24 Year Old, No Kids, 40kg (90lb) Weight Loss - Tummy Tuck and Medial Knee Lipo - New Zealand

I'm booked for 3 weeks time for a tummy tuck and medial knee liposuction (I have always had fat knees).
At my biggest I was 128kg (282lb). I'm now 86kg (189lb)
I lost the weight through diet and exercise and have maintained the loss for 2 years. I could be skinnier but I'm pretty happy with where I am and I go to the gym everyday already so I can't do much more if my body doesn't want to be any smaller.

I'm starting to get nervous now. I also realised I'm going to have my period either on the day of surgery or just after - has this happened to anyone else?? Was it alright?
For recovery I'm going to stay with my mum. Is a recliner for sleeping 100% necessary? I don't think she has one. I'm not getting muscle repair, just the skin.

Just adding some more photos

I sent my PS some photos of tummy tucks that I think look good, and one that I don't like the technique of. I'm wanting him to confirm whether my expectations are realistic. If I'm hoping for too much I need to change my expectations now rather than being upset later.

In terms of my procedure, I'm getting a full tummy tuck with no muscle repair and no lipo. I have no ab separation or hernias and the skin above my belly button is lean so there isn't need for lipo there. I'm a pear/hourglass shape so store most of my fat in my thighs. I mentioned my chubby knees in the consult so he added some to the quote for lipo there and I decided to go for it because a) I'm already paying for the general anaesthetic and taking time off for this anyway b) can do all the healing at once c) have been the same weight/size for several years now and my inner knee fat just is not budging and I've basically realised it probably never will.

I havent worn anything above the knee in over 10 years (and I'm only 24!). I can't even imagine being able to. I'll put up some photos of my knees in the next few days. Basically it's the inside and sort of the back of my knee that is very flabby, like a pocket of fat that sticks out from the rest of my leg. My mum has it too, unfortunately it seems to genetically be my leg shape. I can have abs and still have these fat knees!

All in all, I'm excited and nervous. I never knew for sure if I would get the tummy tuck after losing weight but now that Ive had the loose skin for 2-3 years I've decided I need to just do it and stop wasting time thinking about how much it bothers me/does it bother me enough/is it that bad. I havent shown anybody my stomach in about 10 years too. In terms of intimacy with a partner, you bet the lights are off.

All of that isnt actually what bothered me the most. I didnt mind that I had to hide my lower tummy all the time (high waisted shorts at the beach) because I'm rarely undressed in front of people anyway. What actually started bothering the most is knowing that my abdomen is lean from working out lots, but still never looking as good in clothes as I felt I should because of this pouch thats just floppy. Also at the gym the loose skin makes my tights fall down all the time because they cant cling to me properly. When I do pushups and things it all sort of just hangs down.

It feels like its not real yet. I cant even imagine actually having a flat tummy and not having these chubby knees. The idea of wearing a crop top and a skirt above the knee is just mind blowing to me.

I really want to make sure I've documented my "before" properly hahaha

Received my admission pack today with blood forms and instructions. Oddly I have two different hospitals listed for where my procedure is so one must be a mistake - I definitely need to clarify which hospital I'm having surgery at so I don't show up at the wrong place!

Can't wait until I don't see/try to ignore this every day

Can't believe it. Time has flown.

Probably going to start getting nervous soon!

Discussed past medical history, allergies, post-op pain management etc

I requested not to have tramadol because last time I had it I had hallucinations and really didn't like it.

I cant believe in 5 days from now I will have had my surgery. That is so bloody close.

Ive only told my parents, siblings, and 3 close friends. So it feels strange to be approaching something so huge and not have everyone in my life know that this is coming. I guess people will think I'm really busy or something (when actually I'll be at home in bed ha ha ha)

The anaesthetist likened the procedure to a caeserean in terms of pain/recovery. So that's reassuring in that I know people who have had caesereans. I hope I handle the pain alright!

My op was at 9am and I woke up about 1pm. Apparently I chatted the ears off the post anaesthetic care staff. I vaguely remember talking ha but not really

It's now 1am. I'm in hospital for another 33 hours, which I am quite happy about because I'm very immobile and can't do much for myself (they've even bathed me with a cloth lol)

I haven't really seen the results at all, so many dressings and so much swelling I seem pregnant. But I can see that my tummy skin under the dressings is now my smooth skin without stretch marks! Hooray

He lipod my knees as planned but I think he also lipod my waist a little, which I didn't pay extra for. I'll know for sure what he's done later. He came to see me twice yesterday, I barely remember the first time and the second time I think he told me I had a small hernia!!! Which is bizarre, i definitely didn't know that. So I think he did end up stitching the muscles back and doing the muscle repair too, just in the small spot above my belly button where the hernia apparently was. I was still quite out of it when he told me this so I'll ask him about it again tomorrow

I have heaps of compression on my legs and a massage machine thing to help prevent DVTs

Still currently unable to go to the toilet by nyself. No BM yet, just urine. I have nasal prongs in with Oxygen because my saturations are a little low - most likely from breathing shallowly to help my tummy feel still. They've given me this ball in a tube thing to blow on to practice deep breaths.

