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POSTED UNDER Tummy Tuck REVIEWS

Unhappy with Off-center Belly Button After Tummy Tuck

ORIGINAL POST

I had a full tummy tuck and breast augmentation...

sblmJuly 14, 2009
WORTH IT$3,000

i had a full tummy tuck and breast augmentation three weeks ago abroad in Cyprus. After having two children and loosing my baby weight my body was a mess i had badly damaged skin from the belly button downwards and saggy smaller breasts. it made me deeply unhappy and effected my relationship with my husband as i had lost all confidence in myself, i had tried to loose weight to solve my baggy stomach but it only looked worse and also i lost all shape and fullness to my breasts. so after much research i came to the conclusion that surgery was my only option.

It has taken 4 years but it has finally happened and i am thrilled with the results, apart from an off center belly button (Which i am hoping can be fixed) everything looks fantastic and i still have a little swelling so it will get even better when the swelling goes down.

The recovery was admittedly quite tough in the first week as i had two procedures together, i had little to no use of my arms for the first three days as i had my implantsplaced under under the muscle i was able to use them to feed myself and to drink but to move my body around to get comfortable forget it also due to the muscle tightening in my tummy i was unable to use these as well so it was very difficult i had to use my legs a lot to push myself into more comfortable positions. the pain for the implants was more severe than the tummy which i found surprising. Also i was not expecting to be bent over and not able to stand up straight after the tummy tuck, a failure on my part in not asking the correct questions. However after leaving the hospital after three days i was off pain meds during the day and only continued for two more nights. three weeks on and i am nearly upright and and getting stronger with each day.

I would deff recommend this surgery to any one who is considering having it, just be prepared, the first week i did wonder why i did it as pain was bad, BUT it did not last LONG and is now a distant memory and was deff worth it.

If you are miserable as i was i know how it affects your life, i used to think about it every day and could not escape the feelings of disgust about myself but now i have a new found confidence and i feel free.

i am three weeks post tummy tuck surgery i am very happy with the overall results however and i have an off center belly button by about 1cm which i am unhappy about, is this normal due to swelling (mine is fairly minimal) or will my belly button stay like this, if so is there anything that be done to correct this and if so what is involved.thank you in advance for your time.

Replies (17)

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Sharon at RealSelf
July 16, 2009
It might seem odd to ask, but are you swollen evenly, or is one side bigger than the other? That might account for the off-centre appearance.
sblm
July 17, 2009
Thanks Sharon for your comment. my husband said the same thing the problem is neither of us can tell if i am more swollen on one side it looks fairly even.
judynq
July 17, 2009
the easiest way to find out of one side is bigger than the other is to simply just look down at your stomach. you'll be able to see if there is a difference between each side.
sblm
July 20, 2009
i am now and three and a half weeks post op i fear i have been to quick to judge my results it is hard not to as you look at yourself every day impatient to see the results. However my belly button already looks different to how it did when i posted my first comment, it has changed shape and is a little more rounded and although it still looks a little off center to me it is not as bad as it was before. heres hoping it will sort its self out. for all others with similar complaints or those unhappy with the shape of your belly button there is a useful trick which involves stretching out your belly button with a marble you can find instruction on - tuck that tummy .com
txjp
December 23, 2010
Are you still posting? I am 4 days postop and had my dressings removed. I noticed right away that the lines that were drawn preop had stretched out and did not line up at the midline. This makes my blly button slightly off center. I wasn't able to see my ps today, so I wasn't able to get reassurance about it. The nurse stated that it was due to swelling and that he has never had to revise a belly button. Did yours get better?
sblm
December 24, 2010
Hi I am now 1 1/2 yrs post op i have to say my belly button issues did resolve them selves over time i do think swelling has a lot to do with it but also i think the amount of scrutiny we put ourselves under just after the op doesn't help, think about it did you study your belly button before the op i doubt it the fact is its quite common to have an off centre belly button but we just don't notice it, when you have a surgery such as a tummy tuck everything is pulled tighter and therefore an off centre belly button becomes more noticeable. My advice, you should definitely discuss your concerns with your PS but you must also be patient i know its hard but its so true you can not see proper results from a tummy tuck until about 6 month to a year afterwards. If you are still unhappy with the way it looks at this point you can discuss options with your PS. My belly button was very small even at six months and had developed a small Keloid scar so i had a steroid injection which helped the belly button to open up and got rid of the scar i also had to wear a something in my belly button to stretch it out some more which took some months. But now i am finally happy with it the whole process took 1yr for it to look how i wanted it. Good Luck and if you have any more questions you need answering don't hesitate to post again and i'll try to answer them. :-)
Girl from Texas
July 28, 2009
Did you try the marble thing? My belly button looks weird and I'm hoping it will change. I tried sticking a little marble in there but it won't stay in...here is a link to my page....http://www.realself.com/review/Tummy-tuck-Question-about-my-belly-button
sblm
August 7, 2009
hi i haven't tried the marble thing yet but you need to tape the marble into your belly button you can find exact instructions on how to do this on tuck that tummy .com. Good luck
Girl from Texas
August 7, 2009
Yeah, that is actually where I got the idea from. I tried sticking a marble in there and then taping it but it still popped out. So then I tried a cotton ball....neither of these worked very well. I have another appointment in 2 weeks...I might see if it needs a revision. I had an overall great experience, I just am really unhappy with my belly button. Did anyone else's belly button look like mine and then it looked better as an end result?? I would REALLY appreciate any answers to this question. http://www.realself.com/review/Tummy-tuck-Question-about-my-belly-button
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