Mommy Makeover with lipo to flanks, lower back, hips and double chin

Feeling pretty good! Started massage of lipoed areas and breast at 1 week follow up. 5 mins/5 times a day. The boobs are easy and not very uncomfortable. The lipoed areas are rough. It is still very tender and uncomfortable to touch/put pressure. Doc said the more I massage the better my results will be so I’m trying to stay vigilant. I massage every time I go to the bathroom. I figure that’s more than 5x/day and because It’s not for 5 minutes hopefully it’s balanced out. I am still taking vitamedica and also added arnica cream & bio oil for massage. Still pretty hunched over. Sleeping is a drag because it’s not very comfortable. Incision is still very tight. Some times of day I can stand up very straight. Other times I feel very tight and am completely hunched over. Things are still very distorted (boobs are very high/tight, belly button looks a little off center, fat graft might be a bit asymmetrical?!) Honestly it will drive me bonkers if I think about it, so I’m not focusing on results. I just want to heal and give everything a chance to settle. Praying most of the asymmetries are swelling & muscle tightness and will resolve with time. Chin is going well. Still tender but bruising and swelling is gone. Does swell after being up & around throughout the day. I put on my compression gear when I’m lounging.

It’s day 4 and feeling good. The most uncomfortable part of healing for the last couple of days is my back when I’m up moving around. It is very sore and achy. The muscles are stressed from leaning over. When walking I’m very hunched over, not because it would hurt to stand up but because the skin is pulled so taut at the incision. Today I am able to stand almost completely upright, but it is still but strain on my lower back and hurts. I’m in a binder 24/7 for the tummy & abdominal lipo. I did take off the binder yesterday for a few minutes because it felt like the pressure was giving me heart burn. My abdomen is very swollen and the skin is very taut. It actually feels better to have the binder on because it puts counter pressure on the swelling. I have been wearing xs cropped leggings for compression on the thighs. I normally wear a medium so they’re very snug. We had to cut the waistband so that we could get them up and down easily. At this point I’m no longer on narcos (oxy). I’m taking 1000mg of Tylenol every 6 hours. Can probably start weaning back on that. Probably try tmr if pain continues to dwindle. Really don’t have pain where procedures were done, like I said, it’s mostly soreness in my lower back when moving around. I have had several BMs starting yesterday. They are very loose which is a relief because I was really worried about getting constipated. I started stool softeners 2 days before surgery and Ducolax Soft Chews (4/day) post op day 1. Yesterday morning I had a cup of coffee. That definitely did the trick! The interesting thing is that I don’t really have the sensation to pee or poo. I just know every 2 hours I should get up and always try and pee while I’m up. I did decide to use Exparel (long acting pain med) and that seems to be the reason I have so little pain and also why I might not have much sensation in abdomen?! I have also been taking the Vitamedica Recovery Pack (am/pm multi vit, arnica & bromelain w/quercitin). Could also be the reason everything is going so smoothly! I’ve been actively getting 16 oz/water an hour so by the end of the day I’ve had more than a gallon. I’m sure that really helps too! I still haven’t showered although I could’ve started yesterday. I honestly don’t have the energy. I can get up to putter around but after about 10 mins I’m wiped and have to sit. So I’ve just been getting sponge baths and using a peri bottle and that really helps! Every day seems to be getting easier. Hope it stays that way! I’ll add some pictures of my must haves below!

Had my surgery yesterday. Everything went well. I’m super stiff and feel like I high fived the pavement with my whole body. It’s really uncomfortable to get up and to walk but once I get going I feel ok. I’ve been eating and drinking well today. Very small meals. I’m keeping everything down and not feeling nauseous or dizzy for the most part. I’ve had an anti nausea patch since night before surgery. I’ll take that off tomorrow evening.
Hubby dropped me off yesterday morning at 6am. He was not allowed in the surgery center. We did all the pre-op checks i.e. pregnancy test, weight, paperwork, etc. Dr. Kerr came in to mark me, and then I met the anesthetist. The worst part of it was that they couldn’t get a vein for the IV but finally got one on 4th try on the back of my hand. Once that was done they wheeled my bed to the surgery suite, and I was out like a light before we even left the pre-op area. Whatever the anesthetist put in that IV was good stuff! The next thing I know I was being woken up in recovery. I did feel nauseas and my mouth was SO dry. I had a few nibbles of a cracker and lots of water. The nurse was hesitant to give me too much water in case I threw up but I know myself and having an empty stomach makes me queasy. I pretty felt good, no pain, just stiffness.
Today (Thursday post op day 1) I feel ok. I have a lot of achiness and stiffness. No real pain more of a dull ache. Totally tolerable. I am alternating pain meds oxy & Tylenol every 3 hours. I want to stay ahead of the pain. I did get very light headed this evening when I was walking back from bathroom. Thanks goodness I have a walker with a seat. It has come in very handy!