This hanging skin has got to go. I would love a flat tummy and a waist and my PS says I’ll have one, but my biggest focus is to get rid of all this excess skin and fat that has plagued me through years of weight loss and exercise. Surgery is a month out and I really getting anxious. Will keep up the updates as we get closer. For now, despite being mortified, I’ll post my before photos.
Updated on 28 Aug 2019:
I went in today for my pre-op appointment. Hemoglobin/iron, blood pressure, urine test for pregnancy were all fine. We took before photos in those lovely paper panties. I asked the office manager to send them to me, but she said they would send them when we have side-by-side before-and-after photos.
Everything was very thorough, as far is information about process, risks, compression garments and binder, prescriptions (I asked specifically about how to deal with migraines and anxiety, and felt like things will be ok even though my normal 800 mg ibuprofen will be off the table), pre-op to-do's (including shopping list, prepping, etc.). No swimming or traveling for six weeks.
Day before surgery, I can't eat or drink anything other than water, gatorade, and apple juice. NOTHING. Morning of surgery, just 2 cups of water to wash down my anxiety meds (which he requires me to start taking two days prior to surgery).
My first post-op checkup with be the morning after surgery. They will remove all the bandages, clean me up, and put me in my compression garment. Then I'll be able to shower the following morning and every morning thereafter. This is something I've been oddly worried about: I NEED my daily shower! :)
She went into a lot of detail about how Dr. Ahmadi performs lipo to ensure that I really will have a waist and hips. If that actually happens to this no-hips/no-waist girl, I will be floored. Trying to keep my expectations managed here!
She also tells me that I will be able to work from home after a few days. She swears that his technique leads to patients having very easy recoveries and that the big risk is that I will push myself too hard too soon because I'll be feeling and looking great. She's not helping with keeping my expectations managed, so I sure hope she is right!
I'm sure I'll spend plenty of time in the mounds of paperwork they sent me with tonight.
It's starting to feel real!
Updated on 6 Sep 2019:
Well, I'm within two weeks, so I can't take good meds for this headache I have! Here's what's ready.
* Plan to stay with my mom for first week of recovery; she took leave from work.
* Lift recliner chair booked for delivery to recovery location
* Walker and shower chair available for use there too.
* Prescriptions picked up (Ativan, Tylenol 4, Toradol, Keflex, Phenergan, silver sulfadiazine cream)
* OTC meds purchased (regular Tylenol, Colace, Medihoney)
* Zip-front sports bras in two different sizes (due to axilla lipo)
* Zip-front house coat with pockets
* Slide shoes
* Super duper loose lounge wear for recovery
* Several wrap and shirt dresses to wear when I'm ready to leave the house
* Hibiclens (started showering with this ahead of time, because I am prone to fungal infections)
* Rubbing alcohol and Q-tips (surgeon requires cleaning belly button with alcohol before surgery, and then using Q-tips to keep belly button dry after surgery)
* Maxi pads and medical tape for incision cover
* Giant heating pad
* 100% cotton, smooth fabric, fitted tank top to wear under compression garment
* Protein shakes (lean muscle milk)
* Makeup remover wipes and moisturizer so I will feel somewhat normal!
My surgeon has slightly different advice with regard to recovery/prep compared to what I've seen here. I go for my first post-op visit the morning after surgery, and I'm supposed to shower daily starting day 2. No drains. And not much in the way of pain meds--only 10 Toradol pills and 5 Tylenol 4 pills! I start Ativan two days prior to surgery to deal with anxiety. Also, starting two days prior to surgery, I am supposed to shower with Hibiclens and wash hair like normal, but not wear deodorant, makeup, or any lotions, etc. Day before surgery, only clear liquids. He recommends alternating 8 oz hourly of water, apple juice, and Gatorade. Only enough water on surgery morning to get the last Ativan in my system.
I'm thinking of asking him to add chin lipo while we're at it. When's the next time I will have enough time off work to have no public face bruising? Then again, will I be miserable enough without a face wrap? Probably. :)
Updated on 18 Sep 2019:
Went in for markings and reassurance. If my results are half as good as they’re telling me, I’ll spend my whole life looking in a mirror. ;)
Some new photos with markings. They tell me I will have a great butt. What??!!
