POSTED UNDER Mommy Makeover REVIEWS
Australian Mummy of 4 Makeover Post-op Blues - Australia, AU
ORIGINAL POST
I have been reading a lot of posts on this site...
WORTH IT$14,000
I have been reading a lot of posts on this site and found them helpful with answering some of my own questions. I am now sharing my story. I am 12 days post-op. I had a tummy tuck that was skin work only. No muscle work. Also breast augmentation to give back the lost volume and also to halve the size of my nipples which had been stretched from breast-feeding my 4 babies.
I am finding the process very difficult. On the upside, because I had no muscle work done, the process was simpler. I had surgery late afternoon and left hospital the next morning. I have only taken panadol, which is good because then I have not been dealing with constipation or other complications caused by medications.
But on the downside, I am unhappy and frustrated and feel sad and teary. I am dealing with massive swelling so am uncomfortable and look far worse than before the operation. I am thick in the waist whereas I was much thinner before. I know this is temporary but I just feel bummed about it and hate how I look right now.
I am surprised how tired and lethargic I feel. Maybe this is partly mental because I cannot even do any exercise, and I always get grumpy when I can't exercise.
I look forward to recovering further so I can start to 'enjoy' the outcome. At this stage it is just hard work because I feel awful, can't do much, and look awful too. So I have gone backwards. But I do realise that sometimes you have to go back before you can go forwards. I'm surprised about how low I feel as I am a positive person. But hopefully I start to pick up soon as the swelling subsides further. As a tip that may help others, I ditched the binder thing 8 days post-op and in its place started wearing those very ugly high waisted compression briefs by Nancy Ganz (boy leg style but high waisted to go quite a bit above the belly button). They are the black things you can see above my tights in the images of me in tights and a sports bra. The ugly undies helped heaps as I felt more comfortable, looked more normal (the binder added so much girth and looked plain silly even under clothing). Also, the swelling did start to go down after I started wearing the ugly undies as the compression quality is far superior to the binder. My swelling peaked at the 5-8 day mark with my waist measuring 11cm more. It has reduced since wearing the ugly undies but is still 6cm bigger. i am not expecting it to get smaller than pre-op because I didn't have muscle work done (those planks and push ups came in handy after all). But hopefully I get my old waist size back soon. And I hope my energy levels return soon. It's a more complicated and challenging process than I realised.
I am finding the process very difficult. On the upside, because I had no muscle work done, the process was simpler. I had surgery late afternoon and left hospital the next morning. I have only taken panadol, which is good because then I have not been dealing with constipation or other complications caused by medications.
But on the downside, I am unhappy and frustrated and feel sad and teary. I am dealing with massive swelling so am uncomfortable and look far worse than before the operation. I am thick in the waist whereas I was much thinner before. I know this is temporary but I just feel bummed about it and hate how I look right now.
I am surprised how tired and lethargic I feel. Maybe this is partly mental because I cannot even do any exercise, and I always get grumpy when I can't exercise.
I look forward to recovering further so I can start to 'enjoy' the outcome. At this stage it is just hard work because I feel awful, can't do much, and look awful too. So I have gone backwards. But I do realise that sometimes you have to go back before you can go forwards. I'm surprised about how low I feel as I am a positive person. But hopefully I start to pick up soon as the swelling subsides further. As a tip that may help others, I ditched the binder thing 8 days post-op and in its place started wearing those very ugly high waisted compression briefs by Nancy Ganz (boy leg style but high waisted to go quite a bit above the belly button). They are the black things you can see above my tights in the images of me in tights and a sports bra. The ugly undies helped heaps as I felt more comfortable, looked more normal (the binder added so much girth and looked plain silly even under clothing). Also, the swelling did start to go down after I started wearing the ugly undies as the compression quality is far superior to the binder. My swelling peaked at the 5-8 day mark with my waist measuring 11cm more. It has reduced since wearing the ugly undies but is still 6cm bigger. i am not expecting it to get smaller than pre-op because I didn't have muscle work done (those planks and push ups came in handy after all). But hopefully I get my old waist size back soon. And I hope my energy levels return soon. It's a more complicated and challenging process than I realised.
Replies (5)
August 9, 2016
You seem to be following the same pattern as lots of other ladies having the same things done. There is lots of info here that you may enjoy reading. Focus on feeling better and don't overdo. For me, doing more means more swelling and draining. I am wearing my binder with ugly undies on top. BTW, you look fantastic! Give it time, your body is still rebelling from surgery. I do agree about it being challenging, I have been recovering slower than I expected. Did you have drains?
August 9, 2016
Thanks so much for commenting. Today is a bit better for me as the big bruise is finally starting to reduce in colour and the swelling has gone down another centimetre. I had one drain in for a couple of days. When did you get your procedure done?
