POSTED UNDER Tummy Tuck REVIEWS
New User, Late 20's, Much Needed Tummy Tuck and Lipo! - Philadelphia, PA
ORIGINAL POST
HELLO COMMUNITY!!! I’m a recent TT & lipo...
$8,000
HELLO COMMUNITY!!! I’m a recent TT & lipo post-op. I’ve been following several of you ladies on here for some time before my surgery and you have helped me more than you can imagine! I thought it was about time to pay it forward. Maybe I can help others just like you have for me ?
8/20/14, 4:13AM (2 weeks, 6 days, 13 hours since surgery)
OUCH! These darned drain tubes are killing me. Okay, it’s not excruciating, but really annoying. My swelling has gone down to the point where you can literally see the lines of the plastic tubes going up my Mons pubis (pubic mound / muff :P )
With any luck, in about thirteen hours they’ll be taken out! I hear that’s a [RS bleep]! But after everything I’ve been through, I can take it.
After surgery I could only feel sensations below my incision and around my ribcage. Now I’m starting to gain some feeling on the middle of my abdomen, more soreness than anything. I still have no feeling in my franken-belly-button, but that’s probably a good thing. I’ve been spraying bactine solution into it because it seems to be taking longer to heal than anywhere else on my body. It’s still gross and full of stitches. Several interesting colors in there, none of them pretty, but it is beginning to improve. I suppose all of that time being covered by my body suit and binder wasn’t helpful, despite putting Neosporin on it. It seems like since it’s been more open to the air the last 2 days it’s beginning to heal up. I stopped wearing my body suits all day; today I wore just my abdominal binder. The last 2 nights I slept without my binder, and that seems to be helping my Franken-button a lot.
All of my bruising is gone –which is a miracle, I bruise like a pear and usually they last for at least a month- due to an awesome little super secret homemade Swirly Pop homeopathic miracle bruise and ache mixture! I am so sorry that I did not get photos of my bruising, but I wasn’t positive I was going to post on here and it was honestly the last thing on my mind. Just imagine the most gruesome purple bruises possible and put them all over a plus size girl’s arms, thighs, and belly. That’s what I had.
I didn’t even use my formula on a daily basis, just after I showered which was about every other day and within 2 weeks the bruises were almost all the way gone, and now nearing my 3rd week, they are COMPLETELY gone!!!
Since I’m amazing I will share my incredible bruise recipe and tips
I used a mixture of Terry Traumaplant comfrey cream, mixed with equal parts Arnicare arnica cream, and Planetary Herbals horse chestnut cream (20% aescin, with hazel, butchers broom, white oak, and myrrh). All available on Amazon, just mixed in equal parts. I mixed them immediately before use and applied after every shower before putting my body-suit on. If you don’t have a body suit I would say cover the areas with gauze or a long shirt.
The Horse Chestnut cream is usually used for varicose veins, but I added it to the mixture to help improve circulation.
This past week I added a squeeze of Boiron calendula cream to add extra moisture and to expedite the healing of any scratches. (It’s also an effective treatment in most of the same symptoms as Comfrey and Arnica).
Granted, it’s not all natural and organic, but I had to make due, and I believe I’m better off for it!
A little history on the ingredients:
I studied medicinal herbs and homeopathic medicine as a hobby for quite some time, so when it came time for this decision, I had some go-to plants and herbal extracts in mind. I honestly had hoped to prepare my own plants and make my own cream from scratch, but time didn’t allow me to do so. Thus, I went to the next best method (which was probably even better due to the extra herbal ingredients in most of these creams).
Comfrey: Once known as breakbone or knit bone, the herb was used in poultices and various concoctions to help heal broken bones, bruises, scrapes, sprains, burns, arthritis, muscle aches, and other ailments. (I can speak to this, I once fractured my knuckle and kept applying fresh ground comfrey with comfrey extract on cold compresses to the area and it healed in amazing time. The purple and green swelling was gone in less than THREE DAYS! And the knuckle was back to normal in about two weeks.) I swear by Comfrey!!!
Arnica: Your doctor may have recommended Borion Arnica pellets (which I took continuously- forget the 3X a day recommendation, I’d take 4-5 pellets every time I took my pain killers), so you may already be familiar with it.
