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

I am 5'2" and 114 lbs. I have always had a great body and have been in great shape! I exercise a lot, eat right and work hard to keep my figure. I like to bike, swim, hike, run, water ski, lift weights, etc..... I had my first child at 35 and my second one at 40. My first was a c-section after 36 hours of labor & 3.5 hours of pushing. He was 9 lbs! I finally was able to have a second child at the age of 40 and it was tough. It was an all natural VBAC and luckily was only 4 hours from start to finish. My body did not bounce back like it did the first time. I spent the last 3.5 years with a trainer trying desperately to try and get my figure back, but nothing was working. I finally decided to go to the doctor to inquire about liposuction. They explained that I had diastasis recti and an umbilical hernia and surgery was the only way to fix that. They explained my rounded belly was all muscle and there was nothing to lipo. The muscles were simply really stretched out. I was really, really shocked at that and left the doctors office feeling disapointed. I never wanted to spend this kind of money or consider this kind of procedure!

I spent the next year and 1/2 researching this surgery up a storm! I've read a lot on this site, I've watched videos on YouTube, etc.... I spent a lot of time with my trainer (who does body building competitions) and she was all for the idea of me getting a tummy tuck. She knew we had tried everything else.

I finally took the plunge 6 days ago and so far I am thrilled!

I'm writing this review for 2 reasons. One is that I'm bored out of my mind stuck here at the house! The other is that I couldn't find photos of anyone who really looked like me and that made me really nervous. I'm hoping that my photos help some other petite people with not a lot of loose skin, move forward if they want to.

I had a 6 cm separation in the abdominals, plus a herniated umbilicus. I was really nervous about having a "T scar" and I couldn't find many photos of that anywhere! Most people have a lot more loose skin to work with. Luckily Dr. Craven was able to keep my scar really low, and the vertical incision is minimal. I will be able to wear all my low cut underwear and only a tiny little bit of the vertical scar might stick out. I haven't actually seen the incision yet because it is covered up by tape but I did try on my regular (low cut) underwear and several of my bathing suits. It's going to look fabulous! My biggest concern was keeping the scar hidden because I am always on the water and always wearing a two piece bathing suit in the summer. The doctor said he took in 11 CM!!!! That's almost 4.5 inches. That's awesome! No more pot belly.

I will post more details and photos as I have them. If you have any questions, please feel free to message me. This was a really big and scary decision for me but I'm glad I went through with it. The recovery is tough but it is all that I expected after reading on this site for so long.

Oh, and a couple big tips are....................
You MUST have help for the first 4 days. Get your kids with a sitter, and get someone to stay with you.
You MUST have a walker to help support you. ( I found one at Goodwill for $10)
You MUST have tongs or some sort of "grabber" type device hanging off your walker because you will drop things all the time and it's hard to bend over to get it off the ground.
You MUST plan on additional expenses other than what the doctor tells you. I had to pay for experel so I wouldn't have to carry around a pain pump (an additional $350 from what is listed above), I had to have blood work done before the procedure ($200), I had to pay for prescriptions ($145), I had to pay for a night gown and robe ($40), I had to pay for a walker ($10), I will have to pay for compression garmets, scar strips, etc...... If money is tight, just be aware and plan ahead.

That's it for now. :-)

The itching is making me crazy! Everything itches. I take the binder off every once in a while and apply lotion but it still itches!!! I also feel really bloated and huge today. Like I'm going to explode. I look fine, but feel huge.

I also wanted to make a correction from above. The $8,850 number does include the exparel. I mis typed in my original post.

Here is a picture of my $10 Goodwill walker. :-) This walker was so handy for the first few days. I even had my hubby make a basket for me!!! It came in SO handy. You can carry a drink, your meds, your phone, etc........ It was fabulous! I don't need it anymore but it sure was nice.