Great

I will be getting a tummy tuck with flankplasty and power-assisted liposuction of upper back, lower back and upper abdominal area . I'm expecting a flatter tummy and for clothes to fit better. I got a bee in my bonnet about getting a tummy tuck about 3 weeks ago, went to three consultations and booked my surgery today.

I'm being driven over to the surgery center now. I'm totally nervous and scared. Looking forward to posting again after surgery to tell you all that everything went smoothly...

Hi all! I'm alive, thank goodness! Yesterday was extremely painful, despite the Exparel shot (it's like having a pain pump without the pump). Luckily, by 12:01 am this morning, the pain had subsided. :) So from about 3 pm to 11:59 pm on the day of surgery, I was in A LOT of pain. Today, I have a tiny bit of discomfort.

I have two drains. They aren't very bothersome and I'm glad I have them because a lot of fluid is draining into them.

I have a binder on now. I'm excited to see the final results! My doctor said between the tt and lipo, he removed 19 lbs. Wow!!

I have my first post-op appointment on June 27th. If I get pictures that day, I'll definitely post them.

I've kept on schedule with my meds (Norco - every 6 hours, and Celebrex - every 12 hours) and I'm not feeling any pain from the MR. There's a tiny bit of a burning sensation at my various points on my incision at random times when I walk. Should I lower Norco to one every 8 hours at this time to see if I can handle the lower dose?

Also, anyone know the correct position for my binder? It's riding up over my hips. I've emailed my patient coordinator (Stephanie, who is great, by the way) and I'm waiting for her response.

And, thank you to everyone for your kind words, reassurance and support!

I finally had my first BM!! No pain at all. I've been taking a stool softener (1 pill, 325 mg) with each dose of Norco since I came home from surgery.

I stopped taking Norco. My last dose was at 6 pm on June 26th. I'm still taking Celebrex every 12 hours for pain and swelling. So far, so good.

So I saw my PS yesterday. He removed the binder and the dressing on my new bb. I'm super swollen, but not too bruised from the lipo. I'm draining close to a straw color, which he said was ahead of schedule. I'm not to put my binder back on and I can't shower until the drains are removed (sometime in week 2 or 3 because I had an extended tt and aggressive lipo). I'll see my PS again on July 7th. I'll post pics when I get some taken - still hunched over so it's hard to take good pics. :(

So I got up this morning at 3:30 to go to the bathroom. One of my drains has been bothering so I've been paying close attention to it. This morning, I noticed some pus coming out of the base of my left drain. At the suggestion of two of the ladies on this site, I called my PS's office. The on-call PS called me back, telling me he would call in a prescription when my pharmacy opens. I'm scared that the infection has made its way up (down?) the drain and into the area the drain is draining.

I'm sooo happy! Saw my PS today, all looks good and both my drains are out. I finally get to shower tomorrow morning. Yay me!!

I finally got to take a shower yesterday! Nice and warm. I feel clean today (even though I wasn't able to wash off the lipo markings my PS made on my back - guess I'll ask my husband to scrub my back next time).

I put the CG on last night. It felt really, really tight and I had it on the very last set of hooks. Went to bed swollen and feeling like a sausage in my CG. Woke up much less swollen (yay!) and moved to the middle set of hooks.

As my swelling goes down, I'm realizing my PS is soooo great! I love my new flat belly!! I'm down 15 lbs, too!

So yesterday, I saw the nurse at my PS's office. She applied three strips of embrace to my incision for scar therapy. A few hours later, I noticed that my BB was oozing/leaking a yellow-brownish liquid. Of course, I panicked and called my PS's office, saying, "I think my belly button is infected." The nice woman who answered my call said to come in today at 10:30 am to see Dr. Nichter. I love how it's relatively painless to get an appointment to see my PS!

I saw Dr. Nichter and he said its normal to have a little drainage that's clear and straw-colored. He also said he was glad I came in and I wasn't bothering him. So, yay! No infection. I don't have to see him for another month :)

Though it's difficult to tell from the picture, I think my incision is opening up or isn't healing. There isn't any scabbing on the area of my incision directly below my belly button. There isn't any pus or liquid draining from the site. There is a dot of yellow something (not pus) that's visible when I look at the incision in the picture. Is that a stitch? I have no idea. I'm just really sad and scared. I've seen some pics of incisions that have opened and I hope that won't happen to mine.

What does this look like to you RS ladies?