Crossfit Mom in Need of TT to Repair Severe Diastasis Recti - Ohio

I am a petite mom of 2. I am 5' tall and both of my babies weighed in at over 10 lbs. I had a c-section with each birth so needless to say my mid section has been thru a lot! I gained almost 70 lbs while pregnant this second time ...yes I said 70 and I was able to lose all the weight (yaay me!!) And as proud as I was of myself for losing the weight afterwards I still looked about 3-4 months pregnant. I went to countless doctors and all told me that the aftermath was just a part of pregnancy and plus I had big babies so basically deal with it because this was normal. Besides the physical appearance of it my core is extremely weak. I always over compensating because I have no core strength so some days the back pain in excruciating. Their reassurances meant nothing because quite frankly I felt like an alien freak. There were woman all around me who had given birth and were not left with what I was experiencing. I was pretty determined that I wasn't crazy and my extended belly was not "normal" so I kept searching. I finally found a doctor that took one look at me, did some tests and diagnosed me with a severe diastis recti (greater than 5 fingers separation). I started therapy twice a week and saw improvement in closing the gap but I felt so restricted. Any "non-approved" movement immediately widened the gap again. Who could live like this?! I have a rambunctious toddler for goodness sake, bending and twisting go along with parenting. I could wear a binder and look relatively normal (provided I had not eaten, the bloating is real!) but you could see the binder under my shirt so I learned to layer but yeah that fashion trick only works in the cold months. After trying therapy for a year I was told due to the severity of my DR the only way to repair would be surgery. Insurance would not cover so I felt selfish spending the money and for taking the time needed to heal and even asking for help while I recover. Fast forward to today and life happens and I haven't been to a box since April (I supremely miss crossfit), I started eating fast food out of convenience and I have gained a little over 20 lbs. On a weekly basis I am asked about my pregnancy but I'm not pregnant!!! I have been anxiously waiting to have a resolution for my belly for about 3 years now. After much prayer and discussion with my husband (who has been awesome thru all of this by the way!) we both agree its time and I deserve it! Currently looking for a surgeon in my area and hopefully will have something scheduled by year end. I've started working out again and eating right. If I can lose 10lbs by surgery time I would be ecstatic. I'm going to take pics and post later.

I am so excited! My surgery date is set for Sept 29. At my consult I was told I have a severe muscle separation, an umbilical hernia, my belly button is off center and I also have some visceral fat. Well I knew I needed to lose a few pounds but the "visceral" part kind of thru me for a loop. The surgeon explained I can still get a good result but didn't believe I would have the flat flat appearance I was hoping for. It would be up to me to diet and lose the weight but even at current weight I was a candidate and would see a great improvement even if I didn't lose any weight before surgery. I have about 7 weeks to lose 10lbs, which is totally doable. I was so busy processing all of the info that I forgot to take pics while there uggghh!

I found this young lady's pic and it very much resembles my own abdomen. No matter how much weight I lose I appear to be pregnant because of the abdominal separation. With such a prominent protrusion is this result common for a tummy tuck or is this an exception and not the rule? My belly often feels hard (for lack of a better way of explaining). Is what I'm feeling my organs or internal fat? I've gotten different answers from doctors and I'm kinda confused now. At one consult I was told I probably couldn't get totally flat and that I had some internal fat. I'm ok not having a wash board flat stomach but what does "not totally flat" look like? The more I think about it I'm not sure what to expect as I dont have a visual to reference. Most pics on PS websites don't resemble my situation

I had an appt today with my surgeon. I've been online a lot and had more questions and quite honestly I needed her to basically tell me again that all would be well and to calm the hell down! LOL ....I feel so much better meeting with her today! We finalized my prescriptions and I have my follow up spots scheduled. Oh and I remembered to snap a pic. I can't wait to see my after!!

My doctor instructed me to start these supplements 14 days before surgery. They help reduce brushing, nausea, swelling, bleeding and promote a speedier recovery. I paid approximately $40 for the two supplements. Well worth it if they get me healed faster!

Does anyone have knowledge of whether or not short term disability will cover 2 weeks paid time off work for a Tummy Tuck, muscle and umbilical hernia repair? My job only allows 5 days paid sick so anything beyond that goes into disability benefits. I know elective (cosmetic) surgery would typically not be covered but I'm wondering because of the hernia being repaired at the same time what is the likelihood of approval?