Arnica Montana is commonly used as a homeopathic remedy for sore muscles, bruises, swelling and general pain. Traditionally it was also used for sprains and muscle spasms. Athletes use it to aid in strains and the conditions listed above. Call it overkill because they’re the same symptoms comfrey is recommended for, but hey, it’s better to be overdressed than undressed, right ladies?!
Horse Chestnut: Used primarily as a skin toner and aid to remove varicose veins. It also helps with inflammation and pain relief due to its natural ability to improve circulation to your skin when applied topically. Highly recommended to increase circulation in the lower legs, and in some studies has been considered as effective as compression stockings! -The cream I am recommending (Planetary Herbals) has other ingredients including butchers broom leaf extract, witch hazel bark extract, white oak bark extract, myrrh gum extract and rosemary leaf oil. Each of these have their own positive properties, but for such minimal quantities that is a lot for me to list! For a complete list of it’s other ingredients, such as preservatives and binders, refer to the planetary herbals website.
ALSO!!!!!!!!! I took Bromelain 500mg capsules, and Quercetin 500mg capsules at least 3X a day, both with and without food.
Some doctors recommend starting Bromelain, Quercertin and/or Arnica pellets, two weeks before surgery. I chose not to do this because I couldn’t find any general consensus if this is a good idea. My surgeon didn’t want me to take anything but a multivitamin for 2 weeks before surgery, and not knowing if these could have any unknown interactions with the anesthesia and the likes, I chose to wait until after my surgery.
Quercetin is a big time antioxidant! It promotes cardiovascular health, healthy histamine levels, fights allergies, helps stop inflammation, boots your immune system, supports respiratory health, and even has been noted to have antiviral properties and the ability to fight diseases! There are ongoing studies about Quercetin’s anti-cancer applications; according to the American Cancer Society, early lab results appear promising. I thought that was an awesome tid-bit to mention.
It’s in TONS of fruits, berries, veggies and herbs, so adding some of those to your meals can be beneficial too!
Bromelain aka the pineapple’s gift to mankind! Bomelain is known for it’s anti-inflammatory properties, it’s a natural analgesic, fights blood clotting, and it is also digestive aid. It also makes a nifty meat tenderizer!
As will all things, use caution. We all react differently to new substances, so I would recommend making sure you don’t have any allergies to the ingredients in the creams listed. Discuss usage of these creams and supplements with your Doctor and Surgeon.
And of course, (big surprise) there’s controversy whether homeopathic remedies are effective. In some instances Comfrey, and Arnica have been proven toxic in large quantities. With moderation and specialized farming the negative properties are mostly a thing of the past. Regardless of all of this, I figure there’s a reason some things stand the test of time. Because they work. It’s not licking a toad here, people! It’s using modern remedies containing time-honored herbal plant mixtures.
I think I may have typed too much, but I have been really wanting to share my experience! I don't have any decent "pre" or "post" photos yet, but I will upload some soon. I haven't spell checked this, nor have I proofed it, so it may not be perfect. Hopefully you all get my point though :) Again, HELLO ALL!!! I'm happy to be a part of the community. Sorry for the novel! I hope I didn't exceed the character limit, haha.
SwirlyPop
8/20/14, 4:13AM (2 weeks, 6 days, 13 hours since surgery)
OUCH! These darned drain tubes are killing me. Okay, it’s not excruciating, but really annoying. My swelling has gone down to the point where you can literally see the lines of the plastic tubes going up my Mons pubis (pubic mound / muff :P )
With any luck, in about thirteen hours they’ll be taken out! I hear that’s a [RS bleep]! But after everything I’ve been through, I can take it.
After surgery I could only feel sensations below my incision and around my ribcage. Now I’m starting to gain some feeling on the middle of my abdomen, more soreness than anything. I still have no feeling in my franken-belly-button, but that’s probably a good thing. I’ve been spraying bactine solution into it because it seems to be taking longer to heal than anywhere else on my body. It’s still gross and full of stitches. Several interesting colors in there, none of them pretty, but it is beginning to improve. I suppose all of that time being covered by my body suit and binder wasn’t helpful, despite putting Neosporin on it. It seems like since it’s been more open to the air the last 2 days it’s beginning to heal up. I stopped wearing my body suits all day; today I wore just my abdominal binder. The last 2 nights I slept without my binder, and that seems to be helping my Franken-button a lot.
