It’s been 6 weeks since my extended tummy tuck surgery! I had a lot of excess fat and skin removed (apron belly). My scar extends around my hips and is also around my “new” belly button. I will be posting pics on Insta today or tomorrow, @SheWalksAboutNDN.
I still have a lot of swelling and can barely see my waist line but it seems to be coming back. I still have a seroma, doing warm compresses 2-3 times a day. Many of my stretch marks are below my belly button, I’m a mother of three and I expect to still have them. I didn’t decide to do the tummy tuck to chase some unobtainable notion of perfection but I did fight hard to lose 75 pounds and I was tired of the apron belly that I had for many years.
My surgical nurse told me it could take months or up to a year for a tummy tuck to fully heal. I will have substantial swelling for at least 3-6 months. I imagined that this was something I could power through and recover quickly but this is a big deal. My advice to anyone considering a tummy tuck is to give yourself at least 2 weeks off of work. I could have used another week or two, especially with the seroma complication and extended length of time that I had drains. Fortunately, I did not need pain killers for a long period of time. After two days post-op, I only used them at night for another week to help the pain subside so that I could get to sleep.
The good news is that I can return to the gym later this week! It’ll be slow and steady for a while – no ab or core workouts for at least 3 months. Very excited to get moving again!!
Wahéhshon 🙂