38, 2 kids, 5'6, 138 lbs - Mommy Makeover

It’s been a while sine my last review and I am now over three post op. I feel back to normal, very active and feeling strong. I have been trying to workout as much as possible doing cardio via cycling and some moderate weights. I am working to get the rest of my body to
match my flatter tummy by toning up. Only thing I am not able to do as before is hard core exercises, I am working my way up slowing but my muscles feel very tight and strained when doing focused abdominal exercises more than a few reps. I get a sharp pulling feeling on abdomen if I strained for too long such as holding a plank.
My scar is healing slowly but I’ve had no pain nor splitting issues. I used the Embrace Scar therapy stripes for almost 8 weeks but I find they do not stay on the full 10 days as advertised. They would be good for 5-7 days then start to peel. Unfortunately, some of the edges of the strips left small cuts and irritation marks which you can see around my incision. My scar is fairly flat no keloids but it’s still dark and the internal scar tissue is hard. I do know I tend to scar dark so that was expected.
As for my major concern, the bulge above the right side of my incision - it is still there! It has slightly decreased but I am feeling hopeful my surgeon can fix. During a follow up last month he said he can lower that side of my incision and pull the bulge/shelf down. He can perform it in office with local anesthesia, therefore there would be no additional cost for me. I am crossing my fingers this will flatten my right side to match left and the new scar will be symmetrical and look clean once revised. Yet he is realistic with me that he’ll do his best to improve but it may not be perfect.
I have come to terms that it will not be perfect but I am satisfied with my results especially when I try on my clothes. It’s so nice not to have to tuck in all that extra skin in my pants. And when I workout my tummy reflects the rest of me and all the hard work I put in. It was so disappointing to put in so much effort to my fitness but continue to see extra loose skin and fat that would budge no matter how hard I exercised or dieted. I put on a two piece swimsuit which hasn’t happened since before kids, but even then I never felt as confident as I do now.
I continued to tell myself it will all continue to look better over time...

Tomorrow will be exactly 6 weeks post my mommy makeover surgery. I have had my ups and downs during this recovery process. Unfortunately, I hate to admit more downs thus far. At six week post I was expecting to see more improved results. I completely understand recovery is long and takes months to a year to see complete results but I haven’t felt that jolt of joy with my results yet. It is mostly because of the huge bulge over the right side of my incision. It has been there since my PS noticed it during my first post op 4 days out, he initially ruled it as swelling. Most my initial overall swelling and bruising has subsided but this bulge hasn’t changed. I continue to swell in the evenings after being up on my feet most the day or after a big meal but the bulge on my right does not subsided like the rest of my lower abdomen. I was actually hoping it was seroma so it could be aspirated out, at least that would provide a quick fix. When I saw my PS last week (5 PO) he said it wasn’t fluid but could be an internal “tight suture/incision” against my muscles that was causing it to bulge up and possibly my right side is fatter (which I doubt was that uneven). He said it could just take time to go down as the scar softens and swelling continues to decrease. Basically saying I have to wait to see if it works itself out on its own overtime. I am the type who needs concise answers and solutions.
I also need to discuss revision options with him in greater detail. The bulge seems to cause the incision to be higher than the other side and skin seems to be pleating along that side of my incision. The incision on the left side is about an inch to two inches higher than what I would like. Its been very discouraging for me when the left side of my lower abdomen is flatter and looks so much better than right, plus looking at others’ results at the same post op timeline look so much better. I’ve also tried on fitted dresses and the bulge distinctly protrudes out making my abdomen uneven. Argh..thinking about this makes me want to cry, these were not the results I was expecting!
On the other hand, at about 3.5 weeks my energy levels started to climb and now I feel like I am back to my normal energy. This week I started to use my Peloton again, taking it very easy and slow. I am not pushing as hard as I did prior to surgery just yet. In addition, my lower back no longer hurts and I’m able to get back to most of my normal routine with my kids. Breast are good, wrinkles around my nipples are slowly smoothing out. I kind wish I went a tad bit bigger instead of staying the same size. Liposuctioned lower back is ok bruising has faded, not much change.
I am really hoping I wake up to an flat even belly soon. I really don’t want to do and pay for all this again!

It’s all about the little victories, I am feeling a little bit stronger and a little bit better everyday. Like laughing and coughing doesn’t hurt anymore but a sneeze still feels like a punch in the stomach! LOL!
I am now able to stand for longer periods of time without my lower back hurting. I’ve made a few meals for my family, light cleaning and started walking around my neighborhood. I’m up to 20 minutes of walking not up to normal walking speed as I’m taking it pretty slow and hope this will help with the muscle tightness. I do miss being active, using my Peloton and jogging but actually I don’t feel like I want to rush into working out - so not ready.
My stomach muscles still feel tight especially at night and when I remove my compression garment/binder. Since I’m wearing my compression 23 hours a day my stomach isn’t used to being without the support. I might try to keep it off longer next week to get used to it. My stomach is still quite swollen especially on the right side of my incision and I haven’t noticed a decrease yet. My belly button seems slightly off center but that may be because of the swelling.
I am on my second set of Embrace scar therapy strips, I switch them out every 10ish days at my PS office and will continue this process for 60 days. Right now my incision is raised and dark. I pray this works I would hate to have a Frankenstein belly scar plus this stuff isn’t cheap. The bruises on my sides and back have started to fade but there is still a tint of green and purple. I have started to also use Biocornium silicone scar treatment on my areola, belly button, and lipo incisions. All in all everything is 0K, I just want to see final results sooner than later. Patience, patience, patience...