Great Belly Button – Chattanooga, TN

I wanted a tummy tuck because I was tired of feeling deformed when I was otherwise pretty. It just didn't add up. After having two children and gaining excessive weight with both, I had virtually no belly button, and although my skin shrunk back well, it was still a bad texture. Last summer a doctor did smart lipo, and made it even worse. So it was time for the real deal. Tummy tuck.

Yesterday was my first day back to work, and it was uncomfortable. Plus my co-workers were curious because I couldn't walk straight up, and that got worse by noon. Got home at about 4:30, went to cook dinner, and decided my right leg was showing symptoms of a clot. Went to the ER and they did an ultrasound, which didn't show any clot, thank goodness. ER doc said our blood vessels are not really symmetrical, so sometimes one side of the body just has a harder time moving the fluids out.

I wish I'd started posting as I've been going thru recovery, but I'll try to recapture some of how it's been for me.

I got my TT on May 16th, a Thursday morning. 7 days later, I took myself off the diazepam and oxycodon regimen. 2 reasons why: I had never been more constipated in my entire life, and also because I needed to be able to drive one of my kiddos to a doc appt. Sorry about the constipation part. But do not be afraid to use a suppository when all else fails. Oh, and as a side note, I started my period a day after surgery. It was frustrating.

I did have one drain, and though I thought it was insanely strange to have a piece of tubing inside my belly skin, I was relieved because every time I emptied it and recorded the amount (usually 25 cc's) I just knew that fluid would have been filling me up if the drain wasn't there. That thing was removed the following Thursday after the surgery. Felt a burning sensation at the site, at first, but then it felt like a slithery worm was being removed, then it was done. I could not look. The day that it was to be removed is the day I took my first shower because I was scared of getting sick when I took of the binder (happened to me everytime after I got implants last summer). I was also not sure what to do with the drain while showering (ended up finding an elastic headband which I somehow was able to put my leg through, pulled it up my thigh and pinned the drain on it. Worked great. So, yeah, that first week I was irrational, anxious, hurting, and extremely filthy. Take a shower when the doc says you can. It won't hurt you even if you think it will. Just take a nausea pill about 15 minutes before you take off your binder so you don't get woozy, and try to make sure an adult is close by for the first couple of showers.

My first few driving outings I brought a cane with me, and I was glad to use it. It helped me remember to take it slow, and it made me feel like people who saw me walk so hunched would actually look less than twice. My kids hated it though.

The kids have been a huge help, and one of them has slept on the couch next to me the entire time. I'm still sleeping on the couch, partially upright, with my feet on an ottoman. I actually sleep really well like this, but the kids still have to help me get my legs onto the ottoman sometimes because i do not want to lean and twist or anything that might pull apart or aggravate the stitches. Wish I had a recliner for this!

This is something I was prepared for only because I had implants 350cc silicone Mentors put in last summer. Make sure you tell you doc that you want an extra binder. And if there is a choice, a black one and a nude one, so you won't have to worry about it showing through certain clothing, plus you'll always have a clean one to put on. It was an extra 100 bucks of well spent money.

I've read that for a TT, the average time for people to feel more like themselves is about 25 days. I can't back that up with references, but I will say that about every 3 days I notice a difference, an increase in recovery that I can actually feel and enjoy. I'm just at literally 2 weeks right now, so I'm hoping this healing curve continues to increase as noticeably as it has so far.

I know this is not a very fluid account of my story, but I've tried to include the highlights as I could remember them. I'll try to keep up more currently with how things continue to go for me.

Today felt long. I think the binder cinched up in a weird way. When I first put it on, I can almost walk upright. But after I sit down in it and then get back up it feels like it is trying to grab the skin right off my muscles. Which causes me to hunch over when I walk. It eases the uncomfortable "grabby" feeling in my new belly.

I was supposed to see my surgeon today after work but had to reschedule for Monday since I couldn't get out of work on time. I feel kind of in a funk just because I'm tired of the way I'm having to walk to get around, but I know it should get better. I had asked my doctor if I was supposed to be trying to straighten up and he said no. It would happen on its own because he sewed me pretty tightly.

Right now I'm back on my couch, and I'm going to get to sleep early. I just have to heal from this.