TUMMY TUCK....oh my!

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24

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  • Angimom
    Angimom Posts: 1,463 Member
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    JayJay, that is a great idea! I gave myself until May, but maybe I should go schedule my surgery to help keep me on track.
    Happy Thursday!
  • marlasegovia
    marlasegovia Posts: 1
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    I had a tummy tuck in 2007. I was not at my goal weight but I had the money and went for it! Afterward I got really nervous of necrosis and ate like a freight train. I have gained 25-29 pounds since the surgery. My tummy is always flat even though! Make sure they do the incision low so your scar doesn't show. Mine is hidden. I gained weight on my arms, inner thighs, and under my stomach muscle. So I am always flat but thick.. Now that I am loosing weight my stomach is starting to look like it did before I gained weight. (not as thick) The other problem I have is that I always used my stomach fat as an indicator that I was gaining weight. With it growing under my stomach muscle I was not as aware of weight gain. I just looked thicker! So I think this is another reason I gained weight!

    So in a nutshell..... if after you have the surgery you gain, then if you lose, it will look like it did right after surgery. The trick is they sew up the muscle and take the fat cells off the top or in the skin removed! As far as weight is concerned I would suggest that you be at a maintained weight. If you are still yo yoing.... then there is a chance you will gain weight. Either way when I lose weight I look flat.

    BIG HINT: I have seen women who have had TT and their doctor didn't tighten them up like I am. It is so sad to me! They still have a belly!!! When they show me their results I still see flab! I have NONE!!! NONE!!! All my fat is under the muscle so it is like an internal wall..... ! I currently weigh 190 and I am down from 202! I was 178 at surgery and came out at 173. 5'5"

    So look at pictures and go to makemeheal.com and look there for pics! I am on there! I am maylea and my password is : password So you can see my pictures under advanced search user name the pw is password. Good luck on your journey!
  • jmeyer925
    jmeyer925 Posts: 326 Member
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    I'd also recommend looking at Realself.com

    I spent hours on there before I went into surgery, it's a lot of great advice (more so thank say, youtube).

    I was able to look at reviews from surgeons and what costs would be. I confirmed that i was willing to go to the next state (Indiana) and have mine done, and the price was pretty dang reasonable about $5900 (I got a loan from my credit union). Only downside is that I have to drive to Indiana (about 2 hours away) to have my pre/post opp appointments (one was even on Christmas Eve!).

    Also, never be afraid to ask those "dumb" questions. Like for me, I didn't need muscle repair, so I asked if I would see a big difference in results not getting it, I got an odd look from my surgeon, but hey, if I was essentially paying for that option I was going to make sure I wasn't missing out! Another good thing to think about is if you need any other "work" done, more than likely it's worth looking into to doing it all in one shot if possible (and still healthy). Because, for example, I paid for Anesthesia, facility, and surgeon fee seperatley. Just the surgeon fee would increase if I had something else done.

    You'll get tons of different opinions on here. Best thing to do now, is focus on exercise and fitness now :)
  • RaggedyAm
    RaggedyAm Posts: 6
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    justbreastimplants has a forum with a lot of amazing women, there's a whole 'other surgeries' section :) they are seriously so sweet. Get as close as possible to your Goal. they say not to be more than 30 pounds from your goal weight.

    Go to a bunch of consultations. Good luck!
  • skylark94
    skylark94 Posts: 2,036 Member
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    My surgeon required me to be in the "normal" end of the BMI before he would schedule me.

    Since then I have lost another 25 pounds and I think I look good, but I'm certain I would have looked better had I lost more before the surgery. The skin on my abdomen is a bit loose.
  • Commander_Keen
    Commander_Keen Posts: 1,181 Member
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    I had a tummy tuck on Wednesday...and its the best thing that I could have done for myself...

    I couldn't lose any more weight...the doctor removed 8lbs of skin!

    And he sucked out the fat out of my saddle bags, some inner thigh contouring...and a few other places but the fat was just 2lbs...

