Broken Belly Needs Tummy Tuck - YUCKY PICTURES!!!

Innerautumn

PLEASE DO NOT BE MEAN ABOUT MY PICTURES! I AM VERY UNCOMFORTABLE PUTTING THIS ON THE INTERNET!!!
I have had three babies and I got VERY big with each of them. My stretch marks actually ripped and bled with my first baby. In February I decided to get serious about getting in shape. I was a squishy mom. I worked out hard and lost 40 pounds. As I worked, I noticed when I did ab exercises, my stomach was deformed. It would form an upside down V when I did any ab exercises. The more I worked out, the more noticable it became. I am down to 120 pounds. At 5'2" I could still lose about 10 pounds to be ideal for me. I do not have A LOT of fat though. My arms are very defined. My bones are visible on my shoulders, collar bones, hip bones. I am a size 4. I am not that fat. But my stomach will not give in. I worked harder and harder and started having pain in my stomach. I told a friend at work and showed her my deformed stomach, and she told me I had a hernia. I went to a general surgeon and he said I have TWO hernias and severe diastasis recti (my ab muscles are separated). He wants to fix the hernias with mesh and cut me from my sternum to my belly button to do the surgery. He would not fix the diastasis because that would not be covered by insurance. (What the heck, right?) He recommended that I go to a plastic surgeon and get a tummy tuck to repair the diastasis. I have lots of loose skin too. I have gone for three consultations now and they all tell me the same thing. Diastasis is not covered because most women who have had children have this to a small degree. My diastasis is severe. THere is a gap of at least three inches between my abs. They said that in order for insurance to cover it, I would need to get lots of documentation about how I am missing work because of this. I am going to the doctor because of this. The diastasis does not hurt and would certainly not cause me to miss work. The hernias hurt me everytime I workout. I can't even do push-ups anymore. Insurance will pay for the hernias, but I want the diastasis fixed too. They said that basically nothing is holding my intestines in and I will continue to get hernias until I get this fixed. They said that your core muscles hold everything in and with the way it is now, I will likely have bladder problems as I get older. I was very happy to hear (from all three of them and the first doctor I saw) that I actually have very little belly fat. I can grab handfuls of flesh but they said that it is all skin. They said usually lipo is a part of a TT but I don't really need it. That made me very happy because I worked really hard! The cost is almost $10,000. For my family, that is a TON of money. I feel really guilty spending that kind of money on myself. It seems so selfish. I would NEVER pay that to cut off the skin on my stomach. It is really stretched out, but nobody really sees it. What I want, is a STRONG stomach. I want to get definition in my stomach like my legs and my arms. Right now, there literally is no muscle there to strengthen. Does anybody know if I can hope for strong, sexy abs after a tummy tuck? I don't care about the skin or the scar on the outside. I care about the inside. I want to be strong. I also feel like when others know I got a tummy tuck they will think I took the easy way out. It feels like cheating but I know there is no other way. Has anyone had a tummy tuck and now has a STRONG CORE?
This is what I see everytime I do a push-up or plank. YUCK!

embersdream

hi there,
i have a similar tummy. i was unlucky in that all my stretch marks came with my first babe( i have two). however i have worked hard and i have fantastic core strength. u can have great core strength and still have loose skin unfortunately. my core strength des help to hold the tummy flatter but despite my good core strength like u u the only option is surgery. if u have good core strength though, they may just do a partial tuck on u and also with great core strength u dont need lipo. keep working that core sister.
i know we are supposed to accept ourselves, but unless u are in our situation its hard to understnd the feelings associated with all that scarring. just wait until u have the body u want all over before u consider the surgery. im still contemplating it myself but am just waiting until i have reached my goal weight( im on the last 5 kg).
good luck

r3ban1x

A tummy tuck isn't the easy way out when you've worked so hard to get where you are. I don't really understand what the problem might be with building your stomach muscles but it sounds like you're working hard to reach your goals and good for you.

CacophonyJen

Ok, I don't have experience with this, nor am I in any way qualified to give any sort of medical advice, but here's a couple thoughts:

Insurance will pay for the hernias, but I want the diastasis fixed too. They said that basically nothing is holding my intestines in and I will continue to get hernias until I get this fixed. They said that your core muscles hold everything in and with the way it is now, I will likely have bladder problems as I get older.

