Tummy Tuck & Lipo with Dr. Jones on 12/18/19

I had my surgery with Dr. Jones on 12/18/19. After doing research for 2 years and deciding and then not deciding; I finally put my deposit down in July. I took 3 of my friends along and was very thorough with questions and they even answered my friends questions. They were very patient and nice during the entire process. I called them probably 20+ more times with questions each time I had accumulated them and every time they were patient and answered each one. The day before my surgery I went to my preop appointment and was extremely nervous but confident that I chose the right doctor. My expectations were high but reasonable. The day of the surgery, I was nervous but ready to get it over with.. I was in and out very quickly In my mind lol I literally felt like it was 5 mins. I was sleep then awake but apparently it was 3 hours. I was really out of it the 1st day.

I hired New You Recovery house and Mrs. Marcella and her livery service picked my husband and I up from the surgical center and she stayed with me the entire night. My nurse showed up at 8am Nastarssia was awesome. She cared for me all 5 days and was so patient, gentle, and she worked hard. My husband only had to fluff my pillows and help me into bed at night. There are a few things I wish I’d known before I got there but I’d course this was my first and last go around so I decided I’d help someone else if they had questions. I was pretty out of it the first day. The 2nd - 10th days I felt intense swelling, soreness, tenderness, and stiffness sort of like I had been run over by a truck but I had the meds to subside the pain which was tolerable for sure. I had my follow up appointment on day 6 but I was still extremely swollen. Dr. Wright and the nurse said they think I’m going to really appreciate my results once the swelling goes down. My husband requested wheel chair access prior to my flight but be sure to tell them you need t when you land as well. So many people didn’t have wheel chairs waiting when they arrived, my husband made sure mine was. I was nervous about the flight but my ride home made me more nervous. The flight was fine, I felt every bump on the drive home. I was still super swollen but because I had a drainless Tummy Tuck, there was not one drop of blood anywhere ever. Just a stain on my bellow button gauze when we took the bandages off. Even the nurses were impressed. It was the neatest, cleanest surgery ever. All of my wounds were covered with surgical tape and by day 6, at my office visit, when the Dr. removed the tape from everything except my lower abdomen incision, everything had scabs and was healing already. I’ll post pictures once I get a chance to edit them.

My lipo wounds have healed completely and my incision is nice and flat but still covered with the surgical tape. I haven’t taken pain meds since day 17 and sometimes I get a slight headache likely unrelated to the surgery and just take 2 200 mg ibuprofens and I’m feeling better all over. I found an amazing aftercare lymphatic massage center called the Chicago Dollz and they are the absolute best. Dawn takes a look at everything and helps to ease your nerves about movement and how much to push yourself. She’s seen hundreds of girls and has an amazing staff. She had hundreds of girls from the DR and their bodies looked amazing. She said Dr. Wright pulled me in really good and my incision is so thin low and straight. The massage was a little uncomfortable but manageable and I felt a lot better afterwards. I’m healing, moving around, and doing better every day. My incisions and belly button are healing well too. I’m super careful and clean and anal about doing everything I’ve been told to do to get the best results. I already looked 100 times better on day 1 but each day it’s looking better. My swelling was up a down consistently for the first 18 days and then it started to go down daily afterwards. I can tell when I have too much sodium because my swelling gets intense. I first had no appetite the first 3-6 days and then I was hungry for everything terrible afterwards. I satisfied my Chinese food and burger cravings and felt it instantly. I learned to eat half or less of some of the foods I like but only like once a week instead of daily. I originally weighed 170 but weighed myself today and I’m at 162. I’m still taking Bromelain, Colace, & Arnica 3-4 times a day. I can’t tell if it helps but I assume so since everyone tells me to keep taking it. I have no bruising only swelling soreness and stiffness. I’m completely numb on my lower belly but was told that’s normal. I have mild electric shocks in my stomach area but was told that was my nerves reconnecting and that’s normal. I purchased a new faja and feel like it’s pulling me in more and giving me more support although the original faja I received from Dr. Wright was fine for me until my swelling decreased but I could’ve gotten it taken in but just took the lazy way out and bought another one. Sorry this message is all over the place but I’m trying to give as many details as possible.
I almost forgot: possible things to do prior to surgery. Take arnica pills and bromelain two weeks prior up until the surgery date. Call the surgical center or Dr. Wright to get instructions on what meds you shouldn’t take prior to surgery. I had no idea I shouldn’t have taken any ibuprofen two weeks prior. Invest in a recliner if you can since sleeping upright was very comfortable for the first few weeks. Have lots of pillows for adjustments and to help comfort.