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8 Weeks Out
I am now 8 weeks out from surgery. I quit counting days and even forgot which week I was in! I haven't been on this site in several weeks either. All signs that recover is well under way and I can actually think about things other than surgery now!
I still have annoying swelling. It is different throughout the day in location and severity. I worry that I'm gaining weight since I haven't been as active. But then I wake up and my tummy is slim and I realize it is still swelling. I gained sensation back in my stomach a couple weeks ago and it has been very tender and painful. I have vertical and horizontal incisions and the top of the vertical is extra tender, somewhat raised and feels hard underneath. I am holding judgment on many things since I know I still have months of recovery before I will know for sure what the outcome is. However, so far, I'm happy I did this. My G.I. symptoms are gone! Totally gone!!! My back no longer hurts because my stomach muscles are where they should be. I love the way I look in clothes. I still pause when I look in the mirror and see my scars...they are pretty scary looking. My husband says I don't look like a Frankenstein experiment but I think I kind of do. :) I can get in and out of chairs easily now and sleep is easier. I can do a slow jog but I feel like ab workouts and a really good run are still way in the future for me.
This is really an emotional journey. I have been pretty even emotionally but I will admit that I have had self doubt and a fear that I will regret this. Right now, the only thing I may regret (still holding judgment) is the BA. As fun as it is to look better in clothes, they still don't feel like me. Being small was really convenient. These things are sometimes in the way a little because I'm not used to having them! I have a constant fear that they will fail on me someday soon. I just don't have a great comfort level with them yet. I'm hoping that will come with time. As happy as I am with the way I look now, sometimes I wish I could get them out so I could quit worrying. I have no regrets about the TT and lipo. Happy healing everyone!
I still have annoying swelling. It is different throughout the day in location and severity. I worry that I'm gaining weight since I haven't been as active. But then I wake up and my tummy is slim and I realize it is still swelling. I gained sensation back in my stomach a couple weeks ago and it has been very tender and painful. I have vertical and horizontal incisions and the top of the vertical is extra tender, somewhat raised and feels hard underneath. I am holding judgment on many things since I know I still have months of recovery before I will know for sure what the outcome is. However, so far, I'm happy I did this. My G.I. symptoms are gone! Totally gone!!! My back no longer hurts because my stomach muscles are where they should be. I love the way I look in clothes. I still pause when I look in the mirror and see my scars...they are pretty scary looking. My husband says I don't look like a Frankenstein experiment but I think I kind of do. :) I can get in and out of chairs easily now and sleep is easier. I can do a slow jog but I feel like ab workouts and a really good run are still way in the future for me.
This is really an emotional journey. I have been pretty even emotionally but I will admit that I have had self doubt and a fear that I will regret this. Right now, the only thing I may regret (still holding judgment) is the BA. As fun as it is to look better in clothes, they still don't feel like me. Being small was really convenient. These things are sometimes in the way a little because I'm not used to having them! I have a constant fear that they will fail on me someday soon. I just don't have a great comfort level with them yet. I'm hoping that will come with time. As happy as I am with the way I look now, sometimes I wish I could get them out so I could quit worrying. I have no regrets about the TT and lipo. Happy healing everyone!
2 Weeks
I'm doing so much better now. I'm going to try to post pictures soon. I just couldn't bring myself to do it before now. I still have burning in my BA incision. The surgeon pulled skin up from my rib area to make into breast and I think that is why it is hurting. My TT incisions have barely bothered me at all. My muscles feel funny from being manipulated and I still can't straighten all the way but I am very encouraged about the progress I have made in two weeks! I think I will be glad I did this in another week or two. :)
Tips
OK, here are a few tips I got from other people on this site and from my own experience that I really like.
1. Get a walker. I got a used one from the ads in our community paper and it cost me $10. Don't spend much on this because you will probably only use it the first couple weeks. However, with muscle repair and tummy tuck, your back will be aching after standing or walking for a few minutes and this really helps take strain off your back!
2. Have a recliner available to rest and sleep in. Again, I got one from the ads in our local paper. I slept in this exclusively for 2 weeks because I could get comfortable and stay elevated without pillows slipping out of position. My husband had to help me in and out since I couldn't pull the lever to raise my feet but he was a trooper and I'm glad I had it. I can now get in and out of my own bed but I use the recliner to rest during the day and I can pull the lever on my own at 15 days out!
3. Start stool softeners BEFORE surgery. I wish I had done this. It may have kept me out of the ER a couple days after surgery when I had a blockage in my small intestine which caused me a night of pumping everything back out through a tube down my nose. Miserable, awful, nightmarish experience that should have been avoided. Fiber Therapy or Psyllium is also great for constipation. It is a powder you add to anything and works wonders. It doesn't taste but has a gritty texture so best added to something with texture. Mixed with Gatorade it does a great job but I had a hard time choking it down.
4. A lanyard is perfect around your neck to hold the drains while you shower. Better than ace wrapping your middle and not being able to wash easily.
