43 Years Old, Petite Mother of 2, Finally Got a Tummy Tuck W/a Small Vertical T Scar! 5'2", 114 Lbs. - Westlake Dermatology

Hello ladies. It's been a while since I have posted on here. I had to deal with packing an open wound from the incision splitting and I guess it grossed me out, and discouraged me from posting for a while. After reading other people's stories, I figured I should take a moment and post some new photos! The wound finally closed at 7 weeks. I started taking Chlorophyll at the suggestion of a natural path doctor and healing went really fast after I started taking it! I watched a you tube video of someone who was at 13 weeks and it still wasn't healed. I think the supplements really helped! ttp://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/10-amazing-benefits-of-chlorophyll/

I have a pretty ugly scar in the middle where the incision split, but the doctor says he can fix that easily with a scar revision so I am not worried. It is hidden by all my underwear and all my bathing suites!

At 8 week I started exercising a lot. At 9 weeks I started competition water skiing again! I have been amazed at how well I am doing in a short time. I was expecting this to be much worse. I am still numb, I still have days of swelling, I still have days of weird pins and needles feelings, BUT, I don't care! I love looking in the mirror every day and feeling young again! I look amazing and feel better than I have in years! It was all worth it. All the pain, all the gore, etc.... I know this is a long healing process so I can't wait to see how it all looks in 6 months to a year when you really see your final results!!!

Had a great Thanksgiving feast! It was nice to see family and friends. I don't normally eat sweets but of course there was a ton of them at our house for Thanksgiving. I had cake & pie, etc.... Can't wait until the rest of it is gone and I am able to exercise again. In a couple of days we will be back to eating more healthy like we usually do. I'm feeling pretty good about everything and really enjoying my new look. My skin still feels tight and sometimes I feel really huge, but I just go and look in the mirror and realize I look great! I'm still swollen but that is to be expected. My mid section (around the belly button), still measures 31" like it did before, (which I find so weird), but I look a million times better! I guess the swelling is more even all the way around than the previous big pot belly was so even though it measures the same, it looks so much better.

I still have an ugly open wound where the scar split but I really don't even want to post pictures because it grosses me out. I'd rather just focus on the positive. Overall I am really happy with the results and I will really look forward to the day that I don't have to care for this nasty open wound.

I'm so active and it's been hard not to exercise. I've been doing light stretching since day one and I even did squats and lunges the other day! It felt great! I've also been doing light arm exercises without weights. I just need to keep things moving somehow. I've also been stretching my back on my foam roller each day. I can feel my abs a lot more now so I can flex the muscles and "suck it in", although that doesn't do much to change my appearance. It just feels good to know that I can feel my muscles again and things are healing as they should.

I will have my 3 week follow up appointment on Tues.

I caught whatever my kids had and I've been sick all week. It's been hell!! I finally found the best way to handle the coughing. Not only do you need to cover your stomach with a pillow, you need to press as hard as you can! The pain is worse than natural child birth! It's awful. I found a spot in the house where I can press myself against the corner really, really hard with the stiff couch pillow in front of me. It's rediculous but I found I have the least pain that way because the large pillow covers a bigger area than I can cover with my hands. I also had my husband cover my stomach once as well. I'm definitely feeling a little miserable. I can't wait to feel better!!!