I had my almost 6 month follow up appointment this week. There isn't much to the follow up. He checked my incision scar to make sure it was healing nicely. I will get pictures and post them later this week. It is starting to fade to white in some areas. I had a LOT of swelling which caused some stretching of the skin. My belly button was closed with stitches under the skin. When the sleeping happened the stitches were pulled against the skin and causes these pressure/stretch mark looking things in a star pattern. They look funny but will fade also.
I finally remembered to ask the Dr. about my muscle separation. I have been asked exactly how my muscles were separated. I asked a nurse on the way out at the last appointment but she didn't have my chart and just guesstimated 7 inches. So I told many of you 7 inches. I talked to the Dr and she said no it was over 10 inches and stressed again how I was the perfect candidate for the surgery. I was shocked it was that large.
I am still amazed at the difference the surgery has made in the appearance of my stomach, especially clothed. I have had several comments made around me about trying to loose weight and how they have to work at it not have is "sucked out". People just don't realize I didn't have weight loss surgery. I didn't loose any weight at all from the surgery. The difference is from repairing the stomach muscles and removing the excess folds of skin. I still have to loose the weight myself. And I have plenty left to loose.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Saturday, February 20, 2010
I haven't updated in a while
I am 11 weeks post op now. I am doing well and back into normal activities as far as driving. I am still under lifting restrictions for 6 months. Nothing over 10 lbs. I forget at times and try to lift something and feel it quickly. usually resulting in a few hours of muscle spasms. I also have to watch moving to quickly. The kids came in from playing in the snow the other day and I was throwing their wet snow pants over the shower curtain to dry. I lifted my right arm over my head to quickly and pulled the muscles there, it hurt the rest of the night. It is all that right side that gives me fits. My Dr told me at my last appointment to expect this for a while with the amount he had to pull to get my muscles back together. He said that my separation was double the largest he had seen before. This surprised me considering the large percentage of his practice is reconstructive. I knew I had a large separation though. I could fit both hands in it if I would lay down and try to life my shoulders off the floor. Just lying there I without doing anything I could feel inside. It is strange now not being able to feel my intestines anymore.
I am still completely numb from the belly button down and on my left hip. Hoping that will come back with time. I get a tingle at the outer edge of the numbness so I am hoping that is a good sign. Maybe I should start marking the edge of the numbness to see if the numb area is shrinking.
Now the good stuff. The reason for the surgery in the first place was to help with my back. I had been doing spinal injection, physical therapy and even chiropractic treatments for my back pain. I know the pain will never be gone completely but with such a large diastasis I didn't have a weak core I had no core. The hope was by repairing the stomach muscles and removing the weight of all the excess skin it would help with the back pain. This is why my insurance paid for the surgery and saw it as "medically necessary". I am happy to report that my lower back pain has already decreased some. And I haven't even had a chance to strengthen my abdominal muscles yet.
Still have swelling on and off. Will try to get new pictures soon. The above pictures are from 7 weeks.
Monday, January 11, 2010
My two halfs
I was doing so well. I feel like I am split in half right now. My left side feels up to doing just about anything and has for some time. But my right side is a different story. It is more swollen still and if I try to stand straight it pulls and hurts because of it. But instead of getting better it is getting worse as time goes on. I have been trying to just stretch every time I get up and thinking the pain was being caused by the healing process. But I just couldn't understand why it is only on the right side. And it isn't just mildly uncomfortable. It is a lot of pain when I get up. Starts off uncomfortable, then goes to pain and I am bending over farther and farther rather quickly holding that side of my belly. Then my back starts to give out due to my back issues from bending over and my outer thighs were the muscles were pulled up start to ache so my knees bend to make that more comfortable. I look all contorted. Standing more than 5 minutes at a time just isn't happening. And there is no chance of me lifting my right arm above my head.
When I am resting in my recliner I have what feels like muscle spasms on the right side. I am back to needing a stronger pain medication (I always need pain medication for other medical issues non surgery related). My stomach on the right side from my rib cage to just above the incision is tender to the touch. It also has times when it feels hot. Not hot to the touch but how you feel when you have something hot placed on your skin. Like I have a hot water bottle sitting on my stomach or something. But I am not running a fever and no redness which were the signs of infection I was told to look for. I am going to the Dr tomorrow to get checked out a week earlier than planned to be safe. I just have gone down hill this weekend rather quickly. Which seems odd to me a full month after the surgery.