    I got my boobs done too...and I am soooo glad that I did! I would hate to have this nice flat stomach and then have my saggy pancake boobs hanging over the top, yuck!!!

    *dogo187*
    My wife is about to do the exact same thing, can you PM me as I have alot of questions to ask you.
  • Mischievous_Rascal
    Mischievous_Rascal Posts: 1,791 Member
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    I had my full tummy tuck about two years ago. You will want to lose your weight first, its like the final step of your weight loss journey . Who knows maybe you will be satisfied with your abdomen after the weight loss. I lost 60 lbs of my pregnancy weight. The surgery is a BIG DEAL, which I'm sure you've already researched. So really consider the pros/cons.
    I'd say if you have another 30lbs or so to lose (as I see in your ticker) to wait it out a while. Do what you can to get your weight down and firm up your abdominal muscles. Tummy tucks (in my opinion) are to correct diastasis recti , in which the two large parallel bands of muscles that meet in the middle of the abdomen separate, and to tighten the lose skin from weight loss.
    I had a severe case of diastasis which still made me look pregnant after I lost my pregnancy weight. Now I have a super flat stomach, Yay..buuut I also have large scars to go with it. I can wear a bathing suit, yay..no wait now my scars show. I am still numb in the abdominal area. Excercising is so odd now. It took FOREVER to start doing core work, which I don't need flat abs, but I do need the strength for working out.
    It is a major procedure, so make sure you are at the very end of your weight loss before proceeding. You would hate for extra skin to hide your new abs.

    Found this really interesting. I have often wondered what's worse, the loose skin or the surgery scars/pain/feeling odd. I'm 80% sure I wouldn't go for corrective surgery when the time comes, but who knows how I'll feel then.

    I felt the same way, but I had my consult this morning. :D I'm at my weight goal, so no lipo is needed, so it cost was less than I expected. (In my area, anyway, the surgeons charge more if you need lipo too. I don't know if they charge more for that where you are.)
  • Some_Watery_Tart
    Some_Watery_Tart Posts: 2,250 Member
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    In for the stories. I'm also considering this. My skin is terribly stretched out, and I'm tired of hiding it especially in the summer. I just can't decide if it's worth the pain and investment.
  • dogo187
    dogo187 Posts: 376
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    yes!!! its worth the pain and the investment...

    you spend money on vacations, cars, houses, kids....why not spend it on yourself...

    after losing 156lbs, i was left in a skin that i was so uncomfortable in, i couldn't wear clothes that i wanted to and i had to wear compression garments all the time...it was horrible...

    im only a week and a half post-op i love what i see in the mirror and how clothes look on me (even though i have to wear stretch stuff so that when i swell up im not uncomfortable and don't irritate my incision)...

    but all that will change in time and i will be able to show off my enviable coke-bottle figure....
  • kimad
    kimad Posts: 3,010 Member
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    BIG HINT: I have seen women who have had TT and their doctor didn't tighten them up like I am. It is so sad to me! They still have a belly!!! When they show me their results I still see flab! I have NONE!!! NONE!!! All my fat is under the muscle so it is like an internal wall..... ! I currently weigh 190 and I am down from 202! I was 178 at surgery and came out at 173. 5'5"


    It doesn't necessarily have to do with being tightened up enough with this 'flab' that you see on these women. It's more the fact that the skin above the incision will always be thicker than the skin below your incision (ie upper abdo skin being attached to pelvic skin). If they had lost more weight it may have helped but not with everyone, our makeup is different.

    I think the big thing is if the surgeon lipo'd the abdomen as a part of the surgery or not. Some doctors will but a lot WONT because lipo'ing the abdo at the time of surgery is just too much trauma all at once. You are undermining the skin, pulling it down and hacking it off, then to lipo the area you are compromising the blood flow. And the major arteries of blood flow to your body are right thru the abdomen and a lot of surgeons worry about hampering with this and causing your tissue to die. It can be scary and there are horror stories of this.