The insurance company themselves recognize your condition as a problem, apparently. It might be worthwhile to try to talk them into covering the surgery because it will save them money in the long run. You've got a history of hernias, and one more surgery is better than potentially a whole bunch, right? And you don't want bladder problems. Take it from one who knows.

I did some very very perfunctory research on the internet (and it's the internet, so take everything with its grain of salt), and it seems that most typically the corrective surgery done for diastasis in women post-pregnancy (and I'm assuming you aren't planning on having more babies) is laproscopic. That means something that is minimally invasive rather than opening you up from stem to stern. I don't know if that would be an option for you due to the apparent severity of the problem, but, if it is, there's another bargaining chip to offer the insurance company - a laproscopic procedure is much less costly and much less risky than major invasive abdominal surgery.

Best of luck to you!

(BTW, checked out your profile photos - you look terrific!)

mamasmaltz3

So, none of the doctors will do the diastasis part of the surgery while they fix the hernias? Couldn't that be something you pay out of pocket for? Probably a dumb question since that would be the easy logical thing to do, but of course we are dealing with an insurance company. So, I am sure they would rather you suffer through two abdominal surgeries.

Innerautumn

hi there,
i have a similar tummy. i was unlucky in that all my stretch marks came with my first babe( i have two). however i have worked hard and i have fantastic core strength. u can have great core strength and still have loose skin unfortunately. my core strength des help to hold the tummy flatter but despite my good core strength like u u the only option is surgery. if u have good core strength though, they may just do a partial tuck on u and also with great core strength u dont need lipo. keep working that core sister.
i know we are supposed to accept ourselves, but unless u are in our situation its hard to understnd the feelings associated with all that scarring. just wait until u have the body u want all over before u consider the surgery. im still contemplating it myself but am just waiting until i have reached my goal weight( im on the last 5 kg).
good luck

My problem is - I have NO core strength. I literally do not have muscles in the center of my stomach. I cannot suck my stomach in AT ALL. I don't have muscles there. The rest of my body is basically where I want it. I am not looking to be a swim suit model. I am a 32 year-old mother of 3. I don't expect perfection.

Innerautumn

Ok, I don't have experience with this, nor am I in any way qualified to give any sort of medical advice, but here's a couple thoughts:

Insurance will pay for the hernias, but I want the diastasis fixed too. They said that basically nothing is holding my intestines in and I will continue to get hernias until I get this fixed. They said that your core muscles hold everything in and with the way it is now, I will likely have bladder problems as I get older.

The insurance company themselves recognize your condition as a problem, apparently. It might be worthwhile to try to talk them into covering the surgery because it will save them money in the long run. You've got a history of hernias, and one more surgery is better than potentially a whole bunch, right? And you don't want bladder problems. Take it from one who knows.

I did some very very perfunctory research on the internet (and it's the internet, so take everything with its grain of salt), and it seems that most typically the corrective surgery done for diastasis in women post-pregnancy (and I'm assuming you aren't planning on having more babies) is laproscopic. That means something that is minimally invasive rather than opening you up from stem to stern. I don't know if that would be an option for you due to the apparent severity of the problem, but, if it is, there's another bargaining chip to offer the insurance company - a laproscopic procedure is much less costly and much less risky than major invasive abdominal surgery.

Best of luck to you!

(BTW, checked out your profile photos - you look terrific!)

Thanks! The doctors said that because the hernias and diastasis were severe they could not do laproscopic. The doctors said that I could try for insurance to cover diastasis. They said it has been done by others but it takes a lot of time and effort. Usually lots of documentation about how this effects me now. It is frustrating!

Innerautumn

So, none of the doctors will do the diastasis part of the surgery while they fix the hernias? Couldn't that be something you pay out of pocket for? Probably a dumb question since that would be the easy logical thing to do, but of course we are dealing with an insurance company. So, I am sure they would rather you suffer through two abdominal surgeries.

