time I was in surgery. I think I'm feeling like this cause I really just want to have a good nights sleep. Last night I attempted to sleep in my bed, which was really hard because I'm a toss and turn sleeper. But even asleep I'm aware of the drains, the binder, etc so I basically was sleeping without moving. So I'd wake up after 60-90 minutes and my leg (the side I'd been laying on) was killing me. I'd manage to get to my other side and then after an hour the same issue would happen to that side. Ironic that I had no issues with my stomach it was my back, my legs, etc. I don't know what I'm going to do tonight. Maybe I should move back to the couch? Ugh Other than sleeping, I'm moving around the house okay. I'd say I'm 80% straight but that 20% of being hunched is killing my back. The drains are really pinching on me, I'm SOO swollen, still haven't had a BM but I don't feel like I need to take one either. I haven't taken any pain pills in 24 hours, don't really need them, just been taking a mix of Advil and Tylenol. I mostly just feel really sore in my upper stomach, which I assume is from the muscle tightening. And the area where my incision is just stings from time to time, or when I try to adjust the binder. But I'm not feeling any true pain which is good. Overall I think I'm doing pretty good despite my "is it done yet?" feelings. I don't have my first op appointment until next Monday (ugh a whole week!) but I'm thinking of making an appointment for the end of the week to see about the drains. I really think one can come out by Friday for sure. It's only putting out about 30cc a day, if that. Updated on 16 Dec 2014: TMI time.. all I have to say is, all the stool softeners I've been taking nonstop since last Thursday apparently did NOTHING for me. As I mentioned yesterday morning I still hadn't had a BM, but I didn't feel like I needed to either. By evening that feeling came around only I was SO constipated. They weren't joking.. that was painful. You'd think taking all those softeners would have helped a little, NOPE. Oh well, first BM is over is done with. So I caved and weighed myself, even though I know I shouldn't. I kind of pigged out yesterday plus I'm soooo swollen and surprisingly I was only about 2.5 pounds more than usual. Wtf? I'm not complaining but that as really surprising. Maybe I'm not as swollen as I think I am. Granted it usually is worse in the evening obviously, but still. Plus my idea of pigging out now is wayyy different than what pigging out was prior to my weight loss so it's probably not that bad. We're talking, damn I really tore into that big Costco sized container of mixed nuts. Prior to weight loss it probably would have been, damn I ate that whole bag of cookies lol (bad sweet tooth). Tried to sleep in my bed again last night, which is going okay. I can lay comfortably but I'm still having issues where after an hour or so, my leg/side is killing me so I have to roll over to the other side, and then repeat that process every hour. And rolling is an ordeal all in itself, making sure the drains are out of the way, and my binder isn't moving, etc. I can only assume it's cause I'm sleeping really stiff, plus normally I sleep kind of on my stomach/side in this scissor pose and I can't do that currently, it's completely on my side. So in the past 24 hours one of my drains has only put out about 10cc and there's nothing in the lines so I think I'm going to call and see about getting that one removed on Thurs or Fri. That is the one that is bothering my skin the most at the insertion site so I would love to get that one out. The other one is putting out about 25cc every 24 hours so that one needs to stay for now. Meanwhile I must say that being laid up around Christmas was the best time to do this, not just cause I hate winter, but everyone has free shipping right now!! Even the places that usually don't, or want you to spend $50 first. I have nothing better to do but shop online :) Updated on 16 Dec 2014: At least I have some company...I'm jealous he's able to sleep! Actually both of my dogs are asleep, the other one is in the background. Not spoiled or anything.. Updated on 17 Dec 2014: I finally got around to taking some pics. Someday I'll actually clean the bathroom mirror haha.. right now I have a good excuse not to :P I still feel hugely swollen and pregnant looking but I guess the pics don't look as bad as I think it is. I have an appointment tomorrow to see about removing the drains. I know one for sure is ready to come out. I can't freaking wait. Those hurt more than everything else at the moment. Updated on 18 Dec 2014: Well I left the house for the first time in a week today. I actually got really light headed at one point, but that could have just been cause I hadn't eaten. My dad drove me to my appointment and on the way I was telling him how I think I might need to get some laxatives or something because one BM in a week isn't good...and lately I've been feeling really gassy. I get to my appointment and all of a sudden I got hit with a really bad stomachache, so needless to say I think I'm good now and won't need to take anything haha. Anyways, I met with