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*Treatment results may vary
Three Months
Okay, it's been 3 months. Healing isn't complete, but for all intents and purposes life is back to normal. Here's a quick recap of the milestones. Photos (before and after!) on the way.
Three weeks: At took a little over 3 weeks for my last insertion wound to heal. Up until that point, no swimming or water activites.
One month: At the one month mark I could do almost all things - with a compression garment. There was still tenseness and weakness in my abdomen. If I stretched too far (say, rock climbing, or reaching up), or tried to lift something too heavy, I got instant feedback in the form of "hell no!" from my stomach. Legs were less finicky, especially if I had my compression garments on.
Two months: Life almost completely back to normal. Continued to wear my compression garments at night time (because it felt good) but off during the day. Still went in for massage, and could see a difference before and after. Most tightness around stomach was gone, though skin surface was still bumpy (looks strange). Can definitely still see scars from incision points. Trying to avoid sun exposure, making sure to wear a one-piece when swimming. Again, thighs have much less problem. Don't ache, skin is smooth, insertion points are less noticeable.
Three month: Life almost completely back to normal. Physical habits not restricted in any way, don't notice bloating shifts with food intake. My stomach skin looks smooth until I stretch up - then you can see the catheter lines from the surgery. I don't wear garments. Can stretch, lift, and move without restriction. Can definitely still see insertion points, trying to keep them out of the sun.
Was it worth it? Still to be determined. My weight and my measurements are exactly the same as before the surgery. While this is frustrating (sigh!), I acknowledge that there are difference that make my life better. Most significant, I can now wear shorts without them riding up. There's not a thigh gap, but now my thighs just casually brush by each other (rather than competing for space!) This has greatly improved my Texas summer wardrobe.
My abdomen is tricky - this is the area that I cared about the most. The surgery has helped me realize that my 'solid' core appearance (the stout, not-so-wispy look) is primarily due to muscle mass. Try as I might, I'm just never going to be super-slender in the middle. The surgery did, however, significantly cut-down the amount of dun-lap I was toting around. (You know -the part that would squeeze out from a tight waistband and done-lapped over). I can wear tight things and be pretty confident that not much is pouring over the top. That's nice.
**The most beneficial things that have come from the surgery:**
-Increasing the types of clothes that I can comfortably wear (shorts and tight waistbands). This allows me to care less about what I put on, which is a huge bonus.
-Helping me be more comfortable with my body. Truly, truly, this is what I've got! Love it or leave it, I've done what I can. My best option from here is to treat it well, and value it for what it is. For me, that is priceless.
Was it worth $3500, two weeks off of work, and 3 months of recovery time? Mmmmm, undecided. But I'm counting my gains and moving on from here. Look out, world!
Again, pictures to follow soon!
Three weeks: At took a little over 3 weeks for my last insertion wound to heal. Up until that point, no swimming or water activites.
One month: At the one month mark I could do almost all things - with a compression garment. There was still tenseness and weakness in my abdomen. If I stretched too far (say, rock climbing, or reaching up), or tried to lift something too heavy, I got instant feedback in the form of "hell no!" from my stomach. Legs were less finicky, especially if I had my compression garments on.
Two months: Life almost completely back to normal. Continued to wear my compression garments at night time (because it felt good) but off during the day. Still went in for massage, and could see a difference before and after. Most tightness around stomach was gone, though skin surface was still bumpy (looks strange). Can definitely still see scars from incision points. Trying to avoid sun exposure, making sure to wear a one-piece when swimming. Again, thighs have much less problem. Don't ache, skin is smooth, insertion points are less noticeable.
Three month: Life almost completely back to normal. Physical habits not restricted in any way, don't notice bloating shifts with food intake. My stomach skin looks smooth until I stretch up - then you can see the catheter lines from the surgery. I don't wear garments. Can stretch, lift, and move without restriction. Can definitely still see insertion points, trying to keep them out of the sun.
Was it worth it? Still to be determined. My weight and my measurements are exactly the same as before the surgery. While this is frustrating (sigh!), I acknowledge that there are difference that make my life better. Most significant, I can now wear shorts without them riding up. There's not a thigh gap, but now my thighs just casually brush by each other (rather than competing for space!) This has greatly improved my Texas summer wardrobe.
My abdomen is tricky - this is the area that I cared about the most. The surgery has helped me realize that my 'solid' core appearance (the stout, not-so-wispy look) is primarily due to muscle mass. Try as I might, I'm just never going to be super-slender in the middle. The surgery did, however, significantly cut-down the amount of dun-lap I was toting around. (You know -the part that would squeeze out from a tight waistband and done-lapped over). I can wear tight things and be pretty confident that not much is pouring over the top. That's nice.
**The most beneficial things that have come from the surgery:**
-Increasing the types of clothes that I can comfortably wear (shorts and tight waistbands). This allows me to care less about what I put on, which is a huge bonus.
-Helping me be more comfortable with my body. Truly, truly, this is what I've got! Love it or leave it, I've done what I can. My best option from here is to treat it well, and value it for what it is. For me, that is priceless.
Was it worth $3500, two weeks off of work, and 3 months of recovery time? Mmmmm, undecided. But I'm counting my gains and moving on from here. Look out, world!
Again, pictures to follow soon!
Pictures - Two weeks post op
Pictures! I have some from pre-op and one week, just need to get then up here. These are from today.
Note: I'm happy to answer questions, let me know if there's anything you want more info about!
