Tummy Tuck in Vacaville, CA

I've been MIA, but it's been crazy! We moved across the world, and getting everything taken care of has been a lot of work. I also left my iPhone on the plane ????, so ALL of my pics and everything were lost. So far everything is going well with healing. I feel pretty much back to normal. I do feel a slight tightness or stretching when I move certain ways, especially while laying in bed. It's not completely comfortable yet laying straight and flat, but I'm getting there. I'm no longer wearing my garment! Dr. Klink said I could wean myself off after 6 weeks, and I did. It was annoying to pee and slippery under my clothes so I just quit it cold turkey after about a week of weaning. I'm still numb from about my belly button to my hair line, and I suspect that will remain numb. Oddly, I'm not numb on my actual incision. It feels weird when I touch that area and I'm still just a little sore all over my abdomen, but not too much. My scar is flattening out very nicely on the right, that's where I had some pleating.
SCAR TREATMENT---
So I bought some Mepiform off Amazon and also some NewGel+ silicone gel and I tried both out. You aren't supposed to use them together so I would alternate a day with the strips then a day with the gel, or strips during the day and gel at night.
The strips stayed on well, I would wash them off, dry them and they stuck back on nicely. I used the one package cut to strips (see above), and it lasted me a month. I stopped using them so they may have lasted longer, I dont know. I stopped using them because sometimes they made me itch and I got tired of trying to find somewhere to lay them to dry. The kids would accidentally touch them, or I would and it was just annoying lol. They are super sticky so it was difficult to manage them, and ain't nobody got time for that! Dr Klink did say he does not usually recommend the strips because he feels the gel works just as well, and he has concerns about moisture getting trapped under the tape and causing skin irritation. i think if you have a ropey, or raised scar the strips might be of use, but for me it just wasn't worth it.
NewGel+
I have been using the gel on a semi-regular basis. I'm bad about remembering things, and with the move my use has been pretty sporadic. I bought the larger size tube (see above) and I still have about half left. I dont know if it is responsible for the smoothing out of the pleating or not, but it has flattened out almost all the way. Without treatment I scar pretty well, my scars usually fade to a light tan or off white color after a while, but maybe the gel will accelerate that. It's easy and fast to apply and it has never left any residue on my clothing. I'll probably use what I have and then decide if I want to buy another tube based on my pics. I'm going to post some pics from this morning. I wish I could create some before after collages, but to do that I'm going to have to screen shot the pics off here and edit them...blah blah blah! I hate that I lost my phone! And I have to wait to get a new one until we get a bit more settled in and see who has the best deal. I'm going to try and post at least every week or two, at least some pics. Well, Auf Wiedersehen from Deutschland, and happy healing ladies ????

So I got my Mepiform and NewGel+ in the mail last weekend. I am planning to do the Mepiform strip at night and the NewGel+ during the day. The Mepiform came in the mail and I almost threw it out! I ordered a DVD at the same time and Amazon sent them both in the same envelope. The Mepiform was in a thin paper package, kind of like what we use in the hospital for gauze and stuff. So it was one big sheet and I cut it in half then each one in half again. They are very thin, and very sticky. I like that they are thin, and almost the same color as my skin. The NewGel+ sheet I tried from the doctor's office was way thicker and harder to deal with in my opinion. In their defense, all I had was a 1" square, so maybe the strips are thinner. But for the price, I'm sticking with the Mepiform. The gel is OK so far, it's very thick and has a greasy consistency but it's not greasy. I dont know if that makes sense, it's very smooth kind of like glosser that you put in your hair. I'll put some pics up of the strips and the gel and do another review after a week. Happy Healing:)

It's officially 1 month now. I'm feeling pretty good, this week seems to have been a turning point for me. I went for a follow up today and I'm off the tape, and cleared to use scar treatment. PS recommended Mederma cream or Newgel+. I asked about the strips and he said that the creams/gel treatments are very effective, and he said the Newgel is his first choice. I know it's more expensive and so I'm trying to decide what to do. I'm tempted to try the strips, but they are fairly pricey. I got a pamphlet from the office that came with a small square of the Newgel+ strip and it actually fits right over my belly button so I put it on there LOL. My belly button seems pretty well healed, but it kind of looks like an anus to me LMAO. Hopefully there is still some swelling going on. But I won't complain, it's still way better than what I had before.
I'm cleared to exercise now as long as I'm wearing my garment whilst doing so. Also, I'm supposed to start "weaning" myself off the garment. A few hours off here and there, but wearing to exercise, to bed, when I'm on my feet for long periods. I'll still have swelling, but it should gradually decrease as time goes on. Other than that, there is nothing new. I'm putting up some pics from last week. I'm having trouble logging in from my phone and Kindle, so I haven't been good about posting or adding pics. These pics are first thing in the morning.
Oh yeah also, has anyone tried Newgel+? Anyone have any advice on silicone gels vs. strips? Any advice is welcome. Happy Healing ladies and goodnight! :)