5. I LOVE having the shower chair I bought at Walmart. It was not expensive. I used it with the handheld shower head and it made showering much easier. Again, you will only use this for a couple weeks so if you can borrow or sell it afterward...
6. Freezer meals prepared ahead are your best friend unless you are blessed to have lots of church and family that bring in meals for you like I did. :) Don't plan on doing ANYTHING the first week. Anything! Well, you can walk to the bathroom and around the house a bit but not much else.
7. Prepare yourself mentally and spiritually! We plan ahead for physical challenges but forget often to cover the rest of it. Write a mission statement about your goals and reasons for doing this. Write your expectations and then leave room for eventualities. I wrote a few paragraphs that also include how grateful I am for my healthy body and read it several times when I got discouraged. It was really helpful. Take before pictures to go with this. You will be surprised how quickly you forget what you looked like preop.
8. Don't let yourself form opinions or make decisions the first week at least. You will wish at times you hadn't done this. Don't compare your worst day after surgery to your best day before. Just watch movies, read books and don't think about it for a while. You WILL feel better. I promise you will not be miserable for long. In fact, it will surprise you how quickly you will improve if you just relax and don't worry too much.
9. Call your surgeon as many times as you want. Don't worry about bothering someone. Don't feel bad about bugging them. Call any time you have a question. If the make you feel like you are a bother, remind yourself that you paid a lot of money for this and they are there specifically to answer YOUR questions. Get over the feeling of bugging people and make those calls!
10. This shouldn't be last. It's really important! Have someone with you the first week. It is very hard to remember what meds you took when. It's hard to get your own food. It's dangerous to walk around a shower without someone close by. It's depressing to struggle through something this difficult without support and love. Find a buddy and keep them close. My husband is my hero. I could not have done this without him. Grab a sister, friend, spouse...You will be glad you did!
1. Get a walker. I got a used one from the ads in our community paper and it cost me $10. Don't spend much on this because you will probably only use it the first couple weeks. However, with muscle repair and tummy tuck, your back will be aching after standing or walking for a few minutes and this really helps take strain off your back!
2. Have a recliner available to rest and sleep in. Again, I got one from the ads in our local paper. I slept in this exclusively for 2 weeks because I could get comfortable and stay elevated without pillows slipping out of position. My husband had to help me in and out since I couldn't pull the lever to raise my feet but he was a trooper and I'm glad I had it. I can now get in and out of my own bed but I use the recliner to rest during the day and I can pull the lever on my own at 15 days out!
3. Start stool softeners BEFORE surgery. I wish I had done this. It may have kept me out of the ER a couple days after surgery when I had a blockage in my small intestine which caused me a night of pumping everything back out through a tube down my nose. Miserable, awful, nightmarish experience that should have been avoided. Fiber Therapy or Psyllium is also great for constipation. It is a powder you add to anything and works wonders. It doesn't taste but has a gritty texture so best added to something with texture. Mixed with Gatorade it does a great job but I had a hard time choking it down.
4. A lanyard is perfect around your neck to hold the drains while you shower. Better than ace wrapping your middle and not being able to wash easily.
5. I LOVE having the shower chair I bought at Walmart. It was not expensive. I used it with the handheld shower head and it made showering much easier. Again, you will only use this for a couple weeks so if you can borrow or sell it afterward...
6. Freezer meals prepared ahead are your best friend unless you are blessed to have lots of church and family that bring in meals for you like I did. :) Don't plan on doing ANYTHING the first week. Anything! Well, you can walk to the bathroom and around the house a bit but not much else.
7. Prepare yourself mentally and spiritually! We plan ahead for physical challenges but forget often to cover the rest of it. Write a mission statement about your goals and reasons for doing this. Write your expectations and then leave room for eventualities. I wrote a few paragraphs that also include how grateful I am for my healthy body and read it several times when I got discouraged. It was really helpful. Take before pictures to go with this. You will be surprised how quickly you forget what you looked like preop.
8. Don't let yourself form opinions or make decisions the first week at least. You will wish at times you hadn't done this. Don't compare your worst day after surgery to your best day before. Just watch movies, read books and don't think about it for a while. You WILL feel better. I promise you will not be miserable for long. In fact, it will surprise you how quickly you will improve if you just relax and don't worry too much.
9. Call your surgeon as many times as you want. Don't worry about bothering someone. Don't feel bad about bugging them. Call any time you have a question. If the make you feel like you are a bother, remind yourself that you paid a lot of money for this and they are there specifically to answer YOUR questions. Get over the feeling of bugging people and make those calls!
10. This shouldn't be last. It's really important! Have someone with you the first week. It is very hard to remember what meds you took when. It's hard to get your own food. It's dangerous to walk around a shower without someone close by. It's depressing to struggle through something this difficult without support and love. Find a buddy and keep them close. My husband is my hero. I could not have done this without him. Grab a sister, friend, spouse...You will be glad you did!
Provider Review
Board Certified Plastic Surgeon
620 East Medical Drive, Bountiful, Utah