When I am resting in my recliner I have what feels like muscle spasms on the right side. I am back to needing a stronger pain medication (I always need pain medication for other medical issues non surgery related). My stomach on the right side from my rib cage to just above the incision is tender to the touch. It also has times when it feels hot. Not hot to the touch but how you feel when you have something hot placed on your skin. Like I have a hot water bottle sitting on my stomach or something. But I am not running a fever and no redness which were the signs of infection I was told to look for. I am going to the Dr tomorrow to get checked out a week earlier than planned to be safe. I just have gone down hill this weekend rather quickly. Which seems odd to me a full month after the surgery.
Friday, January 1, 2010
What is that smell?
I came home from shopping and started smelling this odor last night after we went shopping. I smelled my binder and it didn't smell so I searched around my chair. couldn't find the odor. I had left my binder off to watch a movie and kept noticing a odor. I finally decided it had to be me and went to take a shower and wash around the incision, which is covered by steri strips still. The odor didn't go away, it got stronger. OMG the smell. It was like rotting flesh. Chris washed the shirt I was wearing, my binder, my blankets, pillow cases (I keep a pillow on my tummy because my laptop is in my lap as I recline.) But it all smelled again withing minutes of getting near my tummy again even with a towel as a barrier.
Called the Doctor the next morning. No redness around the area, not sore or hot. It had been oozing at my last appointment from under the steri strip but that had stopped. Yes he has seen this before. I could tell because the tone in his voice changed and the manor in which he gave me instructions was much the same as when I worked tech support and walked someone though yet another instillation, "click on start, now go to programs, now click on Control Program....." I did it in my sleep, literally. Chris would tell me I talked in my sleep when I first started. Anyway he told me it was that ooze trapped under the steri strips. To pull off the front steri strips were they are moist and cover it with gauze. That more steri strips would just keep trapping the ooze and it needs to flow. That prevents infections. There would be a small opening and that is fine. Just keep it covered and change the gauze. If it got red or hot to call and he would give me antibiotics or if I felt I needed to come in to come on up he would look at it anytime.
Chris is gone to go pick up our kids from Atlanta so I strip down and throw everything that has touched me and smells of rotting flesh again in the wash. Go to the bathroom so I can see in the mirror and pull off the strips and try not to gag at the smell. Wrap the stinky strips up well and dispose of them and wash the incision. Tape gauze over the area and feel so much better not to smell like a corps. Now just not to push it and cause any more holes that leak ooze.
Called the Doctor the next morning. No redness around the area, not sore or hot. It had been oozing at my last appointment from under the steri strip but that had stopped. Yes he has seen this before. I could tell because the tone in his voice changed and the manor in which he gave me instructions was much the same as when I worked tech support and walked someone though yet another instillation, "click on start, now go to programs, now click on Control Program....." I did it in my sleep, literally. Chris would tell me I talked in my sleep when I first started. Anyway he told me it was that ooze trapped under the steri strips. To pull off the front steri strips were they are moist and cover it with gauze. That more steri strips would just keep trapping the ooze and it needs to flow. That prevents infections. There would be a small opening and that is fine. Just keep it covered and change the gauze. If it got red or hot to call and he would give me antibiotics or if I felt I needed to come in to come on up he would look at it anytime.
Chris is gone to go pick up our kids from Atlanta so I strip down and throw everything that has touched me and smells of rotting flesh again in the wash. Go to the bathroom so I can see in the mirror and pull off the strips and try not to gag at the smell. Wrap the stinky strips up well and dispose of them and wash the incision. Tape gauze over the area and feel so much better not to smell like a corps. Now just not to push it and cause any more holes that leak ooze.
Mid week 3
The kids are still gone so we went shopping. Well furniture shopping. Chris snapped these pictures just before we left. I have my binder on, which is like an elastic band that goes around the tummy area from just under the breasts to the pubic line. I have to wear it another 3-4 weeks. The picture on the left shows how straight I can stand so far. It is SOOO much better from where I was. Just a little more to go.
