It's been 6 weeks since surgery and I'm feeling great!  The doctor said that I'm officially a 'graduate' and I don't have to come back for another follow up for 4 1/2 months.  This is when he takes the 'after' pictures.  I stopped wearing the binder 4 days ago and I feel like I have some increased swelling, but that is supposed to take at least another 4 months to resolve itself.  So I have to continue to be patient, but the worst is over.  The biggest inconvenience is the numbness in my belly area.  I'm able to get into my jeans, but still not my khaki's, but the jeans are very uncomfortable.  I really think this is due to the numbness.  Believe it or not, it amplifies the rougher fabrics/zippers/buttons.  This is very uncomfortable -- so I think the solution is to just start wearing some of these that fit and just push through.  This is probably the only way to desensitize the area.  My belly button is swollen and I've been instructed to 'massage' it by pressing the fluid out of it several times a day.  I continue to have a lot of pulling and tingling all over the belly area -- I respond by rubbing it..... I'll be glad when this stops. (my husband asked me how many times I 'pet' my new belly!  ha ha!  I told him that we spent $6000 on this new 'pet' so I plan to pet it as often as I want!  :)

My activity level has improved.  I walked a 5K yesterday!  (54 minutes)  I plan to attempt running on the treadmill this week (easing into it)  and then in about 2 weeks I plan to start swimming laps at the local rec center.  However, I'm still not up to par......

Another annoying feature of this new belly is at times I will have an itch and where I feel the itch, it's numb.  So I can't scratch it or find it to scratch it.  Weird huh?  Sometimes I'll find relief by scratching in an area that I can feel..... this is really impossible to describe.  But it's strange and the doc said that this may take years to resolve itself.... argh.... the price we pay huh? 

I know I need to post some new pics..... I'll work on that..... thanks for following!  I hope this helps someone who is considering the surgery.... after going through this I would do it all over again......

Tomorrow it will be 4 weeks since my surgery.  Life slowly but surely gets easier although I think I've got a way to go.  I'm still pretty swollen, but that has improved!  I can pull my regular jeans up, I just can't button them yet..... still about 3 inches apart!  About 5 days ago, it felt like there was a major turn around for the better. 

Currently, my tummy has a mind of it's own. At times I can stand straight up and I almost feel normal again.  But then, it will start 'pulling' and almost feels like it's contracting.  I'll be glad when this stops.  

After my first week of work, I was exhausted.  I slept 11 hours Friday night!  I felt like crap on Saturday, but then renewed on Sunday.  This week has been much better.  The biggest lesson learned is: don't start wearing spanx too soon.  It pulled a small area of my incision apart.  So I'm just wearing my binder now and things are healing nicely.  That's all for now.  I really can't think of anything else worth mentioning!  Any questions? 

Here we are 2 weeks post surgery and I must say that I'm feeling great!  My endurance is lower -- I've been needing a nap in the afternoons of the days that I'm more active.  I return to work in just 2 days!  This may be challenging -- but I'll just have to make it work.  I just wanted to talk a little bit about how things went this last week since my last post.  I have to say that around day 8-9 post op, there was a major turn around in the pain department.  I was able to go longer between doses and that was something that I really focused on for a couple of reasons:  1.  I don't want to be addicted to pain meds, 2.  I wanted to find out how much pain there really is without meds.  So I started out at 4 hours between doses, then increased to 5 hours and then 6 all the way up to 15 hours!  As of today, I haven't had any pain medication since Thursday (2 days ago) .  That's also the same day that the surgeon removed the second drain.  That was so great to get rid of that little buddy! That friendship was getting really strained! ha ha! When he removed this one, it felt really wierd -- like a big worm was crawling around in my belly.  eww.... so glad that is gone!

Around day 9-10, I returned to sleeping in my bed instead of the recliner.  This was a little challenging at first, I elevated myself with pillows and kept 2 pillows under my knees to keep my body in a flexed position.  Laying straight was impossible at this point.  Today, I did lay pretty flat for about 15 minutes.  I'm not sure how much of this 'stretching' I'm supposed to do, but I figure that it needs to get started so I can resume standing straight up.  There is a constant pulling sensation in my torso where the muscle repair took place.  I asked my Doc how long this would last and he just said that everyone is different.  So, it's my goal to speed that process along! 

