Better Than Ever!

It's been a while since I posted. On my last blog entry, I told you guys that I found out I was pregnant. Well, I'm rocking my 6 week old baby boy as I write this. :) 

The pregnancy was fine. Because of some very tight permanent sutures, my tummy didn't get as big as what is considered normal for a pregnant woman. The last couple of months I was miserable and felt like I couldn't breathe. I delivered a healthy baby boy on May 8. Within 10 days, my stomach was almost completely flat again. I actually like my stomach better now than before my son. It's not sooo super tight. It's a nice, firm, natural-looking, flat tummy. Yes, it has some stretch marks, but I'm ok with that. I will say that since my TT, keeping the weight off my hips and thighs has been challenging, but the TT has made me so much more self-confident. Would I do it again? Yes! Was it worth it? Yes! 

If you have any questions, please post in the comments and I'll be glad to answer. :)

My handsome boy and my tummy two weeks post-partum. (Not the best quality picture.) 

Where Am I Now?

My tummy tuck experience has been interesting, and it's not over yet! Post-tummy tuck, I had a long, tedious recovery, and then my husband was stationed somewhere else (Army) so we moved 2 months post surgery. I became sedentary and had trouble getting back into my strict workout and diet plan that I had so passionately followed for two years. Sadly, I've gained 20lbs. The doctor told me if I gained any weight, it would not return to areas where I had lipo, because those fat cells had been removed. He was right! My ass is huge! It all went to my butt and thighs and my stomach is still flat as ever. I wasn't happy with my weight gain, and just as I got back to my diet and exercise, another shocker...I'M PREGNANT! We're excited for this blessing, but I'm nervous about how it will affect my tuck. My doctor feels confident that as tight as I was bound, my muscles should contract nicely after baby. We shall see.
Overall, I was and still am happy with the results of the tummy tuck and lipo. I still have days where I have weird sensations and my muscles feel sore. Also, the feeling is not completely back in my stomach, but I do have tingling sensations from time to time.
I'm so happy to see that my blog has been beneficial, and I hope to update more often. Thank you for reading!

P.S.--The photo was 5 months post-op.

UPDATE: Please see my comment below as Kimrich11 for an update! :-)

Long Time No Blog

It's been a while, I know. I got very frustrated with my surgery, recurrent infections, and just not feeling like myself. I abandoned my blog and pouted for a little while.

 

I'm happy to say now that I am FINALLY past the plateau and I feel great!

 

For so long it felt like my recovery had plateaued off, and I was no longer progressing. The swelling was ever-present, and I kept getting minor infections. After a few rounds of different antibiotics, I finally got the infections subdued. I still have some drainage from my belly button, but the doctor said I can expect that for a little while longer. I still have swelling as well, but it's not nearly as noticable as it was.

 

I'm still not in a size 8, but I'm happy with the way that I look stomach-wise. It's firm, flat, and I am happy with the results. The scar looks bad right now, but I know within a couple of years it will be almost completely gone. I've had other surgeries (medically required) and the scars from those are practically gone four years later.

 

I've finally been released to start back exercising! I am super happy about this. Exercising and pushing myself was how I lost 60 lbs. in the first place. My goal now is to lose about 15 additional pounds and tone up. I feel very confident that I can be perfectly happy with my appearance within 6 months.

 

My goal is to post my 12 week post-op before and after pictures for you guys. I got very down one day, so my husband called and requested my post-op pics from the surgeon. After looking at what I looked like before my surgery, I quickly got over my pity party and was super happy with the results. I think you guys will equally agree that the transformation has been amazing! Thos pics will be up within the next couple of weeks.

 

Day 23 Post-Op- Pic Update

I woke up this morning feeling great. Since my surgery, I've gotten into the habit of checking my stomach first thing--usually just for swelling. (Mind you, I went into surgery a 10/12 and came out a freaking 14/16 due to swelling! I'm still waiting to be that size 8 my doctor told me I would be.) This morning I automatically put my hand on my garment when I woke up. It felt different. Good different. It felt flatter. I immediately tore out of my garment to look in the mirror.

I almost cried. My stomach is ALMOST flat and the swelling was down soooo much! Yes, the incisions and bruising is still there, but wow! I went to bed swollen like all heck and woke up looking and feeling really good. I can't wait for the next couple of months for my muscles to heal and to see the final results.

Try not to be too critical of my pic.
I never said I was a super-model. Just flatter now....With a booty ;)

You'll see a lot of the swelling is around the panty line. I purposely wore panties with more coverage to cover the incision. That little "lump" in the front will be the last place the swelling will go down (according to my doctor).

My Belly Button is Leaking. Really.