one of the nurses and......... she took both my drains out!!!!!!!! I feel so much better not having that pain anymore. And holy crap, I didn't realize how long those tubes were inside you, looked to be about 10 inches. She gave me a really long lecture about how I need to take it easy for the next 48 hours; puttering around the house is fine, but in her words, no power shopping for Christmas or trips to Costco. Too much activity can cause seromas which lead to more drains and surgery, etc. Okay you don't have to tell me twice! So without the drains, wearing my binder is so much more comfortable, but she said I can start shopping for some spanx to wear after I'm past the binder stage. I'm only one week post op but it's nice to feel somewhat normal again. I have an appointment on Monday with my PS so we'll see what he has to say with how everything else is healing. After my appointment I got some Starbucks for the first time in forever (fortunately I live in Seattle so you can't walk 4 feet without finding one) and then went home back to my recliner. Updated on 19 Dec 2014: Had my first night without the drains. I still woke up a bunch with my legs or back hurting, usually I just rolled over to a new position and went back to sleep. But still, I was hoping I could get back to my normal full night sleep. I think I might still be sleeping stiffly just cause of my incision, etc. But at least I'm pretty much able to sleep in my bed. I've been feeling these little twinges from the spots where my drains were removed. It a weird feeling to explain cause it's not really pain but its still a feeling that makes you go ouch woah. I assume it's just nerves healing or the skin healing etc. Anyone ever experience that? This morning I noticed I was a lot less swollen, I know that will change as the day goes on so I took a couple pics before I look bloated again. If the above the incision swelling would go down more I'd be stoked, but I know it will take time. Now that the drains are gone I can see how underwear and pants will look with my scar. I'm kind of disappointed how high up the scar goes on my left side cause I'm not going to be able to hide that. However, my PS did tell me prior to surgery that because my body was kind of uneven, and the way my skin was, he was probably going to go up higher on that side. So the position of my scar is not a surprise at all, he did exactly what he told me would happen. Oh well, I've never been the type for bikinis or showing my belly in public so it doesn't really matter cause no one will see it anyways! Updated on 20 Dec 2014: So can anyone out there tell me how long it took you to resume to a somewhat normal life? I don't mean going to the gym or manual labor or anything.. just you know, going grocery shopping or going out to dinner with friends? I'm feeling pretty good, but I'm still just laying around the house to be careful. I am slightly paranoid about seromas and weird complications so despite my cabin fever I'm not doing anything. I planned my surgery date though in such a way that it would work well with my work schedule as well as this time of year people are busy for Christmas so I really haven't missed a single thing I would have liked to do. Still gets boring surfing on my laptop and watching tv nonstop. I'm going back to work next Tuesday, which will be 12 days post op for me. However I'm going to work from home that whole week, which is really only three days since Thursday is a holiday. My boss has been so supportive during this whole thing, I'm really lucky to have an awesome manager. She told me to let her know after surgery how I was doing because she was going to worry about me, and then has texted me every couple days to see how I'm doing. And she's cool with letting me work from home which isn't something I ever do. Plus she's like, only do what you feel up to, if you need to stop after 4 hours don't push it. So we'll see how that goes. I'm wondering if sitting at the computer is going to make me massively swell. After that my plan is to return to the office on the 29th...which would be 18 days post op. It's funny, 18 days doesn't sound like a lot, but I feel like I've been laying around the house for a month. Updated on 22 Dec 2014: So today I had my first post op with my PS, last time when I had the drains removed it was just with one of the nurses. Just walking from the parking garage, to the elevator and up the 16 floors to his office wore me out!! haha. Although part of it I think was cause I hadn't eaten much before I left and I was kind of getting woozy/hungry. Anyways, he said everything looks great, I'm healing nicely and I'm pretty much clear to resume my life now.... to a degree anyways. Since I had muscle repair, he doesn't want me lifting, pulling, etc anything for 12 weeks instead of 8. And 8 weeks for more physical activities like working out at the gym, manual labor. Good thing I don't do a lot of those to begin with hah :) But going to the grocery store, going to work, going shopping, out to dinner, etc all that stuff will not affect me medically. I'm not going to rip my stitches or do anything horrible to myself. I did ask about that