NCP’s Tummy Tuck Blog – 12/23/09

So…  Tummy Tuck plus 15 days.

Things are doing much better now.

I have both drains out – yay!  I have no tape on the incisions.

Those two things combined have given me much more freedom of movement.  Sitting, standing, everything is a little easier now.

The incision is, well, yeah, it’s still pretty ugly… but it’s healing nicely and it takes about 3 months for it to become what it’s likely to be.

The scabs are falling off the belly button, which has loosened up a bit and is, I think, going to look just like a regular belly button, which is awesome.

I am almost 100% standing upright.  I think I am probably the only one who could tell I’m still only at 98%

I have some pics from day 9, but I forgot the camera here today.  I’ll take another one tonight (hoping to remember) and post a couple to show the difference.

As much of a pain in the butt as this process has been, I think it’s going to be worth it in a big way.

I was very lucky in some things.  I did not swell.  Seriously, not even a tiny bit.  I guess that’s the drains doing their job, but I was still expecting some swelling and tightness, which just didn’t happen.  Given the horror stories of swelling that I have heard, I think that’s awesome.

I have nothing but wonderful things to say about my Dr. and his staff.  Whom I will now name, as I promised I would at the beginning of this dealy.

I had my surgery done by Dr. Felmont Eaves at Charlotte Plastic Surgery.  He is an incredible Dr.  His staff at his office are wonderful and helpful and super nice.  The staff at the surgical center were great.  Everyone was so caring and helpful… I could not recommend this Dr. or practice enough for anyone considering having something nipped or tucked.   Dr. Eaves specializes in massive weight loss patients, but I’m sure he is just as awesome for everything else he does.  Seriously, I cannot award enough stars to these folks for the job they have done.

Of course, the tummy tuck process isn’t all ham and plaques*.  There are a few things I am hating right now.

1) A side effect that was just sort of a casual mention in ALL the web sites, literature, info I read… “you may find that you feel full sooner when you eat”.  Hmmm… yeah, well.  It’s true in my case.  I was never what you might call a dainty eater.  I eat.  I like to eat.  The fact that I like to eat healthy food doesn’t mean I don’t like to eat a lot of it.  So now…  one packet of oatmeal in the AM, and I am bursting.  Half a can of soup or half a sammich?  Yeah, that’s about it.  Seriously… only half a pint of veggie fried rice and I have to put the carton down.  It IS getting better as I go along, so I have hopes that I’ll b able to eat like a normal person soon… but I don’t know how those dainty eaters do it.  I mean, sure, I’m FULL… but emotionally, it’s just kind of unsatisfying to not be able to EAT.

2) This binder thing.  Oh my word, I cannot WAIT to get rid of this.  I know it’s important for controlling the swelling (see above, maybe another reason there was none) and helping the skin to re-adhere to the abdominal wall.  yes, yes, all good things.  But I am TIRED of being bound.  It’s especially difficult when I am on the exercise bike or elliptical machine and can’t really take a deep breath. I cannot imagine what life was like for people who used to go around all the time in corsets.  Not for me.  Not for me at all.  I like to breath, thanks!  But, still, only a couple more weeks of this.

But those are the only REALLY troublesome things.  I miss skating, but I knew it’d be some time before I could derby again.  At least I have been cleared to do some plain old skating in circles, which I am going to go do on Saturday.  Gotta keep the leg muscles built up…  Quads are too important to lose them to sitting on the couch!

Things are definitely on the upswing and fingers crossed we keep going that direction!

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*I have no idea how many people in the world will understand this reference, but it’s my favorite way of saying that there’s a bad side to something

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