I Have my Life Back!!

I've been doing lots of massage and stretching but I'm still not standing fully upright without forcing it. My abdomen will turn white down the midline when I stretch too much. But still better overall than its been.
I finally was able to start sleeping in bed around 9wks, but still have to use a pillow under my knees and elevate my head. (Without the pillows, and laying flat, I stretch too much at night and am in pain the next day)
I have been using the treadmill as well as the recumbent bike, and did my first slow treadmill runs this week. The first was one mile before I had to walk, and the second time I was able to run 2 miles. I noticed more swelling along the incision after my runs, but nothing concerning, and it goes away within a few hours.
My incision does seem a bit higher than expected. I keep hoping maybe it's just from swelling making it look higher, but at 10wks, I'm starting to think I might have to have some sort of laser hair removal, as my pubic hairline is at the incision- which sits higher than pretty much every pair of underwear and pants I own.
Overall, that's minor compared to having my diastasis fixed and finally feeling whole again. GI issues I can confidently say are resolved, and all my chronic back, hip and IT band pain has been gone since surgery as well. Still have absolutely no regrets about this surgery at all!!

I will preface by saying, I am highly active, a lifelong runner and the day before surgery went on a 9 mile run. But- I'd gotten to a point where I could only run if I was wearing an abdominal binder. I had a diastasis recti repair, an umbilical hernia repair and a tummy tuck. I am 5'9, and was 155lbs the day of surgery. That's a bit higher than my normal weight but feel like my diastasis was causing further issues. After working with a physical therapist for a year, she diagnosed me with diastasis recti, and connected the dots between my 6 years of worsening issues that noone else could figure out. She referred me for a Diastasis Repair surgery. I'd seen multiple GI doctors, colorectal specialists, chiropractors, and physical therapists to figure out my worsening digestive issues and chronic back pain, hip pain, and IT band issues. I had developed severe constipation issues as well as food sensitivities I've never had before. I also was gaining weight for unexplained reasons. Everyone brushed me off and not one of them would acknowledge the DR and the issues it can cause. I also had an umbilical hernia which was why I though I needed to see a General Surgeon instead of a Plastic Surgeon (One surgeon told me my 'next step' was a colon removal, another told me I'd have to accept wearing a corset the rest of my life or taping my abdominals together with KTape to "fix" my issues; and yet another surgeon told me DR repairs will fail due to "muscle memory" if a giant piece of mesh wasn't used). I kept looking for a surgeon and it took almost an entire year before I found Dr. Johnson.  I met with Dr. Johnson and in minutes of talking with him, knew I'd finally found my surgeon. He was friendly, knowledgeable, and knew the second he looked at my abdomen that surgery was needed. (And I feel confident that he is the type of surgeon who would have told me the truth if I had I NOT needed surgery!) The office and clinic staff have all been friendly and caring and their process was seamless in scheduling my surgery, meeting with the financial lady, etc.  I do wish I'd had info while at the consult regarding things like post-op medications, what preparation I needed to do prior, any pre-op appt I needed etc. (I learned to ask about these things afterwards from a Facebook group I'm in). Dr Johnson's office was quick to respond to my emails though when I had questions!  Due to the pandemic, I had to go through surgery alone, without my husband there, but the nursing staff made me feel so comfortable throughout the whole pre-op process. I was scheduled for the AM, and was able to go home the same day. I do wish prescriptions could have been called in while I was in surgery so that my husband could have picked them up prior to picking me up- we ended up having to wait in a 30min line at the pharmacy on the way home. I've had a fairly uneventful recovery period and pain was well managed. I had a few questions that I emailed DR Johnson about, and they were always very quick to email me back or call me back right away with answers.  I do feel like I had good discharge and post-op instructions for the immediate 24-48hrs, but feel like anything beyond that was kind of lacking. Any information I had as far as what to expect and what was normal or not, in the further weeks post op, came from the ladies in my Facebook surgery group.  At 1wk post op, I saw Dr. Johnson, and had my belly button stitches removed as well as my two drains removed. About 3.5wks post op I emailed the office to get a muscle relaxer as the muscle spasms when I stood up were extreme and had gotten to the point of throwing up when I'd stand up. After starting on those, I feel like my recovery became easier and I was able to move around more. Prior to that, I wasn't able to get myself in and out of a chair, or even walk more than a few feet without the use of a walker. (So definitely ask about getting a muscle relaxer for right after surgery!) I had my next follow-up at 5wks and was told to remove the binder completely unless I felt I needed it. I bought a different one (instead of the full abdominal one) and wear it if I'm going to be moving around alot during the day or doing a longer bike riding session, to help with swelling, but overall have not needed it much at all after about week 6.  I am now 7 weeks and 3 days post op and still struggling to stand fully upright. I cannot lay flat yet, so am still sleeping in a recliner. The surgeon's office said I should have been fully upright by 1-2wks, but from talking with the other FB group ladies, 4-6 weeks seems to be an average range for when they could stand fully upright without pain and feeling overstretched. I am a little behind the curve in that regard, but not too worried. I'm able to do more and more each day, although I still get worn out quickly. I finally took my first solo shower at 7wks, without needing help, and started riding the recumbent bike daily after my 5wk appt, to help increase strength.  So far, my post op appts were scheduled at 1wk, at 5wks and my next one will be in March 2021, at 4 months post op. It took about 5 days post op to have my first BM, but around week 2, my digestive system finally started working again, and after 6 years of worsening digestive issues, and the last 2 yrs of not being able to have a BM on my own without enemas, laxatives, suppositories, etc, I can confidently say that this diastasis repair surgery has fixed my chronic GI issues.  The back pain, hip pain and IT band pain are also GONE. I feel like a complete new person and cannot wait until I'm able to get back to running- I already feel a world of difference in core strength and support! I will continue to update this post as I get further in recovery but would highly recommend Dr Johnson for a Diastasis Repair surgery and Tummy Tuck!!