32 Yo Mom of 2 (5ft6 130lbs)

Hi! I’m getting a tummy tuck in a couple days and I’m very nervous but also excited! I think I’ve chosen the right doctor and my expectations are high.
I hope to share my experience in an effort to help other women make this difficult decision. The women on this site have helped me tremendously, so thank you! Specifically Dr. Barnthouse’s patients. I hope to pay it forward :)
I’m attaching my before photos and I look forward to sharing the afters

I had my tummy tuck today, I can’t show you any pictures yet, though I’d like to. I will as soon as anything is visible. It’s all bandaged up and I haven’t even seen it myself. Just to recap: I’m 5ft 6, 130 lbs and very active. I do HIIT about 3 times a week and run ~6 miles on a good week, 2 on a lazy week. I also do English style horseback riding once a week and it’s an intense workout for the core and thighs yet I see zero improvement in my abdomen no matter what I do. My legs, arms, and butt are slim, firm and toned though it doesn’t show to look at my before pics. I blame babies and genetics ;)

Side note: get yourself an electric lift chair off Facebook market place or Craigslist if you aren’t too big of a germaphobe. They’re realitively cheap (mine was $200), you can of course choose not to get one from a nasty house. Check it for anything gross before purchase and vacuum/ sanitize the hell out of it yourself the. Cover it with bed sheets. Bonus, resell it afterwards, elderly people need them often, you’ll have no trouble finding another buyer. Mine has been a godsend today and I’m sleeping in it tonight paired with a good neck pillow.

I arrived at the SurgiCenter at 6:45 and my husband and I went in as instructed after calling. They stopped us at the door for temp checks, checked my husbands phone number info and then let him leave. I was taken inside to check in which room about 2 minutes. Then waited about 5 minutes in an empty waiting room to be taken back.
-let me take a second to comment on how much of a clean freak I am and how reassuringly pristine this place was! I mean, even the trim along the floor had nary a dust bunny to be seen. Spotless.

Upon going back I gave a urine sample (I was worried because I stupidly forgot and peed before leaving home and I got scared I wouldn’t have enough), she told a few drops would suffice and it did! Then she asked my height and weighed me.

We went to my private room next. The nurse was named Linda I believe and she was wonderful. My through the roof anxiety fell every minute while she talked with me and got my mind off things. She was such a sweet lady. She got me a gown and 2 plastic bags for my coat, purse and before/after clothes. I brought a dark colored (in case it gets fluid on it) big fuzzy bath robe and snow boots to wear home at the doctors recommendation. It was perfect and I’m still in it now!

Next, she left while I changed into a gown and then she got me into bed with a warm blanket and a heating air thingy (? Lol), it was delightful and I felt coddled and comforted. I was given a teensy cup of water and one capsule to prevent nausea, which I was all for! Linda put my IV with the swift fingers of experience and I barely felt anything. Hands down the best IV experience I’ve ever had. All the while we were blabbing on in the most easy going pleasant way and my stress was plummeting.

Then the anesthesiologist came in to go over any allergies or other basic info. I had read that people who use Marijuana regularly can require more anesthesia so I was certain to mention to her that I have used it once a day for many years but stopped a few weeks ago in preparation for surgery. I wanted her to have alllll info. She seemed pleasantly surprised by my candor, told me not to worry one bit about it and thanked me for being honest about it. That was a huge weight off my shoulders.

Dr. Barnthouse arrived to mark me up, he used multiple colorful sharpies which I found amusing. He set to work, focused like a master. He was all business, measuring with his little tape, pinching my flesh and then letting it fall, marking some spots related to that..? Idk.. but it was interesting to watch. I had to stand on a little step stool as he did this and then rotate periodically. Took about 10-15 minutes. I appreciated how thorough he seemed to be with this step. I had expressed concern about my flanks / haunches, wtf ever awful name side and back fat blobs go by. He strongly assured me he would be using Lipo as far around my back as possible though he could not access the very center. This was fine with me and the same thing he told me in my consult, I just wanted to remind him. I decided to wear one of my favorite pair of panties for him to mark me up in (they ask you to bring a bikini bottom). My my panties are bikini cut, I own loads of the same exact pair and I knew that would be my ideal shape to have a scar concealed under. Dr. Barnthouse did hike them up just slightly before marking me. He said they were pretty low and I had to give him a little more space to work with. I was okay with that, I’ve seen his before and after pics and I know i won’t be disappointed.

My next visitor was a nurse from the operating room and another gentleman anesthesiologist. He also told me not to worry about my pot concerns and that he attended college in the 70s so he was pretty cool about it ;) Each new interaction I had with someone made me more and more certain I was in the RIGHT place. They helped me get my hair piled into a net cap and rolled me off to the operating room. This could have been a stressful time but instead we all chatted and laughed about how we deal with our messy kids around the house and what it’s like once that go off to college. (I haven’t experienced that yet but it sounds clean).

Upon arrival in the OR another team member introduced himself to me, asked me to verify my birthdate and procedure. They helped me move over to the operating table and triple checked my comfort. I had a nice squishy soft pillow under my head, another under my knees and a warm blanket. They all informed me that this was MY day and it’s all about making it good for ME. Not too shabby ¯\_(?)_/¯ I suffer from TMJD (jaw joint disorder) and the staff were extremely accommodating about it. The anesthesiologists took time to explain the different glide tool they would use on me to avoid undoing years of dental appliances, treatments and healing. They said they deal with lots of TMJ patients and they don’t seem to have issues with it. I was so pleased.

