20 Year Old Male 85lb Weight Loss - Nashville, TN

All I could do for two weeks was sit or recline (obviously not on my actual butt), but I had excellent caregivers who went out and bought me a BBL pillow that kind of elevates your butt off of whatever you're sitting on. It also has coccyx support, which was a lifesaver considering my incision was right on my tailbone. I also used a rolled up yoga matt with pillows (both a feather pillows and a wedge pillow) to elevate my legs. Honestly, I didn't really like the wedge pillow that much, despite the fact that it was designed for this very purpose. The rolled up foam yoga matt under my knees with a pillow on top in combination with two pillows under my calfs was very comfortable, even at the most painful stage of my recovery. That was only for the first few days, then my lift chair arrived which was PERFECT. It's designed for recovering from procedures like this and it was an absolute lifesaver--a Godsend. I'm still sleeping in it because it's so comfortable. The butt part is even shaped in a way that I don't need to use the BBL gel pillow, but sometimes I still do if my incision feels sensitive or I've had an active day (or what would be considered active for someone who's just been cut in half).
Honestly, even now when I go out I obviously can't bring my chair with me, but I do bring my BBL pillow (it has gel and coccyx support and a "convenient handle for travel!" (as it's written on the packaging lol) ) When I was still at the painful stage of my recovery, I balanced myself on it so my weight wass on my thighs and my butt wasn't touching the chair. I still do this if I'm going somewhere and all I have to sit on is a hard wooden chair.
I used a walker the first 4 days, but I transitioned to a cane on day 5 and I'm now able to walk unassisted. On day 6 I was able to sit down and stand up on my own. I still take my cane with me when I go out though, in case I lose my balance.
My pain decreased exponentially from day 5-7 and my strength increased exponentially.
I didn't require any assistance from another person after day 5.
Showering was difficult until day 10.
For my first two showers (on day 4 and day 7) I had to use a shower seat from a medical supply store and the worst pain after day 5 was in my back from having to walk hunched over all the time, this was also making showering quite painful and unpleasant even with the medical shower chair which had bars to hold onto, but I told the nurse at my PS's office and they prescribed me Flexeril which fixed that problem!

I'm currently 2 weeks post op and I'm starting to feel like my old self. I can sit in most positions comfortable as long as I have some form of cushioning. I'm driving, but taking the corners and stops easy. I can walk 90% upright, but everything is still very tight. Dr. Haws said my swelling is going down way ahead of schedule and I'm healing extremely fast and the scar is already very minimal. She LOVES my new compression garment, she even had her two head nurses come look at it and asked me to send her the info!
If anyone has any questions or comments feel free to message me or comment! :)

Here's a picture of me when I was 13 and close to 200 lbs vs. a picture of myself I took a few days ago weighing around 140lbs (I'm guessing, maybe less).

So here's the new compression garment, again, it's called the "Underworks Mens Compression Bodysuit Girdle Shirt". I will say, when you first try to put it on, it will seem impossibly tight, but the material stretches. When you order it, make sure you go by your chest size. I ordered a small and it fits perfectly. It has a flap in the front and a zipper in the back for using the restroom. They work well for their intended purpose. I LOVE this garment. Not only does it provide excellent compression on my mid-section, since I also had my butt lifted it was perfect since it goes all the way down your thighs, it provides a nice lift for the entire lower body and keeps everything in shape, which promotes quick and symmetrical healing. I can wear any of my clothes with it on, which was a hassle with the old abdominal binder, it also provides a tighter, more uniform compression but at the same time is more breathable. I'm not being paid to write any of this and I'm not a rep or spokesperson, I just LOVE this product! I would highly recommend it to anyone getting a tummy tuck, butt lift, or full lower body lift. I'm pretty sure they also make a female version. Here's the link to the one I bought on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004JX4JA6?keywords=male%20compression%20garment&qid=1456390688&ref_=sr_1_2&sr=8-2