American Society of Plastic Surgeons YouTube Resource

If you are someone new looking to gain information regarding plastic surgery, this YouTube channel from the America Society of Plastic Surgeons is one of many informative resources regarding not only a tummy tuck procedure but other cosmetic procedures as well.  In regards to the TT, there are clips that discuss the surgery procedure, recovery, risks, results and expectations.

If you click the YouTube icon in the bottom right hand corner of the video, it should take you to the ASPS YouTube home page where you can click on other informative videos that may interest you.

Happy One Year TT Anniversary to Me

It has now been one year since I had my tummy tuck.  One. Whole. Year.

Wow.

It's crazy that so much time has already passed and how at the beginning of all of this, one year post op seemed so far away.

I believe in my last post, I was still experiencing numbness around my belly button area.  In the past few months, I have been noticing that I have more feeling in the area beside and just a tad bit in the area below the navel and above the scar.  It's more of a tingling sensation when touched rather than complete feeling but it's still something, which is a start.  It may be as much of the sensation that I'll ever have but I knew going into the surgery that loss of feeling in the abdomen could happen and the possibility of it returning could be slim to none.

I don't suffer from swell hell anymore, or not that I notice anyway.

I can do ab exercises, sit ups and crunches.  Of course I have more definition in my abdominal area now than before.  If I worked out my abs on a regular basis and ate healthier, I have no doubt definition would improve.

I have a scar that runs from hip to hip. I don't cringe or feel disgust when I see it in the mirror.  Heck, I rarely even pay attention to it.  It doesn't prevent me from being naked.  It doesn't make me want to hide it and never expose it to anyone.  It doesn't make me feel how that excess skin made me feel.  Even the stretch marks I have from my child bearing years seem less significant than they did before surgery.  I wear two piece swimsuits and although I'm still self-conscious about myself (which is just me being me) I don't run to cover myself once I get out of a pool.  Before, if I were to swim in a pool, I always thought my escape plan through ahead of time.  Put the towel on a chair as close to the edge of the pool as possible so as to take the least amount of steps possible to wrap it around myself quickly and that was in a swimsuit that disguised the area as much as any possibly could.  It almost seems weird how I feel about it now, still, to do a complete turnaround about how I view that area.

Would I do it all again despite the long healing process beginning with pain and discomfort?  Heck yeah, I would.  No regrets, not a one.

Tummy Tuck - 6 Month Follow-Up

I had my 6 month follow-up visit with my PS this past Friday.  It was fairly short and sweet. It was mainly to ensure that everything was healing exactly as it should be.  While I waited in boredom, I took a few pictures of my own to include in this blog.  

As anticipated, post operative photos were taken and I did fine with that.  To the right of the examination room picture below, a sliding door leads patients into a small room equipped with a black drop cloth hung on the wall, a chair as well as a computer and camera for before and after pictures.  When the nurse came in, I was led into that area.  Photos were taken of me beginning with a side view standing, front view standing and then the one that tells all, the seated (slightly at an angle) view.  That's the best judge of the surgery because you can see if there is any overhang etcetera. 

 

After the few clicks of the shutter button, I waited a little longer while the nurse displayed side by side on the rather large dual monitors in the little photo op room THE pictures.  Then she asks, "Which view would you like a copy of?"  I glance around to peer at the monitors, and oh my gosh, was there a HUGE difference.  I immediately think, I don't want a copy of either one of them.  Um, hello?  EW.  The purpose of the surgery is so I don't have to look at that ungodly sight again, ever.  The only memorable thing I want to see from surgery are the scars and I'm very okay with that.  

I knew how much I hated my stomach area but since it's been improved, seeing those before photos just seemed to magnify those feelings all over again.  To look at the before really disgusted me and it's no freakin' wonder I was so self-conscience about it and hid it like it was leprosy. 

Sufficed to say, because the nurse saw I was struggling to decide, she chose for me.  She even put the momentos in a cute little mini folder to cherish for always.   Blech.  Oh, she chose the sitting views.  Did I say blech?

If, and that's a huge IF, I can bring myself to do it, I'll edit this post to include the before and after photos.  I'll need to crop them because in the before I'm completely nude with the exception of the classy paperish blue thong courtesy of the surgeon.

Like I said, IF ......

I also inquired about tanning, my PS suggested wearing a bikini or thong type bottom to protect the scar.  As I mentioned before regarding tanning, it can cause the scar to get darker.  Which he did mention to me and also followed it by saying "then again, it may not".  I think he said that to me because I have darker pigmented skin so my scar is dark already.  So take that suggestion for what it's worth.

