Tummy Tuck - 32 y/o, 190lb, No Kids

After discovering a brain tumor in late 2016, I finally had an explanation as to why my breasts and tummy had grown so disproportionately large and why I had inexplicably gained 60 pounds between 2006-2014. My pituitary prolactinoma had been producing a surplus of prolactin in my body, making it act as though I were pregnant, and throwing my hormones and metabolism way out of whack.

I am now on medication to treat the tumor, and it is shrinking and bringing my hormones slowly back into balance. I am also working with a weight specialist to heal my metabolism and lose weight. I am finally losing weight in a stable, lasting way and am down 30 lbs from my highest weight of 221 lbs in 2014.

I had a breast reduction and liposuction of my core in Jan 2017 (see my other reviews). Dr Galiano did a phenomenal job! But my tummy did not shrink down like we’d hoped. We decided to do a tummy tuck to bring my body a little closer to the shape it was in before the tumor wreaked it’s havoc.

I do plan to have children, and Dr Galiano said the tuck should not create any complications for future pregnancies, aside from possibly needing a revision after child rearing is done. I plan to enjoy my new body for a year or two before getting pregnant though!!

I’m out on the flat side! 7 days post op. I was at the hospital from 5:45am to 7:15pm. Loooong day for my poor husband! Anesthesiologist was the same one who did my breast reduction last year, so she remembered my issues with waking up and adjusted the meds so I was awake and alert much more quickly. I still took a long time to leave, which I attribute to my general sensitivity and slowness to adjusting.

I have two drains in place that I am emptying and “milking” 2-3x/day. Drainage has decreased significantly, so I think they’ll come out at my follow up visit tomorrow. They’re not as yucky as I imagined. The stretchy granny panties provided by the hospital have been perfect to manage them.

Walking hunched over has been the hardest part. Very painful on my low back, because you can’t support your weight with your abs. So we picked up a walker off craigslist for $10, put some felt furniture tabs on the legs, and boom! Walking hunched over pain free, using my arms for support.

For everyone considering this operation — you won’t be able to do jack. Make sure you have a helper you’re comfortable enough with to have doing everything from arranging your hair to showering you to dressing you to wiping your ass on the toilet. You’ll need a minimum of 6 days full time assistance, in my experience.

I also had liposuction done to my upper arms and breasts (since they were a little fuller than I wanted after my reduction). My Marena compression vest (size XL) feels great, and helps a lot with the lipo pain in my tricep area. My total inability to use my ams for the first 3 days may have made my experience more difficult than the norm.

Will post pics as I continue to heal!

Got my steri strips and temporary sutures removed today, as well as my drains. PHEW it feels good to have those out. Did you know they go in almost 12”???? They really burned coming out. But now I’ve been given the OK to start standing upright, and I feel like I’ve quickly entered a new stage of recovery (with way less low back pain and much better ease of getting around!)

Pics — obviously very swollen everywhere from the lipo, but I’m concerned about my breasts. They seem really deflated. I wanted the volume of the outer sides lessened, but Dr didn’t say anything about the risk of lipo causing a loss of perkiness. Very concerned about this, but time will tell.

Anyone have experience with liposuction to breasts post-reduction?