Tummy Tuck and Lipo, 40yo, Mom of 2 - Chicago, IL

My second baby was 10.5 lbs and did a number on my belly. I'm athletic and have competed in running races from 5K to 15K and triathlons. My belly has always felt deformed, and no matter what eating habits I improved or exercise I did, my belly remained a floppy, ugly mess. It was time to get rid of it

Today I had my surgery! After years of wanting this and months of waiting from consult day in January 2016 to this day, I felt every emotion. Anxiety, excitement, fear...it's all a part of the process. My surgery was at 11:30am and I was finished at 3:30. I stayed the night at the overnight care facility at Dr Epsteins office and the nurse, Dana, was amazing. His entire staff was professional, friendly, helpful and in tune with my needs. I really couldn't have asked for a better experience. I had a full tummy tuck with muscle repair, lip in my torso and lipo on my inner and outer thighs.

My first day at home! I had awful heartburn lying down after eating last night at the overnight facility. If you experience heartburn/gerd, I highly suggest you bring some with you to your overnight stay. The facility didn't have any so I had to wait for it to pass. That was the worst part of my evening. Today, I'm taking my Norco and drinking lots of water. I am standing up straight and walking around without help. My pain is much like a bad rug burn all over my body, especially where the lipo was. So far, this isn't as bad as I had expected, after reading stories on here, I was prepared for the worst! Each person is different, and I have a high pain tolerance...but I won't lie, this does hurt. Taking your meds on time is very important!