45 Year Old Tummy Tuck Lessons Learned and Tips

I shared the following lessons learned and tips on the feb/march forum but thought some others might find it useful.Lessons learned:1. Select your PS VERY carefully! Make sure they are well educated and have very strong referrals and reviews. Do your homework and select the best even if it costs more to mitigate the risks involved. It's an important decision. Don't bargain shop! 2 . Begin preparing for your surgery 2-3 months in advance by eating healthy and exercise. I was told my another friend that getting into as good of shape as you can before the surgery is very helpful and it's definitely helped me.3. Read through all of your surgeon's post-op protocol thoroughly and be sure to have every thing ordered and ready to use immediately after surgery. Be sure to take colace 3 days before (stool softener) and continue until you are back to your regular self (I stopped on day 10). While I didn't have a BM until 5 days after surgery and took Milk of Magnesia on day 4, I had no cramps or issue unlike many of the folks posting in this community. 4. Be sure to have a comfy recliner to use as a bed for the first few nights. I don't know what I would have done without mine. I practically lived in that chair for the first 5 days, then finally moved to the lowest level bed in my home (took over my son's bed even through today - day 12 PO). Don't plan to move back to my bed for a bit. 5. Make sure you have someone home with you for 2 weeks who can care for you (food, groceries, med cycles even in the middle of the night since you DEFINITELY want to stay ahead of the pain for the first few days. You will need snacks with those heavy pain meds. I took the prescribed dosages of percocet and valium for the first 5 days religiously on the advice of very knowledgeable PA and nurse. My husband was my rock, he set the alarm and followed the PO recommendations to a T. I weened off of the percocet by day 8 (shifted to 1 pill day 6 and 1/2 pill on day 7) and I stopped the valium around the same time. I shifted to extra strength Tylenol to manage the pain since then and I'm feeling really good about pain.6. Eat very healthy through your recovery to keep your spirits up and gas down. Drink plenty of water, it will force you to get out of your recliner regularly as suggested.7. On day 9, I began to feel cramping in one of my calves. I returned to work (from home) on day 10 and after 3/4 of a day working behind my computer at my desk, the pain became much more severe. I inquired with my PA and she advised that we rule out blood clots by going to the ER for an ultrasound. So glad I went since they did find a few blood clots which is very common side effect of surgery and can become dangerous if not cared for. As a result, I'm on blood thinners for the next 6 months - bummer, but we caught it early and I think it's a small price to pay for what is already looking like a massive transformation.8. Here are the things I hate about the recovery thus far:a. My drains - they are uncomfortable, sore, awkward and tough to navigate with any clothing even when you are wearing your husband's sweats!!! Started with 4, had 2 removed by day 8, 3rd removed by day 11 and hope to have the last removed by day 16. They are necessary (you wouldn't believe the junk that comes out of them and the thought of having that remain in my body or be removed by needle is far less appetizing!). b. My compression garment hurts my ribs. I call mine the rib crusher, but this is also necessary so you don't over-strain yourself. I got the ok to sleep without mine and loosen when I'm sitting for longer periods so that has helped. However, if you find yourself needing to use the toilet in the middle of the night quickly you'll not want it far since you should wear when you get up and walk.c. Showering is a massive task with the drains. You will need help to position all needed shower supplies in easily reachable places in the shower. I fortunately have a bathroom with non tub so I used that shower religiously thus far to feel safer and sit while I attempt to shave at least my thighs for the first week and now gradually my calves as my mobility has improved significantly. d. Limited laughing or any sudden impulses (i.e. sneezing or coughing or even a tickle in my throat) involving the abdomen. I accidentally allowed a sip of water to go down the wrong pipe on day 3 and my automatic reaction was to cough and the pain I felt was worse than ANYTHING I experienced even during my c-section recovery. Drink carefully and intentionally - no side mouth slurps from a straw, sit up properly and pay close attention to every sip!!! e. Hunched walking is really annoying. I go to a chiropractor regularly and he would have a fit if he saw how I was walking especially immediately after surgery. My back still aches, but at day 12, I started to stand a little straighter which is helping. I read some good tips on putting your back against a wall and challenging yourself to get both shoulder blades to touch the wall and lay flat in bed with knees raised and try to slowly lower legs to begin simple stretching. I'll try those soon I am looking forward to returning to my regular chiro adjustments which I am advised I