26 Yo, 5'7, 160 Lbs, Weight Loss (NO KIDS!), Breast Lift w/ Implants and Tummy Tuck

Hi all! Since it’s been a little while I figured I’d post another update chronicling more of my recovery progress. Since I updated last, I had the bad luck of experiencing the “stitch spitting” phenomenon along the edges of one of my areolas. One nipple healed perfectly, no issues at all, but this other one is giving me problems by “spitting” nearly every subdermal stitch it has! Basically what happens is deep layer stitches come up to the surface of the skin, and they have to be plucked out by the surgeon. This creates a small hole that takes time to heal depending on how much of the stitch was removed. For me, I spit stitches all around the areola, but only 2 of them were large enough to warrant “packing” with surgical packing material for about a week to promote tissue healing. Now that’s all over and I’m just letting the holes close. The problem nipple is looking a little angry right now, but I can tell with continued TLC it’ll catch up to my good nip, haha.
In other news, since I had a seroma that’s still healing I’m still not allowed to exercise :( I am so anxious to get back to working out again, I feel like a total slob right now, but I still have to hang tight for a week or two. I also had to order down a size in my compression garment (from large to a medium) to encourage tight compression around the abdomen to prevent another seroma from developing.
In terms of the day to day, everything feels basically normal at this point! I can’t tell I’m wearing fake boobs (lol) unless I try to lay on my stomach, which is still uncomfortable. My scars don’t hurt anymore (I’m using SkinMedica on them twice a day until they’re totally faded), but they are till red and a bit poofy, which is normal for the first few months. The only thing that I definitely still cannot do is anything requiring ab contraction (sneezing, hard coughing, etc.). This causes cramping that hurts like a mother from the diastasis recti repair, but it’s getting better each week.
Attached are some progress pics and one video from last week. I was finally able to try on some workout clothes and can’t believe how fit I look even though I know I’ve fallen out of shape since surgery, haha.
More updates later :)

Holy cow, I can’t believe 3 weeks have passed already! Since my last update, I’ve had both drains removed, my surgical tape removed, and have started scar treatment! The first drain came out at 10 days post-op because it was draining only 20cc’s a day since the surgery. The other one came out at 13 days post-op, and that was unintentional....I actually turned in my sleep and RIPPED the drain stitch right out of my skin. Talk. About. Excruciating. Pain. I went to Tutela’s office that same morning and he removed the drain fully (it was still partially inside of me after I ripped the stitch). I kept gauze over the wound for the next week while it healed. Unfortunately, since it ripped out prematurely, I developed the dreaded seroma (fluid build up between muscle and tissue layers of abdomen). I went back to Dr. Tutela’s office a week after the drain was taken out, and he drained it, which was both fascinating and horrifying. My stomach is flat now, thank god, and I have to keep extra compression on it with an ace bandage to prevent another one from developing. Lesson to you all- be careful with your drains!!
The tape removal also happened in that same visit (which was yesterday), and now I’m starting scar treatment, which is SkinMedica scar gel twice a day. The scars are a bit red and lifted, but really look great overall. I haven’t taken a picture of the scars without the tape yet, but I will after my next check up next week.
One other thing I’ve also started is the breast massages, which I do essentially once an hour all day. The first one is simply pressing the breast together for 20 seconds a few times, and the other is pressing the side of my hand firmly against my chest at the top of the implant for 10 seconds to encourage the implant to drop. I do this 10 times on each breast. It’s a lot of work but I can tell already the breasts are softening up nicely. One thing I wasn’t expecting is that my breasts are waaaay sorer now than they were in the first week post-op, I guess that’s just part of the “drop and fluff” process.
All in all, recovery is going well! I can sleep on my side now, although my back is most comfortable (I absolutely cannot sleep on my front yet and probably won’t for a while!!). I’m not back to exercising yet because of the wound from the drain, but Tutela said once that heals I can start light cardio. Other than that all is well! I’ll post again soon once I have more pics. :)

Today was a big turning point for me so I thought I’d post another update with some pics for yall. I was able to shower alone today and it felt amazing. Was able to change all my gauze and redress myself and even blow dry my hair! I know everyone heals differently but I definitely haven’t been having any issues raising my arms above my head, which makes blow drying hair much easier than I thought it would be.
I went to Dr. Tutela yesterday for my first check up and he said everything was looking great. (I must agree!) The drive there and back from Queens wasn’t bad at all compared to the drive back from the hospital, which was absolute HELL. 90 minutes and NJ/NYC driving is already a mess, hitting each pot hole or bump sent searing pain through my whole body, I was in tears the whole drive back. I absolutely recommend taking as much pain medication as allowed before driving home, and give it time to set in before getting into the car.
Anyway, Tutela looked over my scars and advised me to bathe daily and keep up with my creams and medications until my next check up which is in a week. I have to say I really feel almost no pain in my breasts, it’s all concentrated in my abdomen, including my TT incision line and point of exit for my drains. I can even feel the area where my muscle was stitched together on the abdomen when I run my fingers across it, it’s absolutely surreal. My stomach is completely flat and it’s still swollen so I am ecstatic to see how it continues to heal.
One new thing I have to start now is pressing my breasts together from the sides for 20 seconds 10 times a day. This is a bit painful but gets easier each time. I can’t believe I have cleavage when I do this, never thought I’d see the day!
I’ve included some pics I took today when I had to strip down to shower. I still can’t stand up all the way straight due to abdominal pain, but I can walk around the apartment for longer bursts now and can sit and lay more easily, so I am definitely turning a corner!!