All of my bruising is gone –which is a miracle, I bruise like a pear and usually they last for at least a month- due to an awesome little super secret homemade Swirly Pop homeopathic miracle bruise and ache mixture! I am so sorry that I did not get photos of my bruising, but I wasn’t positive I was going to post on here and it was honestly the last thing on my mind. Just imagine the most gruesome purple bruises possible and put them all over a plus size girl’s arms, thighs, and belly. That’s what I had.
I didn’t even use my formula on a daily basis, just after I showered which was about every other day and within 2 weeks the bruises were almost all the way gone, and now nearing my 3rd week, they are COMPLETELY gone!!!
Since I’m amazing I will share my incredible bruise recipe and tips
I used a mixture of Terry Traumaplant comfrey cream, mixed with equal parts Arnicare arnica cream, and Planetary Herbals horse chestnut cream (20% aescin, with hazel, butchers broom, white oak, and myrrh). All available on Amazon, just mixed in equal parts. I mixed them immediately before use and applied after every shower before putting my body-suit on. If you don’t have a body suit I would say cover the areas with gauze or a long shirt.
The Horse Chestnut cream is usually used for varicose veins, but I added it to the mixture to help improve circulation.
This past week I added a squeeze of Boiron calendula cream to add extra moisture and to expedite the healing of any scratches. (It’s also an effective treatment in most of the same symptoms as Comfrey and Arnica).
Granted, it’s not all natural and organic, but I had to make due, and I believe I’m better off for it!
A little history on the ingredients:
I studied medicinal herbs and homeopathic medicine as a hobby for quite some time, so when it came time for this decision, I had some go-to plants and herbal extracts in mind. I honestly had hoped to prepare my own plants and make my own cream from scratch, but time didn’t allow me to do so. Thus, I went to the next best method (which was probably even better due to the extra herbal ingredients in most of these creams).
Comfrey: Once known as breakbone or knit bone, the herb was used in poultices and various concoctions to help heal broken bones, bruises, scrapes, sprains, burns, arthritis, muscle aches, and other ailments. (I can speak to this, I once fractured my knuckle and kept applying fresh ground comfrey with comfrey extract on cold compresses to the area and it healed in amazing time. The purple and green swelling was gone in less than THREE DAYS! And the knuckle was back to normal in about two weeks.) I swear by Comfrey!!!
Arnica: Your doctor may have recommended Borion Arnica pellets (which I took continuously- forget the 3X a day recommendation, I’d take 4-5 pellets every time I took my pain killers), so you may already be familiar with it.
Arnica Montana is commonly used as a homeopathic remedy for sore muscles, bruises, swelling and general pain. Traditionally it was also used for sprains and muscle spasms. Athletes use it to aid in strains and the conditions listed above. Call it overkill because they’re the same symptoms comfrey is recommended for, but hey, it’s better to be overdressed than undressed, right ladies?!
Horse Chestnut: Used primarily as a skin toner and aid to remove varicose veins. It also helps with inflammation and pain relief due to its natural ability to improve circulation to your skin when applied topically. Highly recommended to increase circulation in the lower legs, and in some studies has been considered as effective as compression stockings! -The cream I am recommending (Planetary Herbals) has other ingredients including butchers broom leaf extract, witch hazel bark extract, white oak bark extract, myrrh gum extract and rosemary leaf oil. Each of these have their own positive properties, but for such minimal quantities that is a lot for me to list! For a complete list of it’s other ingredients, such as preservatives and binders, refer to the planetary herbals website.
ALSO!!!!!!!!! I took Bromelain 500mg capsules, and Quercetin 500mg capsules at least 3X a day, both with and without food.
Some doctors recommend starting Bromelain, Quercertin and/or Arnica pellets, two weeks before surgery. I chose not to do this because I couldn’t find any general consensus if this is a good idea. My surgeon didn’t want me to take anything but a multivitamin for 2 weeks before surgery, and not knowing if these could have any unknown interactions with the anesthesia and the likes, I chose to wait until after my surgery.
