Love my Tummy Tuck & Lipo - Houston

I am six days post-op today and SO, SO thankful I finally had the surgery. After three children and non-pregnancy weight loss of 65lbs, I had been thinking about doing this for a couple of years. I had a breast lift two years ago (loved the doc), but couldn't get comfortable with him doing a TT/lipo. Finally went to the right doctor and decided to move forward. Because of my three little ones, I stayed at a very close friend’s house for the first 5 days. This made things much easier on my husband and children. The pain from the TT is not near as bad as I thought it would be ~ I'm only taking pain meds at night at this point. To make things easier the first few days I used a walker to get round, toddler step stool to get in/out of bed, and a raised potty seat to make daily life easier. I have a very weak stomach when it comes to blood, so I also had to use a damp cool cloth around my neck anytime I had to see my drains so I wouldn't pass out. I decided to go on ahead and have some lipo on my hips so everything would transition nicely. The lipo hurts more than I expected, but is definitely tolerable. I still have swelling, but even with that I love my results.

If you are considering a TT, make sure you talk to your doctor about

(i)if you have enough excess skin to avoid a vertical scar from your old belly button;

(ii) if you have enough excess skin to have your scar in a low location [some doctors avoid a vertical scar by moving the horizontal scar higher, or to get the horizontal scar low you have a vertical scar because there isn't enough excess skin to completely take out the old belly button and get a low horizontal scar ~ vertical/high horizontal scar is fine ~ just make sure you understand so you have reasonable expectations];

(iii) any concerns about how your new belly button will look; and

(iv) how they will address transitioning your new belly to your pubic area. [If this is not addressed sometimes there is an appearance of a "bulge" in this region.]

I really think talking through these items in detail with the various doctors I visited helped me make an informed decision about the doctor I chose ~ and is a significant reason why I am so happy with my results.

Wow! One week post-op today. I did a little too much today and am paying for it a bit this evening. Upside is even though I am still swollen, I can't help but looking in the mirror at my new tummy and smiling. To ease the pain of the lipo, I am gently massaging my legs. While it doesn't feel great while I am doing it, it does feel much better when I'm finished. It also seems to relieve some of the hard spots. One other thing... To ease the discomfort of where the garment closes, I have put panty liners under the closures. I just used a little bit of medical tape to hold them in place while I zipped the garment. I look like a goofball, but it feels much better and my skin is smoother!!

Two weeks post op! Still walking a bit hunched over and sore at times, but overall feel like I am doing great. I tried to put on a pair of jeans this morning (the same pair I wore to surgery) and they didn't fit!!! I guess I am experiencing what everyone else on the message boards refers to as "swell hell". The upside is my tummy is at least flat. I'm hoping the swelling will go down a little more over the next week. I hate the thought of going UP a size!! I'm going to post a couple pictures in the next day or so of pre-surgery and two weeks post-op.

Stuck in swell hell and feeling a little bummed. I have been walking a mile the last week and it takes me almost an hour! Before surgery, I was running 6 in an hour. I guess I didn't really expect it to take this long (almost 3 weeks post op) to be feeling back to normal even though my doctor told me it would take up to six/eight weeks. The garment is driving me up the wall, but I'm more comfortable in it than out of it, and my kids are getting frusterated with "Mommy can't because of my surgery...". They want their mom back. Argh!!! Sorry to vent, just ready to feel good and enjoy my new body.