shouldn't do until at least week 5 or 6. First won't be fun.f. All the lying that I've been doing! Since I feel this is a very personal choice and may be exposed as I see people on the beach this summer, I have kept this to my husband and one close friend. I will confess if people ask, but I don't want to share with anyone at least not now. Everyone is wondering where I've been including family so I've unfortunately had to be untruthful - this is neither in my standard operating norms or my comfort zone. g. Numbing and tight feeling in my abdomen. I'm sure this is probably also a pro since it limits the feeling of pulling the scar protection strips, gauze and medical tape, but it feels very strange to hardly feel myself touch my stomach. I'm told it could be like this for up to a year so we'll see how it goes.h. The total dependency I've had on my husband. He's been awesome, but I hate needing him to help pull up my undies or help me dress or empty my drains when I didn't have the stomach to do it myself. I'm planning a big thank you for him when this ordeal is over, but in the meantime I recommend that if you are feeling this way, just get over it and be fine with however he is picking up the house, cooking or running the house. These are minor, unimportant and temporary things.9. Here are the things I love so far:a. My body has not swelled that much and the results are already very impressive even from day 2 post op appointment when I first saw the initial outcome. I cannot believe it's my body!b. My incision is soooooo thin and is WELL below my panty line and perfectly symmetrical (which caused me worry from some pics I had seen in blogs, etc.). C-section scar is gone. I'm very hopeful that it will heal really well and only be seen by my hubby and me in my birthday suit.c. I'm very hopeful that with healthy eating and consistent exercise I will be able to maintain. I am no stranger to either of these and have had good results with the exception of my mid-section due to pregnancy muscle damage (had a darn big baby). I feel like I am getting a second chance to have the body I want even at 45! 10. This is a personal choice. If you decide to do it, do it for yourself but be prepared for a significant recovery timeline. I recommend being completely out of work for 2 weeks (I did a week and half and should have taken the last two days) then work remotely if you are fortunate enough to do so for several weeks after.Hope my learnings are helpful to others considering or coping with recovery. Recommended "Tips":1. Purchase a long, round chiropractic pillow to place between your shoulder blades as you are sitting for long periods of time. This helped with my back aches and has encouraged my body to stop being hunched all of the time. I actually slept with it last night as I begin to remove some of the big pillows that I've been laying my upper body on while sleeping through the night to keep too much pressure from the sore abdomen region. Eventually, you will need to begin to sleep flatter and flatter and without the right support it could be very achy and force you to miss much needed sleep especially as you begin to get back to work.2. Purchase a sturdy lanyard to hold your drains around your neck while showering. You will need this since generally they clip the drains to your compression garment but since you won't wear that in the shower you need to have a safe place to be sure they don't fall and yank on your already sore drain entry sites.3. Purchase or borrow an electric back massager that you can put behind your back while sitting. Since you will be on your back so much and it will become very sore, having this to stimulate circulation and provide relief was heaven-sent for me. I didn't have the foresight to purchase this, the lanyard or the chiro pillow in advance but happened to have them so I was able to leverage them easily.4. Since you must stop taking your vitamins (in winter and high flu season as it is now I always religiously take my Vitamin C and Echinacea to boost immunity), I was very concerned about getting sick prior to the procedure (coughing, etc.) that I became a bit of a "germophob". To reduce the risk of getting sick before, I found and carried a fantastic hand sanitizer with me everywhere the 2 weeks without my vitamins. I used it generously and frequently. It's called Everyone- Hand Sanitizer Spray (coconut & lemon). It smells awesome, fits in your bag or pockets for discretion and doesn't leave your hands dry. You can purchase online inexpensively. I remained healthy (still using regularly now). Also, avoid going to anyone's home if you suspect members of the household are or were recently sick. You cannot be too careful!5. Carry water with you everywhere post-procedure in case you get that tickle in your throat. Remember what I said about my first and only to date cough episode. Trust me, you don't want to experience that!6. Nightgowns that button up are best to use as your recovery outfit while home. They are easy to pull up to use the toilet and if you don't mind going commando you can avoid complicated navigating around drain tubes and sore entry sites when needing to use the bathroom. Be sure to purchase wet wipes to use for the bathroom especially as you begin your bowel movements. It's important to keep as clean as possible and given your limited mobility having something that is more effective in doing so with less effort is key. 7. Utilizing cotton tanks that are comfy but relatively form-fitting to go under my compression garment was very helpful to me. That thing can get itchy and irritate your skin. This helped keep discomfort to a minimum and also provided a little extra protection over the drain entry sites since it extended past the length of the compression garment. 