40 Year Old, 2 Kids, BR, TT, Hernia Repair - West Orange, NJ

Here's what I look like in clothes.

What a difference two weeks make. BR from DDDD to C plus TT/diastasis rectus/hernia repair on May 18. I'll be 41 in a few weeks, 5'3", around 145-149 lbs usually, breastfed my kids for a combined 6.5 years. I waited till my breast tissue involuted following my son weaning but was then told by my uninformed internist that a BR would make it difficult to read mammograms so I had resigned myself to these huge knockers. A chance encounter with a thrilled patient 2 years postop sent me to a consult with the man who would change my life, almost as much as my ex-husband.
First set of photos: The tee in the second photo was one I would only wear to bed because it was way too tight and made me uncomfortable to wear it outside of the house. Second set of photos: Mother's Day with my kids (10 & 6) and 8 days post op (first trip outside). Face is thinner because I didn't eat for the first four days postop. The first three days were HORRENDOUS. I stayed two nights in the hospital instead of one because I couldn't void without the foley and was in so much pain and immobilized, I didn't even think I could get from the wheelchair to the car and the car up the few steps to my first floor. The PCA dilaudid only dulled the pain, didn't take it away. The next three days I spent in bed, watching Netflix but never making it to the end of episodes or movies because I was doped up yet still in pain. No appetite so my PS's office told me to d/c the Percocet. Day 6 I finally had a bowel movement after drinking half a bottle of that nasty saline laxative. Day 8 I walked a few blocks to pick my kids up from school and took a trip to Whole Foods to stock up on fruit. Day 9 I had a friend and his son over for an impromptu BBQ. The same night I gave myself the last injection of lovenox (which was really difficult for me because I have a serious needle phobia) and was able to switch to ibuprofen the next day which is much more appropriate for inflammation than acetaminophen. Today is Day 11 and I plan to stay in bed all day because tomorrow I am going to help my friend with his 3.5 year old twins because his wife is out of town. Yes, I am still sore, my stomach skin has no sensation, I don't feel comfortable when I'm not wearing my compression girdle, it drives me nuts that I have to undress when I think I have to have a bm, my breasts are swollen to the point that it reminds me of when my babies went too long between feedings, they look like Frankenboobs, my hip to hip incision looks pissed off at me, I'm sore and black and blue in random spots (probably from the lipo), but I feel happier than I have in YEARS.
My body matches my vision of myself in my head. My shoulders don't hurt. My intestines aren't poking out of my sides. I can already feel a slight improvement in my pelvic floor. I've always been comfortable naked but almost always uncomfortable in clothes. I can wear shirts without spilling out of them. I will be able to wear dresses that aren't wrap dresses and don't make me look like pregnant (no joke: people have asked me if I was having a girl or a boy). I am so happy I did this and wish I had done it sooner. NO REGRETS.

My incision sites near my pelvic bone really burn when I move. It feels like they are stretching and are very painful.

So much less pain that the first two days. Less output on the drains too.

I have had absolutely no appetite which is very bad because my doctor wants me to have 100 g of protein a day. That's about four chicken breasts. I can barely stomach one.

I had been kept in the hospital an extra night because I wasn't able to pee so they re-catherized me and made me pee on my own the next day.

I still haven't pooped which the surgeon's nurse said was bad so she told me to get and drink magnesium citrate. Even in grape flavor it's disgusting. Bitter and sour and nasty even when I hold my nose while drinking it.