POSTED UNDER Mommy Makeover Reviews
38-year-old Mom of Three Ready for a New Body! - Grand Rapids, MI
UPDATED FROM ViolettaMI
12 days post
12 days post op, and still doing great.
$15,695
I'm feeling pretty good! In very little pain anymore, except occasionally a little pinching from the drain. I do still get tired quite easily, though work is fine (I have a desk job).
No sign of the drain coming out yet, unfortunately. It isn't bothering me the way it bothers some women, so I'm not too distraught. However, I AM sick to death of the swelling. I KNOW it will go down, but it's still frustrating and somewhat depressing to put on the same pair of pants that fit you great before surgery and find they won't even zip after.
No sign of the drain coming out yet, unfortunately. It isn't bothering me the way it bothers some women, so I'm not too distraught. However, I AM sick to death of the swelling. I KNOW it will go down, but it's still frustrating and somewhat depressing to put on the same pair of pants that fit you great before surgery and find they won't even zip after.
ViolettaMI's provider
UPDATED FROM ViolettaMI
6 days post
First post-op visit
Saw Dr. Bengtson today for my first post-operative visit. He says I look like I'm healing great! Unfortunately, I'm still draining quite a lot and he wants me to be down to 20cc/day for two days before we can take my drain out. Boo!
We talked a little bit about my surgery. I asked how wide the separation in my abdominal muscles was, and he said "dramatic" -- 3 inches, apparently. He also removed 6 to 7 inches of vertical skin from me. Wow!
I asked him about something that had been bugging me -- one reviewer here mentioned that her muscles had stretched back out several months later. I asked him if that was a possibility, because it worried me. He said it can be, and the most common causes are either weight gain or excessive stress that can damage the repair. (I do wish that reviewer would update and say how her issue was resolved! She doesn't discuss in her review what she thinks happened.)
I went back to work today for a half-day only and felt fine. It was actually nice to be up and feeling productive!
We talked a little bit about my surgery. I asked how wide the separation in my abdominal muscles was, and he said "dramatic" -- 3 inches, apparently. He also removed 6 to 7 inches of vertical skin from me. Wow!
I asked him about something that had been bugging me -- one reviewer here mentioned that her muscles had stretched back out several months later. I asked him if that was a possibility, because it worried me. He said it can be, and the most common causes are either weight gain or excessive stress that can damage the repair. (I do wish that reviewer would update and say how her issue was resolved! She doesn't discuss in her review what she thinks happened.)
I went back to work today for a half-day only and felt fine. It was actually nice to be up and feeling productive!
Replies (1)
November 17, 2014
I admire your healing progress. Being able to work half a day on day 6 is pretty cool. If you're concerned about the muscle issue you can post a question about it to the docs here on RS and get many professional opinions. You're looking good - keep healing well :)
UPDATED FROM ViolettaMI
4 days post
Four days post op!
I've been bad at updating here!
First off, I had one more pre-op visit with Dr. Bengtson in October. I brought a huge list of questions with me, and he was extremely patient and thorough in answering all of them. I felt confident enough that I decided to schedule my surgery for Nov. 11.
The morning of the surgery I was a little nervous but not too bad. My fiance drove me to the surgical center, we signed in and then Dr. B met with us. I made a couple of tiny last-minute requests (like lipo of my axilla and removing a small skin tag on my nipple), and he marked me up for surgery. The nurses and anesthesiologist and Dr. B were all incredibly friendly and reassuring.
My surgery took about 4 1/2 hours and I had some pretty bad shakes afterward from the anesthesia, which I also had experienced after a spinal a few years ago. They gave me prescriptions (which my fiance was able to fill in the same building) for the muscle spasms and nausea, and two different pain meds. I slept most of the drive home. (Bring a pillow -- makes it sooo much nicer!) I was more exhausted and fuzzy-headed than in pain. I slept most of the rest of the day. To my surprise, getting into bed and using the bathroom were easier than I expected. Thank you, Exparel!
I mostly slept the first day after surgery. I don't remember much other than my fiance bringing me water and pain meds and emptying my drain. The second day, I was able to shower (heaven!) and putter around the house a bit. The third day, my mom actually decided to go home because she didn't feel like I really needed her. (We actually baked homemade bread that day too ...)
Today is the fourth day and I've stopped taking the Vicodin and am on ibuprofen only. My thighs feel somewhat sore where the liposuction was, and my breasts sometimes feel somewhat full and swollen, like my milk is coming in. My abs still feel very tight when getting into or out of bed, and I won't lie -- coughing, sneezing and laughing HURT. Also, the port where my drain is sometimes pinches, especially if I twist or turn in a particular way. Unfortunately, I'm also draining quite a lot (100cc yesterday), so I don't think it's coming out really soon!
The photos here were taken two days post op. I'm still very swollen in them (and I don't think that purple marker is EVER coming off!). My incision looks a lot worse than it is because there's some dried blood under my steri-strips.
So far, I'm EXTREMELY happy with my results and my pain level. I go back to work (desk job) on Monday and have no worries about being there for a half-day. Will update after my first post-op visit!
First off, I had one more pre-op visit with Dr. Bengtson in October. I brought a huge list of questions with me, and he was extremely patient and thorough in answering all of them. I felt confident enough that I decided to schedule my surgery for Nov. 11.
The morning of the surgery I was a little nervous but not too bad. My fiance drove me to the surgical center, we signed in and then Dr. B met with us. I made a couple of tiny last-minute requests (like lipo of my axilla and removing a small skin tag on my nipple), and he marked me up for surgery. The nurses and anesthesiologist and Dr. B were all incredibly friendly and reassuring.
My surgery took about 4 1/2 hours and I had some pretty bad shakes afterward from the anesthesia, which I also had experienced after a spinal a few years ago. They gave me prescriptions (which my fiance was able to fill in the same building) for the muscle spasms and nausea, and two different pain meds. I slept most of the drive home. (Bring a pillow -- makes it sooo much nicer!) I was more exhausted and fuzzy-headed than in pain. I slept most of the rest of the day. To my surprise, getting into bed and using the bathroom were easier than I expected. Thank you, Exparel!
I mostly slept the first day after surgery. I don't remember much other than my fiance bringing me water and pain meds and emptying my drain. The second day, I was able to shower (heaven!) and putter around the house a bit. The third day, my mom actually decided to go home because she didn't feel like I really needed her. (We actually baked homemade bread that day too ...)
Today is the fourth day and I've stopped taking the Vicodin and am on ibuprofen only. My thighs feel somewhat sore where the liposuction was, and my breasts sometimes feel somewhat full and swollen, like my milk is coming in. My abs still feel very tight when getting into or out of bed, and I won't lie -- coughing, sneezing and laughing HURT. Also, the port where my drain is sometimes pinches, especially if I twist or turn in a particular way. Unfortunately, I'm also draining quite a lot (100cc yesterday), so I don't think it's coming out really soon!
The photos here were taken two days post op. I'm still very swollen in them (and I don't think that purple marker is EVER coming off!). My incision looks a lot worse than it is because there's some dried blood under my steri-strips.
So far, I'm EXTREMELY happy with my results and my pain level. I go back to work (desk job) on Monday and have no worries about being there for a half-day. Will update after my first post-op visit!
Replies (1)