The past week has been super crazy!

Last Friday night was Shane's birthday get together, and boy did I pay for staying out late the next day. My abdomen got very swollen (more than normal), and I was exhausted. The kids had a state livestock show with 4-H, so we went to that the next day. It was all I could do to sit there for 5 hours. I slept the whole way home. All 3 hours.

On Sunday, I noticed my belly button was looking a bit gross. (I should preface this part by saying that you get a "new" belly button when you get a tummy tuck. They cut around your belly button and then make a new hole and sew it back in once your skin is tight.)Actually, I noticed it on Thursday but just figured if was part of the healing process. By Sunday, though, it was looking A LOT worse. I decided that since I didn't have to be at work on Monday until noon, I'd go see my doctor first thing Monday morning. No such luck, of course! Dr. Vann wouldn't be in until Monday afternoon. I didn't want to miss work, so I thought I'd just stop by urgent care and let them take a look. They automatically flipped out and called my surgeon's office even though I TOLD them he wasn't there. The nurse was though and told them to give me a shot of Rocephrin right away and for me to be there at 2. Period. So, I had to miss work and spent the whole day being poked and prodded.

Good news is that the infection seems to be clearing up.

I almost forgot-I can sleep in my bed again!!! It feels so good to stretch out after only being able to sleep in a recliner for 3 weeks.

Work is making my stomach do swelling tricks. I wake up with minimal swelling and after being at work one hour I am supah puffy. I look like I'm 3 months preggers. Once I'm off and come home and relax for about 45 min., the swelling starts to subside. I think I can just about swell on command now. ;)

I will say that each day is a little better. This surgery was no joke. And I won't lie, there have been days that were so terrible that I wished I hadn't had it done. But then I think about how miserable I was before and I'm glad I did it. I still have a few months to go through the whole healing process. Hopefully, it's a little more smooth than the first 3 weeks have been.

Party Too Hard and Pay for It

Today was my precious hubs 35th birthday, and I wanted it to be absolutely amazing. He's spent HALF of the last 10 years in either Iraq or Afghanistan on his birthday, or away from home at some type of training. As a matter of a fact, we've never celebrated his birthday on his actual birthday before. This was the first time EVER!!!


I planned a surprise party for him at a local Mexican restaurant that has an excellent, fun atmosphere. We had about a dozen or so people show up to celebrate with us. We arrived at the restaurant at 7PM. I had two margaritas and felt fine. At around 9 or 9:30 we headed over to the Irish pub to continue our fun. I was the DD, so I only had one more beer there and then cut it off. By 11, I was dying. I had be up since 7AM and going full force all day taking care of various things. I think being up and moving so much (even though I felt great) finally caught up with my still healing body. I started swelling and hurting around 1030 or 11. I finally had to ask Shane to wrap it up around 1130. I couldn't tolerate it anymore. I had to come home and put up my feet and take something for the pain.

I'm hoping that I didn't push myself too much and set myself back or have to pay for it tomorrow. Even if I am dragging a little tomorrow, it will be worth it. I wanted this to be his best birthday ever. He so deserves it, and I am so thankful for him!

And a big, BIG thanks to our great friends who came out to celebrate. They're all sweethearts! Thanks guys! You're the best!

The Compression Garment

Today, I took off my compression garment, which we'll lovingly refer to as just CG from now on, to wash. I realized how important the CG is, and that I've never addressed it in one of my posts.

As soon as the surgery is over, and before you're even awake, your CG will be put on. It's kind of like a cross between spanx and a corset. It helps with the swelling, circulation, and to keep everything as compressed and in place as possible. For the first week or so, the CG will NEVER come off. It's kind of odd--you get very used to it and it doesn't even bother you. Once you have the ok from your doctor, you can take it off to shower and to wash it. It's very strange, because when you are actually able to take it off, you won't want to! You'll feel naked, vulnerable, and insecure without it! You will also notice that swelling will start immediately if you have it off for more than about 15 minutes. While walking around without my CG on, I honestly feel like my incision is going to rip open and my uterus is gong to fall out or something! LOL! I can't wait to shimmy back into that thing. It's my security blanket.

After 2-4 weeks, your doctor will let you transition into spanx. It provides the pressure and compression needed but not as much as the CG. I still have a little too much swelling to transition at this point. Hopefully, next week I will be able to though, because the CG is a pain to take off and on.

While I'm here, I will say that today is day 17 post-op, and it's the first day that I have really felt great! I am alllllllmost completely upright; I still walk with a slight hunch. My stamina had been good today, and overall, I feel great. My only complaint at this point is the slight swelling. Other than that, I'd say I've finally reached the downward climb in recovery :)