It was so nice to be out of the house for several hours. We did bring the wheelchair. But I wasn't in it most of the time. I used it more as a walker. I don't think I would have made it without it though. My lower back starts to burn after a bit of walking. Then we went out to dinner. Our first date night in I don't know how long. That is just sad isn't it.
3rd Dr appointment
As we start week 3 it isn't as smooth. Oh the itching! On my right side it gets red and itch above the incision site. then it starts to spread. Driving me crazy. I had what I thought was a low fever Sun night. And an oozing from under the steri strips in the very front center. Paranoid I was sure it was infected. Chris was gone all day Monday so I couldn't get to the Dr and I had an appointment Tuesday morning so I just waited.
Get to the appointment and he says it is healing perfectly. Not an infection, it is a rash. I need to air it out more leaving the binder off as much as i can and can use powder when I have the binder on to help keep the area dry. This does help immensely. The bumps have faded but still gets red when I have had the binder on all day in that area. There was no ever when I woke up the next morning so I don't know if it really was a fever or not. The oozing the Dr said was normal. That area is under the most pressure. Keep the binder on and the swelling down will help that. See the catch 22 between the rash and oozing? But the oozing had pretty much stopped at this point.
The best part about this appointment was I loose my last drain! I was on the bubble on output and didn't take any drugs before the appointment but didn't think it would be an issue since it was so easy last time. But I could feel it coming out this time. He did it in small bits rather than trying to have me sit there pulling that whole tube all at once. Should have taken a valium. LOL He would have put the other one back in and I wouldn't have cared with one of those. Then they took out the rest of those staples.
Now the recommendations the Dr gave me. Now giving full disclosure here if you are reading this blog to plan for your own tummy tuck these recommendations don't seem to line up with what other women were told. I don't know if it is because I had muscles that required "extreme reconstructions" as my Dr keeps stressing, or that it was more of an extended tummy tuck going farther around the side and a little onto the back, or because I have other heath issues. I have several back and spinal issues and fibromyalgia. But one or many of these things seem to have prompted my Dr to give me a longer timeline for recovery than what others online have said. So don't plan by this.
But the Dr said I was recovering on schedule for what was done. The more internal work done the more painful the recovery. He was actually impressed at how the incision was healing and I was a little ahead of schedule. He stressed to not try and push myself to do things to fast. Just stand up a little straighter every day and let the skin stretch. But it has been proven my skin doesn't have great elasticity so don't push it. He has had patients that it has taken a year to get perfectly straight. Way to scare me dude. But just to walk a little more every day (know it is my back causing problems with walking being hunched over) and not to lift anything over 10lbs for 6 months. Oh and no tanning this year. Ok those last two through me for a loop.
I am not the type that goes and lays out in the sun. But I do like to swim with the kids and even with a high sunblock I get a tan. So I guess I need to clarify is it no tanning at all or no tanning in the incision area. I am assuming it is the later.
Get to the appointment and he says it is healing perfectly. Not an infection, it is a rash. I need to air it out more leaving the binder off as much as i can and can use powder when I have the binder on to help keep the area dry. This does help immensely. The bumps have faded but still gets red when I have had the binder on all day in that area. There was no ever when I woke up the next morning so I don't know if it really was a fever or not. The oozing the Dr said was normal. That area is under the most pressure. Keep the binder on and the swelling down will help that. See the catch 22 between the rash and oozing? But the oozing had pretty much stopped at this point.
The best part about this appointment was I loose my last drain! I was on the bubble on output and didn't take any drugs before the appointment but didn't think it would be an issue since it was so easy last time. But I could feel it coming out this time. He did it in small bits rather than trying to have me sit there pulling that whole tube all at once. Should have taken a valium. LOL He would have put the other one back in and I wouldn't have cared with one of those. Then they took out the rest of those staples.
