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Three weeks...that's how long it's been since my surgery... well, as of about an hour from now, anyway. I feel really pretty good. More stamina, but still get wiped out without a lot of effort. It was almost better when I could barely move - no thought of doing something silly to hurt myself and set the healing process back. So difficult to know what you can't do when you start feeling better. Dr. Cohen said, If your grandmother couldn't do it... then YOU shouldn't be doing it. Well, THAT was a lot easier when I felt confined to the recliner! lol... I am off all pain medication. Some things still hurt here and there. I get random sharp pains in all my surgical areas, but it's almost like that stitch in the side type of pain and over within moments. The numbness is WEIRD. Ctlss said after 17 years she still has an area that's numb on her belly. I can see that happening, for sure. But it's just strange - it sort of comes and goes. Sometimes I can't even feel over my belly button (or a lot of areas)... I have to actually look to see if I'm touching it -although now everything is covered up with those doctor grade silicone sheets - and I think that stuff is amazing. I could swear some of the incisions already look better and it's been two days. Can't wait to see where I am in three months! I have high hopes here. And today I was looking online and saw some guy's tummy tuck pictures and AGAIN realized how fortunate I was to have found such an awesome, artistic and perfectionist of a plastic surgeon. This guy's naval had a big, stitched circle around it - stitches you could see from the outside. All of my stitches are internal and my doc made me the cutest little belly button! I'm gonna HAVE to take pictures of that when I'm all healed up. There won't be a scar visible from the outside of the belly button at all. Amazing. He may have been trying to make up for the fact that I have a vertical scar from the tummy tuck incision up 2" that stops about 1 1/2" below my new belly button. This is where my old belly button was. Just not enough elasticity to my skin to pull it all the way down and not enough excess skin, either. But I'm okay with that... and like I said, high hopes of having minimal scarring when things are all healed in a year or so. And the guy's tummy tuck incision! Wow, what a difference between his and my own. Yes, it's huge, meaning really long - mine stops just about on top of my hip bones. But mine is a fairly straight, though curved, line with no real jagged looking edges. This guy's incision looked almost like someone cut him open with pinking shears. And he had stitches - external stitches, on that, too. When I saw that guy's picture, I think I fell a little bit more in love with my doctor! In the most innocent way. He also seems more human and more "real" each time I've seen him. Kind of wish he was a regular doctor - someone you'd see more than once or twice.
Well, I don't have a lot to talk about. My life for the next few weeks is all about healing. No work outs, no hiking...just little walks. So I can't talk about my dates with Shaun T, or how I liked or didn't like a certain workout dvd. So if it sees I'm all wrapped up in my surgery - it's kind of because I am! It's pretty much what my life is revolving around. lol... I'm not much of a cook, so I can't talk about some awesome meal I've made, or post pretty food pictures! (wink, wink, K) Oh, here's big news... I may try to sleep in our bed tonight! I've been sleeping in the recliner every day and up until late last night, my husband has spent every night laying on the sofa next to me. What a sweetie!
Well, I went to my favorite thrift store - get out of the house and get a bit of movement in without it being exercise. That store never fails to impress me. I picked up a pair of jeans and a couple of tops, but the "find" was a pair of Gorham crystal champagne flutes with hearts in the stems for $6! Got home, found my reading glasses and saw the original stickers on the glasses - $40 each! Now THAT'S a deal! But now I'm really, really tired.
Diet Calendar Entry for 10 November 2010:
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735 kcal
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Fat: 13.76g | Prot: 31.15g | Carb: 131.46g.
Breakfast: zone perfect chocolate peanut butter , kelloggs fiber antioxidant cereal. Lunch: progresso low sodium chicken and rice soupo, Toasted Sesame Rice Crackers. Snacks/Other: grapes. more...
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 Comments
I love to meet you, RWL! Just let me know and I'll email you my cell number. Hope you stop by soon since it's holiday season now till all the way to year end. You also should surprise everyone with your new prettier self! Are you from Arizona?
12 Nov 10 by member: happynow
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gizmonel - yes, I did have a tummy tuck (among other procedures). If you're interested, read my journal over the last few entries. Long and drawn out, though! Consider yourself warned :D And YEP, best thing I've ever done, too. Would love to hear your experiences. I'm especially interested at the moment to find out if you used the silicone sheeting for the scars. I'm amazed at how much lighter mine look after a few days... can't wait to see how they look in six months! I actually didn't lose anything with the surgery... I had thought I might drop a bit, but I had very little lipo done for various reasons. But from dieting and exercising, I just hit the 50 lb mark. The way I looked prior to surgery, you'd have thought I'd lost over a hundred pounds by the way my skin looked. Thank GOD and my husband (well...and a highly skilled surgeon, of course!) for this opportunity. Yes, please write me...
12 Nov 10 by member: redwinelover
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Happynow... No, I'm a So Cal native! :D... born and raised, then moved to WA state when I married my husband. We lived there for 11 years before moving here to AZ. I'm actually planning to go to CA for a Disneyland trip with my two oldest friends. One I've known from kindergarten, the other since 9th grade! In all the years I lived in CA and all the visits since and the many, many Disneyland trips, I've never gone for all it's Christmas glory! So that's on the "bucket" list for me and the friend from kindergarten. She has survived a bout with tracheal cancer that most people don't survive, and so far, so good. Turns out Christmas at Disneyland was also on her list of things to do, so we made plans last Christmas to do it this year. Not sure if it'll be before or after Christmas, but I'll be sure to let you know.
