A Little Explaining to Do

Greetings at 3AM! I can't sleep. I've already text a friend, written two letters to family members to send via snail mail, watched The Notebook and cried like a fool. All is left to do is blog.

Today, someone asked why I titled my blog 'Doing What Makes You Happy...'. Well, I do realize having the tummy tuck procedure was something to help make ME happy, but the purpose of my blog is to inspire others to do what will ultimately make them happy.
Wanna dye your hair purple? Well, if it makes you happy, then go for it.
Wanna let your gypsy soul loose and backpack across a country or continent? Do it.
Want to have a cosmetic procedure done to help your self-esteem and perception?
Then by all means, DO IT!

Not only is this blog to help others understand what to expect if they opt to have a tummy tuck done; it's also here to inspire people to do what will make them happy!

Sometimes we worry so much about making the world around us happy, that we forget that our own happiness is important, too.

Another comment that bothered me was, "Well, look at _____. She had a baby and didn't need a tummy tuck. You could have exercised it off." Well, friend, not everyone is genetically the same. I exercised my behind off, and as I've said before, lost 60 pounds. However, my stomach barely shrunk at all! We are not all the same, and I feel very blessed to have been able to have this procedure performed. When my 6 week recovery period is up, I will be back at it exercising. My final goal is to have my arms and legs toned by summer to match my new stomach. And ya know what, I'm gonna do it! :-)

It's late, and I'm taking my tired behind to bed now...

Cans and Can'ts

For today's blog, I decided to make a list of cans (things that I am once again able to do) and can'ts (things that I still can't do independently or at all).

CANS:
Go to the restroom independently
Get dressed (although I have to take about a 30 minute recuperation rest afterwards)
Move around the house pretty easily
Clean my own drain lines and belly button

CAN'TS:
Do laundry or housework
Shower or bathe independently
Lift anything
Stand upright
Be active for more than about 30 minutes (my back starts killing me and I get exhausted)
Sleep in the bed (still in the recliner)


I got a gift card for Christmas, so I ordered a really cute, form fitting sweater dress. Never in a million years could I have worn that before. It came today, and Shane helped me put it on. Even though I was hunched over and had a couple of bulges from the drain bags, I cried. I cried because I had a smooth, beautiful hourglass figure. I couldn't believe it was me, and I couldn't believe it was my dress.

This afternoon, we took the kids to the park. Bless Shane, he is so good with them and I felt like I at least needed to go with them to watch them play. After about 20 minutes at the park, Shane had to bring me home because my back and stomach muscles started aching. It was nice to get out for some fresh air though :)

I'm seeing progress daily and my spirits are better than yesterday. Shane has been such a blessing through this. He has done everything in his power to help me get better and to help with the kids. I'm so glad that I get to call this precious man my husband.

There Will Come a Time...

I wasn't going to write another post today, but I felt it was appropriate to share...

I've been sponge bathing for over a week now. Luckily, my nurse told me that even though my drains haven't been removed, I could put some waterproof bandages over the spots where my drains are sewn in and take a real shower today! *Happy Dance!* By the time I got out of my garment, got my drains untangled, and finally got to the shower, I was SO tired! Shane got a plastic step stool for me to sit on in the shower. I relished in the hot water and scrubbed from head to toe and washed my hair. Getting out of the shower was a different story. At my last appointment, the nurse gave me a new garment for the day when I could finally take a shower--nothing like a clean garment to go with a clean body! However, getting into that new garment was a different story. (This is the part of the story where I have to mention a very important point. My doctor told me I would eventually have a day where it was just all too much. The surgery, the healing, everything. My emotions would go haywire, and I would lose it.) So, back to the story--while trying to get into the garment, one of my drain lines was accidentally snagged. And by snagged I mean almost completely ripped out. I screamed. I don't mean just kind of yelled. I screamed like I was dying. And then the crying started. And I had that moment Dr. Vann talked about. And I cried. And cried. And to be honest, I'm still crying as I type this. I got frustrated at Shane and threw an open ginger ale at his head. Then I cried cause I felt bad because he's been so good to me. He was mad to start with but quickly figured out that all I needed was to be snuggled and to be told everything would be ok.
I'm so worried about going to work Monday. I'm just praying for patience from my boss and strength from The Lord to get through the day.
All of the emotions possible are weighing down on me tonight. It feels like I'm getting no where. Looking in the mirror, I'm frustrated because I have a pooch that's full of fluid that has to drain before my tubes can come out. My love handles are swollen from the lipo. I can't even wear regular pants yet. I'm just ready to see the real results. And to be honest, I'm a little angry because I have worked my ass off dieting, walking, running, and striving to he beautiful and fit for the last 2 years and I still don't see the results I want to see. I sure hope tomorrow is better.