Now the recommendations the Dr gave me. Now giving full disclosure here if you are reading this blog to plan for your own tummy tuck these recommendations don't seem to line up with what other women were told. I don't know if it is because I had muscles that required "extreme reconstructions" as my Dr keeps stressing, or that it was more of an extended tummy tuck going farther around the side and a little onto the back, or because I have other heath issues. I have several back and spinal issues and fibromyalgia. But one or many of these things seem to have prompted my Dr to give me a longer timeline for recovery than what others online have said. So don't plan by this.
But the Dr said I was recovering on schedule for what was done. The more internal work done the more painful the recovery. He was actually impressed at how the incision was healing and I was a little ahead of schedule. He stressed to not try and push myself to do things to fast. Just stand up a little straighter every day and let the skin stretch. But it has been proven my skin doesn't have great elasticity so don't push it. He has had patients that it has taken a year to get perfectly straight. Way to scare me dude. But just to walk a little more every day (know it is my back causing problems with walking being hunched over) and not to lift anything over 10lbs for 6 months. Oh and no tanning this year. Ok those last two through me for a loop.
I am not the type that goes and lays out in the sun. But I do like to swim with the kids and even with a high sunblock I get a tan. So I guess I need to clarify is it no tanning at all or no tanning in the incision area. I am assuming it is the later.
Week 2
Had my 2nd Dr appointment. on Tuesday. I lost one of my drains. I was so thankful to loose that drain particularly. It was causing me more issues because it pulled more and just hurt as you moved the tubes around. Not sure why that one bothered me because the other one gave me no issues at all. But it is gone. I knew they were going to be taking it out because we keep records every time we drain the drains and knew it was well under 30ml a day. He also told me they would be taking staples out this visit at my last visit. So I went in prepared. I took a pain pill before we left the house. THEN about 20 mins before the appointment I took a valium. LOL The staples I knew would be no issue. Had those out from my c-sections. But I knew how long those drain tubes were and didn't know what to expect. So the Valium had hit by the time the Dr comes in and wants to take the tube out and I was really relaxed. I don't think both eyes were focusing in the same direction. So he clips the stitch holding the drain in and tells me to close my eyes. I didn't do it. He tells me again. No I drugged up for this, let me watch. Again he tells me to close my eyes. Fine if you can't do it with someone watching. I close my eyes. But I peeked. That tube was long. It was cool. And best of all it was GONE!
Then the nurse comes back in to take out the staples. I was excited about this because the steri strips had fallen off them and the would catch on things. He only used staples around the back of my sides and where he at to go a little onto my back. Basically where they had to roll me on the table to get to. The front is all stitches. But my excitement about getting them out wained when I learned he only wanted every other one out. Oh well it is a progression.
The rest of week two is holiday week. Lots of family events. We are hosting The big Christmas Eve dinner. Then after the kids open Santa gifts we go to the in-laws for early dinner. Then my babies 7th birthday 2 days after Christmas so we had to host another party. It was hard on me even though I wasn't doing the physical work. I slept a lot this week. I would wake up for the parties then as soon as everyone was gone I passed out again. I just couldn't stay awake.
But as we approach week 3 Chris packs the kids for their vacation to my brothers house in Atlanta. His family normally comes and stays with us for the holidays but I wasn't up to hosting a family of 5 since I am sleeping in the living room.
Then the nurse comes back in to take out the staples. I was excited about this because the steri strips had fallen off them and the would catch on things. He only used staples around the back of my sides and where he at to go a little onto my back. Basically where they had to roll me on the table to get to. The front is all stitches. But my excitement about getting them out wained when I learned he only wanted every other one out. Oh well it is a progression.
The rest of week two is holiday week. Lots of family events. We are hosting The big Christmas Eve dinner. Then after the kids open Santa gifts we go to the in-laws for early dinner. Then my babies 7th birthday 2 days after Christmas so we had to host another party. It was hard on me even though I wasn't doing the physical work. I slept a lot this week. I would wake up for the parties then as soon as everyone was gone I passed out again. I just couldn't stay awake.
But as we approach week 3 Chris packs the kids for their vacation to my brothers house in Atlanta. His family normally comes and stays with us for the holidays but I wasn't up to hosting a family of 5 since I am sleeping in the living room.
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