49 Yrs Old, 2 Children 28 & 24, Much Needed Tummy Tuck. Las Vegas, NV

I'm scheduled to finally get rid of this flabby, jelly belly on 9/16. I've hated my belly for the last 20 yrs and I am tired of trying to camouflage the fat with clothes and more importantly I'm tired of being embarrassed and humiliated by carrying this spare tire with me everywhere I go. A protruding belly is ugly and I'm tired of feeling ugly. I can't wait to wear clothes and not worry about how my fat and ugly my tummy looks. I can't wait to put on a 2 piece bathing suit and feel like I did pre pregnancy. I used to have a flat, firm tummy and it's time for me to regain my self-confidence once again. Now, that my kids are all grown up, it is finally MY TIME. It's finally all about ME and surprisingly enough, I do NOT feel one ounce of guilt being selfish at my age. It's finally time to give to myself and I deserve it.

With all the above said, I'm scared to death. I'm terrified of the pain. I've been reading nonstop and gathering all the info I can to prepare myself. I previously had a breast reduction with lift and lipo 2 yrs ago and those procedures honestly were not that bad. I remember hurting very little and pulling myself off the hydrocodone the 1st night because codeine and I dont do very well together. I have an adverse reaction and it gives me severe insomnia. I remember being up for nearly 2 days post op due to the meds. I switched to Tramadol and 800 mg of ibuprofen and that seemed to knock the discomfort out for me. I find it funny, cuz I wasn't worried about controlling pain with the previous surgery, but after reading here, I'm truly scared with the TT pain. This time my Dr is giving me oral Demerol. I know Demerol works very well on me, but I've never taken it orally. So, yes, I am honestly concerned about being able to control the pain since I've had such horrible experiences with codeine in the past. I certainly can handle discomfort, but throbbing, burning pain is what I'm scared of. If anyone has experience with Demerol please tell me how you did and what you think. One thing I know for sure is I WANT TO SLEEP post op. Is that asking too much... I JUST WANT TO BE ABLE TO SLEEP.

Tomorrow is the big day. I'm about as ready as anyone can be. Today, is day 3 of a mostly liquid diet with some very light eating here and there. Today, I plan to do a liquid diet only. I want to start off with a cleaned out colon due to the constipation issues that tend to follow post op. Took Milk of Magnesia last night, so I'm good to go for now. I will be staying at a recovery center for the 1st night. I went to check it out yesterday and it's very nice. I think I will be comfortable there. Just have to pack my over night bag and I'm ready to go....except for my nerves!!!

Ok, so, here are the dreaded before pix. I can't believe I'm actually going to post these, but I know it's only fair to those before and after me. Believe it or not, this is really a good day for me in these pix as I'm not as bloated as I normally tend to be, due to the above mentioned diet.

I will try to post pix tomorrow right before surgery after Dr Miller draws his art work all over my tummy.

Wish me luck.

I can't believe my surgery is complete. Pain meds are working great so far. Im actually NOT in one bit of pain as I just lay here very still. In my opinion my pain level is a "0". Yep, I did say a ZERO. How crazy is that? I'm in complete shock. Moving is somewhat sore and tender, of course. If this is what the next few day have in store for me, then I've GOT this. I know anything can change at any given moment. Just hoping I remain in my current state of pain free as long as I'm still. I'm a happy camper. I've been able to sleep on and off. I'm at the recovery center for the night and feel very comfortable. Will be going home tomorrow. Here's a few pix from earlier.

My 1st walk went extremely well. A little sore getting up at 1st, but no big deal. I walked up and down the hall of the recovery center several times, bent over like an old woman with osteoporosis, lol. I probably walked for 15 mins or so smiling and talking the whole time. The nurses could believe how well I was doing and how I looked. Here's a pic of walking with very little tenderness an ZERO pain. I certainly hope this good news gives some of you some positive energy to focus on your up coming surgery/recovery and not so much about the pain. But, as we all know, everyone's pain level is different, so please keep,that in mind as well. My Dr is coming to see me in the morning and I can't wait to give him a big bear hug and to share my news of such minimal pain....so far. (Dang, I certainly hope the other shoe isn't about drop and the pain sets in. Time will tell)

Just finishing up day 1 post op. I've had a great day. Taking pain meds every 4-5 hrs and still haven't experienced anything other than soreness and tenderness, for ex: getting in and out of bed. I've been going up and down my stairs, slowly, and it hasn't been bad at all. I've washed a few dishes, fixed me a light dinner. Other than that I'm laying in my bed or on my couch feeling pleasantly delighted and taking it easy. Saw my Dr early this morning and he said everything looks great. Here's a pix from today. My 1st peek.