My biggest surprise is how much swelling I have in my torso and upper thighs.  I tried on a pair of my regular pants yesterday (the non stretchy kind! :)  and you would have thought I had gained 20 lbs!  They were NOT going up!  However the scale says I weigh 10 lbs less..... I'm trying very hard to eat healthy and not aggravate the outcome.  My doc says that most of the swelling should go down over the next 4 weeks with the remainder coming off by 6 months post.  So I'm anxious for this to happen and take some "after" pics in some of my regular pants.  (I took "before" pics that I'll post with the "after" pics when that happens) 

I have to continue wearing the binder for FOUR more weeks -- the one the surgeon provided is very uncomfortable and bulky and doesn't look right under my clothes.  I went to walmart and got a cheap version of spanx that just goes around my midsection.  It is wonderful!  It seems to me that is covers more area and it creates a smoother look under my clothes.  Granted, my husband had to help me hoist it up over my butt to get it on -- but worth the effort!  And by the way..... my husband is VERY pleased with the results!  That sure takes a lot of pressure off of me-- especially after spending 6 grand! He has been very supportive and has been a great nurse through this process.... this surgery has literally been a dream come true for me.....

The most painful activity now is coughing.  Wow! That's a killer!  So I'm trying avoid it..... I really hope that resolves itself soon..... 
That's enough info for now..... thanks for traveling with me!

D

It's been 6 days since my surgery and I've promised a couple of pictures so here they are.... this pic is just 3 days post op..... I know... my belly button looks HUGE..... but that's because my entire abdomen is swollen and the belly button is stretched out.  It won't stay that way.  However, it takes about 6 months + for all of the swelling to go down.

I thought of a couple of things that might be helpful post surgery.  Have some hard candy ready because your mouth will be super dry.  I tried to eat some crackers so I could take my pain meds and they just turned into a big dry tumbleweed in my mouth!  But to stave off nausea..... make sure you have food in your stomach!  And drink lots of liquids too. Also -- in the post op instructions it says to walk for 20 minutes, 4 times a day.  This is crucial!  I would also advise everyone to do ankle pumps as soon as you wake up and do at least 20 reps as often as you think to do it.  This activity is so important to prevent blood clots from forming in your legs and then traveling to your lungs or worse.  The breathing exercises also help prevent pneumonia.  The reason I'm stressing this is because a woman my doctor did the same procedure on just 2 days before mine did not follow these rules, went home and sat in her recliner and is currently in the hospital with blood clots in her lungs.  This is serious advise.  Ignoring it could be fatal.   A very helpful tip with the walking is to borrow or invest in a 4 wheeled walker to lean on during your walks.  The walking kills your back because you have to walk with a flexed posture which forces your back to hold up your entire torso -- this hurts alot. So having something to lean on is a great help..... I couldn't have done this without it.   I have also borrowed a reacher to help grab things just out of reach..... a life saver for sure!

 

This pic is 6 days post op.  I took this just prior to my doctor's appointment today.  Things went really well.  He removed one of the drains and the surgical tape that was over my incision.  My Plastic Surgeon doesn't use any stitches on the outside.  All of them are internal...... and I am very pleased with how the incision line looks!  Some after pics I've seen have a very jagged with a wide looking incision line.  Mine appears to be more smooth and thinner than others I've seen.  Of course I'm still swollen.  I'll be so glad when that goes down!  I still can't stand up straight, but I'm working on it.  I did sleep in my own bed last night!  ....Best nights sleep I've gotten since the surgery! But I had to prop up on pillows and prop my knees up on a pillow.  My torso just can't handle laying flat yet.  I think that's enough for now.....

