2016 Will Be the Year of the Tummy Tuck! Sterling, VA

I am 59 and had a breast reduction last year. It made such a huge difference in how I felt about myself wearing certain clothes. I'm saving my money for this procedure that I hope will happen next Summer. I can't wait, but have alot more to save up so I'm working as much as possible to add to the fund. Wish me luck!

Hi Girls, Louise here! Well I am one week post op and have been moving so slowly that I havent felt much like posting anything. I think perhaps because I'm older, my arthritis pain has added to the discomfort of this recovery. I'll go over the morning of surgery. On the morning of August 4th, my co-worker picked me up to drive me to the surgical center. I had my compression garment and the check for the anesthesiologist in my bag and I was ready. The traffic that morning just happened to be terrible and I was late arriving. I HATE to be late for anything, and I felt bad because the surgical team were all there waiting just for me to arrive! I thanked my friend for the ride and quickly got upstairs where I checked in, signed a few papers and gave the lady my check. Then I was wisked back to the exam room where I was to take off everything except this robe and put on compression socks. I was trying to hurry, the anesthesia guy came in to the room and went over some questions with me, and then my Dr. came and drew markings on me. Then the nurse told me to follow her to the elevator where we went up to the OR. I walked in to the bright operating room, and hopped up on the table, where they proceded to start an IV and I complemented the nurse on her cute " Minnie Mouse " scrubs uniform. There was a mask placed over my face and thats the last thing I remember until I woke up and my husband was walking into the room, ready to take me home. I was surprised to sit up in the recovery room, and realize that they had totally dressed me in my compression garment, my sweat pants, and shirt and everything while I had been asleep! I was all dressed and ready to go home!! " How cool! "
I thought, have no memory of how I got down stairs and out to my car. My husband told me I was in a wheel chair accompanied by 2 ladies who helped me into the car. I do not remember any of that! I basically just slept a lot that day after I got home. I made sure I ate several crackers before taking the pain pills so I wouldnt get nauseated. The next morning my niece came to take care of me. My Dr. texted me to see how I was doing, I told him I was bleeding through my compression garment, he said thats normal the first 2 days. That evening I took the garment off so my niece could wash it and dry it. It shrunk in the dryer and was so tight when I tried to put it back on that it pinched me. It was way too tight! I changed to my snug gym capri pants which seemed to do the job quite well.
The WORST was trying to go to the bathroom. Surgery was Thursday, this was Sunday night! I had taken 2 laxatives ate 2 plums drank plenty of water and Still had to get my husband to go get me a fleet enema. That was the only way I could go!! Not good! I'll continue this story later. Whew!

It's been a while since I updated my review of the Tummy Tuck I had on August 4th. A lot has happened since! Around a week after the surgery I went to my PS for a follow up check. When he first saw it, he said " Wow, Your incision is infected!" I said " it is? " I didn't know what was normal looking for an incision that soon after surgery. He wrote me out a prescription for an antibiotic, sent me straight to the pharmacy, and said come back in 2 days so I can check it. I took the first antibiotic within an hour after that and 4 times a day.I went back every other day while on the meds but it just didn't seem to be helping. He added a second antibiotic that I had to take every 12 hours. Meanwhile I had things I needed to get done at home. I was having a big birthday party for my husband in one week and I had invited 14 people for a buffet dinner. I was running to Party City buying party supplies, I was cleaning my house like crazy, one day I stopped and picked up 4 hanging flower baskets for the front porch and a watermelon. I was only 9 days post op. I was standing at my dining room table one day when blood started pouring out of my incision! scared me to death. I had been wearing surgical pads and the wound had been draining some. This drainage was different it was saturating the gauze pads so they could not hold any more blood and dripping on to the floor! Frantically, I called the Dr. He got on the phone and said, This looks scary, but its just old blood from your tummy tuck. This happens sometimes. Just let it drain. next day when he saw me he sent me to an infectious disease Dr. The infectious disease Dr. took me off the oral antibiotics, and sent me to get a picc line put in so I could give myself IV antibiotics every 12 hours. I did that. They sent a nurse over to show me how to hook up the IV med. She suggested I ask my PS to order a wound vac as well to heal it faster! When I told my PS he said " yes lets do it." The next day the wound vac came and the nurse put it on me. It is amazing! It pulls all the drainage from the wound and vacuums it out helping to speed up the healing! I've been wearing this for 2 weeks, and the nurse changes the dressing 3 times a week. I'm well on the way to being healed!
Ladies, In my personal opinion, in the beginning, I was trying to do WAY too much, too soon, getting ready for that party. I was doing heavy lifting, I was running around when I should have been resting. I kept hearing everyone say don't stay in bed, keep moving, but I went overboard, and caused this infection. I am 1 month post op and still wearing the wound vac and taking IV meds.

August 4, 2016 I got up early to try to finish cleaning up the house.
My husband and my son both went to work and I waited for my friend to pick me up. She texted me and said that the traffic was terrible on Route 28
She arrived and we were off to 66 but traffic was crawling! Then Dr Berman called asking how close we were to the surgical center, I told him we were still on 66 and he sounded worried . Then he texted me a half hour later and asked for a time estimate, I told him I was 5 minutes away. He was glad. I finally arrived and went to the desk to check in. Signed some papers and was quickly wisked back to the dressing room and then the anesthesiologist talked to me for a few min, then I followed the nurse to the elevator and we went upstairs and I walked into the OR and hopped up on the table . Next thing they did was start an IV and placed a green rubber mask over my nose and mouth and that's the last thing I remember until I woke up in recovery. I saw my husband standing there, he had come to pick me up. To my surprise, the nurses had dressed me completely including the compression garment, and I was all ready to go.
I was feeling very sleepy and went with Tom on the elevator and out the door.

Well I have been off work for several weeks and getting used to watching soap operas and Dr. Phil. I just love Dr Phil, don't you!
I have been on the wound vac for SO Long!! I'm feeling perfectly normal now, there's no more infection and I am ready to resume my NORMAL LIFE! Whew this has been a long time. I'm surprised that my nurse still has me wear this thing! It is draining next to nothing now and is pretty much closed up and healed.

Well finally today she removed the wound vac ! Yay Hoo ray!! I'm finally free. Well almost. Need to make an appointment to go see my PS so he can look at it! Nurse thinks Dr should put a few sutures in it to secure it and pull it closed a little tighter. I'm just so happy that it's not attached to me any more!
I'm happy with the flatness of my abdomen. The only NEGATIVE is that now my pants are all too big for me ! I guess that's a nice problem to have. I'm not complaining! I never have posted my photos on here but I will have my son show me how to do it.