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POSTED UNDER Mommy Makeover REVIEWS

Mixed Emotions 8 Week Journey. Frisco, TX

ORIGINAL POST

Hi there! After 2 big babies and 90lbs of weight...

Mom2523
$13,500
Hi there!
After 2 big babies and 90lbs of weight loss, I decided it was time to take my health journey to the next level by having a mommy make over. I had my breasts lifted and a tummy tuck. The biggest reason why I had this done was for the muscle repair, because I had a horrible ab separation ( diastases recti ). I was finally feeling healthy, but constantly asked if I was pregnant due to my patruding stomach from the ab separation and extra skin.

From day one-I just went for the TT, but decided to go ahead and lift my breasts while I was already in surgery since they have some damage from the weight loss and breastfeeding two babies.
I will say that my breasts look great! So glad I didn't go with an implant--it's just not me.

My tummy tuck, why I went in there, is another story. I have had SO many mixed feelings. I have an enormous amount of swelling that after 8 weeks post surgery--I'm starting to feel this may be my final result.
I do have plans to loose 10-15 more pounds-which my doctor did not say I needed to do to have great results--and that losing it after-wouldn't change my results. However, my skin feels pretty loose after my tummy tuck--(I have stretch marks so it's thin skin) so I can't imagine what it will look like if I lost any more weight the way I planned to.

Okay so I will admit my TT looks great from the front, but from the side--I feel so thick. Am I still swollen? Or too fat? I thought by now that I would feel confident wearing fitted shirts and dresses...but not at all. Again--I look great from the front, but not so much from the side-especially in clothes.

Another thing to mention is that I had a surgery complication in my lower abdomen...a medium sized hematoma. My doctor tried to aspirate it, but it had already congealed...so he advised we wait it out to see if my body would naturally absorb it.
8 weeks later, it's still there. The bulge is smaller--but very much so there. I wonder if that contributing to me feeling so thick from the side still.
I am sort of concerned my hematoma may have encapsulated and scar tissue developing around it--but I couldn't be sure. I just read online that is a risk when you take the wait it out approach-instead of evacuating the hematoma. The left side of my abdomen feels flat, but the right side, next to my hematoma, feels like thick skin/fat/a bumb of some kind.

So I will post some pictures-showing my before picture, 2 week progress through 6 weeks post. Then I will post this weeks images sometime soon.

Maybe I am being hard on myself, but I swear I feel SO thick from the side. Nothing like what I thought I would. What do y'all think?

Replies (5)

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September 14, 2016

Thank you for sharing your experience. I hope you find support in the community. 

September 14, 2016
Your results look good to me. I think it might be the skirt and where it sits.
September 15, 2016
Thanks. Do you have any tips on clothing to help? All of my clothes look so gross from the side so I figure it was my stomach-but maybe I also need some tips! Lol Do you recommend anything to help?
September 15, 2016
I usually do a loose fitting top and a tighter bottom (like skinny jeans). I like this website and I also just signed up for Stitch Fix to see what they send me, http://lizandhoney.com/collections/tops. I also like A frame dresses (tighter on top and sorta go out like an A on my frame) or maxi dresses that are tight in chest and flair out. I love lulu lemon tops for working out with yoga capris (loose on top and tight on bottom). Too tight everywhere makes me look like a pear and too loose of clothes make me look big so I try to mix them up. If I did a tighter top and tight bottoms I would layer it with something else that is loose (like a jacket/vest/flowly cardigan). Your stomach gets bigger and smaller during the day depending on if you have carbonated beverages, food, ect so I don't generally wear any shirts that don't have a little bit of breathing room. I also have been doing orange theory to help get more toned (not sure if they have those there, but its a great workout!).
September 15, 2016
We have orange theory. I need to give it a try. I guess I thought I would be able to wear fitted clothing after having a tummy tuck..in fact, that's why I had one...:( My whole closet is full of flowy shirts and Aline dresses to hide my waist. I am bummed I still can't wear any clothes that accentuate the waist, confidently anyway. :(
UPDATED FROM Mom2523
2 months post

8 week update

Mom2523
Still have a hematoma on my lower right abdomen. Swelling over all is getting better but still feel like I have some thickness from the side.

I'm starting to get super frustrated about my hematoma. I see so many mixed opinions from doctors in RealSelf. Most say to evacuate the hemotoma immediately, that if not evacuated, I could have infection and/or scar tissue develop around it, causing deformity...which I do think may be happening next to the area since the skin is WAYYY bigger on my right than left. I am seeing my doctor in 2 weeks--and it couldn't come soon enough. I don't understand why I am reading so many comments about immediate evacuation while I am being advise by my doctor for the "wait it out" approach. It's hard to have a bump of pressure on my problem area, going through this surgery, healing for 8 weeks, only to have this lingering hematoma. I just want to feel beautiful in my clothes--and have the ability to accentuate my waist, instead of trying to hide it. :(

Replies (0)

UPDATED FROM Mom2523
2 months post

10 weeks post

Mom2523
I still feel very large from the side, nothing like I see others results I see from friends and people online. I am super flat when I lay down, but when I get up, I feel round. Here are some pictures, with the discription of how I feel. Be sure to read the caption. Is this normal? I am so worried I might have had a muscle repair failure due to the hematoma under the muscles.

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