I can't believe it's been over a week since surgery! In some ways it feels like yesterday and in others like its been months. I think that's part of the recovery process, losing track of time. I drove to the drug store to get some scar guard and tape and check out the fall make up collections. It felt so good to be on my own clock, no kids, work or hubby to think about, just me. I am still very swollen and bruised from the lipo and although I'm thrilled with the position of my scar, it's puffed up and red like a licorice rope. That should subside in time. Time to stretch out and watch a chick flick before the boys come home. Cheers to my fellow Tuckers at real self! Updated on 25 Oct 2012: Hi, fellow TT ladies! I'm 17 days post op and feeling more like myself every day. Like many of you, I had to start back to work this week, and dove in full time on Monday (2 weeks post op). BIG MISTAKE!!!!! Even though I have an office job and spend most of my day at a desk, the pressure on my incision and staples was killing me by noon. Fortunately, I can work from home, so I made a deal with my boss to work the mornings at the office and the afternoons from home. I noticed a huge difference in my swelling, pain, and energy levels. I highly recommend checking with your employer to see if you can ease back into work, rather than going from couch time to full time! Some things I learned through this healing process: If you have sensitive skin, buy some seamless light weight panties or bike shorts to wear under your compression garment. Cut out the crotch so you don't have to stuff yourself like a sausage every time you use the bathroom. After my first few days in the compression garment, I ended up with blisters and raw areas where the seams from the garment removed my skin. Major OUCH! Once I bought an soft, seamless inner layer to wear, the blisters started to heal, and I felt 100% better. Also, wet wipes are your bathroom buddy. I felt so much cleaner using those rather than trying to contort myself to get the tp to work. Finally, be patient with your results. This website is a wonderful source of information and support, but if you look at other's results and compare your own, you may end up disappointed. I learned a good lesson from my surgeon's clinic coordinator. I asked her at one of my post op appointments why they didn't post more before and after pics on their website. She shared that in her experience, people point to a picture and say, "I want you to make me just like her". Kind of reminds me of when I went to my hair dresser with a picture of Madonna's hair in the 90's and said, "Make me look just like her". My surgeon and my hairdresser both set me straight that a procedure or a hairdo needs to make me the best me, and that all the innovations in body sculpting or hair color won't make me someone else. I completely understand where they're coming from. My results are my results, based on my body frame, my proportions and my skin tone. Of course I knew that all along, but it's easy to forget. So look at your before and after photos. Compare your before to your after, and most of all, be patient. I am thrilled with my results so far, and expect them to get better every day. Thanks for the support and best wishes to all of you in your journey! Updated on 27 Oct 2012: Hi, everyone. Today is 19 days post op and I'm feeling more like myself every day. I'm looking forward to my 3 week follow up appointment next week to hopefully get the staples removed from my incision and get back into the exercise groove. I teach Zumba and it's been killing me to be laying on my butt instead of shaking it. My hubby and I are headed to a Halloween party tonight and I had to get creative with the costume because I'm still in a sexy grandma mid calf CG that stops right under my boobs. So no thigh bearing, midriff exposing, slinky sexy costume because come Hell or high water, I'm going to wear this CG to get the results. I'm going gypsy, with an ankle length skirt, boots and a black corset over my granny CG. I also cheated on my CG and popped on some hanky panky panties for a quick pic. I'm happy with my results so far, although I am still swollen around my navel and inner thighs, but check the pics out. NO SCAR! When I wore these before my TT, I had a waterfall of loose skin, stretch marks and a C section scar hanging out. I don't think I'll be able to stand my sexy self once I'm done healing. Wishing all you a great weekend!