Quercetin is a big time antioxidant! It promotes cardiovascular health, healthy histamine levels, fights allergies, helps stop inflammation, boots your immune system, supports respiratory health, and even has been noted to have antiviral properties and the ability to fight diseases! There are ongoing studies about Quercetin’s anti-cancer applications; according to the American Cancer Society, early lab results appear promising. I thought that was an awesome tid-bit to mention.
It’s in TONS of fruits, berries, veggies and herbs, so adding some of those to your meals can be beneficial too!
Bromelain aka the pineapple’s gift to mankind! Bomelain is known for it’s anti-inflammatory properties, it’s a natural analgesic, fights blood clotting, and it is also digestive aid. It also makes a nifty meat tenderizer!
As will all things, use caution. We all react differently to new substances, so I would recommend making sure you don’t have any allergies to the ingredients in the creams listed. Discuss usage of these creams and supplements with your Doctor and Surgeon.
And of course, (big surprise) there’s controversy whether homeopathic remedies are effective. In some instances Comfrey, and Arnica have been proven toxic in large quantities. With moderation and specialized farming the negative properties are mostly a thing of the past. Regardless of all of this, I figure there’s a reason some things stand the test of time. Because they work. It’s not licking a toad here, people! It’s using modern remedies containing time-honored herbal plant mixtures.
I think I may have typed too much, but I have been really wanting to share my experience! I don't have any decent "pre" or "post" photos yet, but I will upload some soon. I haven't spell checked this, nor have I proofed it, so it may not be perfect. Hopefully you all get my point though :) Again, HELLO ALL!!! I'm happy to be a part of the community. Sorry for the novel! I hope I didn't exceed the character limit, haha.
SwirlyPop
SwirlyPop's provider
UPDATED FROM SwirlyPop
22 days post
Photos and a little history.
A few starter photos to give everyone an idea of my body type and such.
I've had several doctors run different tests regarding why despite a proper diet, drinking more water than a camel drinks after crossing the desert and a job that FORCES me to exercise, I could not lose weight. My family has a history of thyroid problems, but no doctor has ever mentioned it to me. My own friends and coworkers who are ridiculously fit (talk about a blow to my image) used to ask me all the time how it was possible for me to be so big, because they saw what I eat and do on a daily basis. I could never figure it out! UNTIL! My friend and partner (at work) figured it out. I work overnights, and I don't eat like a normal person. Usually one meal a day, two tops. (Tons of protein and veggies usually and just water the rest of the day - don't like soda or things like that. Also, I hate sweets! I am the only fat girl on the planet who hates most sweet foods and dislikes chocolate).
He started making me eat when he would eat, several different times a day. So whether he texted, called, or we were working together, he made me eat or have a protein shake and oddly enough I started dropping weight and feeling loads better!! I told my best friend about this development and she nearly smacked me for being so stupid and not eating and making my metabolism work all this time. My new primary physician also agreed! So, long story short, I lost more by eating more. Strange, but effective!! It was really hard to get used to at first cos I kept feeling like I'd get sick, especially eating first thing in the morning. But over time it got easier! So, I dropped some weight and now I finally got rid of the belly!! Now if my body wants to burn fat, it can take it from my thick thighs, haha. Everywhere else I just need to tone back up since not doing much since the operation. Anyhow, I'm happy it's gone, very, very, happy.
I've had several doctors run different tests regarding why despite a proper diet, drinking more water than a camel drinks after crossing the desert and a job that FORCES me to exercise, I could not lose weight. My family has a history of thyroid problems, but no doctor has ever mentioned it to me. My own friends and coworkers who are ridiculously fit (talk about a blow to my image) used to ask me all the time how it was possible for me to be so big, because they saw what I eat and do on a daily basis. I could never figure it out! UNTIL! My friend and partner (at work) figured it out. I work overnights, and I don't eat like a normal person. Usually one meal a day, two tops. (Tons of protein and veggies usually and just water the rest of the day - don't like soda or things like that. Also, I hate sweets! I am the only fat girl on the planet who hates most sweet foods and dislikes chocolate).