Plastic surgeons will fix the hernias while they are in there. They said that is a very small part of the surgery so they would try to collect about 1,000 from insurance company after the surgery and then they will reimburse me. The general surgeon would fix hernias but not the diastasis. I am not going that rout because I don't want mesh. The PS would use my own flesh to repair the hernias (no mesh) and they would build the muscles back. They said they can assure me that I would not have any more hernia problems.

deadmittens

Thanks! The doctors said that because the hernias and diastasis were severe they could not do laproscopic. The doctors said that I could try for insurance to cover diastasis. They said it has been done by others but it takes a lot of time and effort. Usually lots of documentation about how this effects me now. It is frustrating!

I wish insurances would frickin' cover getting loose skin taken away after we've done all this hard work to become healthier! They pay for people who have all these health issues BECAUSE they're over weight... but don't reward people who've lost the weight to become healthier!
Dumb.

lwagnitz

For my family, that is a TON of money. I feel really guilty spending that kind of money on myself. It seems so selfish. I would NEVER pay that to cut off the skin on my stomach.

That is a ton of money, but you are definitely not being selfish. This could cause you long term health problems if it is not fixed now and could end up costing you more money in the long run. I say fight your insurance company to get it to cover it. If that doesn't work, I would "shop around" for plastic surgeons to see if you could find a better price, but still good quality work.

Best of luck to you, and congrats on your success

Innerautumn

I wish insurances would frickin' cover getting loose skin taken away after we've done all this hard work to become healthier! They pay for people who have all these health issues BECAUSE they're over weight... but don't reward people who've lost the weight to become healthier!
Dumb.

Very true! I read that loose skin is covered if you have an apron that hangs completely over your nether region. I have really loose skin, but it does not hang. I don't really even care about my skin. After surgery, I would have icky scars. To me, that is just as bad. I care about never being able to do another sit-up or push-up. I can't put my three year-old in the tub without pushing my guts back in afterwards. It's disgusting!

embersdream

hi there,
i have a similar tummy. i was unlucky in that all my stretch marks came with my first babe( i have two). however i have worked hard and i have fantastic core strength. u can have great core strength and still have loose skin unfortunately. my core strength des help to hold the tummy flatter but despite my good core strength like u u the only option is surgery. if u have good core strength though, they may just do a partial tuck on u and also with great core strength u dont need lipo. keep working that core sister.
i know we are supposed to accept ourselves, but unless u are in our situation its hard to understnd the feelings associated with all that scarring. just wait until u have the body u want all over before u consider the surgery. im still contemplating it myself but am just waiting until i have reached my goal weight( im on the last 5 kg).
good luck

ok so your muscles separated with pregnancy? it happens to a fair percentage of mummas. It would be great if we were celebrated for having a tummy but it snot seen so much as such in the west especially.
I believe though that you can improve your core strength still, but actual muscle separation may be a little bit different.

My problem is - I have NO core strength. I literally do not have muscles in the center of my stomach. I cannot suck my stomach in AT ALL. I don't have muscles there. The rest of my body is basically where I want it. I am not looking to be a swim suit model. I am a 32 year-old mother of 3. I don't expect perfection.

jeansmartin

It sounds like the insurance company is considering the type of surgery you need as cosmetic, when it's not. I mean, you need it so that you can avoid future health problems. Having no muscles holding your intestines in sounds like a serious health problem to me anyway. I'm with the poster above me. See if you can fight the insurance company on this. This just doesn't sound right. If they won't cover it in the end do not feel guilty spending the money to have it! It sounds necessary. This makes me mad for you. You're not worried about the aesthetics, just the health implications.

