33yo TT - Duluth, MN

It has been a crazy month!

I started training for a half-marathon three weeks ago (so, mostly walking but still, that's a lot of miles after sitting in a rocking chair for over a month!). I have found if I go too fast (5 mph) my stomach gets all numb and tingly and very uncomfortable so I alternate between walking and jogging (4 mph). Also, if I go to hard I get a weird stabbing pain to the right of my belly button. I certainly won't be breaking any records but I'm beyond happy to be moving again. I wear my surgical binder when running and it provides great security.

I'm pretty much out of a garment. I wore light spanx on Saturday (I was in a wedding and on my feet for 12 hours). I have a couple other garments but, let's face it, spanx is uncomfortable! In most situations I feel confident in my core strength. As of last week, I was still swelling after exercise, but I haven't noticed it as much this week. Aside from the walking/jogging, I also bike every now and then. I even biked last night without any garment and felt fine (actually, I felt wonderful---no lower belly flapping on my thighs this time!).

I had a couple spots on my scar that were slow to close but everything is all closed up now. Parts have started to fade. I'm going to try to upload photos from my phone so you can see where it looks great and where it still needs time. Overall, I'm extremely happy with it. I was concerned that it was a bit high at first, but you'll see in the photos that I can hide the scar with my underwear.

I would recommend this surgery to anyone who is considering it! I feel so much more confidence with my new appearance. I just love the feeling of movement without excess fat and skin getting in the way of everything. While I'm not going as fast as I can, I feel my form is better and biking is a joy again. Oh, and dressing in cute clothes that fit properly isn't too bad either!

Let's see if it works now...