He started making me eat when he would eat, several different times a day. So whether he texted, called, or we were working together, he made me eat or have a protein shake and oddly enough I started dropping weight and feeling loads better!! I told my best friend about this development and she nearly smacked me for being so stupid and not eating and making my metabolism work all this time. My new primary physician also agreed! So, long story short, I lost more by eating more. Strange, but effective!! It was really hard to get used to at first cos I kept feeling like I'd get sick, especially eating first thing in the morning. But over time it got easier! So, I dropped some weight and now I finally got rid of the belly!! Now if my body wants to burn fat, it can take it from my thick thighs, haha. Everywhere else I just need to tone back up since not doing much since the operation. Anyhow, I'm happy it's gone, very, very, happy.
Replies (0)
UPDATED FROM SwirlyPop
22 days post
DRAINS ARE GONE!!!
I got my drains removed yesterday! It was far easier than I expected. Imagine a shoelace being untied beneath your skin only really really fast. That quickly it's over. By the time the weird feeling registered, it was all over. It was about as liberating as being able to stop wearing those stupid compression sock/legging things a few days ago. Good god those annoyed me. 12 years of Catholic school uniforms wearing knee-socks every day was more than enough for me, thank you very much!
The downside: Within a few hours afterwards I felt like a fat bloated cow. I wore my compression garment and my abdominal binder as advised but I still felt extremely weird and uncomfortable.
On top of that, my period hasn't stopped in 3 weeks because of my bodies reaction to the surgery. Yay, me! So I'm already bloaty! I was afraid my stitches would pop - but that was just me exaggerating. It wasn't that bad. It just was a new feeling having the fluid accumulate in my body instead of in the drain.
My doctor said I can finally take motrin again, so I did. 2 little motrin and a tylenol and I felt so much better!!! I'm still bloated today but nothing like yesterday. And I'm still making sure to take my bromelain and quecertin capsules every few hours.
My Marena body suit is fitting tighter than before, but at least I can take the abdominal binder off to sleep without any discomfort. I just keep reminding myself that it'll stop over time. Uploading my "before" photos tonight made me feel better though. Reminded me how worth it this darned bloating is, but since it's better than yesterday, I'm hoping it'll get progressively better as time moves on.
OH! And, since it's gross but interesting, I'm sharing a photo or two of an anomalous occurrence. I think my skin started to grow into my drain, or maybe it was just a chunk of tissue, but I couldn't help but poke at it and it definitely had a different consistency than the weird bits of things that you see go through your tubes.
Those who have yet to get their surgery, this is one of the things you have to look forward to. NSFW!! (But honestly, the drains were really not that bad until almost all my inflammation was gone. Just a pain in the neck when I had to leave the house because I had to stash the drain in my clothing somewhere inconspicuous).
The downside: Within a few hours afterwards I felt like a fat bloated cow. I wore my compression garment and my abdominal binder as advised but I still felt extremely weird and uncomfortable.
On top of that, my period hasn't stopped in 3 weeks because of my bodies reaction to the surgery. Yay, me! So I'm already bloaty! I was afraid my stitches would pop - but that was just me exaggerating. It wasn't that bad. It just was a new feeling having the fluid accumulate in my body instead of in the drain.
My doctor said I can finally take motrin again, so I did. 2 little motrin and a tylenol and I felt so much better!!! I'm still bloated today but nothing like yesterday. And I'm still making sure to take my bromelain and quecertin capsules every few hours.
My Marena body suit is fitting tighter than before, but at least I can take the abdominal binder off to sleep without any discomfort. I just keep reminding myself that it'll stop over time. Uploading my "before" photos tonight made me feel better though. Reminded me how worth it this darned bloating is, but since it's better than yesterday, I'm hoping it'll get progressively better as time moves on.
OH! And, since it's gross but interesting, I'm sharing a photo or two of an anomalous occurrence. I think my skin started to grow into my drain, or maybe it was just a chunk of tissue, but I couldn't help but poke at it and it definitely had a different consistency than the weird bits of things that you see go through your tubes.
Those who have yet to get their surgery, this is one of the things you have to look forward to. NSFW!! (But honestly, the drains were really not that bad until almost all my inflammation was gone. Just a pain in the neck when I had to leave the house because I had to stash the drain in my clothing somewhere inconspicuous).
Replies (2)