8. I was fortunate to have my husband help me put my shoes on and off, but if you are not as fortunate, consider having slip on shoes accessible. Make sure they aren't so loose fitting that you could trip in them. You don't want a fall during recovery.9. My shower was a little slippery and I hate those mold inviting shower mats so I found wearing my Nike flip flops in the shower kept me on steady ground even when eyes were closed during shampoo rinses.10. You can go back to your regular soap a couple days after surgery. I had to specifically ask to find this out - glad I did ask at my first post-op visit. That anti-bacterial soap that was recommended by my surgeon to use in advance of the surgery can really dry out your skin. Am looking for recommendations on good body creams (not unhappy with my regular one, but others may have better suggestions given surgery situation).11. I practically lived in a warm, fleece, zip up sweater that was big enough to go over my drains. It allowed easy access to my compression garment to tighten and loosen and drains and kept me cozy and warm with a quick zip up when needed. 12. Going out the first 2 weeks was tough in terms of wardrobe especially if you are trying to hide your procedure as I was to almost everyone in my life! I found a calf-level black cotton skirt with a cotton flip over waist (no real elastic, just slightly tighter cotton cloth) was easiest to use with a large black, zip up sweatshirt that could easily hide all 4 initial drains. Of course I also used the camy tank under the compression garment. This outfit allowed me to navigate all of the drains easier than my original loose, pull up yoga pants since i had to figure out how to comfortably place over or under my drain entries. 13. Be sure to clean your drains daily to ensure they are functioning properly and be meticulous in your fluid measurement documentation. You will be anxious to get those drains removed and can only do so when you can prove to your surgeon that the daily totals for each drain are acceptable prior to removal. Bring that documentation with you to every post-op visit while you have the drains.14. Have a list of questions prepared for your surgeon or PA in advance of each visit. The squeaky wheel gets the oil. They will take the time to answer all of your questions especially when you are organized and researched. My time with my surgeon and PA has been productive and I leave every visit more and more informed and feeling more in control. This will limit the number of follow up calls you need to make to your surgeon or PA as well.15. My husband showered with me for the first few tries to help with shampooing my hair and rubbing my back in the warm water. It was a bit of a luxury but showering helps lift your spirits and having a little extra love and security in the shower is helpful and reassuring.16. I mentioned this in my initial post but since reading some of the nightmares about some not seeing their surgeons for weeks after surgeries, it warrants a repeat. Read ALL of the reviews you can find on your top picks for doctors before making your decision! It's an important decision and you need to know if you are going to have easy access to yours. I decided on Dr. Restifo in CT and I've needed to call the office 2x post op. One time was well into the evening and he called me back in literally 90 seconds and was very helpful in his guidance. The other time, I spoke immediately to the PA who offered excellent advice which lead me to diagnosing an early blood clot safely and is being well-addressed. The PA personally called me the evening of my surgery to see if I was ok and if I had any questions and provided me with some additional tips. I saw my surgeon on day 2 - he personally inspected me and took the time to answer all of my questions. Day 8 I met with the PA who inspected me, was very informative and attentive and also answered all of my questions. My surgeon insisted on seeing me the day after I was diagnosed with the blood clot and wanted to understand exactly what I experienced and made my day by unexpectedly pulling my 3rd drain (score!!). This is the kind of attention and care you should be getting. Expect and demand nothing less! Doing thorough research will help you validate whether your potential surgeon provides this type of post-op care. I was not surprised by the care or results I've experienced as I choose a surgeon that had many, many reviews indicating that this is how the practice operates. Choose wisely, my friends...you are worth it!17. Plan around your menstrual cycle. I scheduled my surgery for the week after I expected to get my cycle.Well - this is all the tips I can think of for now. Hope you find them helpful!