Oh, I wanted to add ... my surgeon's very blunt bedside manner.  As he's leaving the examining room and tells me bye he knows I'm working out, trying to lose some weight and says "If you lose weight and still have that fat on your thighs come back and see me and we can suck it out of there."  I'm thinking, lol, seriously?

Once again, I cannot express how pleased I am with the results of my surgery.  The planning, the time off, the drainage tubes, the catheter that was worn home that I had to remove myself, the pain endured as I recovered, the stitches that pinched and hurt as they were removed, the binder that became my security blanket as I healed, those damned compression hose, the anxiety of not being able to stand upright for several weeks, the concern at being able to workout and build those abdominal muscles, and all other things I experienced in between even to include the no tanning restriction was all well worth it.

Although my PS said that he didn't really need to see me, another follow-up appointment was scheduled for my anniversay month.  So I'll return to his office for one final visit regarding my TT in August 2013.  

Who knows, maybe we'll discuss getting that fat sucked out of my thunder thighs then ....

Post TT Photos as Promised

#1 was from last week at 21 weeks post op.  

As you can see, the scarring is visible around the navel area.   But I'm okay with that.  

The scar, either one of them, will never compare to the disposed gargantuan eyesore.

TT Update - Approximately 5 Months Post Surgery

It's been almost three months since I've posted anything about my TT recovery process.  In just a few more days or so it will mark 22 weeks (approximately 5 months) since surgery.  It's still hard to believe how it was years and years and years that I had wanted the surgery and now it's close to a half a year behind me.

I have some TT post surgery photos I took a week or so ago but I'll come back and either update this blog or just create a new blog to include them.

Let's see ... 

Follow-up: Bad me, I still need to go back.  I had a third follow-up scheduled mid-November but due to work being busy at the time, I had to cancel and really need to call to reschedule.  They still have yet to take the post surgery snapshots and I'm assuming when I go in they'll take them then.

Exercise: I'd say I'm pretty much back to my pre-surgery self with the exception of the excess skin being attached.  I am able to work out completely.  Run, walk, jog, lift, pull, push etcetera.  No restrictions or cautiousness in regards to working my abdominal muscles.  I'm able to do sit-ups, crunches, planks, and most exercise that engages the core.  I've been involved in a fitness studio class for months now and have even attended boot camp classes for the past couple weeks on days that I'm not going to the studio.

Tanning: It's getting close to tanning time but I haven't done that yet since surgery.  Remember as noted here, the rule is no tanning or sun around the scarred area for at least six months.  Although my scar is darkening, I can still see some reddish/pinkish hue on the scar line.

Swell hell:  This has gotten way better.  I don't notice that I'm swollen as often anymore.  Actually, I'm not swollen more often than I am.  I do notice, however, if I've consumed a lot of sodium, I'm still more inclined to exhibit swelling in the area between my navel and scar.

Scarring: As I mentioned above about tanning, my scar is darkening but still reddish/pinkish along the scar line.  My scar is 18 inches in length. Yes, I measured it.  My scarring on the right side looks much better than the scarring on the left.  Even though I'm pleased with my scarring results and how the incision healed, it just seems less on the right side.  Also, the scar around my navel seems to be a little darker, thicker and noticeable on the right side than the left.  But it's nothing I can't live with. 

Shopping:  It's so much better than it was.  I wear clothes now that I wouldn't have even thought about wearing before or if I had worn them, I would have been highly self-conscious about it or worn a long shirt to hide the area.  For example, yoga pants before would have gotten a heck no, forget it, no flippin' way but now I've gotten myself several pair and don't look bad in them if I do say so myself.  I can wear dresses or slacks that fit my abdominal area nice and flat and I cannot express how awesome that is.  I'm less inclined to wear blouses or items of clothing that hang and hide my mid-section.  I tuck in my blouses and shirts more now than I did before.

Numbness:  The area between my navel and my scar continues to be numb.  But as I've noted here, that's to be expected as well as the expectation that the feeling may never return.

I think that concludes the high points in a nutshell.

In between blogging this and working, I managed to squeeze in calling the surgeon and the missed appointment has now been rescheduled for next week and post op photos will definitely be taken.  I'm recalling how uncomfortable I was in my pre-op photos baring it all and now, I don't even feel that it's going to be an issue.  It's crazy how a surgery can help alter perceptions in the way one sees him or herself, in a good way.