Day 10 Post-Op: The Grand Reveal

Today's post is a bit short. I feel really well today. My energy is returning, the pain is subsiding, and the swelling is going down a lot. To celebrate day 10, I decided to post a pic! Keep in mind, there is still some swelling; especially in the "love handles". It takes longer for the swelling from the lipo to go down. Nonetheless, it's very evident that in a few short weeks my tummy will be COMPLETELY flat :) So, here's the pic from 10 days post op. Hope it doesn't make you cringe too much! ;)

The Ugly Truth

This post is a bit late. I haven't felt well today at all, so it will probably be short and sweet.

I didn't sleep well last night because of my sutures hurting. I am sew up from the inside, so it's hard to pin point exactly what's hurting. It feels like something is poking or cutting me every time I move.

I slept off and on until lunch time and woke up with a bad stomachache. I won't go into all of the disgusting details, but I ended up finding out that I was impacted. After three hours of being on the phone with my nurse, Shane going to the pharmacy for supplies, and me crying in pain, the, um, "problem", was finally relieved. I told Shane that he needed to pass on a little information to the M.I. department: next time they are interrogating terrorists, all they have to do is sew up their rectum for about 10 days and they will be BEGGING to tell what they know! Hehe...I am attempting to make light of this situation, but it really was one of the worst predicaments I have ever been in.

Word from the wise:  One dosage of milk of magnesia per day will NOT cut it after this surgery. I took it thinking it was keeping everything regulated due to all of the meds I was on, but there is way too much medicine that has to be taken. I can't stress the importance of taking two doses of some type of laxative or stool softener TWICE per day. You will thank me for it in the long run.

Finally, around 5PM, I was able to go to sleep and get some rest. I woke up at 6:15, and Shane was being so sweet. He knew I had a really bad day, and asked what would make me happy. I took advantage of the situation and sent him to Wendy's for a frosty :)

When Shane unzipped my garment about 30 minutes ago, I was really happy to see that the infection from my belly button seems to be draining less and the swelling is looking good.

I had planned to touch on a couple of other things tonight about how your eating habits and abilities will change after the surgery. However, I'm just plain tired, and that will have to wait until tomrrow :)

Lastly, I would love to give another "shout out" to Dr. Vann and the AMAZING nurses at Savannah Plastic Surgery. Just thinking about how wonderful they have been to me makes me tear up. They have been so compassionate, helpful, and gone beyond the call of duty to help me in any way possible. I just appreciate them so much, and they have really made me appreciate nurses and what they do.

The Reality of a Tummy Tuck

The truth is, a tummy tuck is NOT a minor surgery. Not by any means at all. Your doctor will typically tell you that after 10 days you can return to work. The sad truth is that at 10 days post-op, it will take everything in you to return to work. I am supposed to go back to work the day after tomorrow, but my doctor informed me today that I would not be going back to work until Monday at the earliest. So, tomorrow, I will be calling my boss to explain the situation and pray that I still have the job.

In all honesty, you need a full 14 days to truly recover enough to go back to work. Until I experienced this surgery for myself, I had no idea how invasive and detailed it was. It has taken a toll on me physically and mentally that I was not prepared for.

If you can't take two full weeks off of work and you don't have someone that can stay with you 24/7 for the first week, DO NOT HAVE THIS PROCEDURE DONE.

