It's been a while!

It has been a while since I have posted... I am doing GREAT! I quit wearing my compression garment around week 5 because I don't feel like I need it! I only wear it if I am going to be out and about and doing a lot of walking .  Here is me at 5.5 weeks Post op.

Here is a side pic...

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Here is my Scar... the vertical part that will need to be revised...

It actually doesn't look that bad in this pic... but right under the BB and ABOVE my scar is lumpy and sticks out. My PS said that he could extend the scar a but upward and smooth it out... which will look A LOT better!

I am SUPER happy that I had my TT. I LOVE my new tummy. I have been watching what I eat and have lost 5 pounds since surgery. I started working out again 3 days ago... I joined a gym! I still cannot run because all the bouncing pulls on my tummy and it is uncomfortable, but I can do classes if I modify them. On Thursday I did a turbo-kick and a power lift class back-to-back. It felt GREAT!

My tummy is hardly sore at all unless I really over-do it. My Browlift also looks GREAT!!!! When I put a before and after pic side-by side of my face it has taken about 7 years off my appearance!

I over-did it.

July 4th the family and I went on a "shark tour"... we drove to the North Shore, got on a boat which took us 2 miles off shore and then got INTO a cage with snorkel gear and watched several very large sharks swim all over the cage. It was AWESOME!  I was 19 days po and feeling pretty good. I put waterproof tape over my scars and my belly button- I didn't want them to get sea water into any microscopic tears in my incision .

I had a fun time swimming in the cage for 15 min... and I use the term "swimming" loosely. Mostly I just hung onto the cage... However, once I got home my stomach was SOOOOOO sore. I was most sore in my upper abdomen... about an inch above my belly button and the the side of my belly button. I took it easy the rest of the day and now, 2 days later I feel much, much better. So I learned that you use your stomach muscles for a lot more than you think!

16 days Post Op

These past few days I have been feeling very, very close to normal. I have been lifting the baby very carefully out of her crib and very short distances if I have too. I still rely on my son and husband to do most of the lifting. And when I DO lift her I make sure to use my arm muscles and place her on my hip.  She weighs about 18 pounds.  I am sleeping in my bed with no problems... and it feels good again. I still put a pillow under my knees to sort of keep my legs bent.... so they are not laying totally straight. Sometimes in the morning when I wake up I go to stretch and then my tummy feels a pulling sensation... so I quit stretching, lol!

My last Dr. apt with my PS was 4 days ago... they removed the staples from my head -finally! And that felt soooooo good. I was then able to comb my hair out and I can now use the blow dryer. I still need to be careful with my head and my forehead because if you PULL on it too much you can un-do the browlift. The skin is re-attaching in its new position and it takes about 2 months to fully attach.  My browlift looks better and better everyday. I am very happy with it. It is a very small difference... people say that I just look "brighter" and "really good" and they don't know what I have had done. My eyebrows are a tiny bit higher... which is awesome because my eyes lids were very droopy and now my eyes look a bit more open... very slightly. And also my forehead is wrinkle free- fabulous! This takes about 5 years off my appearance!

My belly looks AMAZING. On Monday the tape was removed and I could see my scar for the first time- the lower horizontal scar looks great- the upper vertical scar beneath my belly button looks worse... and there is a puckered area that I am concerned won't go away... sort of like a small "dog ear". My PS says it will look better and better but if that particular area does not go away in 6 months he will revise it.

The area of concern is still covered with tape... I will get a pic of that when I change the tape in a couple days.

Above:After.

                                                                                      Below: Before

I am very pleased with my results! What a big difference. I am still also a bit swollen, and that will go down with time.