Renewed Self

I’m so supervised but was able to ween down Tylenol 3 from two to one every few hours, and down to none on day five, and nothing on day 6. The only ongoing issue is sleep. I’m remaining propped up in bed or on the couch, but wanted to pass along to anyone considering/planning on the this procedure to rent a recliner to sleep in for 2-3 weeks.

I did a breast lift as half of a mommy make over several years ago and was very pleased with the results. Because of a last name change I can’t get into that review to update it.

I just completed the second half with a tummy tuck and am thrilled with the results. I had ripped stomach muscles from 2 pregnancies, weight gain, and saggy stomach skin that no matter what I did would not get better. I kind of gave up a few years ago, and was not working out as much as I should. I hated that part of my body, until the day after surgery when Dr. Gelfant came to check on me and I looked down to see a rather flatish tummy with a cute belly button. I was and am (at day 4) still swollen and bruised but am so very thankful to Dr. Gelfant. I am also grateful for the opportunity to really feel like I can once again be who I aspired to be in my life.

It does hurt but not as much as I was worried about (do not watch online videos). I’m going to get the drains removed today and expect the discomfort to disappear faster then. I wanted to share a bit on what I did to prepare: firstly, I spoke with my husband and told him about my decision and asked for his support, I outlined specifically what support I was asking of him, and other supports I was going to plan, and kept him updated on the progress of those plans and continued to thank him for his emotional support.

I planned my time off so I could disappear from work, family, friends, etc. without concern, all my self care appointments to be done lead up to the day of. I also read a lot about eating a plant based healthy diet leading up to the day, and planned to reintroduce some meats after, and purchased a fresh prep subscription to have easy prep meals delivered - with my husband being an amazing chef - this was a great alternative to cooking and freezing meals. I exercised as much as I could with a crazy work schedule. I read up on vitamins I could take pre and post that outside of the restricted days were adhered to. I planned every aspect of my lift to be completed or get support, e.g. dog walker, and get as healthy and strong as I could prior to the surgery.

I also got a referral to a nurse who came 1-2 times a day to help me clean up the area and give me advice on everything else I needed to take care of myself (e.g. set up pillows on the couch to sleep sitting up, do NOT skip pain meds and you will not let the pain creep up, and stay grateful). I also prepared myself by regularly reflecting on what was going on emotionally for me and with meditations, yoga, etc. was able to feel less anxious, and clarify for myself why I was doing this. I also highly recommend practicing yoga breathing and meditation exercises to get through any anxiety just before and after the surgery, and the breathing also helps with the slow deliberate movements needed during the first few days after to get in and out of bed, chairs, car, etc. I was surprised at how sore my throat was and the nurse said it’s part of the surgery and to just take cepacol throat lozenges, and they worked great.

I also carefully reflected on questions I had for Dr. Gelfant and his brilliant team, and they were kind at responding carefully to every one.

Dr. Gelfant is a kind, thoughtful artist who truly cares about his patients, his team, and the nurses at the surgery centre were incredibly kind too. I would not hesitate to recommend Dr. Gelfant to anyone who wants to do this for themselves.