Less Than 48 Hours Pre-op! - Harrison, AR

I'm a mother of two amazing boys, both born via C-Section. I'm 5'3 and pretty well-toned thanks to my love of exercise and working out. My huge confidence-buster is my stomach. I have loose skin and stretch marks, with my worst issue being a rather nasty scar from an emergency appendectomy at age 12. I've always been self-conscious of my belly and have talked about a tummy tuck for years, but never thought it would ever be a realistic possibility. This year I'm turning 40 and decided to go for a consult and subsequently save up the money. Hubs is a boob man and would love for a breast lift with implants to be taking place right now, but totally understands and supports my decision to prioritize the Tummy Tuck.

We arrived at 6:30 a.m, did all the preliminary stuff--most of which involved being a naked art easel while the doc mapped out his road to my new body. He was quite meticulous and detail-oriented, talking us through the process and explaining the hows and whys in layman's terms. Hubs and I are both planners, so we found this part interesting and much-appreciated. The procedure was done in-office at my doc's private surgery center, so it was super easy, convenient and hassle-free. Went to the OR around 8 a.m. Anesthesia shortly after that, and I was up and walking by 1:30 p.m. We are at the hotel now, preparing for a sleepless night of walking every hour through the first 24. Also have the Flowtron hooked up to both legs to keep the circulation going. No abdominal pain, only tightness. Walks have been going great! I fully expected to spend the first day or two zonked out with drool running down my face, but other than having to be hunched over, I'm good to go! Here are a few tips and pointers so far: (1) A walker is a MUST-HAVE!!! I was able to borrow one and it's perfect--it has wheels, hand brakes, a seat and a carrying basket. I can definitely feel my arm muscles getting their workout, so it's nice having strong triceps and biceps beforehand! (2) I don't know what everyone is talking about when they say to expect little or no appetite for the first week or two. I. AM.STARVING!!! 3) I opted to go in without bra or panties under my clothes. Motivating factors were ease of undressing, redressing and toileting. Not to mention the obvious--all the goods would be on display to everyone in the room anyway!! (4) Dying of thirst!!! Drink drink drink!!! Water water water!!! (5) Walk right away. This will help so much! (6) Last pee/drain break, I got really lightheaded and queasy. After a few minutes back in my chair with my eyes closed, it passed. Phew! (7) Buy your compression items WAYYYYY larger than normal size so it holds you in, but doesn't put TOO much pressure on the abdomen. 8) Your nurse will be with you quite a bit, so hopefully you like him/her. I really lucked out with mine--very experienced with an awesome personality. We are kindred spirits, that's for sure! (9) They put an anti-nausea patch on me--it seemed to help since I puked after coming out of anesthesia with both C-sections. (10) I got a tube down my throat for oxygen production because my doc does the lipo face-down (prior to the TT, of course!). Point being, my throat hurts!!

That's all I can think to post right now. I've been writing this since we got to the hotel around 2 p.m. And it's now 6:45-ish and still doing awesome! I'm waiting for my food...hope they hurry!!! My (nice, flat) tummy is rumbling!!!

Woke up feeling great. The worst part yesterday was getting up and down, but that's way better today.

Slept in my bed last night for the first time post-surgery. Getting up and around just fine. Back hurts from having to walk hunched over, but otherwise I feel great! Looking forward to a shower today!

Got those awful drains removed--I was so tired of those things dangling between my legs!! Also got my pain pump removed and the stitch in my belly button, along with the long row of staples. None of that hurt, but it was uncomfortable, to some degree. Everything looks really good and my surgeon is pleased. I don't have to go back till August. Yay for getting all that extra stuff out of my body and getting back to normal! Oh, they did ask if I had any feelings of "why did I do this to myself??" I most emphatically would do this procedure all over again! Thankfully, I was prepared for a way worse recovery and pleasantly surprised at how....easy isn't the right word...smooth...minor...it really was.

Ten days after my TT--thought it would be a good time to slip out of the binder and take some pics. Still swelling and numb, although the numbness is lessening at this point. I'm pretty comfortable in normal daily activity and am walking over a mile at a time to get in some cardio. Just listening to my body and being as active as I'm able. I can sleep pretty comfortably in any position, which is always a plus!

Healing is going well. The swelling and numbness continue, as well as tightness upon standing. Ready for the weeks to pass so I can hit the gym again. I'm trying to walk at least 3 miles daily and can do so without issues.

It's been 6 weeks now and I'm happy to be back in the gym. Taking it easy and working my way back into my pre-op routine gradually. They say not to weigh for awhile, and if you really care a lot about that number, I would recommend holding off. However, I can definitely tell a difference in the way my clothes fit, even with residual swelling. My scar has lowered quite a bit and I'm way less numb than before. Had a bit of a concern with spitting a stitch, but apparently it's quite common and it's resolving quickly. I'll post some pics from today then I plan to go back and post some pre-op photos to compare!