Only real concern at this point is pain. Fingers crossed.
Updated on 20 Sep 2019:
Raise your hand if you had your TT on the same day a tropical storm dropped historic rain on your city. (hand raised)
I got to the surgical center just fine, but a few hours later, the skies opened up and flooded the whole area. So, plan B : stay in a hotel. Of course that meant I didn’t have any of my post-surgery supplies! But thanks to a wonderful mom and best friend, I survived. We are now back home, after having a doctor appointment this morning.
This is pretty painful, I gotta say. I had to get more Tylenol 4. I’m still super swollen with fluid that continues to seep out. A few pics from the dr office today. My lady parts are sooooooo swollen.
Updated on 21 Sep 2019:
I am so scared of necrosis.
Updated on 22 Sep 2019:
Things have been a bit easier today, and I can’t tell you how happy I am to have had a bowel movement. TMI, I know, but it became pretty much my focus for a while!
My PS requires daily showers, so that’s been going ok. Exhausting but good. My mom is helping me, and I have a shower seat. After the shower, I have to dress the incision and belly button with Medihoney and then cover with a maxi-pad belt. I learned yesterday to use tape in the middle section too, or it will ride up above the incision—leaving all the oozing to go into my shirt and compression garment. Yay.
I am so swollen but less so than yesterday I have been thus far.
The office coordinator said they removed almost 15 lbs of fat and skin. (!!!) The PS said they will expect me to weigh the same or less than I weighed at check in minus the amount they removed. He really pushes weight loss following this surgery, which I think is a good thing. I shouldn’t be as discouraged with weight loss now that I don’t have a giant gut in all instances. My weight was up 8 lbs when I checked in (203) because I had had to stop one of my meds—a diuretic—2 weeks before surgery. So I guess the goal will be to get to 188 or less ASAP.
Now that I had a BM, I am allowed to eat real food but focus on low sodium which definitely isn’t easy. I am just excited to eat fruit.
I guess that’s it for today other than some photos from this morning pre-shower.
Updated on 24 Sep 2019:
After my last update, my swelling got so crazy, it drove me to tears. So day 3 night was bad.
Day 4, I got up, showered, and went to see my PS. Good news on the things I was concerned about—just bruising. But he doesn’t like how some of my incision is black. He says it will scab and that I must not cause the scab to come off early. “Baby it,” he said. He wants me to use lots and lots of Medihoney and make sure I dry the incision completely before dressing it. Otherwise he said everything is fine and kept emphasizing “JUST DO NOT GAIN WEIGHT!” It would be some kind of evil-miracle for me to gain weight because I don’t have room to eat, thanks to all the swelling.
Last night was rough from a swelling standpoint. Oh, and the hemorrhoids from sitting all the time while wearing the torture device aka compression garment and binder...just lovely.
Today (Day 5), I repeated the shower routine and actually shaved my legs (just to the knee) this time. I also did some work from home and tried to be more self sufficient on getting up and down and getting my own drinks etc. I went outside for 10 minutes but got pretty hot and came back in. I still feel ENORMOUSLY swollen and have eaten almost nothing. I just ordered some cranberry tea to hopefully help me drop some of this swelling.
Pics are from Day 4 because I forgot to take pics today. I can’t believe I am still bigger than I was pre-surgery. Fingers crossed that tonight’s swelling isn’t as bad. I haven’t had any pain medication since 9 pm last night when the swelling got crazy.
Updated on 25 Sep 2019:
And yet, things seem to be getting ever so slightly better. I slept in a bed last night and I’m getting around better. Sometimes standing a bit straighter (but it’s hit or miss).
Sent photos of my new rash to the nurse but haven’t heard back yet. Guessing they’re in surgery. Might have to replace the Medihoney with something else.