August 9, 2016
Mine was July 21st. But I had a mons excision and a mini-TT. So not nearly as involved as your surgery. I also had no muscle work done. I still have both of my drains but I am a chubby lady, and chubby ladies keep their drains longer. I am tired of it. It is amazing how quickly the color returns to normal. My mons was very swollen, purple, red, and blue. It was a scary sight. I don't think my husband thought it was sexy at all, imagine that. It is very hard to put yourself out here especially when you can't say things are fabulous. But you look fabulous, I am so excited for you. Your energy level will get back to normal but take it as a sign to relax and not do too much. Your body will tell you what it needs. It must need rest now. Boy, can I nag! Mary
September 23, 2016
I was looking for posts like this two days ago because I was feeling exactly like this. I had full tummy tuck breast lift and lipo. I had two drains that were just removed on Wednesday. I am a 48 year old plus sized lady. I am thrilled to look down and no longer see the belly that I hated.
With that being said I was feeling terribly frustrated depressed useless and a million other negative feelings. I was in pain I couldn't do anything I look like Sally from the Nightmare before Christmas. I cried when I saw all of the scars. My hips are so swollen that my pants are tight. I have very little appetite. I have lost 13 pounds (8 litres removed by lipo). I might also mention I am in the process of getting veneers and my temporary set fell off right before surgery so my natural teeth are filed down and look like monster teeth. I look like hell. I do love my smooth abdomen and perky breasts. I know I will be pleased with everything when I am healed but this process is hard. There is pain and frustration. We don't all talk about it because we don't want to scare others or we don't want to sound weak. That is why I appreciate your post. I did not want to be the one to stand up and say this sucks although I have been saying it to myself all week. You look beautiful. I do believe we will forget this nightmare once we are able to truly enjoy the changes to our bodies. Hang in there I think we all feel pretty lousy at least once during this process. I hope it helps to know you are not alone.
With that being said I was feeling terribly frustrated depressed useless and a million other negative feelings. I was in pain I couldn't do anything I look like Sally from the Nightmare before Christmas. I cried when I saw all of the scars. My hips are so swollen that my pants are tight. I have very little appetite. I have lost 13 pounds (8 litres removed by lipo). I might also mention I am in the process of getting veneers and my temporary set fell off right before surgery so my natural teeth are filed down and look like monster teeth. I look like hell. I do love my smooth abdomen and perky breasts. I know I will be pleased with everything when I am healed but this process is hard. There is pain and frustration. We don't all talk about it because we don't want to scare others or we don't want to sound weak. That is why I appreciate your post. I did not want to be the one to stand up and say this sucks although I have been saying it to myself all week. You look beautiful. I do believe we will forget this nightmare once we are able to truly enjoy the changes to our bodies. Hang in there I think we all feel pretty lousy at least once during this process. I hope it helps to know you are not alone.
UPDATED FROM mumof4under4
13 days post
2 weeks post-op today
Well today marks the 2 weeks post-op date. I am taking every day at a time. Each day there is some improvement and I am moving more normally and less like a 100-year old woman. I have taken a couple of photos this morning. There is still bruising and swelling but I think the bruise is a little lighter now. The swelling is still bad but is more so in the lower tummy area. My waist measurement is now only 4 cm bigger than pre-op but the shape is less defined than pre-op. In one more week I can take the tape off although I am not looking forward to it as I am afraid of what I might see. When the bandages came off after 1 week I felt so sick at what I could see that I fainted. Literally.
Replies (2)
August 28, 2016
Do you have before pictures of your tummy? I am and have been researching the skin only process and I have not seen many. Thank you Krystal
August 29, 2016
Hi - only the one that is labelled pre-op me which has me in black pants and a cropped tank top. It doesn't show all the skin but gives a good idea about the size and shape. I had the same problem you are encountered with regards to sourcing relevant information. Everything is geared towards having muscle work done because almost every case includes it. I found it frustrating because recovery times etc are so different without muscle work. Feel free to ask me any questions.
UPDATED FROM mumof4under4
14 days post
Day 15 post-op and compression / binder free
After 8 days wearing a velcro compression binder and a further 7 days wearing firm compression high briefs (Nancy Ganz) I am enjoying by first day without such garments. This marks an additional turning point for me as I feel more normal. I took a few photos this morning. My bruise is not as coloured. I am still swollen but it is coming down. My waist is now only 3cm bigger than pre-op. Without the discomfort of the compression garments I feel a lot better today. I read that a lot of surgeons don't recommend the compression garments and referred to it as 'voodoo' practice. Interesting. So much variety in how surgeons conduct their work.
Replies (2)
August 11, 2016
You look so good. Glad you are out of your compression garments. Keep us posted on your progress.
Thank you for sharing your story with this community. Post-op recovery from this surgery can be a real emotional roller coaster. It's so common in fact, we created this forum post about it: 14 Emotions You'll Experience During Your Mommy Makeover.
Hang in there and try to relax during the healing process, and please let us know if you need support.