Note: I'm happy to answer questions, let me know if there's anything you want more info about!
Two weeks post op
Okay, it's been two weeks. Here's the scoop:
My body does not yet show results that I'm excited about. In fact, my measurements are almost exactly the same, with a lower-belly budge just where it used to be. I'm hopefully that it's just swelling, but fearful that I wasted a bunch of time and money on something that just jacked my body up.
What is different:
The skin texture is lumpy and firm, it looks battle worn. Almost all of the bruising has gone away, but I'm far from excited to let anyone see what's happening here. I'm trying to follow the low-sodium protocol to keep swelling down, but that makes it nearly impossible to eat out, or consume anything from a package *including condiments* I've never paid attention to sodium before, but it's in evvverything.
What I didn't know before:
I crave the compression garment. Yes, it is restrictive and hot. Yes, I no longer get benefits from wearing it (spanks are okay after the first week). But, damn, it is the only thing that makes me comfortable in my own skin. Without it on, everything is tender and sore. Little things, like sitting on a toilet seat or having a dog in my lap, are almost unbearable. Wearing it keeps the skin and all my inner bits in place and makes me feel comfortable. I crave it. The spanks garments offer less compression and are less well tailored (they cut into my thighs or belly, and that doesn't feel good).
Also - without it on I have more flexibility than my body is ready for. Any sort of reaching up / stretching out the abdomen causes sharp pain. It makes sense - everything in there got torn up. It's a big mess of scar tissue right now, and is stiff and firm.
Insertion holes:
Definitely not healed up, started to get red and swollen two days ago. I wash them daily and apply Neosporin. They are the most tender spots and week probably be the last places to feel normal. I can also see all the pinpoints from where they injected the local anesthesia. It looks a bit like constellations on my thighs and tummy.
Exercise:
I tried running that first day without the compression garment - no way. But with the surgical garment on, it's fine. Treadmill is especially good, am comfortable doing sprints/interval work. I haven't tried lifting weights yet, but have done calisthenics (like push ups and dips). Jumping jacks are a bit much...
I've really taken to biking. The low impact is marvelous, and it's just fine to do in my suit. This has become my primary way to get exercise.
Final thought for the day (And this goes back to day one):
I an sooooo glad that I shaved my nether region before surgery! The compression garment stays on all the time at first, and conveniently includes a hole for your personal use. Peeing out of it is pretty complicated, though. For one, your privaies have a case of elephantitis. It was seriously amazing how very large my labia swelled to (and purple!) For other reasons that I don't totally understand, peeing just becomes really... hard. It's like you don't have access to the muscles that you normally use to push out urine. In general, everything is a mess down there. I think that having bush would just make it that much harder to manage. So my pre-op word to the wise- take a moment and clean yourself up before you go in. Well worth it.
My body does not yet show results that I'm excited about. In fact, my measurements are almost exactly the same, with a lower-belly budge just where it used to be. I'm hopefully that it's just swelling, but fearful that I wasted a bunch of time and money on something that just jacked my body up.
What is different:
The skin texture is lumpy and firm, it looks battle worn. Almost all of the bruising has gone away, but I'm far from excited to let anyone see what's happening here. I'm trying to follow the low-sodium protocol to keep swelling down, but that makes it nearly impossible to eat out, or consume anything from a package *including condiments* I've never paid attention to sodium before, but it's in evvverything.
What I didn't know before:
I crave the compression garment. Yes, it is restrictive and hot. Yes, I no longer get benefits from wearing it (spanks are okay after the first week). But, damn, it is the only thing that makes me comfortable in my own skin. Without it on, everything is tender and sore. Little things, like sitting on a toilet seat or having a dog in my lap, are almost unbearable. Wearing it keeps the skin and all my inner bits in place and makes me feel comfortable. I crave it. The spanks garments offer less compression and are less well tailored (they cut into my thighs or belly, and that doesn't feel good).
Also - without it on I have more flexibility than my body is ready for. Any sort of reaching up / stretching out the abdomen causes sharp pain. It makes sense - everything in there got torn up. It's a big mess of scar tissue right now, and is stiff and firm.
Insertion holes:
Definitely not healed up, started to get red and swollen two days ago. I wash them daily and apply Neosporin. They are the most tender spots and week probably be the last places to feel normal. I can also see all the pinpoints from where they injected the local anesthesia. It looks a bit like constellations on my thighs and tummy.
Exercise:
I tried running that first day without the compression garment - no way. But with the surgical garment on, it's fine. Treadmill is especially good, am comfortable doing sprints/interval work. I haven't tried lifting weights yet, but have done calisthenics (like push ups and dips). Jumping jacks are a bit much...
I've really taken to biking. The low impact is marvelous, and it's just fine to do in my suit. This has become my primary way to get exercise.
Final thought for the day (And this goes back to day one):
I an sooooo glad that I shaved my nether region before surgery! The compression garment stays on all the time at first, and conveniently includes a hole for your personal use. Peeing out of it is pretty complicated, though. For one, your privaies have a case of elephantitis. It was seriously amazing how very large my labia swelled to (and purple!) For other reasons that I don't totally understand, peeing just becomes really... hard. It's like you don't have access to the muscles that you normally use to push out urine. In general, everything is a mess down there. I think that having bush would just make it that much harder to manage. So my pre-op word to the wise- take a moment and clean yourself up before you go in. Well worth it.
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