Updated on 26 Sep 2019:
Last night, I got two three-hour blocks of sleep, and I felt like a new woman. (I had been up every single hour since surgery last week.) So I made a plan to increase walking today: 10 laps (70-ish steps each) around the house every hour. That went fine until about 1 pm when I started swelling a lot, felt exhausted, and went back to bed—until 5 pm! I guess I’m trying to figure out the right balance of rest and activity.
I’m currently waiting in the car while my mom grocery shops. It was good to just go for a ride around the neighborhood.
I can’t remember if I already updated the rash issue: My PS thinks it’s from the maxi pad belt, so i am not applying Medihoney but only have my tank top and compression garment over the wound. Hopefully that will work out ok. It’s a lot more comfortable not having the tape pulling my skin!
I worked several hours today from my laptop and phone and felt more able to use my brain effectively. For the past week, I struggled to find words or maintain train of thought. I did most of my shower routine on my own including rinsing my own hair.
Feeling more self sufficient. Today’s the best day I’ve had since surgery. Hopefully tomorrow will be even better. A few photos from this morning.
Updated on 27 Sep 2019:
Starting last night, I felt a lot less swollen. My suspicions were confirmed on the scale this morning: I’m down 15 lbs since pre-surgery. That also means I’m a lot less uncomfortable. There is still a lot of swelling on my back, but hopefully it will continue to reduce each day.
I asked my PS to write a prescription to help with the hemorrhoid situation but was told he doesn’t write prescriptions for things like that. Doesn’t seem too interested in helping make a painful and uncomfortable situation any better. But my nurse BF came through with some miracle cream that’s helping. So yay!
I feel like things are starting to take shape.
Updated on 28 Sep 2019:
Updated on 28 Sep 2019:
Having had a couple of nights of great sleep, I have had enough strength to do more things for myself (shower, get up and down, etc.). So I’m going back home to my husband and kids today.
I am also starting to notice real improvements. I wouldn’t say—yet—that this surgery is worth it, but I think I am heading in that direction. Really looking forward to standing up straight one day! :)
Some day 9 photos.
Updated on 29 Sep 2019:
I’m starting to feel great. I get tired and need to sit down fairly quickly, but I’m walking without my walker (mostly), stood up throughout my shower, slept mostly throughout the night, and don’t really have any pain.
I had a lot of swelling after dinner last night, so I’m guessing there was lots of sodium in the hummus I ate.
I’m starting to see the results visually, too. My back is still really swollen and I can’t stand up straight yet. But I’m very pleased with progress!
Weight 184
Weight on surgery morning 203
Weight two weeks before surgery 195
Approximate lbs removed during surgery 15
Updated on 30 Sep 2019:
Didn’t get much sleep last night — tooooo uncomfortable. I came very close to taking my compression garment off for the night.
This morning, I’m down to 181. I’m looking better, but as you can see from the photos I can’t stand up straight quite yet. I was trying very hard in the side photos.
Updated on 1 Oct 2019:
Updated on 2 Oct 2019:
Almost standing up straight (at least some of the time).
Pubic area still very swollen and sore.
Can’t sleep on side yet. Very tired after showering; low energy in general. I’m still napping a lot.
179.5 lbs (down 23.5 lbs since morning of surgery)
36” waist
Updated on 2 Oct 2019:
Updated on 3 Oct 2019:
I feel so much better now than I did a week ago. My scar is looking better (except in a couple of places I’m keeping my eye on); I have a LITTLE more energy, and I’m standing straighter each day.
Today I went out to lunch and to the grocery store with my husband. Riding in the SUV still hurts. It’s like all my insides are being jumbled around and ripped apart. Not pleasant. But I’m 2 weeks from surgery today, so ibuprofen is allowed. Hallelujah! Y’all, Tylenol does nothing for me. Are we sure it’s not a placebo?
The shirt dress I’m wearing is WAY too big. I guess that makes sense now that I’ve lost nearly 25 lbs in the past two weeks. I need to figure out how to pin up the legs on my compression garment so they don’t stick out the bottoms of my dresses when I return to work next week. I wonder if all my other dresses will be this loose.
My stomach is WAY softer and mushier today. Definitely fluid filled. My pubic area and the area just above my incision remain very hard. So if I push on my pubic area, my mushy squishy stomach jiggles.
