Comparison at week 2

Week 2

Before

Before

Week 2

May 28- 2 weeks

Looks a bit wierd huh?!

 My new bellybutton! Actually looks like a bellybutton now! Woot woot!

Heaps flatter than before the surgery!!!

 

 

Yesterday I had another appointment and they took out the remaining stitches from my bellybutton. Yay! I now have my new bellybutton! I no longer have to keep it covered with gauze but I still need to keep the tape on the lower scar. As I mentioned in my previous post the surgeon thought that I might have a build up of fluid called a seroma so he put a needle in both sides of my lower abdomen to try to drain it but not much came out. I couldn't feel him putting the needles in as he did it in an area where I am numb. I am going back in a week to see him and I will post some more photos then.

 

 

 

 

 

A complication- Seroma- day 12

May 21- Day 7

 

I had my first post-op appointment today. They took alternating stitches out of my bellybutton. My lower wound has been sutured with a dissolving stitch so they just trimmed the ends of this and then re-applied the tape. I still have to keep the tape on- this is to try to help flatten the scar and I still have gauze over the bellybutton . The surgeon said I can start my first exercise- sucking my tummy in as much as I can three times a day!

I asked Dr Moore if he had done any liposuction and he laughed and said there was no fat there! I was unable to find out the weight of the skin they removed.

During this week I havent had to eat anything different to normal. I was told not to lift my girls for at least 10 days and to wear the binder as much as possible day and night. I'd recommend to anyone thinking of undergoing an abdominoplasty, to try to work on some arm and leg strength beforehand, as when your stomach and stomach muscles are this sore you need to be able to compensate by using other muscles to do some everyday movements.

I am now going to post weekly for a while, instead of daily as I think the changes will slow down a bit now.

 



May 20- day 6

 

Compare this side profile to yesterdays!!!

 

Today I noticed a huge decrease in swelling! The side profile today compared to yesterdays' shows the difference. Also when I put my binder on, it did up a couple of centimetres tighter really easily! I was very surprised!Yay!!!

 

May 19- Day 5

 

Havent done a side profile for a while- looking sooo much flatter than before the operation!

 

Today I felt really great! The antibiotics had started to kick in and my stomach muscles were even less sore! But then I was a bit stupid! I went shopping! I didnt push the pram or carry anything but just walking around really overdid it! :( so I spent the rest of the day laying down and popping pain killers! I thought 'its just walking' but obviously even walking has its limits so close after having this surgery. 

 

May 18- day 4

 

 

New tape from when I went to GP last night about the infection

 Once again this is my belly button and not my butt! A bit of blood that I hafta clean! lol

 

Today I felt awesome compared to the past few days! My stomach muscles weren't anywhere near as sore although I still wouldn't recommend having a laughing or coughing fit as it will still make tears of pain pour down your face! :( Because I'm able to stand up straighter, my lower back muscles havent been as sore today either. I even went for a short slow walk today! I also started taking my antibiotics and I think by the end of the day they had started to kick in. 

 

I did make a video today but for some reason it wouldn't let me upload it so I will make another one in a few days.

May 17- day 3

Today I was feeling pretty good, moving a little easier and walking a little straighter. The only time things would get really painful is if I had been sitting or laying for a while then stood up. But as the day went on I began having a burning, stinging feeling on the righthand side of my lower wound. I also began having a fever despite taking regular panadol, so I went off to the doctors. The GP took off the hypafix tape and found that my wound was infected, :( (sorry I didnt get a picture for you) so I got some antibiotics to start the next day.

May 16- Day 2

 

My new belly button- yes it does kinda look like a butt! lol

A bit of blood but look! I've got a waist!!!

I slept a lot better last night than in the hospital- probably because I wasnt being woken all the time for obs to be taken or antibiotics! Also probably because I could sleep on my side like I normally do. I did wake up every couple of hours needing to take pain relief and go to the loo.
I was able to move around a little easier but was quite bent over still. It was quite difficult to bend over or sit down on the ground and pretty hard getting up from the ground too.

May 15- day 1 post-op

 

My belly the day after the operation. Lots of puckering but the doctor says most of that will clear up on its own within the next few months.

 

This is what it looks like wih the tape on. As you can see there is a dramatic improvement already from what it looked like before.

This is the binder that needs to be worn as much as possible in the weeks following the operation.

