30 No Kids, Bye Bye Gut! - Dallas, TX

Still totally worth it but please believe the process is not as simple as most Dr's will make it seem. I happened to meet a few women who had it done after the fact and we all can concur the full healing time is 6-12 months. I still have numbness in my stomach currently and I have swollen days still from healing. I get massages at least twice a month to make sure no lumps are healing into my tissue and every time it breaks up the masses in there causing swelling again, each month overall swelling goes down and some weeks go by where my stomach is super flat others I can visibly see the swelling.I would expect to be wearing some type of tummy control everything the first year at least 3 days out the week or at night. Iuse the faja sometimes but mostly thongs with the control top. U will notice the difference if u go too many days without something constricting your stomach.also don't gain weight! I got lazy for a moment and started getting a bit back around my bra line, but mostly in my hips right below where I had my love handles done????

So my swelling has been flaring up and down. One thing that comes with feeling better so far as bruising is that it comes with insane itching. It comes and goes but is worse to me than the pain because it is under the skin not on top. During the work today I was really agitated and tried allergy pills, cortisone and rubbing to no avail, it just has to come and go on its own. I've heard this is a symptom of healing as your nerve fibers comeback together. I was walking a lot faster today at work but still slow. One thing Im happy with at this mark was on day one I had a fat ridge right on my lower abs that turned out to be fluid that needed to dissipate over time. You can see from my pics how it has went down. Also on my post op appointment 2 days ago the dr put huge gauze pads between my garment and flanks to promote better shaping. They said I could also use a washrag in place of this as well later. Sooo Im seeing major progress and I know its just the beginning of ups and downs but here's some issues. The doctor took out about five pounds of fat and on my post op she showed me how to do a drainage massage which hurt like hell. You basically have to press your palm into your tissue and massage into the deep tissue not the top of the skin, so u really have to dig in there to help break up the scar tissue b4 it starts healing in lumps, sooner the better. I found that evening when I got home this is something that is easier every time. After I showered that night I laid on my bed and did one with coconut oil. I felt much better after and the next morning I was walking better and stomach felt smoother and more contoured. I wish I would've been trying this in the shower the first 3 days when my incisions were more open to promote drainage. One thing I had today was and intense hardness around the flanks as I feel this is the most sensitive area and also the hardest to reach to massage on yourself. I was waiting to get my professional massages until I felt better but really sooner is better and Im scheduled for Monday a full lymphatic drainage massage. This is definitely a process because Im wanting my stomach a lot flatter than current but I know in 3-6 months there is a lot of time and it takes a while to get back to what your body will look like right after they perform the surgery,that day will show you the smallest you will get but right after you will swell back up until fully fully healed...

Feeling good 5th day, compression garment is a must without it my stomach feels like concrete weighing me down. Also itching has started and Im using cortisone cream and benadryl because its almost worst than the swelling pain. I went back to work today because I was getting cabin fever and I noticed sitting around for me was making it worse each time I got up. I used a pillow to sit and my desks and walked around every hour or so.I had to wear the binder and compression garment to be able to drive so as bumps on the road wouldn't make me swell up...Swelling seems to have gone down today even though I got my cycle 3 days in. OMG total disclaimer, please wear the cotton ball the surgeon advises you to keep in your belly button under your garment! If your Dr doesn't tell u about this beware! I left it out one day and my belly button looked like a quarter slot! you have to keep one in while your stomach its shaping! I met a girl on my surgery day that forgot to do this the first month and it didn't look good!