It's Been a Lead-in Time of 20 Years!

It's been a good couple of weeks; back to a solid 90% of normal. Doing lots of stuff without worrying anymore about swelling, ongoing discomfort, and twinges (lifting 3 year grandkid, helped someone shift house etc). I do still get all of the the discomfort responses but they are milder than they were two weeks ago, and the resulting tenderness is gone a few hours later. Just this morning, I had a super sore spot near the scar line that was a searing pain (nerve maybe?) when I touched it. But I didn't panic and three hours later it was gone. Lots of numbness still especially along scar line in the centre, and then up around BB.
In one area, I can also rub along my scar line and feel a response somewhere else on my belly (about 1.5 inches above where I am rubbing). That is just a plain nuts sensation, haha. Saw the surgeon's nurse earlier in the week and was reassured that all of this is all quite normal; everyone's recovery is totally different.
Scar looks beautiful. Swelling much less than it was but tummy still looks tight externally as swelling has gone down so I am happy about that. I can manipulate the tummy area and it's a whole lot less "tight" than it was. FINALLY! The whole area still feels super weird though; I am resting my laptop on my lap typing this and the front is digging into my abs and bouncing off them as I type. It makes me feel a bit queasy for how weird it feels.
I have had a cold this past week with the fun of coughing and sneezing so that's hurt a bit but only at the time of the actual sneeze or big cough and then I don't give it another thought.
Lastly, I have made solid progress in bed turning from side to side but it's definitely nowhere normal yet. All I know is that it doesn't wake me up as viciously as it did but I am still quite aware of the effort required to move to my other side. I also had a bath last night and struggled to get out which was a surprise. Ended up having to roll over in the water onto hands and knees to leverage up. Felt a bit ridiculous but pleased not to be stranded in there for the night, LOL. Was super glad I didn't try a bath a month ago.
Overall, I think my recovery went super well for first 3 weeks but definitely it's been a long hard slog from 3 weeks to 11 weeks. Maybe my expectations were wrong? Maybe, it's my age? Maybe, I went back to work way too early at Day 14 and that set me back? Certainly lots of people on here seem to make heaps of speedy progress from 4 weeks onwards. So I guess I am writing this for people who come after me who also find themselves surprised at just how long and slow the recovery period can be... Apparently, long and slow recovery is still quite normal.
Next job: go buy a pretty bikini ready for our upcoming NZ summer...... how amazing is it to be considering doing that though?? Pretty, blimmen fantastic I gotta say. Might even make that my next update if I find something I love. Yay for being almost totally out the other side of this very challenging experience! Would do it all again though - 100%; just wish I had gone in with a much clearer idea than what I was given by the surgeon as to what to expect.

9 weeks photos; jeez I wish I could work this website out. Tried to post photos with previous update but nope. Nada. Photos are small sized. It's only two photos. But yet, this is my THIRD go at loading them up.

Well! Finally, I feel as though I am almost normal (about 85 - 90%) and my thinking is defined by the moments I remember I have had the surgery and can't do stuff because of it, rather than wondering all the time when I will feel normal again.

In the last week, i have realised i have still been quite protective of my abdomen and that at 8-9 weeks, i need to stop that now and instead, start telling my new abs to wake up and start working again! They feel so much less mushy and doughy so it’s definitely time. I think i have been fearful of the discomfort experienced by pushing myself a bit turning back into sustained periods of pain again. So, I have started gently pushing myself more eg i did a few baby yoga stretches and yes, my hips did start burning again but it was gone so within a couple of hours. Today I carried a child's car seat for 10 metres. I could feel my abs were a bit sore for 1/2 hour afterwards, but that passed without further incident too. I also crawled and wiggled into a small space to attend to a house job today. I took it very slowly and yes, my abs definitely were tender but then tonight, I don't have to take pain relief like I would have only 2 weeks ago. Finally!

I still wake up in the night when I turn over as the pain? jolts me awake; I have not yet been cleared for yoga. I lift heavy weights with a huge amount of care. I still have the weirdest of twinges, tightness and a belly that swells tightly sometimes. The numbness is quite extensive in the central area. If I rub firmly across my sternum or around my back, it's tender and hot. But my new "Wake Up Abs" plan seems to be working. I can suck them in. I can gently exercise them. I have stopped feeling anxious as to when I will ever feel like myself again.

This weekend, I am going out to buy some sexy underwear. It's time.

P.S. I did read on here of a gym bunny who said it took 1 year before she could raise her arms straight above her head without the sensation of tugging. That helped me to adjust my expectations yet again. 1 year....