179 lbs, 36” waist
Updated on 10 Oct 2019:
I am now ready to say this was worth it. I’m still really uncomfortable, but I am liking the progress a lot. The incision is looking good for the most part. I’ll see Dr. Ahmadi next Friday.
I had a DVT scare night before last and went to the ER. Everything is ok (just a pinched nerve), but I am glad to have the peace of mind from the ultrasound and bloodwork.
Waist 35” (I believe I was 41” before my surgery but can’t find where I wrote that down....)
Weight 178.5 lbs (down 59 lbs since my highest weight and 25 lbs since surgery morning)
Updated on 10 Oct 2019:
Let me retry uploading these differently since they didn’t make it on the last update!
Updated on 17 Oct 2019:
Today marks four weeks since my surgery. I am very glad I did it, even though I’m not (yet?) completely happy with the results or the healing process. When I look at before pictures, I know without a doubt that it was worth it. Even though I am still a bigger lady, a lot of people are commenting on how good I look.
Swelling remains a real challenge even though I am eating clean 19-20 out of 21 meals per week and haven’t had a drop of alcohol in 6 weeks. However, I can now sleep mostly through the night without being bothered by the swelling. I can’t sleep on my side yet but I can lay on my side (awake and not in too much discomfort) for a few minutes.
I no longer feel uncomfortable all the time. I sometimes have weird sensations on the fronts of my hips. It reminds me of the feeling of lidocaine wearing off after dental work, if that makes sense. Occasionally, I feel these quick sharp stabbing pains in my midsection, but they are fleeting.
I can stand up straight and do just about anything (except the things I haven’t yet been cleared for). I’m walking normally. Sneezes still hurt but laughs don’t.
I fluctuate between 177 and 179 lbs. I wish my PS had done more lipo on my upper back. My measurements are way out of whack: 44-35-40. My waist isn’t as small as I hoped, but it’s smaller than I expected. I’m hoping with continued clean eating it will get smaller. My measurements in 9th grade were 40-30-40, so I probably still have some room to shrink. Funny that my hips are the same size now as they were then.
My energy level is approaching normal. I find that I’m hitting a wall around 8 pm where I feel it’s URGENT to sit down and relax.
My scar is looking pretty good. I’ve attached pics of the best part and the worst parts of the scar.
My lady parts have shrunk too and don’t hang out of my compression garment. Thank goodness!! It’s a bit lopsided though...one side is lower than the other. I hope that will continue to resolve.
I see my surgeon tomorrow. I’m hoping he will remove the two stitches in my belly button that appear to be causing infection or red scarring. There are also two stitches on my right hip that need to come out.
Now that I don’t have a hanging stomach to hate, I notice my sagging breasts, giant arms, and fat inner thighs a lot more. But I’m not obsessing about them. I’m just so happy my stomach is out of the way.
Updated on 31 Oct 2019:
Even after six weeks, hardly a minute passes without me thinking of my surgery and recovery. I am so pleased with the results so far and motivated to continue to lose weight. In the future, I might deal with my arms, thighs, and bust—but for now I am happy with my flat belly! I have one little section of my right side incision that continues to close/heal, and still TONS of swelling.
***
Today’s stats:
179 lbs (fluctuating between 176 and 180 for a few weeks)
42”-44” bust (depending on bra!)
35” waist
40” hips
***
Clothing sizes (depending on brand and style)—
Pants: Medium or 10/12! (OMG)
Tops: wide range here. In sweaters and knits, L. Button-up tops and unforgiving dresses: XL/16
Panties: 8/10 at Cacique
***
I’m so so so happy I did this.
Updated on 31 Oct 2019:
Updated on 11 Nov 2019:
Although my PS says I will continue to shrink due to continued swelling, they took “after” photos today, gave me some scar cream, and sent me on my way—only to return if I feel the need to. So I guess I’ll post these before-and-after photos from my final appointment.
