2 Months and Counting

Today was a better day. My pain is the worst in the mornings from laying all night. It is about an 8 out of 10 in the mornings and about a 5 throughout the rest of the day. I was able to take a shower without feeling like I needed to sit down due to back pain every few minutes. I am still dealing with the back pain but I can stand for about 5 minutes before it becomes too much. I am doing most things on my own at this point. I still have to call my husband if I drop something, need help with my garment or need something that is to low for me to reach. The hole is still present and leaking fluid from the drain site that I had removed 2 days ago. The first one that was removed closed in like a day and a half. I keep it cleaned and bandaged with neosporin and there is no sign of infection so i'm really not concerned. The itching is still pretty bad around the lipo, tummy and belly button incisions. I called my nurse yesterday and she said it is normal as long as I'm not developing a rash and I could take an antihistamine. She says that I can not rub anything on my skin because creams have steroids. I am taking Zyrtec once a day and it does not help. I wear a cami under my compression garment and that gives me some relief. Unfortunately, I think that this is just one of those things that gets better with time. The glue is still present in my belly button and the tape is still on my incision. My nurse says these will fall off. Both still look like they did on the first day with no peeling so I am not optimistic. I had to remove the tape from my incision for all 4 of my previous abdominal surgeries even though I was told it would fall off in a given time time. The only way I can stay sane about all of these issues is by constantly reminding myself that this uncomfortable feeling is only temporary. Thats it for now. Until next time....

So I finally had my tummy tuck with lipo of the flanks, muscle and hernia repair. I am just now posting because the last week of recovery has been rough. Everyday has gotten better. I had one drain removed on day 5 and the other one on day 7 (today). I was on blood thinner shots for 7 days just for precautions. I do not have a history of developing blood clots. (today was my last day thank God) Lots of numbness in my lower abdomen, flanks and lower back. I was warned of this beforehand. Itching is almost unbearable at times but I am dealing. Of course I am still swollen but that is to be expected. Abdominal muscles are extremely tight and I have this weird crawling sensation in my abdomen. Sometimes it feels like I can't take a deep breathe in. The worse part at this point is the intense back pain I get from walking bent over. Dr. Chandler is the best surgeon I have ever encountered. His bed side manners and attention to detail won me over the minute I spoke with him. All in all I am in love with my results. I am just taking it one day at a time.

After 5 long agonizing years, I have FINALLY saved enough to have my tummy tuck with lipo of the flanks. It is scheduled on 12/10/2020. I couldn't be more excited. I had my first consultation with Dr. Chandler in March 2019. After that, I had 3 other consultations with other surgeons. Ultimately, I ended up back with Dr. Chandler for various reasons. From a certain level of incompetence in other surgeons (not recognizing that I have an umbilical hernia that needs repair) to them being very arrogant and rushing me. Anyway, Dr. Chandler was very sweet. He took his time with me, diagnosed my hernia, answered all of my questions and gave me real expectations. A huge bonus is that on top of him being a board certified plastic surgeon, he did his 5 years of residency in general surgery as well so I don't need a different surgeon in the room to repair my hernia. Saves me a ton of money. I was a smoker up until about 5 months ago. He explained to me all the cons of how that could effect my results from necrosis to healing problems. Even though its been a year since I saw him, he still scheduled my surgery with an appointment scheduled 1 month before. Granted, I have had no major changes since I last saw him other than a tad bit of weight gain from quitting smoking. I am 5'7 and 203lbs right now. I plan on busting my butt over the next 2 months to lose as much weight as I can before than. Wish me luck!