Full TT W/MR, Lipo and Fat Grafting on Both Breasts - Minneapolis, MN

A little about myself before the surgery for comparison reasons: 36 yrs old, 2 c-section births, 5'5, 123lbs, size 2 waist with horrific streatch marks , an innie belly button, complete seperation of my stomach muscles and a small yet unpleasant tummy flap above my 2 c-section scars.

Now to cut to the chase. I had my surgery on July 9th 2012 and went in with the expectation of getting rid of about 75% of my stretch marks because of the fact they are so high above my belly button. I also wanted a normal looking elly button and an athletic looking abs. I had a breast reduction 10 yrs ago and had a couple pockets tat formed underneath each breast which is why I needed the fat grafts. I went in with expecting a rough recovery as well which is what scared me more than the actual surgery. I have had my gall bladder removed and the c sections so I know how painful abdominal surgery is but assumed this would be even worse. I am very healthy person so I had that on my side but I do socially smoke and had smoked up until 9 days before the surgery which made me very nervous. My doctor hadn't asked if I smoked and only after coming across a review on realself did I start to realize the dangers of smoking before PS. I have not had any major complications from smoking but would not recommend smoking so close to the date of this type of surgery.

I used "Kimmers" review as my guide before and after the surgery. It has proven to be very truthful and very helpful so I suggest reading it. I was on Vicodin and took full doses the first 3 days and then went down to half doses the next 5 days before switching to extra strength tylenol as needed. I am on day 13 and am only taking tylenol later in the evening for pain as needed. I suggest renting a hospital bed and wheelchair. I failed on getting the bed because I didn't read about it until the 2nd day after surgery but it really would have been worth it and saved me a lot of pain. I did rent a wheelchair because walking long distances is impossible and makes you swell which then causes discomfort.

As far as my recovery goes I have followed the rules to the T by not doing anything except getting up to go pee every couple hours from day 1, sleeping, keeoing my body in the "V" shape, taking my meds on time and eating healthy and on a regular basis. I took Phillips Milk of Mag and I'm telling you that stuff is the [RS bleep]! Don't waste time with stool softeners, fiber pills, etc. It's a waste of time and money. Start taking the MOM on day 2 or 3 and only take the recommended dose. DO NOT TAKE MORE!!! It kicks in within the day and I have had no issues or pain pooping at all. I took the MOM on day 3 after I started eating full solids because I knew I'd have to poo sooner or later. I only need a few doses for a couple days before I stopped using it because I am going regularly with no issues. I also am drinking approx 6-24 ounce water bottles per day along with liquid aloe and iced tea so I'm getting tons of liquid which helps regulate you. I use Herbal Life concentrated mango aloe because it tastes good and eases the tummy if it gets upset. One more thing I just thought of is the fact that I have always gotten very nauseous after surgery and thrown up. The surgical team was concerned by this because barfing after a TT is not a good thing. They put this 72 hour patch behind my ear and added 2 meds into my IV during surgery and I had absolutley zero issues with nausea which was truley amazing!!!! I didn't change my dressings at all and had my post op the following Monday after my surgery so a week later. I was running a low grade fever for 7 straight days which did spike to 101 a couple evenings otherwise it stayed at 99-100 the rest of the time. I felt fine and the dr's are not sure why I had the fever. Possible minor smoking complication. It is gone now. I am swollen on the lower portion of my belly right above the incision and also on my left side due to a "bleed" during my surgery. The PS said I had a heavy bleed during surgery (another possible minor smoking compication) I say minor because these things caused some alarm but were not serious like a seroma or my skin dying, probems waking up after surgery, etc. Anyways the bleed has caused a slower healing time and a lot more swelling and pain on the left side where the lipo was done. The PS said it's going to feel like I was kicked in the side by a powerhorse which is spot on. I also have a large, very hard, Red spot that is slowly working it's way down my side towards my leg. That is the bleed and is normal to be happening.

Onto the drains, stitches, dressings, showering: Okay so the drains were not bothersome to me. The tape holding them against my skin was worse than the actual drains. Mine drained very little liquid the entire time and only had to be changed once per day or less. I was super nervous about getting them out and nobody else seems to say anything about the actual removal process. I did not realize they were stitched in on each end of my main incision. Getting the stitches out was brutal because I was still really sore and the PA had to get her pointy and sharp tools out to yank and dig at them in order to cut them and loosen each drain. I was then told to take a deep breath and she started pulling hand over hand over hand over hand. All I felt was an intense burning sensation that stops as soon as they are out. Those SOB's are loooong!!! Good lord! I then had the steri-strips removed from my incision which was painless o the left side because I am still very numb but painful on the right because apparently my nerves are already coming back on that side. I found out the stitches in my breasts, incision and belly button will all dissolve which was music to my damn ears at that point!!!! I had to go back 2 days later to check on the bleed and am okay so I go back in a week for another check up.

The pain, oh lord, the pain: So I have always thought of myself as a tough cookie with a very high tolerance for pain but holy shitballs has this recovery kicked my ass! As I said earlier, I have followed the "recovery rules" to the T and I still can't believe how much you usen your stomach muscles! I swear even lifting my big toe requires the use of my stomach!!! It's crazy! I love my compression garment and feel very vulnerable without it on. I cut mine a couple inches all the way around the length because it would ride up and hurt my boobs. It just wraps all the way around me and doesn't have a crotch like some of the other reviewers have talked about. I have been told to use spanx or biker shorts but really don't see a need for them. I just wear my garment over the top of an extra long tank top and then fold the bottom of the tank up over the garment or pull the bottom portion of the tank down over the top of my yoga pants. It actually looks cute in my opinion. I will post pics to show what I mean. I went to sports authority and dicks sporting goods and got a sports bra, cute cotton shorts and a couple stretchy material tanks since I can't wear my regular clothes for a while. I have less pain with the garment on as well and anything that causes less pain sounds good to me! I move around like a senior citizen and tend to hold my hand tightly over my muscle repair because it has been the most painful part of this surgery and applying pressure on it (even more than what the garment provides) makes it hurt less when I am up and about. The wheelchair is a wonderful thing. I even went to see fireworks last night and was able to have a few beers while strolling around in the wheelchair. I didn't bloat from the beer at all but drank lots of water before and after. I am sore today from having to squat in the port potty but it probably did me soe good getting a little excersize in on my legs. I learned really fast how to distribute my weight to my legs and arms when doing anything.

Sleeping or the lack there of: Sleeping has sucked ass to be blunt! I started out in a recliner with pillows everywhere and my feet up. That lasted 1 night before I moved to my half circle shaped couch and used the oversized ottomen to put my feet up. I lasted here (where I am currently sitting and hang out during the day) for nights 2-5 and decided to make the trip up the 15 steps to my bedroom. OMG that was brutal! I have been sleeping in my bed from day 5 to now but noticed in the mornings I wake up with a tight chest and think its because I am laying a lot flatter than on the couch. It gets better after I sit up and walk around. My legs also get ver sore propped up so I have been spreading my legs apart and having each leg lay against pillows. I'm just so sore from sleeping on my back and it's becoming very frustrating. I nap during the day on the couch and sleep about 4-6 hours per night in my bed. I also use a decorative pillow (the little square couch decor type) to prop next to my head so when that annoying head bobbing thing happens when you are trying to fall asleep, the pillow catches it and keeps it in one spot. My neck also doesn't get sore since it has a head bobbing stopper, ha!