Tummy Tuck After Losing 60lbs

I am worried about the amount of swelling and feel that I will not have the results that I orignally anticipated. Is it normal?

I decided to finally get my full TT and a breast augmentation this summer 2009.  I've always suffered from being overweight since childhood.  I had my daughter at 18 and after having her I weighed 220 lbs and I'm only 5'1".  I was at my largest, in my 20s; I tried every diet known, but nothing seemed to work.  When I hit 32, that's when I decided to join a gym and to become aware of  what I was really putting into my mouth, so I started counting calories and working out regularly.  Well to my surprise, I really enjoyed working out at the gym!  Yes, I became a workout fanatic.  It took awhile for me to drop the weight, but overall I was feeling great.  I had more energy and I was meeting people with the same goals and common interests.  I really started to see a big difference, weight was coming off and I was toning up.  I loved how my legs and arms started to look; I had muscle tone and it made me want to work out even more. I carried most of my weight around my stomach and breast, so when I lost 60 plus pounds my stomach and breast began to sag; it was so gross!  No matter how many excercises I did for the abdominals and chest there was no improvment just more excess skin. So, I decided to research PS and I went to a few consultation with different PS in the area.  I met with my Dr. in his Beverly Hills office on a Saturday.  Although he was very fast paced I felt most comfortable with him and the office staff were so friendly and welcoming.  I just felt he was the PS for me.  He explained what the TT procedure and breast aug. would encompass and what the final results would look like.   I booked my date on that same day, which was July 14, 09.  I could not wait and counted down and was so excited!The day came and I was not nervous at all.  My surgery was scheduled for 8:30 and I needed to report in at 6:30.  My surgery was performed in Rancho Cucamonga, CA.  Dr. K has three locations, which I found to be very convenient.  The staff were awesome!  They made me feel so comfortable; it was a great experience.  They were attentive, informative, caring, and considerate ( highly recommended).  One con would be that Dr. K was running late but when he arrived he went straight to work.  He marked me and took pre op pictures.  He's very dedicated and  a perfectionist, which is a good thing if you're a PS.   I was in surgery for a little over 3 hrs.  When I awoke, again my RN was so caring.  The pain on a scale of 1 - 10 was about a 6.  I was sore but nothing unbearable. I stayed in recovery for about an hr and a half.  I was sent home with my meds and I stayed in bed for the rest of the day.  Of coure, the soreness worsened throughout the first few days.  I had two drainage tubes and could not walk very far without having back pain.  My incision is very low and can be covered with underwear; it's low enough that low rise undies cover it; that makes me happy!:) For my 1 wk followup apt. again Dr. K was very fast paced but he was extremely happy with the results.  I, on the otherhand, was worried because of the swelling and not being able to fit into my pre op clothing.  But he assured me that it would soon go down.  My drainage tubes were kept in for another wk. because he mentioned that he didn't want me to get a seroma.  At my 2nd wk followup the tubes were taken out and the swelling was still present, which I now know that swelling can last up to 6 months or longer.  Also, my incision above the pubic area is still very raw in fact I think it looks like necrosis (death to the skin) which is common for smokers but  I am not a smoker so that is one concern I have.  Dr. K just advised me to wash it with soap and water. I am now close to 4 wks post op and I feel great!  I am able to stand straight , which happend gradually but it feels so good to stand up straight and not to have anymore back pain.  My incision is still a bit raw above the pubic area, but through research I have found that it's common and it takes time to heal particularly in that area.  Also, the swelling has gone down significantly and I really believe that Bromelain (a vitamin supplement that eliminates swelling & pain due to surgery or injury) and drinking a lot of water has helped with the swelling.  Bromelain is a pineapple enzyme that I found at Walmart for under 10 bucks.  I researched different remedies for swelling and that was the most used.  I highly recomment it.  As I approach my 4th wk. and reflect back to my overall experience I absolutely have no regrets; I would totally do it again.  The pain for me was bearable and I love the results thus far.  I love to look at myself in the mirror now without clothes.  The healing process, is also a state of mind our minds are so powerful and if you really believe that you're gonna have a speedy recovery and focus on the positive you will.  I'm so happy that next week I'll be able to go back to the gym.  Of course, I know I can only do very light exercise, but the overall gym atmosphere is a postive and motivating factor to my overall weightloss success.

I decided to get a tummy tuck and breast augmentation after I lost 60 pounds. I had a significant amount of excess skin around my abdomen and breast.