The first night was a bit rough- I had to take pain relief pretty regularly and found it a bit difficult to sleep due to pain, having to sleep on my back in one position and also being woken by the nurses for obs to be taken and IV antibiotics to be administered.
In the morning they took the calf-massaging machine off and assisted me to go to the toilet on my own. It was difficult and painful trying to get up. I had to roll over to the side and then push myself up rather like when I was pregnant. I was quite dizzy upon sitting up and it took a lot longer than I expected for this to subside. I had to really support my belly with my hands and kind of shuffle. I got dizzy after standing up for a bit so I'll have to take it a bit easier.
I had my drains taken out and new dressings put on and then after my shower I was allowed to go home. I spent the rest of the day dozing and resting. I was super tired- it probably had something to do with all the pain meds! I was a lot more comfortable in my own bed and being able to lay on my side. When walking, I was bent over quite a bit but after being up for a little while I could straighten up a bit. I had a bit of bleeding throughout the day but this is normal and with rest and pressure this subsided. 

May 14- the big day!

 

 

My husband dropped me off at Parkwynd Private Hospital just before my admission time of 7am. I was sooo excited! After doing a little bit of paperwork I was taken through to get changed into my gowns and have my ID tags put on. For an abdominoplasty you dont get to keep anything on underneath the gown. I spoke to the anaesthetist who talked me through the procedure and checked that I am ok with anaesthetics. He also spoke to me regarding the pain relief he would be prescribing for after the surgery. Then shortly after, I was taken through to the operating theatre. I saw my surgeon- Dr Tony Moore and was made to lay down on the bed. My gowns were moved aside and Dr Moore began marking my belly for the incisions and at the same time the anaesthetist put a cannula in the back of my hand and gave me the anaesthetic. The next thing I remember was waking up in the recovery room.

I was in a bit of pain and quite drowsy. The nurses gave me some pain relief through my cannula and after some time I was taken to the ward. It was quite difficult to breathe deeply and even worse to try to cough or laugh. I was given regular IV antibiotics and was made to stay in bed. I had a machine attached to my legs which massaged my calves to reduce the risk of DVT/clots.

 

 

 

The cause of my tummy issues

Pregnancy number 1

Pregnancy number 2

Baby number 1

Mummy and Baby number 1

Mummy and baby number 2

Baby number 2

May 13- the night before my abdominoplasty- the before pics

 

 

So its the night before my big operation and I'm super excited! I've actually been so excited I've hardly slept in a few weeks! I'm a little nervous- mostly about how bad the pain will be, and a little nervous in case it doesnt turn out as good as i'm hoping it will. This is a bit silly really because anything will be an improvement on what is here now so I'm sure it will be fine! Now to try and get some sleep before my early start!

Intro

I have two beautiful girls- one is three and the other is one. They are amazing but being pregnant kinda ruined my body! When I was pregnant my belly was HUGE! I know all pregnant women say that but it looked as though my girls were laying straight out- with their feet towards my spine and their arms outstretched over their head! I also put on weight whilst pregnant- about 27kgs with the first and 28kgs with the second- and that was the weight without the baby inside! So I got cracking and lost the weight both times, but even so, my belly looked atrocious!!!

I had 9cm of muscle separation with the first and 10cm separation with the second and despite doing all the exercises that the physios gave me, I was only able to get them to go 1cm closer! :( Normal muscle separation in pregnancy is usually 3cm or less and this can come together relatively easily if the exercises are done. So months and months after giving birth and losing the weight people were still asking if I was pregnant- I looked like a 'normal' pregnant woman! This is because of the way my intestines poked out in between the muscles! I could even see my intestines moving! Eeew! when the abdominal muscles are separated like that it is not very safe as these muscles support the back and assist with heavy lifting.

I also sustained an umbilical hernia which is a hernia in the belly button. This is fairly common and they are often small but can be quite painful at times! I also ended up with a massive 'apron'!!! This is what the hangy bit of skin on the belly is called. It doesn't matter how much exercise a person does or how much weight they lose, an apron does not just go away! It occurs due to the lack of elastin in the skin which tends to be a genetic issue. 

So because of all this I have been looking terrible and finding it difficult to look good in clothes that girls around my age wear. I have been embarrassed to have my husband look at my belly as I feel that if it makes me sick to see myself how much worse would it be for others to see it! This obviously has not been a good thing for my relationship With my husband. 

So it's for all these reasons that I have decided to undergo an abdominoplasty or tummy tuck! It was not a solely vain decision- there was a lot of medical need for it but it will definitely improve my feelings about my appearance! There are all these sayings out there that are said to try and make ladies feel better about their post-baby bodies, such as 'you're a tiger who has earned her stripes' and sayings about how your baby is worth all the stretchmarks etc but these things do not make me feel better at all and chances are that most women if their bellies are as bad as mine would probably feel the same!

I have decided to blog about my abdominoplasty/tummy tuck experience so that other mums who are going through what I have can see what the recovery and results are like and know what to expect! Enjoy the read and feel free to contact me for further info!

For information on the abdominoplasty procedure, here is a link to a segment from the TV show 'The Doctors' http://video.answers.com/what-happens-during-a-tummy-tuck-517031354 this shows you what happens in a tummy tuck.