No longer floppy: TT, MR, Lipo

I’m 5 weeks po as of today, but posting for 4weeks:
I had my first lymphatic massage yesterday. Holy mother father. So so painful. The employees told me that most people (from a couple of doctors other than Hustak) come in starting the day of it the day after. I am 100% sure I would have thrown up on them if I came that early. Not just because of the post-op nausea, but because of the pain. I almost levitated off the table from the pain a month out. Two things the LMT reassured me of:
1. That the bunching of the skin at the scar lime would smooth out.
2. That Dr. Hustak “pulled me tiiiiiight”
Which I loved hearing. (Side note- she also said that for waiting a month to start massage, I wasn’t very swollen. I don’t know if that’s a credit to Dr. Hustak or my post-op self-care or just my body’s natural healing properties)
It’s been one month and I haven’t peed on myself once. You know, the post-pregnancy loss of bladder control? Yeah, it was bad. Granted, I haven’t been jumping around yet, but I can sneeze and cough now without having to twist my legs together. Maybe the best “side-effect” so far!!!
Also, MY BUTT!!! Whaaaaaat?!? I’ve never had a butt. I asked Dr. Hustak the morning of the surgery if I’d regret not getting a bbl, and she said that I had good projection, so it would probably be fine. And she was right. Just taking that extra fat from all around my waist line made a significant improvement in the appearance of my “aspirin-ass“
The scar, just in the past week (since the pics have been taken) has improved significantly as the scabs have started to fall off and I’ve started on scar therapy.
At my 4 week checkup with the NP, I was told that all restrictions were the same, except that I could start getting massages. So I’m looking forward to starting to exercise and perhaps getting into a bathing suit to swim will go. I haven’t purchased any new clothes, but now I look daaaaaamn good in the ones I already have, if I may say so.

I would suggest that anyone who has seasonal allergy issues hold off on surgery until any allergens in the area have cleared as sneezing and coughing is still not my favorite thing.

I woke up today, 1 week post op, feeling a bit better, definitely more optimistic that I’ll feel well enough to go back to work next week.
I had my 1 week checkup yesterday and Dr. Hustak said everything was looking great. They did two major things
- they took out my drain (anyone who says it’s not painful lies, but it’s very fast)
-they put me in a stage two faja- more on that later.
She answered any questions I had such as how much they had taken off (18.2 [!!!] pounds as it turns out, which I assumed included skin and all), and whether I still needed to wrap, stuff the belly button, bandage the lipo holes (all no), whether I had to sleep on the stupid wedge (not if it was comfortable to lay flat and if I had my legs slightly elevated still so that there wasn’t too much pressure at the incision), and some medication questions.
I’ll see her again in two weeks.
The past few days have been better every day. My main pain area has been my back- whether due to the lipo in that area or the hunched position I’ve been sporting, we’ll never know. The next most painful areas have been the hips where there is a ton of bruising and swelling.
I have no incision pain and the muscle repair pain is totally bearable and an afterthought to the back and hips.
To be fair, I have been spacing and halving pain med doses now that I’m back home with the kids, there’s only so many time I can call a watermelon a cucumber before they start giving me side-eye. I’ve also been trying to use Tylenol in place of pain meds whenever I just need a little bit of relief. Also, the pain meds just make me sleepy.
I am using the muscle relaxer more consistently though, as I find that it helps the back pain more. Also, I find that rocking back and forth on my hands and knees as well as child’s pose propped up on my elbows helps the back- don’t know if it’s allowed, but try and stop me.

I have told my friends so many times, don’t be a hero, take the meds when the doctor tells you.
But I’ve been so afraid that at the end of my prescriptions, I’m going to be in a lot of pain, so I’ve tried to space them out or swap some with Tylenol. I do believe that this is the end of that plan. This flat-bellied woman will be taking the meds as scheduled, being awake at all be damned! I’m not in any pain as long as the garment, drain, drain tube, pads, and gauze are in good positions and I’m not moving. But usually by the time I get everything positioned well, I have to pee again. I’m going to try to sleep without the under-the-knee wedge tonight and see how that goes.
Mom had to go out of town today so she brought me back home. I love my house and my husband and my children. That being said none of them are a stand-in for Mama’s care. I am doing alllll the things more or less by myself as long as it’s not obviously stupid to do so. I’m going to make hubs help me shower and apply pads, gauze, etc. tomorrow, so he’s going to have to see the not pretty side, which I was trying to avoid. My youngest child is three and, god bless her, she “gentle hugs” like a line backer.
Things I don’t like: moving, coughing (kill me now), being awake, little splashes of big emotion, constipation
Things I like: showers, drugs when taken on schedule, my very very flat stomach.
Guys, I finally pooped today. All of my children were c-sections, but I imagine this was like what natural childbirth must be like. I had been drinking prune juice, apple juice, tons of water, been taking dulcolax and, since before surgery, colace and it took every grain of thought and every ounce of energy I had into welcoming that poo baby into the world. Big kiddos to my knee wedge pillow for being a stomach splint to support me.
Also uploading some day three photos. (So these are two days after the previous photos on day one- surgery day being day zero.)
Now, time for the Xanax that will hopefully keep me out until morning!