33 Yrs Old, 3 C/S, 5 Stone Weightloss - Great Britain

I've been approved for a fleur de lis abdominoplasty on the NHS on the 30th June.

After huge babies (middle one was 10 lbs and transverse), 3 caesareans and a 5 1/2 stone weight loss my stomach is completely 'detached' from the rest of my torso. My muscle separation is enormous and I get significant back pain and internal aches and pains due to the lack of support. I can't run or the skin can catch and tear. It seems to be getting worse rather than better, probably because of the weight of it vs gravity!

My wonderful GP put me forward to a cosmetic surgery board after I was in for antibiotics after running and tearing again. My previous GP put me forward twice and was rejected twice, so I didn't have any hope to be honest. I was shocked when she called me back and said I had been accepted!

I had a consultation with my surgeon who was so encouraging in January. He wanted to go ahead by mid-March, but due to unfortunate theatre booking procedures, it was postponed until the 30th June. I really hope it goes ahead this time!

I went in for pre-op last week and got blood taken, HR and BP etc. All fine, so should be good to go! Also turns out my scales were weighing me half a stone heavier than I am, so that was a nice bonus.

My husband has booked 2 weeks off work, and my mum will help out if I need her after that.

I'm mainly keeping this log because when I was looking for an experience like mine I couldn't find one! It seems everyone who goes private gets liposculpture as well, and most NHS patients have a panniculectomy only. I'm having a full fleur-de-lis, but with no liposuction. The surgeon has warned me that the scar will be huge. I don't care at all.

So I had surgery on the 30/6 (hottest day of the decade!) and it's now the 8/7. Still sore and puffy but on barely any pain relief now. Drains came out on day 4. I had 6.5lbs of skin removed and am weighing 7lbs less than I did on surgery day. My appetite has been reduced significantly because my abdomen feels so tight.

Went for a dressing change 2 days ago, another one in 4 days. My surgeon seems pleased with progress. He has said if there are ridges or lumps he will perform liposuction to remove them, but wanted to see if it was necessary first. It goes up and down so much at the moment I don't have a clue whether I'll need it or not.

Before I took these pics I cleaned my room up and did some laundry. I am definitely swollen, but here we are so far...

So now I'm 10 days PO. Today I tried on lots of clothes and had a big clear out. I didn't manage everything before I was too tired to continue but really encouraged so far.

Wearing Spanx now in the day time and nothing at night. It's so hot and I can't sleep in them. I am swollen in the mornings but I would prefer that to tossing and turning all night. Sleeping on my side a little bit, but not all night. Down to just 2 pillows under my head. My wonderful neighbour made us a casserole to give husband a break from cooking - it was amazing!

I'm using a camping chair padded out with sofa cushions to rest on because the Angle is just right and because it's sort of hammocky it's giving my butt a rest from being sat on all day, lol!!

I'm taking liver capsules to build me up because I feel like my iron might be low.

Haven't needed any pain relief today for the first time. Still sore but not bad at all. There is a light at the end of the tunnel!!