I might attempt to go to the toilet on my own in a bit, I just want to see if I can (I'll have to at home)

I can't believe it's done!!! My pain is really well controlled, the staff are just amazing here

That dimple in the skin is an internal stitch to hold the flap down (and help prevent Serena)and will go away as it's a dissolving stitch. The dressing next to it is my belly button. The top two are when the pain pump goes.

And I'm in some pain now. It feels so tight, like a balloon. I feel like I can't hold my tummy in at all and it just wants to bulge our hugely. I'm asking for pain meds about every 2 hours but it's not quite enough

The PS took a photo of the skin for me!!

I got my drains out yesterday before I left hospital. I am so swollen now. My lower back and sides are where all of the fluid has gone. So tight and itchy!

Thanks god ive managed 2 BMs since last night (I had eaten 6 meals with no action - it was getting crowded in there)

Keen to be walking straighter and get this fluid gone asap

I get my dressings off in 2 days!
But for now this is all the view I have
My thighs are so swollen, I have about 7kg (16lb) of fluid on me!!! The skin on my hips and thighs is so tight, it's quite horrible! I'm trying to be patient and telling myself that if I get the swelling over with early it might pass quicker. I don't have much pain at the moment but I do have some uncomfortable tugging and pulling sensations

Really wanted to share this pic with my dressings off! Well the belly button one is back on but anyway!! I'm so happy. It's still early days and I have heaps of healing to do but I love the result so far (this is at night when I'm super swollen, I'll put up a morning one in a day or so)

I've been weighing myself purely to keep track of swelling for my own interest, and I'm now down at about 4kg of swelling (was 7-8kg at day 3). My belly button has started oozing a bit of clear fluid and blood but looks all good so I'm not worried. Less and less pain killers now

I found a TENS machine and decided to use it since theres some reasonable evidence for its effectiveness with increasing healing and pain management

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3513252/

Slept without the binder to see how it was

I woke up more swollen on one side which is interesting! I've been more sore on that side too. But obviously with always wearing the binder I have never noticed the difference in swelling since it's normally held in

My bellybutton was discharging some pus gunk earlier this week and I got scared but it's settled down now to just normal looking discharge

Feeling good! Not wearing my binder anymore except at night or if I feel swollen. My left side is more swollen than my right so I'm quite asymmetrical on some angles. Slept on my back last night with one pillow! Really happy with results at this stage

Being medically trained is a pain at times, as I've noticed this small seroma which is annoying to worry about. It should re absorb on its own but I'll keep an eye on it

The little seroma has gone down, id estimate it's now 60% of the size it was the other day. I've been wearing the binder almost 24 hours a day so it's probably helped. I changed the tape and put some scar ointment on so took some pics of the wound. It's feeling a bit ropey/hypertrophic on the right and middle. I'll start massaging it each night in bed. The right is healing beautifully and is so flat. I noticed today for the first time that my scar is different on each side. It goes further around on the left and turns down a bit, on the right it ends sooner and doesn't turn down. I'm not that bothered by it because it's not very obvious, but I still wonder why that would happen. I guess it's hard to see where the scar is going to end up when you're removing skin until you remove the skin, and you can't put it back! Overall I'm happy with how I'm healing. I went to an event the other day for 12 hours without the binder and was fine. I stand and sleep completely 100% straight and no longer feel the pulling/tightness feelings. It still hurts a bit to roll over in bed. If I lean forward (pic included) you can see some of the internal sutures from the progressive tension technique aka drainless tummy tuck. My bellybutton is still swollen apparently. I can't see the scar of my bellybutton at all. I hope it deflates a bit and gets a bit flatter but that will probably expose the incision of where it's attached. Overall at this point, I think the surgeon has done a tremendous job

Going well! The seromas are almost 100% flat. The PS did stick a needle in but couldn't get anything out. On the pathway to abs, back in the gym!

So freeing to just wear whatever and look fine ??