37 Years Old Tummy Tuck with Lipo of Hips and Flanks After Weight Loss and C-section. Great Experience!

Monday will be 8 weeks and I would say I feel fully back to my old self. I'm seeing my trainer again, and have been easing back. I also hit the tennis court for the first time and it was awesome!

I'm still tired the end of the day but the swelling is way down. The past few days I have been able to wear clothes without any compression and am not swelling up Yay! I'm posting a new picture, everything seems to be smoothing out and I'm so happy with the outcome!!!

Yesterday marked 5 weeks post-op and I am really feeling fantastic. For those of you who are on the front end of this journey take comfort in knowing that every passing week marks a huge improvement.

I saw my PS last week for my four week appointment. He said everything looks amazing and that I don't need to return for two months. We are going to do a little revision, as I have small dog-ears on both hips, although the left one is more prominent than the right. He said it should be quite easy, as it is just a bit of skin involved. We will schedule that at my next appointment in December.

Next week, I am cleared to head back into the gym as well as play tennis. He asked me to start back slowly and build up over the following weeks. I'm so excited to get back to my workouts. I have been walking and hiking daily and have been able to do 3.5 miles or so as well as pretty steep hikes but I'm looking forward to using weights again and hitting the tennis court!

Swelling is way down in the past week. I was getting nervous, as week 4 I was swelling up a ton, so much so that I went back to wearing my binder. Now, spanx alone seem to work to keep it under control. After trying various types of spanx I've found that I like the kind that goes from tummy to mid-thigh with straps that go over your shoulders. Kind of like a body suit but you can wear your own bra. This smoothes everything out, particularly if you've had lipo and the Spanx brand is thin enough that you can wear it under skinny jeans without the leg line showing.

I'm continuing to treat my scar with silicone tape and nothing else. This was my PS's suggestion, as they have seen great results with it, and it is also really affordable. I keep the tape on 24/7 and replace it every two days. After just a few weeks my scar is totally flat and pencil thin, although still pink. I know this will change over time. I feel like I see a big difference every time I take the tape off.

Lastly, the one thing I didn't quite expect was having a closet full of clothes and nothing to wear! I'm pretty much consigning my entire wardrobe. Almost all of my shirts are huge and baggy. I was a size large pre tt, and now any t-shirt or shirt with stretch is a medium or small. Some of my pants are unwearable due to being too big in the waist, but mostly all of the denim I own just doesn't fit right on my new shape. I was buying denim previously that would hold my gut in and now I need to buy pants that fit a different body. I've gone down a pant size so I'm buying a few new things to hold me over, hoping that I will continue to lose more as swelling eases. I'm still experiencing swelling in my thighs because my pre-op jeans feel really tight in the thighs. This was never an issue before and I have lost, not gained weight since surgery, so I'm attributing it to swelling.

All in all I'm amazed by the wonderful recovery I have had. My self-confidence is so much better. I feel different out in the world. It is fun to step out of the dressing room and have the sales people tell you how amazing something looks, when previously that almost never happened! Happy healing to everyone :)

Today is 3 weeks! I had a little scare on Friday and ended up going to the ER. I was having pain in my right calf behind my knee, which I was attributing to being more active. However, Friday afternoon I also had a terrible dizzy spell and some tingling in my right fingers. I called my PS and he instructed me to head to the ER for an ultrasound on my leg to rule out a blood clot. He told me not to panic, that it was likely nothing but better to be safe. After a long wait at the ER they did the ultrasound and everything looked good. The rest of the weekend I felt sort of dizzy off and on but made a connection between the tightness of my surgical binder and the hand tingling and light headedness. Today I followed up with my primary care Dr. and after giving me a good checkup she agreed it was likely the binder being too tight and constricting blood flow. We did some blood work just to check for anemia. Long story short, I'm ditching the binder for spanx from here on out. My PS had given me clearance to do so last week, but the binder just feels more supportive and prevents me from swelling too much. I think I will take the little extra swelling over being light headed.

Today I felt pretty great. Did 40 minutes on the treadmill and was able to run errands. My discomfort in my abdomen is way down. I'm hardly taking any advil or tylenol and I think tonight I might try to sleep normally in my bed without the wedge system. The three week mark feels like a big turning point. I feel less fragile and more like myself!