Last bit I recall is them putting on my oxygen mask and explaining what they’d do next. They inserted some sedation into my IV and told me I should start to doze off in about 1 minute. I relaxed while they told me they’d take great care of me, said Dr. Barnthouse is a pro and a great guy then said “have a good nap!”. I literally passed out with a smile on my face.

Next thing I know I’m in recovery with my eyes closed and I hear mellow sounds of others stirring about and nurses. I notice some soreness in my upper abdomen and a general tightness (but no pain at the incision for now! Seriously)nothing too bad. My throat feels dry and soon a new nurse comes over to held a straw up to my lips, letting drink as much as I wanted. She was an angel. She leaves me be to gradually wake up after that and eventually I’m alert enough to talk with her. She lets me know that Dr. Barnthouse has called my husband and he’s heading over to get me but they aren’t rushing me out either. Next she gives me some animals crackers which sounded surprisingly good and I ate half the bag in no time. I got an injection into my IV for nausea which I really appreciated. After this she removed my catheter without an ounce of pain and assisted me into some hospital panties and a maxi pad. Of course my period was triggered the moment surgery ended lol, she said it’s super common because of the stress leading up to. I sucked down 3 glasses of water, eventually stable enough to hold it myself, plus 2 pouches of applesauce. She helped me into my bathrobe then teased me about what a fashion statement snow boots and bathrobes are right now :D It does hurt to laugh btw. My husband had been allowed in by this time and my lovely nurse filled him in on all my post op instructions.

I can’t deny i was terrified to move. I’d been fairly comfortable in the bed since I woke but the time came to go. Nurse helped me pivot around and supported me so I wasn’t using my core muscles at all while I sat up. It was indeed tender but it wasn’t that bad. Next was standing, she helped there too as I was waiting wobbly from meds and utterly incapable of standing erect. No shocker there. My incision line still didn’t seem to hurt, just the lipo spots giving me some mild to moderate burning. I was able to get out to the truck ( we decided on our truck bc of snow, 4wd capabilities and the need for my husband to drop my at the front door to avoid all stairs). It wasn’t too bad getting in the truck just a little weird and uncomfortable getting used to this new tightness and restrained rage of motion. I should mention our truck is not lifted, it’s a pretty low height compared to some. I used my puffy coat as a pillow between my abdomen and the seatbelt, it worked great.

Since I’ve been home my husband has emptied me drains 3 times, administered my meds to me every 6 hours and I’ve emptied my own drains the last few times. After watching him do it several times it didn’t seem intimidating anymore abd I realized I’d been over worrying about dealing with them. They don’t hurt or bother at all.

I set our Alexa to remind me every hour and a half to get up and walk around for 5-10 minutes per doctors instructions. It’s FOR SURE helping. We have hard wood floors with area rugs around and I’ve been using a plastic chair with socks on the legs. It’s not too heavy to maneuver across the rugs and slides easily on the wood. Once I get to the open I make laps on the wood portions. This first time it was difficult, weird and awkward to feel so hunched. Finally I surrendered to the feeling and even allowed my chest to rest on the back of the chair a little while I sloooooowly shuffled about. This made it was easier. The next time I didn’t need as much support, and so on. By the last time I did it at 10pm tonight I was scooting around, holding onto the back of that chair (still slow) but much easier. At the end I almost forgot myself and sat down in the chair to chat with my kids in the living room. I was comfortable! And the walking was to thanks. I recalled suddenly that I’m supposed to be in beach chair resting position so I scooted back my recliner and got a pillow under my knees.no was rewarded with a lovely dose of pain meds. Alas it is time for bed and I’m optimistic about tomorrow. Even though I hear it’s typically the worst day. Ehhh :-/

I slept great last night, woke up at 4:30 for an applesauce pouch and some pain meds, went pee then dozed in my lift chair until 6:30. I’ve heard the 2nd and 3rd day are the worst so I’m not slacking off on pain meds yet. I’m usually a minimalist when it comes to medication but not for this ordeal.

I started having more burning pain which I assume is from the lipo so I took my pills one hour earlier ( I was doing every 6 hours and this time I did 5, I want to keep ahead of it). I’m still walking around pushing a chair, (holding onto the back of it in front of me) every hour and a half, but it hurts just a little more today. Hence the speed up in my medication. I accidentally swallowed my water wrong and coughed, that was the worst pain I’ve felt since the whole operation :/ I emptied my drains and settled down with my cat and a heating pad on my lower back. Time for a couple hours rest and zero movement. I think today will be manageable. I was mentally prepared for the worst so anything better than that will be a pleasant surprise.

I’m trying very hard to ward off constipation issues. I’m not experiencing any discomfort in that regard yet but I want to take a preventative approach if possible. Last night I ate raw broccoli, apple slices and a bowl of oatmeal to try and amp up my fiber. This morning I had 4 egg whites with avocado slices and hot sauce, so that’s more fiber and some protein to help these muscles heal. I also had an organic chocolate protein shake, a cup of strong coffee, 2 stool softener pills and ex lax. So far I have zero urge to poop. Not a very exciting update, I know! I’m so anxious to see what things look like but I’m probably better off not seeing for now anyway.

Oh, for the hell of it I weighed myself. I usually fluctuate between 128-130, weigh myself naked for accuracy. Today with a heavy winter bathrobe on I was 133. Not that it matters much but I was just curious.