cause sometimes when I roll over in bed I get paranoid. The only thing in my way is my lack of energy which will eventually return to normal the more I get back to living and not laying around all day. And to make myself feel better I asked about the swelling even though I knew what he'd say. That roll above my incision is in fact swelling and its going to take months to fully go away. Obviously some days will be worse than others, wear your CG or Spanx, etc. Also at 2 weeks I can start rubbing Vaseline into my incision as the glue they used is starting to come off and that will help that process. Will also help with the scabbing because apparently under all this there is nice pretty scar. I totally forgot to ask when I can start to use scar treatments like Vit E, but I'm just going to go with the standard "when everything is completely healed". So unless I have any issues, I'm not going back for a follow up until about 3 months from now. I waited for this surgery for so long, it finally happened, the first week of recovery sucked and went so slow, it's crazy that I'm kind of over the worst of it. 11 days doesn't sound like hardly anything, but it feels like forever!! It's funny when I was standing there in my undies the nurse commented on all the excess skin on my thighs and how a lot of people get that done but the scar and procedure can be pretty nasty. I would love to get rid of the hanging skin on my arms (and legs) but it leaves you with an elbow to arm pit scar, at least with a tummy tuck no one sees it. I think I can live with my flabby arms and legs. If I ever decide to do further surgery in the future, I'd totally get a breast lift. Losing as much weight as I did totally destroyed my boobs, but those can be hidden from the world with a good bra. Hence why tummy tuck was #1 on my list. But I ramble.. that's a subject for another time :) Updated on 29 Dec 2014: Hard to believe I'm still only 2 and a half weeks post op. I went back to work today, everyone asked me how my vacation was, where did I go, what did I do..etc. It was really annoying haha. But I'd rather that than tell them the truth. I only told a couple people the truth, because they are people I consider friends outside of work, plus my boss knows.. everyone else, none of their business! So I drove for the first time since surgery on Saturday, just went to my mom's house. Yesterday I did my first activity since surgery (other than going to dr appointments), went grocery shopping. That was rough, I felt once like I was getting light headed. Although today I survived work for the most part. I think the worst of it was getting up at 5am!! ugh.. but I went for a walk today and I REALLY notice how slow I still have to move. When I walk everything feels so tight, especially in my hips. It's weird how walking around the house it's not noticeable but when you're walking somewhere with a purpose, it totally is. I'm not really in any pain, just kinda tired. Although my incision line hurts a tad. I'm in swell hell along with everyone else, but all my swelling is still only above my incision line. I look at pics of other people on here and they are just swollen all over. It concerns me that I'm always going to have this pooch above the incision line and it will never be flat. Granted even if that does happen it's still better than it was. And I'm not thrilled with how my belly button looks yet. I need to take my pics but I'm too lazy :P I bought some spanx but I've still been wearing the CG.. I think I might keep it on till I hit three weeks..it really doesn't bother me much. I wore it to work today, under my yoga pants and tshirt haha.. fortunately I have a job where I can get away with that. Other than that, on Christmas Eve I found a fraudulent charge on my credit card so I had to cancel it and wait for a new one. I won't use my debit card online so I haven't been able to buy ANYTHING online since Wed!! Not that there is anything I need, I shopped hardcore while I recovered, but just knowing I can't get anything bugs me. But UPS just brought my shiny new card like 30 min ago (at 5:30pm geez) so I'm ready to go!! Updated on 30 Dec 2014: I really should have taken more pre op pics... I decided to put on the shorts I was wearing in the pre op pic I posted on here and do a comparison. As you can see from the side shot, all my swelling is on my hips and above my incision line. However, I no longer have that half roll over my waist, a hidden belly button, or the butt in the front.. yay! I took a few more pics I'll post in a bit. I want to crop out this messy ass room first though ;) Updated on 31 Dec 2014: Here's a few more pics from last night, with tighter pants. Wearing stuff that fits as opposed to baggy sweats does help me feel a little better about how my results look. I'm working from home today, woke up with some heartburn and/or gas. Sometimes I wonder if wearing my CG at night does that. Seems to be mostly gone now that I'm up. Happy New Year everyone! Updated on 8 Jan 2015: Well, exactly 4 weeks ago today I was in my recliner, 6 hours post op, dreading having to recover from this surgery I had put myself through willingly. Oh who