Fit 39 Year Old, Mother of Two, Tired of Looking Pregnant - Walnut Creek, CA

These past two weeks have been full of ups and downs. Swelling is very real. At around week 10, I definitely got a little bigger from the belly button down. I took a pic with a dress I was planning to wear to a nice dinner and immediately took it off b/c I felt like I looked pregnant. It was super depressing b/c I didn't expect swelling to be this significant at 10 weeks PO. Even in the morning, I still looked pretty swollen.

My weight has stabilized at 133-135 lbs (so a few pounds under pre-surgery) and I have been running again 6 days a week, 4-6 miles a day. My times are still a bit slower than pre-surgery but I am not too worried, just focused on staying healthy and fit. At week 10, my waist (the thinnest part) was about 28-29" and around the belly button was about 31-32". Just when I started to think the swollen belly look was my final result, my swelling seemed to go down a bit... finally at week 12. My waist (the thinnest part) went down to 27.5" and around the belly button down to 30.5". The belly (belly button down) still gets bigger throughout the day but at least in the morning and even after my runs, my belly is fairly flat.

Scar update. My scar looks really really good. I finished the 8 week treatment and the incision is thin and flat at 10.5 weeks PO. The color is still red but honestly if this is my scar this early on, it's going to look pretty amazing in six months as the color fades. The best part of Embrace was the ease of it all. I didn't have to remove the dressing for 10 days and it was easy to put on and remove. Compared to paper tape where I had to remove daily (before showering) and then reapplied post shower, Embrace was a life saver. I also started running again at 6 weeks PO and the dressing stayed on even on my longer 6 mile runs, several times a week!!

Not much change to report since 4.5 weeks PO. I'm still a little swollen in the morning, especially around the incision. Above the incision line I have this small muffin top created from the swelling but my doctor said it will go away with time and that I might not see my final result till 6 months out. Not sure if you can see in the pics, but I do have a larger bulge on my left side (love handles). Again not going to worry about it for a few more months...

The biggest news to share is that I finally started running again. Who-hoo!! I took it pretty easy at 6 weeks PO. Kept to 2 miles every other day at a 11 min/mile pace. I may push it a little more this week but am being super careful about listening to my body. It's strangely peaceful and relaxing to start running again. I just feel stronger, healthier and happier after a run. Really looking forward to seeing whether a stronger core can help me run faster. =)

I also added a pic of my scar with the Embrace dressing. I'm about a month into using Embrace and so far I think it's working. Before I started Embrace, I had a few spots along the incision that were raised... and during my last dressing change at 6 weeks PO, I noticed that the entire incision line was flat and thin. The pic makes the incision look a little more red b/c of the reflection from the dressing but I'll try to update with a close up of the incision without the dressing at my next change.

I wasn't planning to update till the 5 week mark but wanted to share first pics of the belly button! :) Think it looks really good/cute. Slightly oval shaped with minimal visible scarring. I do have to insert an ear plug into the belly button for a few months to help make it deeper since I didn't have enough fat... yes, very shocking considering my before pics. Think my fat was isolated in the love handles. lol Not sure how I feel about the ear plug yet, feels a little strange sometimes, especially towards the end of the day. I wonder if it's because I'm more swollen and the belly button is pushed inwards? Either way, I'm wearing it if it means better results. haha. Anyone else use ear plugs for helping shape the belly button? Does it work?