Time is Finally Right for This Aussie Girl to Get my Body Back - Brisbane, Australia

7& 1/2 Weeks post-op.
I had my 6 week post-op appt with my PS yesterday and everything went really well. He is happy with how I am healing and gave me the go ahead to get back into exercise (best news ever!!). He advised that i start back slowly and let my body tell me when its ready to ramp it up. He also said I can stop wearing the garment and just put it back on during the first 2 weeks of exercise if I feel like I am swelling and need it. I also got the clearnace for underwire bras which is so fantastic because I am so over this post-op straight jacket, horrible looking thing. Now I just need to get fitted again properly cos my old bras are way to small - yay!!

As for my revision, he discussed a few options with me and basically the best option is for me to have a 'reverse TT' to address the bulge, floppy / lax skin in my upper abdomen. He can do this procedure using the same incision lines I have from my BA. Although he does want me to wait until I am at least 6 months post-op but maybe even 12 months so as to give my body time to recover from this op before subjecting it to another. This is a bummer but it does make perfect sense, I am just a little down about having to wait so long for my new body when I was so looking forward to a bikini body this summer.

I also got clearance to start scar therapy. He gave me some silicone scar gel and wants me to alternate this with Bio Oil a few times a day.

So last night I slept without my garment and it felt so strange that I got up at 2am and put it back on!! I got up at 6am and went for a brisk walk / jog for about 40 minutes and that felt so good. I got back from my exercise, showered and put on my scar gel. I have been garment free for most of the day and am a little swollen but not too bad. So overall today feels like the start of the next chapter in this process but it does feel so good to be getting back to normal again. I hope to take some updated pics on Friday (8 weeks) and post them for you all to see.

5 weeks post op today!! Overall I am feeling really good. I am finally sleeping on my side and it is reasonably comfortable. I am getting used to my new boobs and loving them. As for my TT - from my bb down I am very happy, sooo flat I cant quite believe it. But I am still a little disapointed in the 'bulge' above my bb but I am back to my PS in 2 weeks for a check up and to discuss a date for my revision. The bulge has gone down a bit but not enough for my liking. I have added some updated pics from today, even one of me in a bikini! not great but so much better than before my TT.I just need to be patient I guess. I still feel the swelling and can notice that it is much worse later in the day.

I am still wearing my stage 2 garment 24/7 and my binder of a night. They are not worrying me at all, I actually like the feeling of being secure & tight.

I have not really got back to any regular exercise yet, just some odd walks here & there which I am finding really hard. I miss my morning boot camp sessions and can feel my fitness going down hill. But I am sticking to my PS instructions and so only have a week left before I can start back into it.

So the last 24 hours has been an adventure. Yesterday morning my PS calls and says he was worried all night about my belly "bulge" and really didn't want to wait until next Tues to see me but wanted to see me immediately. He asked me to get up (it was only 7am) eat breakfast, throw an overnight bag together and head to his surgery in Brisbane. (5 hours drive away!). He said do not eat anything after breakfast as it was quite possible I would be going back into surgery that night! Well obviously I did what he asked, I am so lucky my husband works from home so he could come with me for support. As you can imagine the 5 hour car trip was not good, I was so nervous, scared, apprehensive and all those other bad feelings.

We arrived at the surgery and within 10 minutes I was with my PS. The outcome was a mix of good news and some not so good news.

Good News - the bulge was not fluid build-up, I did not have any infection and there was no need for me to go back to surgery immediately.

Not so good news - in 3-6 months I will need to have revision surgery to correct the bulge. He is going to re-cut my under breast incisions and do a tummy uplift.

Good news - I wont have any additional scars.

Not so good news - I will have to go through surgery and recovery all over again.

Good news - it will not cost me a cent, he will cover everything.

I had a long discussion with my PS and I am confident that there is nothing he could have done to prevent this bulge, I just have a lot of loose skin above my BB that just couldn't be completely fixed by pulling my skin down. I still think he is a fantastic PS and I still look 1000% better than I did before, I just need to prepare myself for the fact that it is going to take a little bit longer than I thought to get that body of mine back.

We arrived back home at abut 11.30pm last night and to be honest it all seems like a bit of a blur still.