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Hello all you tummy-tuckers! Tomorrow marks 6...

Hello all you tummy-tuckers! Tomorrow marks 6 weeks post op. So far I have been unable to really see any true results. I am so freaking swollen it is ridiculous. My upper abs are hard as a rock. My lower abs are slightly less hard but swollen nonetheless. As of today I am allowed to take my compression garment off when I'm sitting around at home, which is quite a relief. However, I'm wondering if I should wear it 24/7 because of my swelling? I am also allowed to increase my workouts, as tolerated, starting tomorrow. I may have disobeyed the doctor a bit last week and starting increasing my workouts already, oops. My mom seems to think I am over-doing it at the gym, which could be contributing to my ridiculous swelling. Its hard to limit myself because when I'm at the gym I feel great! Today I did 45 minutes of cardio (low resistance on the elliptical but kept my heart rate around 150-155) and 45 minutes or so of weights/strength moves. Do you ladies think that is too much for this point? I didn't feel any pain or soreness (and I didn't have any muscle repair done, so no worries there). I think I need to chill out and maybe go "water walking" or something with less impact until my swelling resolves. I know it can take a while but I'm ready to see some results! Hope everyone else is doing well.

I'm starting to get beyond frustrated with the...

I'm starting to get beyond frustrated with the swelling! I have been wearing my CG 24/7 for the past 3 weeks now and I honestly don't see a difference in swelling. Does anyone out there have any tips for getting it to subside more quickly? It scares me that my PS mentioned going back in for more lipo the last time I saw him. What if this isn't really swelling? I'm fairly certain it is though because I can't grab it like you can a roll of fat. I am going to Cancun in ~3 weeks and want to be able to wear my 2 piece without looking like a pregnant woman!

I've been back to the gym 4 times this past week... just walking 3 miles and doing arm weights. A week from Tuesday I can start increasing my workouts as tolerated, YAY!

Long time no write tummy tuckers! Sorry I've been...

Long time no write tummy tuckers! Sorry I've been MIA. Not too much to report. Still super swollen :(

Had my one month PO check up with the PS today. I'm happy to report that he cleared me for "light exercise", meaning walking on the treadmill and light arm weights. He specifically told me not to get too sweaty, which will be hard for me since I like to work out pretty hard. He says everything looks good but that in due time he may want to go in and do a little bit more lipo of the lower abs. He was concerned during the operation with keeping the blood flow in tact so he didn't go too aggressively with the lipo. He said it is still early to tell if the area is too "full" because of all the swelling. He seemed very pleased though, which is good. I'm not too happy with my thighs, I wish he would have done more lipo. Perhaps we can revisit that if he needs to go in and lipo more on my tummy.

Big event of the weekend: went out to a wine bar with my girlfriend on Saturday and when I got out of the car she heard some guy saying "wow look at the beautiful girl in the black dress"... now I didn't hear this for myself but I'm assuming she didn't just make it up. Made me feel good despite still feeling HUGE. I'm 4 weeks PO and feel like maybe my swelling should have gone down a bit more by now... but I suppose not being able to wear my CG for 2 weeks didn't help. I'm just hoping I look decent by the time I go to Mexico at the end of the month.

I'm posting pics for everyone to see. I think my scar looks pretty fab! My BB seems to be rather long and narrow, not sure what that's about. Totally forgot to ask today. Doesn't really bother me that much, though. I'm hoping that my hips are just really swollen still... or i've managed to pack on the pounds. I haven't gotten on the scale because I know I"m still swollen. I've been pretty good with my eating, so I'm hoping I haven't gained much (or any!)

Provider Review

Dr. Stephen Paulsen
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Answered my questions
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So far my experience with Dr. Paulsen has been great. Everyone from the front desk staff to the nurses to the doctor himself have been so friendly and willing to assist me with any questions or concerns that I have had. Dr. Paulsen never acts like he is too busy to answer questions and will spend as much time with you as is needed.