embersdream

PLEASE DO NOT BE MEAN ABOUT MY PICTURES! I AM VERY UNCOMFORTABLE PUTTING THIS ON THE INTERNET!!!
I have had three babies and I got VERY big with each of them. My stretch marks actually ripped and bled with my first baby. In February I decided to get serious about getting in shape. I was a squishy mom. I worked out hard and lost 40 pounds. As I worked, I noticed when I did ab exercises, my stomach was deformed. It would form an upside down V when I did any ab exercises. The more I worked out, the more noticable it became. I am down to 120 pounds. At 5'2" I could still lose about 10 pounds to be ideal for me. I do not have A LOT of fat though. My arms are very defined. My bones are visible on my shoulders, collar bones, hip bones. I am a size 4. I am not that fat. But my stomach will not give in. I worked harder and harder and started having pain in my stomach. I told a friend at work and showed her my deformed stomach, and she told me I had a hernia. I went to a general surgeon and he said I have TWO hernias and severe diastasis recti (my ab muscles are separated). He wants to fix the hernias with mesh and cut me from my sternum to my belly button to do the surgery. He would not fix the diastasis because that would not be covered by insurance. (What the heck, right?) He recommended that I go to a plastic surgeon and get a tummy tuck to repair the diastasis. I have lots of loose skin too. I have gone for three consultations now and they all tell me the same thing. Diastasis is not covered because most women who have had children have this to a small degree. My diastasis is severe. THere is a gap of at least three inches between my abs. They said that in order for insurance to cover it, I would need to get lots of documentation about how I am missing work because of this. I am going to the doctor because of this. The diastasis does not hurt and would certainly not cause me to miss work. The hernias hurt me everytime I workout. I can't even do push-ups anymore. Insurance will pay for the hernias, but I want the diastasis fixed too. They said that basically nothing is holding my intestines in and I will continue to get hernias until I get this fixed. They said that your core muscles hold everything in and with the way it is now, I will likely have bladder problems as I get older. I was very happy to hear (from all three of them and the first doctor I saw) that I actually have very little belly fat. I can grab handfuls of flesh but they said that it is all skin. They said usually lipo is a part of a TT but I don't really need it. That made me very happy because I worked really hard! The cost is almost $10,000. For my family, that is a TON of money. I feel really guilty spending that kind of money on myself. It seems so selfish. I would NEVER pay that to cut off the skin on my stomach. It is really stretched out, but nobody really sees it. What I want, is a STRONG stomach. I want to get definition in my stomach like my legs and my arms. Right now, there literally is no muscle there to strengthen. Does anybody know if I can hope for strong, sexy abs after a tummy tuck? I don't care about the skin or the scar on the outside. I care about the inside. I want to be strong. I also feel like when others know I got a tummy tuck they will think I took the easy way out. It feels like cheating but I know there is no other way. Has anyone had a tummy tuck and now has a STRONG CORE?
This is what I see everytime I do a push-up or plank. YUCK!

i have some inspiration for you . go to youtube and look up mommahass she is mighty fit and looks hot and has serious stretch marks and wears em w pride. i was inspired by here , my abs are actually looking good these days , just a lil pouch now , its very cool, i am not too worry about the scars now especially seeing mommahass (sarah) it inspired me alot

kimad

My stomach is basically identical but bigger.
I have a tummy tuck consult in June.
I also need my abs sewn back together, I have no idea the cost yet, but as a single mom
I am considering taking out a loan to get it done. It would change my life.
Good luck to you!

taliar93

First off congratulations! you look amazing regardless of a bit of excess skin, for the skin I'm not a professional but I have done an insane amount of research because I'm worried about excess skin also, the thing is, once you hit 30 the elasticity gets worse in your skin so it's going to be harder to bounce back, also, you didn't put in the year you've completed your weight loss, but I'm assuming it was this February, most people say you should give it a year for the skin to tighten back up. My personal advice would be to keep doing what you're doing and see where you're at in a year, there will be at least some improvement. Either way good luck to you, you look absolutely amazing!

Innerautumn

Thanks so much to everyone! I actually have seen three surgeons now. I definitely need a tummy tuck to fix the issues. My surgery will cost $8900. I started an online business in October to help with the cost. I am so excited that I have alreay almost made enough money for my surgery. I am thinking I may wait until November to get the surgery. That way I can pay some other bills right away (seems the responsible thing to do). I also think I would rather have this type of surgery in the winter where I can snuggle up with a blanket and sweat pants rather than wear a compression garment all summer. I also have a three year old and she is my last baby. I still need to get her in and out of the bathtub, car seat, etc. If I wait, she will be a little older and more independent. I am so excited that I have made this surgery a reality for me!

BridgeKiki

My sister wants to get a tt, could you tell me how to set up a business for it to help her? Thank you

jzammetti

Sure, tummy tuck is an option. I even consulted about one a while ago...

But, I learned that if I can be patient, I can do it all on my own. I run and heavy lift (well, as heavy as I can) and have seem massive improvements in as little as 16 weight training workouts.