I've gotten through day 3 and the pain is letting up quite a bit, although I tried to go longer without pain medication and that was a mistake.  I'll give it a couple of days and try again.  I return to the doctors on Thursday and he is supposed to get one of the drains out. I've been working at standing up straighter when I'm walking.  This is going to take a while I think.  My abdominal area is very tight and I've read that this is worse with a full tummy tuck.  I'd say that the additional hernia repair is also contributing to this tightness. One area I think is developing into a problem is that I haven't had a BM since the morning of surgery.  I've been taking stool softeners daily starting 2 days prior to surgery.  I'm getting a little concerned -- so I took a laxative today.  If this doesn't resolve itself, I will call my doctor in the morning.  I also (knowing I shouldn't) weighed myself today. I'm just curious how much the skin that he removed weighed.... but it showed that I've gained about 6 pounds.  It's typical to develop swelling with the TT and I can tell that I'm pretty swollen in my abdominal area, my coochie area and my upper thighs.  I removed my binder today to take a peek and took a picture..... I'll post that soon.  Another thing that I've noticed that's new is I'm experiencing some heartburn.  I've read that when you have the muscle tightening, it puts pressure on the stomach which would explain that.  Even though I've been given instructions that I can shower after 48 hours, I've been chicken to do that yet.  I've just been "sponge bathing" and my husband washed my hair in the kitchen sink!  My drainage is good, and the right color.... still red, but mixed now with a wheat colored fluid -- this is how it's supposed to be.  So that's a good thing.  My daughter was sent home from school today with the stomach flu.... oooh! I really hope I don't catch that from her! I can't imagine vomiting with this!  This is probably boring stuff...... but if you're considering having the surgery -- perhaps you'll benefit from my experience..... thank you for sharing in my journey.

I'm home!  My surgery went well.  The surgeon discovered I had a hernia in my abdominal wall during surgery so he fixed that too!  I feel like Humpty Dumpty put back together again.  The pain is mostly a burning sensation type pain and for me it is just in my abdominals.  The surgery lasted 4 hours -- the staff at Dr. Tkash's were so nice and really added to making the experience positive.  Just prior to surgery I had to stand in front of the doc naked so he could draw lines on my belly.      He got on the floor, sat on his butt and looked like Picasso painting a painting!    This is also when they took their "before" pics.  I told the nurse that I preferred that my 'girls' weren't in the picture -- if he posts them on his website I don't want that out there! ha ha!   When I woke up after surgery it was pretty uncomfortable -- the burning sensation was intense. They gave me some medication to ease that and then my husband had gone to the pharmacy to fill my script for the meds I'm to take from then on. I've been very faithfully taking the medication as it isn't taking the pain away -- just making it tolerable and I don't want to know what that feels like with out some help.  I have 2 drains in that I have to empty a few times a day and record how much drainage there is.  I go back to the doc on Thursday and he will remove one of the drains. I will try to take some pics to ad to this, as I know that's the most interesting part.  But even under the binder, the change appears to be dramatic!  Part of my post Op instructions say I'm supposed to walk 3 times a day for 20 minutes at a time.  These first few days I have to walk with a flexed posture and this really strains my back.  So I've been using a 4 wheeled walker. And let me say that the walking feels really good.  I just can't tolerate much more than that at a time.  I am also pleased that getting on/off the toilet is not excruciating like I thought it would be,  it's not so bad..... I have to sleep in the recliner, as I can't lay flat and on my side hurts too much.  That's all for now.... I'm very sleepy and having a difficult time writing this..... good night!

Oh my gosh!!! I can't believe I'm really getting a tummy tuck TOMORROW!! I've talked about wanting this for over 20 years and it's really happening...... it's very surreal for me......
 I took lots of gross pics of my belly this morning for insurance in the future...... to insure that when I say, "what did I do this for?!"  I can go back and look at those awful pics and remind myself why...... I don't think I can do anything more to prepare myself..... So I'll try to post tomorrow sometime after it's over.......

Ok... so now we're down to 5 days away.  I'm getting my recovery area ready and cleaning my house etc. etc. 