When I went to the doctor today, I was very disappointed that he did not remove my drains. I'm still draining a total of about 60cc per day, and he won't remove the drains until I'm between 15cc-20cc per day. My belly button also has greenish drainage, which indicated that it's becoming infected in that area. Shane now has to clean it and apply antibiotic ointment twice per day until I go back for my next appointment. On a positive note, Dr. Vann told me that he can't wait for the swelling to go down so that we can see the actual results. He's estimating that once all of the fluid and swelling is gone, I'll be about a size 8 with NO love handles and a nice flat tummy. :)

After my appointment today, it was evident that my strength is not where it needs to be to return to work. I was exhausted by the time I left the doctor's office, and actually started crying as I was checking out with the nurse as the front desk. My legs were shaking, my back was hurting, and I felt like I was going to collapse. The nurse had to take me to the car in a wheelchair.  I am sharing these details with you, because I hope that I am helping those considering this procedure understand the complexity of the situation and all that it entails. So, if you know someone thinking about getting a tummy tuck, please share the link to my blog with them!

Beauty Is Only Skin Deep; Ugly is to the Core

Today has been a very strange day. I felt okay when I woke up this morning. I slept all night without waking up for pain meds, but when I did wake up, oh boy did I need one! My mobility is getting better by the day. Considering I'm only 7 days post-surgery, I think I'm making steady progress. I am walking around independently, even though I still can't stand up straight. I'm starting to get frustrated because my energy level is still rock bottom. I went into the kitchen today for about 15 minutes to try to show Shane how to get the traditional black-eyed peas going for our New Years dinner. After that 15 minutes, I was so exhausted and hurting so badly that I was in tears. I literally had to take a nap to recover from that. The swelling is still pretty bad too. It's not only my stomach and sides that's swollen; my arms, legs, toes, pretty much everything, is swollen.
My drainage has decreased dramatically. I've only pulled off about 10cc from each side today, so I'm pretty positive the doctor will remove the tubes at my appointment tomorrow. I'm ready for the next couple of weeks to pass so that I can finally see the results of the tuck. Everything is so swollen right now that it's hard to see any results. My doctor assures me, though, that when I do see the results I will be completely blown away!

I've debated for a while now about whether or not to write this second part of this particular blog entry. I decided, though, that this is MY blog and MY experience, and I am going to include everything about it.

If you are friends with me on Facebook, you probably saw the picture of me walking independently yesterday. Shane took that picture, because it was a big milestone for me. I was proud of it, and even though I looked pretty rough and was swollen like crazy, I decided to post it. I had lots of encouraging words and comments from friends. One friend even told me how hot my boobs were looking in the pic ;) However, later in the night, some people were sitting around talking about me and making jokes. They felt it would be funny to post a mean comment. So, I woke up this morning to, 'Well, you're still fat.'. The reasoning for that post was that they were drinking and just saying random mean things to people on Facebook. (This was his personal explanation to me.) However, what this person did not know is that I have struggled with my weight my whole life. I was "chunky" in middle school and still to this day remember the  names of the boys who picked on me. By the time I got to high school, I was sick of it. I basically starved myself and lost enough weight to wear a size 8. I was content with that and stayed at an 8 until I had my kids. After than, I gained all of the weight back and then some. (You can read my first blog entry about all of that for a recap.) Today, that rude persons words cut me to my core. The past few days I have been daydreaming about this summer when I will finally be able to wear a bikini again, and looking online at new outfits for work. All of that came crashing down with that one little sentence. For a brief moment, I let that person steal my happiness. I felt like all of the hard work over the past 2 years, all of the pain I've endured the past week, and all of the money my husband has spent was completely worthless. He made me feel ugly. But then, my friends came to the rescue, and reminded me of how hard I've worked, how beautiful I am, and how I am not the ugly one. *HE* is ugly. He is ugly on the inside for making me feel that way.

Because of the way I have been treated by various people over the years and let their words scar my soul, I made a resolution for this new year. My resolution is to never use my words to hurt people. That my words may always be purposeful, meaningful, and kind. That I may always be an encouragement, a friend, and a good advice giver. And to a certain special someone, may I always have smartass comebacks to make them smile when needed. ;) Lastly, I resolve to never let my words to cause anyone pain, because my heart is better and kinder than that.