There are obvious risks to any surgery - the worst being potentially dying on the table due to complications. Those risks made me rethink my approach and I am so glad I did. Now, I am working on my patience but seeing results that help me in that regard.

alexveksler

Isn't the skin a living organ? It's elasticity to shrink and to expand allow us to gain and lose weight? I see very small progress personally, and I also understand that it took me 30 years to stretch my skin and 2 years to make it lose. Every study on skin I read suggests that it will return to it's original state when provided proper condition

1. Feed your organ with clean foods and it will shrink
2. Hydrate your organ and it will shrink
3. Moisturize your organ with lotions to keep outside soft

nwg74

Younger people have more of a chance of it snapping back quicker do to having more elastin in the skin.

My stomach is like that and it is very slowly getting better. I make sure I am hydrated enough and don't let the skin dry out too much. Even when I haven't lost weight on the scale, I have seen changes in my skin.

Having seen several operations on TV, not everyone gets a flat stomach. They have to leave some excess when operating otherwise when standing, the stitches can tear apart. Some still have big scars going across the stomach. That alone is for me to just to wait it out.

sukiwabi

sometimes that is impossible. stretch marks and the like are actually scars. the tissue is of a different composure and virtually nothing will change this from the inside out, as these changes are somewhat deep in the skin.

op, i think it's awesome that you started a biz to help pay for the surgery! keep looking for ways to have insurance pay the max so that your oop is the smallest possible! good luck and you look amazing.

eta - sorry, i meant to quote the poster 2 posts prior to mine

KaraAlste

Keep bugging your insurance company & if you have a sick day spend that day on the phone w/them & corelate it w/your condition.

JessicaN1979

I say if it will make you feel better about yourself then do it! You have earned every pound you lost and no two bodies are the same and it could be your final step to feeling absolutely amazing. You deserve to be happy after your amazing accomplishment.

mountaingirl2207

Aww, hun... I am so sorry. And I hate that you had to ask people to not be mean. I had a friend that had a procedure called 'aqualipo' done and had great results, I don't know anything g about it other than it was way cheaper than a traditional tummy tuck. I would try to fight the insurance company though, you are not doing it for vanity's sake.

Jolene8992

This totally depresses me. I am hoping and probably in complete denial that this isnt gonna happen to me. It will im sure. Lucky me, no insurance. Of course im the only one that sees me nude except for the dogs. They dont mind much.

DamaliAsabyiKioni

Read through all the responses. Do what is best for you... Some of us don't have enough years in the earth to work, wait and hope for our abs to draw back in. The loose skin and lack of core strength will drive you crazy and make workouts very difficult.No one knows what's its like until they live through it... even after working so hard to shed the excess pounds. Do what feels right to you...You are work $8900 and then some. Many blessings and success.

hfester

My stomach looks similar to yours. I'm 33 and the mom of my husband's two gigantor children.

Do what is right for you and your family.

I feel like the people who suggest the "wait and see, it might reabsorb like mine did" approach are the same ones who ask if we used cocoa butter for our stretch marks.

My baby is three, too. I'm still thinking about the tummy tuck thing. I haven't pursued it, but it's in the back of my mind.

saxmaniac

My wife had one a while back. While it can fix the loose skin issues, and it can repair *some* of the muscle damage, it's not magic. You have to do the work and keep doing the work, for your muscles to improve.

We didn't even bother trying for insurance. Just saved up for it.

billsica

You look like every other woman who has had children. I don't get it.

Average thread is average.

Goldie2u2

While the focus of this thread has migrated to cosmetic appearance of the skin...I urge you to get the hernias taken care of NOW. This is not anything to mess around with-I speak from experience. I lost my mother last year due to complications from a hernia surgery that she put off so long her intestine got strangled off. She kept waiting for when it would be a "better time to do it"...Even if the insurance won't pay for the muscles--DEAL WITH THE HERNIAS NOW.

I in no way mean to scare you..BUT you need to be aware that choosing to put of a surgery for something that is covered by insurance that could impact the rest of your life to wait for cooler weather ect...is not a great idea. The recovery is not really that bad and weather should not come into play with your health.