But I had this thought:  You know how when you get new carpet the furniture all of a sudden looks bad so you have to replace it?  I hope this surgery doesn't make my behind all of a sudden look 3 times bigger than I thought it was!  Ha ha! Oh well..... my plan post recovery is to resume 5K's and mini-triathlon's -- which I love to do!  And my sister is going to walk the first one with me about 6 weeks after my surgery! I'm very excited about that!  So I want to focus on my health more than ever..........until next time..... keep smiling!

In just one week my surgery will be finished and I'll be in recovery!  Whew..... this has been such a long wait since deciding to do this surgery in July. I can't believe I'm this close.

I had a few more questions for my doc and thought you might like to read our email exchange.  I asked several questions and then his nurse answered each question.... I love his nurse!  I'll copy and past the exchange and you'll see why:

_____________________________________

I have a few questions about my Tummy Tuck surgery scheduled for Feb. 8th.....
1. how long does the surgery take? Cut to cut or how long will you be with us total? = or – 4 hours for surgery itself, you will be with us all day or 7 hours +/-
2. What happens to the skin that is removed? Trashed
3. Will the hub on the drain be on the outside or inside? (yes..... I've been watching other TT surgeries on youtube!) Not sure what you mean by a hub?
4. How does the anesthesia last for 3 days? Will he put in a pain pump? No pain pump. Just some injectable meds that help you get over the hump. But... there will be pain. No way around it. No such thing as pain free surgery if it is surgery. Some say it’s awful and some are fine with it. It all depends on your perception and past experience. Fear of the unknown.

Hope that helps some. I think the worst surgery you can have is on your hemorrhoids. Just sayin”.

______________________________

 

So I guess hemorrhoid surgery may be worse...... I think I'm gonna be ok.  LOL 

 

 I said I would post 'before' pictures so we can compare...... This is very hard for me because this tummy is the physical part of me that I've tried to disguise for about 27 years...... and putting it out there contradicts my efforts. But..... it's time...... And how else could I show you the full dramatic results? So here they are:

 

 

If you are insterested in visiting my doctor's web page here it is:  http://www.drdantkach.com/tkach.php

He has some before and after pics there of some of his patients!

 

Well, I had my pre-surgical visit with my surgeon and his nurse, and I feel so good about my procedure!  I had a list of questions for him based on other people's blogs that I've read. 
Here they are:
1.  How soon can I drive?  2 weeks..... he said that this is more of a legal issue than an ability issue.  If I were to get into a wreck before 2 weeks after anesthesia, than I could be liable. 

2.  What time should I arrive and where do I go?  7:30 am and I just report to his office.  The operating room is on the same floor.  Then I'll be taken to a room at the hospital.  (I live too far away to go home -- so I'll be staying overnight)  And Chris can stay with me overnight..... :)

3. Will he provide me with a compression garment?  yes-- and I was instructed to wear this garment as low as possible to help decrease the swelling in my hoochie area...... :P  He also said not to be alarmed if I have swelled areas in my legs as well.  This is part of the reason I have to have drains in place after the procedure.

4.  Will the drains leak?  he said that they will leak a little bit, but not enough to require sitting on a trash bag on the way home in the car!  I was really relieved to hear that.  He said that major leaking is more common with liposuction.  However, he is doing some liposuction in my procedure, but not enough to cause major leaking..... whew!

5. How do you close the incision?  I had read some other blogs where people talked about having their staples removed.  Seriously?  Staples?  Staples cause the incision area to look like a zipper once the staples are removed (depending on how long they're in there of course).  So I was concerned about this.  He said that he doesn't use anything on the outside!   All of the sutures are beneath the skin and that he will just use tape on the outside.... but nothing else.  He stated that the sutures that he uses are very strong.  I was very excited about this answer.

6. How tight will the incision be?  Will I be able to stand up straight?  He said that initially he prefers that I don't stand completely straight, as it will put a strain on the area, but I don't have to walk hunched over.  

7.  Sleeping Instructions!! I CAN sleep in my bed if I want to!  All the blogs say that they slept in their recliner for up to 10 days or so..... which I might need to do also, but at least there isn't a medical reason not to sleep in my bed.  I guess we'll find out!

8.  How long before the bloating goes down?  6 months.... he says he doesn't do "after" pictures until at least 6 months.  Some say it takes up to a year.....