Today, I am 7.5 weeks after surgery, and I feel great. I occasionally have a twinge of sharp pain to the right of my belly button, some continued numbness and soreness, and tons of swelling. I need to continue (restart!) wearing my binder but I can stop wearing compression garments. (The binder provides support for the muscle plication for 2 more months, so I should not have stopped wearing it after 6 weeks—oops!) I will start scar cream tonight, but it already looks pretty good in person. (Darker in photos.) I am consistently wearing a size 12 pants, which is insane to me. I weighed 178 this morning and have a 34” waist. I would like to lose 20 lbs to get the full benefit of this surgery, and a breast reduction/lift as well as additional lipo to back and arm lift are on my radar for the future.
Updated on 15 Dec 2019:
This week will mark three months since I had my LipoTuck, and I couldn’t be happier. Before, I was preoccupied with my hanging belly and all the discomfort and infections and shame that came with it. Now, I am reasonably happy with my body. I’m not a tiny person and I’m not interested in the hard work it would take to get tiny and stay tiny. I am, however, interested in making good food choices on a consistent basis to make the most of this gift. My weight is staying stable between 175 and 178, and that’s fine with me. I can shop in Misses rather than Womens/Plus, so I’m enjoying far more variety in my wardrobe. I’m even wearing a smaller shoe size. It’s more comfortable to walk, to sit, to sleep, to stand, to speak publicly. I am so so happy I did this, even though it was super difficult. I have started lymphatic drainage massage to help battle the remaining swelling and scar tissue, and I’m still working on the incision scar. But even if it got no better than this, it would be ok.
If you’re on the fence, do it. Find the right board certified plastic surgeon whose gallery is full of before pics that look like you and after pics that look like your goal future. And then do it.
Updated on 15 Dec 2019:
This week will mark three months since I had my LipoTuck, and I couldn’t be happier. Before, I was preoccupied with my hanging belly and all the discomfort and infections and shame that came with it. Now, I am reasonably happy with my body. I’m not a tiny person and I’m not interested in the hard work it would take to get tiny and stay tiny. I am, however, interested in making good food choices on a consistent basis to make the most of this gift. My weight is staying stable between 175 and 178, and that’s fine with me. I can shop in Misses rather than Womens/Plus, so I’m enjoying far more variety in my wardrobe. I’m even wearing a smaller shoe size. It’s more comfortable to walk, to sit, to sleep, to stand, to speak publicly. I am so so happy I did this, even though it was super difficult. I have started lymphatic drainage massage to help battle the remaining swelling and scar tissue, and I’m still working on the incision scar. But even if it got no better than this, it would be ok.
If you’re on the fence, do it. Find the right board certified plastic surgeon whose gallery is full of before pics that look like you and after pics that look like your goal future. And then do it.
Updated on 24 Jan 2020:
I cannot stress enough: this is one of the best decisions I have ever made. Why?
1: I’ve lost a lot of weight, so my annual physical this week was amazing! No longer pre-diabetic, excellent blood pressure, cholesterol, etc etc.
2: I feel amazing. Before, when I’ve lost weight, I’ve remained so self conscious of my hanging skin. I always wore long tops and pants that were much too big to try and camouflage things. No longer needed. And people tell me every day how great I look.
3: My intimate life is BACK. Even though my husband was always such a sweetie, I had no drive because I felt disgusting. Not so anymore!
I would do this again and again and again.
My scar is healing fine—still red and dark but flat and getting better. Still some rope-like scar tissue under the surface, which I continue to massage. My swelling has finally resolved. It’s still difficult to sit up from a prone position unless I use my arms to prop myself up.
I think that’s it, other than some progress photos.
Updated on 22 Feb 2020:
Not a huge visible difference from month 4, but I am feeling more and more confident. Weight today is 171, down 32 lbs from morning of surgery. The scar is lightening a lot, and the rope-like consistency under the scar is getting way better. Maybe thanks to the tip from another RS’er about the hot-cold massager. I’m still using scar cream 2x daily. I’m still so happy I made this choice.
Updated on 21 Mar 2020:
Scar is still red but looking lighter in spots. Stretch marks are a bummer. Still hanging in at about 179 lbs but measurements continue to shrink. My butt seems a bit fuller, which is fine by me! :)