am I kidding, I was all drugged up and didn't care. Anyways, reading stories on here I always thought being 4 weeks post op sounded sooooooo far away and like such a dream, and now here am. It feels like surgery was a long time ago, yet it doesn't. This was my first full, serious week back at work. It's also my busiest week of the month, and since it's a new year everyone and their brother wants something. Needless to say I'm exhausted. I don't really know if it's just cause I haven't been getting enough sleep (I'm a night owl, I have a hard time going to bed then I pay the price in the morning), or if it's cause I'm still recovery. Probably both. Other than just being drained physically and mentally I feel pretty damn good. For the most part I don't feel like I ever had surgery, except for when I try and walk too quickly, I'm still kind of slowish, my hip flexors and that whole area still feel really stiff. And also when I take my binder off. I'm still wearing a binder even though I bought a couple different kind of spanx type products. I don't know why but I'm afraid I'm holding onto this thing like a security blanket. I told myself at 4 weeks I'd switch to the other garments so now is the time. I'm obviously still pretty swollen, which is always better in the morning and gets worse as the day goes on, but I don't really notice it until I move the binder to use to bathroom, or take it off to shower. Having that thing off for an hour or so feels SO weird, I feel so huge and bloated. All of my swelling is still only above my incision line. I'm still having thoughts of it staying like this.. like I traded one pooch for another. Granted this pooch is wayyyy better than the last one..but still. We'll see......... Updated on 25 Jan 2015: So today is day..... ummmmm... actually at this point it's easier to measure in weeks. Today is 6 weeks, 3 days since surgery. I do have the weeks marked off on my calendar since I'm not supposed to lift anything heavy for 8-12 weeks. My life has pretty much returned to normal, it's almost like I never had the surgery. Been wearing some shaper type things during the day, my binder at night. I still swell up by the end of the day, when I wake up in the morning I'm mostly flat again.. then repeat. I never have any pain, sneezing doesn't hurt, just leaves me with a weird numb feeling..although laughing still feels weird. I've been using Palmer's Vitamin E oil on the scar now that it's healed. I'm starting to think the slight little pooch I have above my incision is there to stay. Before my tummy tuck I did already have a 6-7 inch scar across my stomach from gallbladder removal surgery. And while we did talk about how your skin changes after one scar and all that, I'm starting to think my existing scar prevented him from making it as tight as I would have liked it. Don't get me wrong, my results now are 500x better than how I looked before and I don't regret anything, but we all want it to be perfect. Definitely something to talk to him about at my 3 month check up. Anyways..here's some pics Updated on 12 Mar 2015: Hard to believe that 13 weeks ago today I had my TT. It wasn't even winter yet, I was dreading the season. Now here we are almost spring yay! I'm supposed to have a 3 month follow up with my PS but I slacked on making the appointment so I can't see him until the beginning of April. Will end up being more of a 4 month check up lol. So I feel like my swelling is worse now than it was the last time I posted. I had stopped wearing any kind of compression garments but have since returned to them. I realize swell hell can last for months and months, I guess I just didn't expect it to get worse than it already was. I also have been having more pain on my incision line. Well.. I guess pain is the wrong word, but it's wayyyy more sore (compared to not sore at all weeks ago). I can only assume that it's just my nerves healing and regenerating, combined with the swelling because it seems to feel worse at the end of the day. It doesn't feel muscular at all, only at skin level.. hard to explain, hopefully someone out there knows what I'm talking about. I also have this weird little scabby area that isn't healed. I'm not sure if it's a stitch? Both the scar and the scab are things I plan to talk about at my appointment. Other than that, things are great. I'm still happy with the decision to have the surgery, even if the little pooch never goes away it's 100 times better than it was. I posted a couple pics.. the side by side shots are me at 5am and then around 10pm. Talk about swollen! Updated on 9 Apr 2015: Hard to believe I'm coming up on my 4 month post surgery date this Saturday. December seems like so long ago.. it wasn't even Winter yet (I hate Winter and cold), now it's Spring and doesn't get dark at 4pm anymore. Love it! Anyways, I had my 3/4 month follow up with my PS yesterday. He said everything looks great and I don't really have any issues so I'm pretty much done. I can't see any reason to go back unless some kind of problem shows up, but at this point I can't imagine it would. He did say that if I'm still swelling the way I am after a year or so they can always