9. Can I use deodorant the morning of surgery?  (ha ha!  his nurse wanted to know if I was asking about putting deodorant on my privates! -- uh.... no.... my arm pits)   he said YES!  I've read other surgeon's instructions that say you can't.....

Those were my written questions.  When I got my post surgical instruction sheet I discovered that I can shower a mere 48 hours post!!! I'm very very very excited about that!  The nurse said to take a pair of my husband's whitey tighties, cut the crotch out of them and use it during my shower to hang my drains from.  awesome!

Someone from work had been asking me how long you have to wait to resume "intimate" activities.... this wasn't something that I asked about directly -- but the nurse brought it up to me -- the answer is as soon as I want to try it..... ummmm........ probably not too quickly!

We also had a good conversation about pain medication.  I don't respond well to some pain medications, so she ordered me some that we hope won't make me sick.  They also prescribed me a patch that goes behind my ear the night before surgery that stays on for 3 days to help prevent nausea.

They also advised me that on day 3 expect to be depressed and to feel like, "OMG, what have I done to my body?  yadda yadda yadda."  So.... if I cry all day on day 3, then I'll know I'm just normal!  ha ha!

I really feel like they have thought of everything. Surgery is in 2 weeks.  I'll post some "before" pics soon!  Until then,   thank you for sharing this experience with me..... 

I'm going to the doc tomorrow and I'm very nervous.  Nervous about the financial aspect of this surgery and nervous that something will go wrong and they won't be able to do it.  I'm also very excited!  I did a mile on the treadmill this morning and did  some research about how soon I can start to exercise after the surgery.  That's up to my doc, but what I'm reading is you can start light exercise in about 3-4 weeks (walking)  and after 6 weeks more aggressive exercise. My goal is to get back to the 5K's and get under 30 minutes this year. But I have to get past this surgery first!  They are going to collect the remainder of my fee, give me final instructions/paperwork and do some labwork.  We'll see what the doc says tomorrow!

January 21, 2013

I'm 18 days away from surgery.  I am very nervous, but I've been reading other people's blogs about their surgeries and this is helping.  I've always said that 'knowledge' is power, so I figure the more I read and learn about other people's real experiences, the less fearful it will be.  I did the same thing with childbirth and that was a great strategy.  So perhaps my blog will help someone else too!

One thing I'm disappointed with is the fact that I did not lose a few pounds prior to my surgery.  I am such a bad stress eater and I have had a few stressful events over the past few months.  So I'm actually about 7 lbs heavier than when I had my consult in July.   The nurse at the doctor's office didn't seem too concerned with my weight.  She said that it was "just a number".  So now my hope is that after this surgery I will feel more confident about exercising.  I know that it doesn't matter how much weight I lose now, my belly will still sag and I've got to say, that is VERY discouraging.  When I weighed 115 lbs after having 2 of my 4 children, I still had the apron sag.  I don't have any desire to be that skinny, but just about 20 lbs off would be nice. 

Another concern I have is that this surgery is expensive and vain.  Hmmmm...... I accept that -- but I hope that it will make me feel better about myself.  I am constantly grabbing my belly skin because I am so self conscious about it. (and my husband has really noticed that about me.....) so now I'm just ready to move forward and get this done!  My pre-surgical doctor's visit is Thursday.  I have a list of questions for the doc, stuff like "is it common for the drains to leak?"  and "do a lot of people vomit after surgery?" LOL..... nevermind the pain!  I can't really wrap my mind around the pain.  But my surgeon injects anesthesia into the muscles that he says will stay in effect for 3 days post.  Lets hope that's true! 

Other than this I have slowly been making preparations:  I've purchased hibiclense for my presurgical bathing, I've borrowed a walker and a reacher.  I have a good ice pack ready.  I have waterless shampoo caps and some 'adult' wet wipes! I have some crochet to work on during recovery..... I've purchased some PJ's that are a little loose and button down the front.  All of these things have been recommended by others in their blogs. 

So I'll just close for now and post again after my doctor's appointment.