So far, my recovery has been much, much easier than I was expecting. 1st 48 hrs I took pain meds every 4 hrs, whether I needed them or not. Pain was 100% kept under control at all times. Still believe PAIN level for me was a 0 ZERO. Again, sore and tender getting in and out of bed, etc. that's to be highly expected. Was up and about walking on and off all day. Day 2 post Op went out to eat dinner. Felt good to get out of house. I was walking slow and somewhat bent over. Who cares, I felt great considering the facts.

Day 3 post op, very positive and much like day 2, up and about as much as I feel good. Washed a few dishes, folded some laundry, ect. stopped taking the Demerol about 48 hrs post op and switched to Tramadol about every 6 hrs for the day. Tenderness getting better and better each day. Most of the time I can roll myself out of bed or off couch. Been going to bathroom without assistance since about 12 hrs post surgery. Had a moment where I really needed to have a deep belly laugh, but it hurt like hell and instead I had tears from holding the laugh in. Omg!!! Please don't laugh cuz it does hurt. I had to hold my breath and change my thoughts just to get past the horror of that moment. I honestly don't think pain meds can help the pain from a deep laugh. Yea, um, dont do that, just me. Had a slight coughing attack, don't do that either. Haha!!! That pain will stop you dead n your tracks. Not kidding.

Post op Day 4. Feeling stronger and stronger. Went out to eat breakfast. Walking better each day. So far, no pain meds since 10:30 pm last night, about 20 hrs ago. Feeling pretty good. Plan to take a pain pill and sleeping pill to get a good night sleep tonight. Have finally been napping on and off today much better than the previous day's. I think pain meds tend to give me energy instead of knocking me out. I've had way more energy post surgery than a normal person should have.

I have my 1st post op appt on Tuesday. Will update then.

1st Post Op appt. Dr Miller says everything looks great!!! Had 1st layer of sutures removed along with both drains today!!! Ecstatic to no longer have the drains. Get to have a real shower tomorrow. Didn't take pix today, felt too swollen, but plan to 1st thing in the morning. I'm not ecstatic about the midday/evening bloat. I'm extremely swollen at the moment, however, I've been on my feet nonstop from 7am - 2pm, so I'm sure it's my fault. I'm just now getting off my feet and plan to stay that way until tomorrow morning. I wish I didn't have so much energy, but I do.

I also drove for the 1st time today. All went well and I it took it fairly slow. Hoping to wake up to less swelling in the morning. I can't believe its been 1 week. I'm feeling much better than I ever expected. Everyday is better than the last.

I'm now on my own as my bff/ex-husband is flying back home today. He has been the best Florance Nightingale in the whole world this past week. And, I can't even begin to explain how much he has spoiled me. I'm very blessed to say the least. Sad to see him go. Luckily, he's always just a phone call away.

That's it for now. Plan to update next week.

Day 1 PO and 1week PO

6 week post op appt with Dr Miller and we are both very pleased with the results so far. No restrictions. Still wear the CG to help control swelling. Trying to wean off wearing it 24 hrs a day. Each week seems to get better and better. I've dropped 1 pant size from an 8 to a size 6. Jeans seem to be more comfortable than weeks 3-5. Still have some swelling here and there, really depends on diet and especially SODIUM. I'm diligently trying to lose those proverbial 10-15 lbs that just wants to stay. I'm down about 5 lbs since surgery. Most of all , I'm feeling great and I know I look and feel much better in my own skin and clothes. I still have about half of my appendectomy scar from 28 yrs ago and I'm ok with that. I was 36 wks pregnant when I had my appendix removed and it was a life or death situation. My daughter, now 28, and I are alive and healthy and that's all that matters. I'm extremely pleased with my results so far. I can't wait to see what 3 mo, 6 mo and 1 year will bring. I have a feeling it's going to be amazing. Dr Miller, I love you!!! Thank you for the amazing tummy tuck.