July 2 Tummy Tuck- post op pictures posted - Minneapolis, MN

I am now jnto my 3rd week post op. I worked from home for days 7-10, and returned to work in the office on day 11. I worked for two days and then had the weekend to recover. So this is my first whole week back in the office. I'm very swollen at the end of the day. I'm icing my tummy while writing this. I bought a hook and eye style "corset" at Macy's to replace the control garment my PS gave me. I'm so glad I did this even though my PS said that I only needed to wear the control garment for two weeks. It helps me stay comfortable as I get more swollen throughout the day, and is way more comfortable then my original control garment. I had no idea the swelling would be as bad as it is. I thought that with the skin removal and lipo I'd be able to wear the same clothes I always wear, even with the swelling, boy was I wrong! I am wearing dresses and clothes that are usually way too big for me. I'm going to run out of things to wear to work. I'm getting around pretty good, and I'm able to stand up straighter, I'm just bummed that I'm so swollen. The swelling was way less during my first and second week when I spent more time at home. I am really glad I was able to see my tummy with less swelling so that I was able to gauge the results of my surgery, because now it's much harder to see. One last thing, my incision was glued shut (no stitches) and the glue has started to come off. My scar is looking pretty thin. I don't see any value in posting pictures at the moment, so I'm going to wait until my swelling reduces and the glue come off my incision, then you'll be able to see more progress. Hopefully this is sooner rather than later. Happy healing to everyone!

It's been one week since my surgery and I'm doing well. I've been instructed to walk hunched over until I see my PS tomorrow for my first post op appointment (they want me to protect my incision, so no pulling or tugging from standing up straight). I get swollen and puffy, as you can see from the photos, but overall I'm pretty comfortable. The only discomfort I have is from my control garment, my low back gets sore from being hunched over, and my incision sometimes bugs me because it sits right where my control garment ends. I took the pain meds for four days, they gave me crazy dreams. So, no more meds, just healing.

What I'm looking forward to: standing up straight, no control garment, sleeping in a normal position, wearing normal clothes, getting out of the house (right now I'm still walking hunched over and I don't want to be seen in public ), sex, and exercise.

I'll keep you posted on my progress.

I forgot to add, I'm down four pounds from my pre-surgery weight. I will update my measurements once my swelling has gone down and I can stand up straight.

Also, looking at the before and after photos of myself just solidifies my decision. I have curves in the RIGHT places now :-)