Richard W. Dabb, MD (retired)

I've been the girl with the flat tummy, then not, then again, then DEFINITELY not. My family has, what I not-so-lovingly refer to as (dun, dun, dunnnnn...) the "hereditary gut". We all have an average height and build, meaning thin legs and arms, but with a big belly. I just couldn't lose that gut! I was running 5x a week with an average of 15-20 miles a week, watching what I ate, but no luck. Throw three babies, the youngest weighing in at 9lbs 11oz at birth on top of the hereditary gut and it's a recipe for disaster. I'm currently 5 days post op and feel pleased despite swelling and discomfort.

Updated on 19 Sep 2015:
Day five was the turning point where I no longer was questioning what I had done to myself. I have been off of any pain mess stronger than ibuprofen since 24 hours post surgery. Perhaps my self proclaimed toughness was being tested. ;-) Day 5 brought with it: no more sighing at the thought of going to the bathroom or getting up in general, as well as finally sleeping in my bed (with sleeping pills, of course).

Updated on 19 Sep 2015:
I'm feeling better every day. I'm by myself during the day. My husband's job is still new so my mother helps by taking me to drop off and pick up my kids from school and daycare. I tend to myself the rest of the time and it's fine. Sleep is difficult. I don't sleep well at any time no matter where I am.

Updated on 19 Sep 2015:
Day 8. My PS is absolutely pleased so far and so am j! He removed 2 liters of fat during the lipo! Yikes! It was nice to get out of the house for a bit for the appointment and lunch. I was absolutely exhausted after showering (I shaved my own lets!) and drying my hair. I got extremely light headed at one point and had to take a break. The binder is the pits! A sweet little 90yo woman at the PS' office thought it was decoration on my shirt. :-)

Updated on 19 Sep 2015:
I ended up back at my PS' office due to incision site pain. My abs feel pretty good but I think the added movement is causing portions of the incision that are not covered by steri strips to be very irritated and sore. I was assured there is no cause for concern. The nurse removed the steri strips and advised that I can move on to silicone sheets. Yay!

The bruising is limited to around my incision now and I see most of my swelling there as well.

Big news: no more binder!!! On to compression garments such as spanx. I've never been so happy to put on my shape wear!

Updated on 19 Sep 2015:
Definitely seeing less swelling in the morning and some shape!

Updated on 19 Sep 2015:
I started back to work on day 12. I'm an attorney so it's high stress but not high impact. Driving was odd. I don't like the wide range of movement that's required. I wore pants my first two days back but had to go to dresses after having a big indent due to swelling against the waistbands. I miss my pants!

I went to the esthetician at my PS' office for ultra sound treatment (day 13) to help reduce swelling. I haven't seen a noticeable difference. It felt so weird to have something run over my abs again and again. She said I have killer abs! I was to start endermologie but decided to wait another week due to feeling uncomfortable with the ultrasound.

Day 14 was tough. I think my body was telling me to relax a bit. I also feel very uncomfortable if I eat until I'm full. I read that will get better.

I'm sleeping much better. Sometimes I even sleep on my side. Being a stomach sleeper has made this difficult. I tried last night but it was an awfully strange feeling and I quickly (as quickly as I could, anyway!) moved back to my precious position.

I'm very swollen tonight and feel uncomfortable. It was a busy day with my kids and I didn't make great food choices, either. Tomorrow is a fresh start. Looking forward to the next week! I'm planning on hitting the gym to walk for about 30 min. I'm a runner and really love fall running....walking will have to do!

Updated on 20 Sep 2015:


Updated on 22 Sep 2015:
I'm not sleeping well at all. I'm not sure if it's medication I'm taking for allergies or if it's because I'm just totally over sleeping on my back. I'm exhausted from 10 hours of sleep in two days. Of course work is insanely busy, as well.

That aside, I'm definitely noticing less swelling and more shape!!

Updated on 27 Sep 2015:

After my son (second child) was born in 2007, my belly was never the same. I always looked 4 months pregnant, regardless of diet and exercise. After my third and last child was born last November, I was more than ready to get everything put back together. I had a large umbilical hernia which required repair, and there was no way I was going in for that and not doing the whole thing! Starting about 6 months prior to the surgery and after I finished breastfeeding, I focused on diet and exercise to get within 10 pounds if my goal weight (I got relatively close). Surgery was this morning and the doctor said it could not have gone better. Anesthesia was fine, no nausea. I was in and out of the surgical center in about 6 hours! I was injected with Exparal and have been taking Percoset faithfully every four hours. My muscles are sore, but the pain is manageable. I have little pain at the incision site thanks to the Exparal. I'm in a binder, no drains, but I'm bleeding and oozing a decent amount into my dressing sponges, which apparently is normal. I rented a hospital bed for recovery and it has been amazing. I didn't even think about it until this morning and when u mentioned it to my dad, he had one delivered before I got home! It's south easier to get comfortable and out of bed. I haven't looked at the incision or new belly button yet. I'm confident they will look great eventually! i check it out tomorrow and post updates. I love this site!!!

Updated on 23 Nov 2014:

I had a MACS lift with autologous fat grafting 4 days ago. 9/21/2011. This is a face lift with some of my own fat injected into my chin. I just turned 49 and am planning some major life changes. I hope this will give me the confidence I need. I'm hoping that a more youthful appearance will give me an edge in the job market. My face looks lopsided and is still swollen. I do feel better about this after reading some of the experiences of others. I know it's still early.



Updated on 7 Oct 2011:
I am changing my status to a thumbs up. I can see that it's going to look great! It's been 16 days and my right side is still more swollen than my left. I'm very puffy around my eyes. I would advise anyone doing this to take as much time off work as you can. I can feel my face getting tight through the work day. I am assuming this is swelling. I think i'm going to be thrilled in another month!

I had an hernia but this doctor left me in a bad condition. I take the hernia any time now