do an ultrasound and see if I have excess fluid. I'm still having the "damn I look good in the morning, omg I look pregnant at night", swelling. I completely understand how long it can take for this to improve so I'm not really worried. I do still wear some kind of compression top a couple times a week though, it seems to help. Or maybe it helps in my head lol Oh and that weird little scabby thing I posted about last month, it was the tied off part of an stitch that had popped out and didn't want to dissolve. His nurse cut it out for me so that area should finally heal up normally. She said so many people just cut them out themselves, but they'd rather you not do that because its not always sterile. Trust me, I'm fine with having medical people do it, I mean I did pay a ton of money for this, why should I do it, right??? She also gave me some Mepitform to try out on my scar. Does anyone use this? It's pretty expensive which is why they just gave me one little patch to try. She said to try it out for a few days and see if it irritates my skin because if it does I can't use it and then I'd be out the money if I had gone and bought it without trying. I tend to have sensitive skin but so far I don't see any issues. Had it on for almost 24 hours now. I should take some more pics... too lazy to do so at the moment though :)
Dear lmeyer3, Thank you for your question. What you are observing in terms of expansion after radiation treatment is not uncommon. Although you are asking about different implants with regard to shape and texturing, I would suggest that implant reconstruction in the setting of radiation may not be your best option, especially given your description of tightness on the side of the radiation. In my practice, if a patient has had radiation, we will look at tissue reconstruction options as a first choice. You could consider either latissimus dorsi flaps over implants or TRAM flaps or DIEP flaps among others. Given your height and weight, I would expect that a latissimus dorsi flap might be the most appropriate. Although implant based reconstruction can be successful in the setting of radiation, it can be tricky and is usually not successful because of a particular type of implant. More often if it works, it is usually related to the patient's residual soft tissue and her tissue's reaction to the radiation. I would encourage you to review your concerns with your plastic surgeon and ask about tissue options.
Dear HlayneW, Thank you for your question. Seroma or fluid accumulation after implant for tissue expander exchange can certainly happen. Sometimes with the mastectomy lymphatic vessel disruption can occur which can cause persistent fluid accumulation during the reconstructive phase. Additionally, you did not mention if either side had radiation treatment or not, but that can also contribute to persistent seromas. Lastly, infection needs to be a consideration. Sometimes, the implants must come out and the reconstruction is restarted after the seroma resolves. I would sit down with your plastic surgeon and discuss your concerns about the persistent nature of the fluid accumulation and get their thoughts about treatment plan.
Dear sandiegohoneybee, It is difficult to answer this question fully as many facts come into play with breast reconstruction. Depending on the size of your native breast tissue and overall skin envelope relative to your implants as well as oncologic considerations, it is possible to have mastectomies and preserve your existing subpectoral implants. Doing so may produce reasonably acceptable reconstructions which can be further enhanced with fat grafting. I would be surprised however if you will be able to obtain your pre-mastectomy size even with fat grafting and especially with larger breasts. You should carefully discuss your goals with your plastic surgeon and breast surgeon prior to your mastectomies.
Dear aliasa, Thank you for your question and the accompanying photographs. I agree that there are some asymmetries between the two breast mounds. In my practice if I have a situation in which a tissue expander has shifted or is demonstrating asymmetric expansion, I will consider a revisional procedure to reposition the expander prior to replacing with the final implant. In general, the closer the two sides can be prior to the final step of implant placement the better the overall result. I would certainly raise your concerns with your plastic surgeon who may be comfortable with addressing the concerns after expansion at the time of implant placement or may want to revise sooner.
Dear gpisces, I appreciate your question. Fat grafting after implant based reconstruction is usually used to fill in hollowing from the original mastectomy. Most commonly this hollowing is present in the superior pole of the breast. Filling this area in can also have the added benefit of disguising the implant - tissue transition in prepectoral reconstruction. The amount of fat needed is very individual dependent. In general, I would anticipate that you would notice a significant difference in the donor site. As to how much, I would carefully review that question with your plastic surgeon.
