Was so worth it!

I'm 42 with two children and had been joking about getting a TT for years. Somehow all the stars aligned, and I ended up with a surgery date for a FTT w/ MR and flank lipo. I'm 5'4" and 125 lbs. and couldn't really blame my pregnancies too much for the need for the TT. I always carried fat on my belly, and I was tired of looking relatively fit and trim elsewhere and still carrying a flabby gut. I told my PS to make me as thin as possible, and she seems to have done her best!

To back up for the whole process, my pre-op appt. lasted a long time (over 2 hours) and was very, very thorough. I paid my money, got fitted for a binder and left with a load of prescriptions. They had given me a prescription for Percocet, but I asked for Vicodin instead b/c I was worried about nausea and have a pretty high pain tolerance. Ended up doing great on just Vicodin and stopped pain meds after day 3 PO.

Oct. 12th was my surgery day, and my husband dropped me off and I met w/ a nurse and my anesthesiologist. My PS came in and marked me up very quickly. She does her TT in under 2 hours and I asked why she was so fast, and she said she always knows the game plan. I was glad that she is so sure about what she is doing and never has to pause to think about the next move. I vaguely remember my bed being wheeled from pre-op but have no recollection of the OR. I was awake about 1 hr. after the surgery feeling groggy but otherwise great. My husband took me home and I got into my gravity chair with foam pad added (a perfect substitute for a hospital bed!) and slept.

Oct. 13th, 1 day PO. I was taking Vicodin, some kind of anti-nausea drug, Valium for muscle relaxation and arnica. I was super sleepy from the drugs and surgery and just enjoyed sleeping a lot. I needed help out of my chair but had no problem getting to and using the bathroom myself. I had my upper eyelids done at the same time, so I had to sit w/ ice on my eyes for most of the first 3 days. It was not hard or painful to walk around, though, and I had no need for a walker and my back didn't hurt too much.

On day 4 PO, I stopped taking all my drugs. I think that was the day I went in the shower w/ my trash bag dress on and washed my hair and gave myself a blow-out. On Day 6 I went a little crazy and went too all my kids activities, out to lunch, and grocery shopping. I drove for some of the outings and have no qualms about driving today (day 8) to get my hair done. I had one drain removed on day 6 and am scheduled to get the other out tomorrow. They really haven't put out that much even though I'm super swollen. I'm a little worried about a seroma, but my drain has put out less than 20 cc for 2 days, so technically I should be fine. I really didn't want to have it for the weekend. They told me that the drain holes take a few days to seal up, so you can't take a shower until a few days after your final drain is removed.

As for my results, I'm bigger than I was going in, but I'm hopeful for the final results months down the road. My belly button is an innie, but it's much thinner and longer than before. I know it's too early to judge, but my guess is that it will be a tell-tale TT bb to those in the know. My scar is not super low b/c I didn't have that much skin, but it's sealing up well and I don't think revisions will be necessary. I can tell already that I will have a thinner hourglass, and it is nice to see no extra skin. Most of my stretchmarks were removed as well! My doc is a genius, and excised the fat above the belly button (where they tell you it is too dangerous to do lipo), and she got my flanks and upper hips with lipo. All in all, 2 lbs. of skin and fat were removed. It doesn't sound like that much, but all from one area should make an impact. A week and a day out I'm the same weight as pre-surgery, but I hope that will go down a few lbs. once the swelling subsides. I was not very hungry post surgery but forced myself to eat a lot of protein and fiber. Unfortunately, my appetite has come back strong, and I have to remind myself to keep eating clean! Thanks to the fiber and benefiber in my drinks, BMs were not an issue at all. Phew!

The pain was almost non-existent. I could easily get myself out of chairs and bed by a few days out, and I can move pretty quickly. I didn't have much MR, so that accounts for a lot of my lack of discomfort. I also think that if you are fit, this is much easier to deal with. I'm no triathlete, but strong legs and arms can make up for a lot when you can't use your abs. Eat your protein to help your healing and enjoy thinking about what's to come with your results!

Sorry, no pics. I hate taking pics of myself but will try to get with the program. My current results would not impress b/c of the swelling, but hopefully future will be much better.

From you experienced TT'ers, I would love your advice in massage for the belly and incision. I want to do all I can to get the best results and minimize the appearance of the scar. The nurses have given me mixed info on when I can use kelo-cote and do massage. I have an lymphatic massage scheduled for next week.