Fleur De Lis Tummy Tuck with Flank Lipo - Ann Arbor, MI

After losing 80 pounds from diet and exercise I decided it was time to take care of all the loose skin. I met with Dr. Malhotra in Ann Arbor and he explained that the extended tummy tuck was the way to go. I set up my date and did all of my research. I am 6 days post op today and feeling amazing. While I do still have a good amount of swelling the scars are already looking great. I would recommend this type of tummy tuck to anyone! While the scars are larger than your standard tummy tuck, I felt it was worth it to have a more hour glass shape.

Pre and current photos

Well I am really swollen today and feeling the discomfort! It felt like my skin was on fire today and that my stomach was going to burst! I must have overdone it today and should probably slow down. The portion above my belly button looks really puffy and seems to stick out further then the rest of my stomach. I am waiting to see if that is just swelling from Lipo of if maybe I need to have more skin removed.

Feeling much better today. Resting today trying to keep the swelling down! Scars are still healing great and after this Thursday I will be starting my scar therapy repair!

I thought I would put together a supply list that I felt helped me with my recovery when I got home.

For the first week I slept in a recliner, I was able to get very comfortable this way. It was electric so I didn't have to use my stomach muscles to push it down. Granted I still had to have someone on hand to pull me out of it.

I also purchased the following the day before I went in:
-medical tape ( I had to tape my top bandage because I had a vertical cut too)
-sterile pads for surgical use (they sell these right at Walmart and I bought a couple of different sizes because of the 2 different cuts I had)
-Stool softners (you are going to need these, the pain meds will make it very difficult to go)
-fill your meds before your surgery so you can take them as soon as you get home
-rolled gauze (I used this around my drain tubes so that they didn't feel like they were pulling)
-Vitamin C (check with your surgeon first but I started this the week before my surgery to help promote faster healing)
-a couple of cotton tank tops ( I wore these under my binder because the binder can rub on your scars)
- I also started to take fiber pills before surgery ( this was not my first surgery and I knew first hand what happened the last time)

A few other things that I did do after my surgery was I drank a ton of water and tried to stay away from the salt. If your not careful the swelling can get pretty bad!

I have to admit that my recovery has been a breeze, I made sure that I stayed on my pain meds for the first 4 days straight. I even set an alarm in the middle of the night to get up and take them. I really didn't feel like I had any pain that I couldn't handle and I was feeling very good. By the time that I went back to my first week post op appointment I was already walking standing straight up and I didn't really have any pain to speak of.

Since then the only real pain I have had is some burning on the skin and really bad swelling but nothing that I couldn't deal with or just take a couple of tylenol.

These are just a few things that worked for me but please make sure you check with your surgeon first before you try them.

Well it has been awhile since I have logged in. I recently started back to the gym. Since having my surgery at the end of Aug 2013 I have got off track a bit. I was starting to stress that all the work I had done from the tummy tuck would be a waste! So I am now charting my foods again and working out on the treadmill for 60+ minutes a day and also adding weight training in. I am hoping to trim down a little more but it is going to take some time!