6/30/16 Tummy Tuck and Lipo. Houston, TX

I'll be having my Tummy Tuck tomorrow and thought I'd go ahead and get a thread started here! Would love some words of encouragement as I go along.

I have four kids, ages 8, 6, 3, and 1. They were all pretty big, and I gained a lot of weight with my first, so I had a diastasis from the time my first child was born that only worsened after each pregnancy. Over the course of all four pregnancies, I gained 40 lbs., and at this point, I've lost 20. I am 5'5" and currently weigh approx. 157. I work out (weight training and varying levels of cardio) between one and three times a week. My weight has changed significantly, but thanks to the weight training and a (mostly!) healthy diet, so has my body composition. The diastasis will never go away, though, and this summer is my window for having a long recovery, so now is the best time for me to have surgery.

I have been super nervous about this procedure. With any surgery, you accept the risks involved, but the difference between this one and the other major surgeries I've had (four C-sections) is that this one is voluntary. When you have a baby in you, there's no going back. You just want to choose the birth that has the best chance of seeing everyone through safely. With a tummy tuck, I have at times felt like I'm assuming unnecessary risks, and why would a mama assume unnecessary risks when she has four small kids who need her?

That said, I am also really excited about getting a tummy tuck. I feel I have dealt with looking five months pregnant really well, eventually reaching a point where I am able to sincerely think to myself, "Well, I DO look pregnant, so there's nothing wrong with that child [or adult!] ASKING about it. It's only natural that they would." However, it will be such a relief not to think about how my belly looks in every single outfit--not to think about it 15 times a day, in general, actually. It'll be wonderful to wear dresses again (I have avoided them for years because they all look like maternity on me). It'll be fantastic not to look at photos of myself on a day when I thought I looked good, only to discover that from a certain angle, that belly was fairly prominent, and now it's captured forever. It'll be great not to call my abdomen a "belly!" And another big lifestyle change will be my willingness to get in a pool or in the ocean with my kids, which I have not done unless I'm pregnant for several years.

I am going to have a little lipo, as well. My doctor (whose aesthetic expertise I trust completely) has suggested that in order to create an aesthetic unit, I should have some lipo on my waist, hips, and outer thighs to bring them into proportion with my new, flatter tummy. And because even after losing 20 lbs. my arm measurements have not changed, I am considering that "stubborn fat" that won't come off with diet and exercise and will also have a minimal amount of lipo on my upper arms.

All this said, though, can I just add an aside here? Having a pretty significant deformation has given me some perspective--who freaking cares if my thighs could be 2" smaller or if my boobs could be a little more filled in? Who cares if I have a little cellulite? Those things used to give me such anxiety, but not anymore. They seem so small, compared to the issue of my abdomen, that overall I am much gentler and more accepting of the rest of me, realizing that those imperfections are truly normal. They would have kept me from playing at the beach, once upon a time, but not anymore.

So I have three major sources of anxiety about my procedure tomorrow: 1.) that I come through safely, 2.) that the recovery goes smoothly (no complications like bleeding or DVT), and 3.) the pain. Apparently, because I will have such extensive muscle repair, the pain is likely to be worse than your typical tummy tuck, and worse than a C-section (which I was SO glad to be done with). I'm not a weenie, but I'm not an easygoing patient when it comes to pain, either. I asked for prayer from some moms at my church on all these issues, and I honestly have not had any more panicky days or extreme anxiety. I do still worry about everything some, but not to the same extent. I know it is the power of prayer, and I'm so thankful for it. I do still plan to take a Xanax tonight to help me sleep, though!

See y'all in a couple days!

Look at all those awesome comments! I love to see y'all encouraging one another (and me!).

My surgery went well, and my recovery is going as expected. I am tired of sitting on my butt, though. Of course, I don't want to get up and do things, either! Dang it! It's a no win situation!

The good stuff: Thing 1: my four kids are happy with my parents, which means my husband and I are getting a break. It only took major surgery for us to catch up on our sleep, right?? Thing 2: Also, he has not always been the most attentive or intuitive caretaker when I've been sick before, but y'all, I can say that he is ON IT this time. Even the visiting nurse who came to the house was impressed at what a good job he's doing. Thing 3: I don't know what I'd have done without my Granny's lift recliner. Seriously, if you get a TT, beg or rent one. It's worth it. Thing 4: even though I don't feel so hot--I'm bruised, hunched over, sore, kind of itchy, and I have the runs because the laxative they recommended won't freaking wear off (TMI, sorry)--my husband and best friend are telling me I actually look pretty awesome. If they see a lot of improvement even with my compression garments on, then yay.

I have not had a terribly depressed down day, which I fully expected by now. I'm not sure why. Maybe I got all that anxiety out before surgery. Maybe the Exparel (which I don't think every doc uses) has really helped control my pain and thus my outlook. Or maybe it's the Xanax.... My husband left to go shoot fireworks with the kids for a couple hours, and that has made me feel more lonely than I normally would be, but other than that, I'm good so far.

The pain has definitely been bad from time to time, but I think the doc has controlled it well. I took my narcotic on a schedule for about three days before I realized I was doing ok and could back off. I have had enough c-sections to know better than to let the pain get away from me.

I think that's all the updates I have for the moment. I will try to update with a photo soon.

So they put me in a girdle today. That surgery didn't kill me, but this girdle might!! It is seriously so tight!! I might burn it when I'm done with it in five weeks!