32 Year Old Mommy of 2. Fully TT, BA with BL, Hernia Repair, Lipo of Flanks.

I had two consults with 2 doctors that were highly recommended in The Woodlands TX area. I went and had my consult with Dr. Lahir last and I absolutely felt very comfortable with her and researched her thoroughly and loved her work. I have an 8 year old and a 2 year old. The pregnancy I had with my 2 year old really took it's toll on my body. I developed a hernia above my belly button and have diastasis recti pretty bad. I work out regularly, eat clean, don't smoke, and even though I'm down to my pre pregnancy weight, I still feel bad about how hard I work but cannot see my full results because of the split muscles and the saggy skin. My hernia is above my belly button and causes discomfort sometimes while working out my stomach. I am super excited to have this procedure while scared and anxious about the recovery. I have been reading many stories on here, some scared me while others were very encouraging and inspiring. I know we all heal differently and our recoveries will all differ. I decided to post my journey on here for others, hopefully to encourage! I am scheduled for Sept 12th and am so excited! I am already prepping my health from inside, I am drinking green smoothies daily, lean protein, no processed foods, Vitamin C's, I also am taking my BCAA's with L-Glutamine which has been proven to help the body recover from surgery. I love my 310 shakes that have lots of vitamins in them including zinc. Preparing my body from within, in hopes that I can heal quickly! I will keep you posted!!

I had a good experience overall so far. I was super nervous, cried a little before getting the good stuff just out of nervousness. They started my drip and wheeled me to OR to give me my spinal block which i guess most ppl don't remember at that point but I remembered everything. Once spinal was in, I knocked out. I woke up in the recovery retreat which was so nice!! I had my own nurse with me overnight who was excellent and an amazing help. I had a folley so I did not get up all night and compressions on my legs that randomly squeezed my legs for circulation. I had to try to get up around 5 am to walk, so folley came out. I sat up and almost passed out but I think it was due to low blood pressure from laying down for a day straight. I got up and was very hunched over, I could not stand straight at all, but getting up moving around felt good. I got to brush my teeth and lay back down til hubby came at 8:30am to take me home. I walked (extremely slow) to the car. The ride home was a little rough but not too bad. Got home laid down in my bed with head and legs propped up in recline position. I have pics of my 3 day post op appointment and 5 day post op at home.

Dr Lahiri is truly an artist and I'm extremely happy with my results so far. My discomfort level has not been as bad as I thought it was going to be from reading so many stories on here. We all heal differently and I do believe being in shape, eating healthy, and taking good care of your body and having a very skilled doctor plays a role in your recovery. I did take colace with my pain pills and also have been going to the bathroom so no constipation here (again, diet, I eat lots of non processed foods, fruits, veggies, high lean proteins, and take BCAA's with L-Glutamine for muscle recovery) I'm excited to see as the weeks go by and swelling goes down what my body is going to look like! Make yourself move! I wouldn't let my husband change my ice packs or fill my water by night 3.. I would make myself get up and so it to walk around) walking helps.. its rough getting up and down sometimes , but moving around really helps!

I had my second post op on day 8. I was able to have my drain out and had a little fluid removed from my right breast, wasn't painful at all, just a little discomfort. I'm doing really well, I make sure I move a lot but try not to over do it. I am 11 days post op today and life is getting back to normal and I haven't taken any pain meds for 3 days except an Advil 3 days ago, I will take a muscle relaxer at night because my muscles seem a little sore by night time. I pick my 2 year old up from daycare bus she has a step to climb in and out of SUV and by the time I pick her up I have my 9 year old to help me. I get around well, I never had a problem with constipation or getting up and down on the toilet, use your legs!! My breast have not really bothered me, except my left breast muscle was a little more sore. Overall, this experience has not been even half as bad as I thought it was going to be from reading so many stories on here. With that said, stay positive, and don't compare your recovery to anybody else, we all heal differently. Take good care of your body with diet and exercise and research your surgeon!!