12 Nov 10 by member: redwinelover
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Sounds wonderful! Just let me know!
12 Nov 10 by member: happynow
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Look at you 124!!! Awesome! Hope you are doing well since surgery. I have been sick the last few weeks, ugh so I have not made it on here at all! Hope all is well!! Don't worry your dates with Shaun T will be back soon enough and you will wish you didn't have to see his face :)
12 Nov 10 by member: JillRN
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Nurse Jill... I was WONDERING what happened to you! So sorry to hear you've been sick. Must have been horrible if you were sick for WEEKS. Goodness, glad you're better now. I'm doing so much better.. every day I feel better than the day before. But it's weird, I'll be fine, and then suddenly I'm exhausted. Guess that's normal. And I don't know...at this point I really miss Shaun T! lol... stay well, girl!
12 Nov 10 by member: redwinelover
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RedWineLover my recovery period of first four to six weeks were very good and I did not feel any pain and have not since then. My surgeon is the best in Ontario.... He used strips as staples and most of them were inside and naturally fell off within six weeks. Before surgery I was about 178 pounds and that left me at a maintenance of 60 pounds in five years time I have kept them off! Surgeon cut off eight pounds of excess but yet I am at 176 right now but leaner. I am in an attempt to get lower in weight but thats not a concern and as long as I don't go over 178-180 I am fine as my workouts keep me lean.
Thats funny and its how I look too... Seems that when you look at me I could very well be 90 pounds lighter then I was six years ago.
One tip I would suggest is to get some bio-oil and massage the scar once the stitches are out... This will keep the scar nice and light and remove any knots thats inside!
Keep me posted on your recovery I will send you a link of my gallery!
12 Nov 10 by member: gizmonel
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Hi gizmonel... wow, do you have a high threshold for pain? Or were your abdominal muscles already together so they didn't need to be stitched? I think that stitching is where the majority of pain comes from for me. That and the little bit of lipo sculpting was surprisingly painful. I wasn't really expecting that at all. All of my stitches are internal.. I think my surgeon said there are three (?) layers of stitching in the abdominal incision. I have no stitches on the outside on any of the incisions. Even my belly button doesn't have any external stitches. As impresses with the rest of his work as I am, I'm still just crazy about my new belly button! :D When I came out of surgery, I had steri-strips on all the incisions. He removed the abdominal ones on the second day, and the breast ones he removed at my post op check 8 days later. I'm using the silicone strips now (scar fx) with my surgeon's approval. Already see a difference and I've only been using them since Monday afternoon (but round the clock). Awesome job on your weight loss and especially keeping that off for five years now! That's impressive! I went into surgery at 126 1/2 lbs, and from what I understand, he was only able to remove a narrow strip of skin from my belly. My issue was excess skin, really not a lot of fat left in the abdomen. He did some lipo on my flanks - mostly for shaping and smoothing and he did a very small amount in my outer thighs. I'd have loved to get all that fat sucked out, but again, my biggest issue is skin and rippling, and he didn't want to make that area look worse. I'm hoping there's still some swelling in my waist, because if there is and it goes down, my waist will officially be the smallest it's ever been as an adult. When I married it was 26 1/2" and this morning it was 26 1/4". Yippee! I'd love it if I ended up with a 25" - 25 1/2" waist. That would be awesome! Oh...sidetracked. Anyway, I can't use the bio-oil right now and I have some other stuff I'd bought, too, but can't use yet. With the scar strips, you just have to have clean, dry skin. I am, however, massaging the scars a lot. Do you still have numb areas on your belly? One of my good buddies here had a tummy tuck 17 yrs ago and still has an area that's numb on her belly! But for me? It's worth it, even if that sensation remains (it DOES feel weird). I also had implants and a lift, so I actually ADDED 1.9 lbs! lol... I'm not to massage those incisions yet, though, as the material used as a sort of internal bra - the Strattice, needs to be left as undisturbed as possible for six weeks. My body's tissues are supposed to grow into that stuff and sort of fuse together. So that part will have to wait. I would love the link to your gallery, please send a pm or post it - either one. Thanks again... if you pm, give me more details! lol
13 Nov 10 by member: redwinelover
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He had to stitch me up pretty good! LOL they were wide open but already pretty tight due to my fitness. I will be getting more lipo and sculpting done in May for my scar revision... This surgeon has agreed to do this at no extra cost in May. Yes there are three layers of internal stitching that will dissolve on their own. I felt no pain whatsoever even until today I did not take the pain meds he gave me as I did not have pain. I was up and walking in about a weeks time slept on recliner which was best for about four weeks then moved to bed.
My issue was excess 8 pounds of it! I gain all of my weight in belly and it was huge very huge LOL. He cut my flanks off so i got no chunks there HAHAHA. You will feel numb for about two years in some areas and depending on fitness you will get feeling faster. My advice was to take in glutamine and probiotics after surgery as it helps heal better I did this and wonder why thats the reason I healed very quickly with no pain.
Thats the tissue modelling that will take time and that along with numbness can take 1-2 years.
I do have photos with small comments but my journey is remembered very well and am very pleased to help you in this journey of healing too.
13 Nov 10 by member: gizmonel
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Every day we are all healing and getting stronger! TOWANDA!!!
13 Nov 10 by member: Lisa Online
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