    I didn't get the abdomen lipo, and on my left side I can see that it's 'thicker/fuller' right above my incision than my right side. This is exactly why. He will fix it at 6 months post op by doing lipo if it hasn't smoothed out yet on its own. It used to bug me, but it doesn't anymore, it's only noticeable to me.

    Another thing it can be, is you can only sew those abs as tight as your internal organs will allow. So some women seem more flatter than others.

    So much to factor in.
  • kimad
    kimad Posts: 3,010 Member
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    yes!!! its worth the pain and the investment...

    you spend money on vacations, cars, houses, kids....why not spend it on yourself...

    after losing 156lbs, i was left in a skin that i was so uncomfortable in, i couldn't wear clothes that i wanted to and i had to wear compression garments all the time...it was horrible...

    im only a week and a half post-op i love what i see in the mirror and how clothes look on me (even though i have to wear stretch stuff so that when i swell up im not uncomfortable and don't irritate my incision)...

    but all that will change in time and i will be able to show off my enviable coke-bottle figure....
    ohhh just you wait, you will LOVE it so much more in a few more weeks. My pic is post op week 2 to 5, the swelling change is unbelievable!
  • Angimom
    Angimom Posts: 1,463 Member
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    I am excited with all your stories, but I am going to wait and lose more weight! UGHHHH, hurry up and wait, lol
  • CeolaDavis
    CeolaDavis Posts: 3
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    Had a tummy tuck about 3 months ago from McLean's clinic, Toronto.. Was able to return to work and regular activities at about 6 weeks and even though i usually heal slowly from injuries, my incision seems to be healing up great. So glad i went through with it!
  • Sassybmom
    Sassybmom Posts: 146 Member
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    Lose as much as you can first. I'm 5'5 and 137 at the time of tummy tuck (which was late October). I'd lost 80 lbs a total of 5 times first and my stomach was incredibly flat but with a ton of loose skin. I'm SOOOO happy with my results! My scar is incredibly low, I'm barely numb, I have an amazing belly button and stomach, I had a lift with no implants (I'm a natural 30FF and went down to a 30F). Looking through results at realself.com I didn't expect half of the amazing result I got. The recovery wasn't near as bad as I figured either (the coughing is the worst part!). I'm so glad I mustered the courage to do it!

    My profile pic is actually my BEFORE pic- I had 3+ lbs of loose skin tucked into my shorts but still ripped abs... even then I needed muscle tightening. My skin was bad enough I qualified for panniculectomy through insurance but opted for the muscle plication and I'm happy I did.
  • candacet36
    candacet36 Posts: 353 Member
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    I had a tummy tuck 5 years ago. I wish that I would have been at the weight I am at now.

    I also gained 60 pounds 3 years after my TT but I am here to tell you that it did not mess up my surgery. I am at my lowest weight since probably high school. I feel amazing and I look amazing. My tummy is flat and there is no bluging anywhere.

    It was honestly a very painful surgery. 3 days into it and I was bawling because I had paid to be in so much pain. That being said, I would do it over again in a heartbeat. My scar can't be seen unless I am naked. I still have no sensation from the scar to my belly button but I am so happy with it!

    Best of luck...do your research and select the right surgeon!
  • Jennisin1
    Jennisin1 Posts: 574 Member
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    I so want this....
  • lologarrett
    lologarrett Posts: 10 Member
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    How long after a tummy tuck can you begin to exercise again and what types of exercise? I am going into surgery this Friday and to be honest I am scared to death of the whole ordeal! What helped you get through the pain and the healing process?

    Thank you!
  • Angimom
    Angimom Posts: 1,463 Member
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    Good question Lolo. Did you lose all the weight you wanted to before you scheduled your surgery?
  • dogo187
    dogo187 Posts: 376
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    What are you scared of? If you are worried about anything that happens after you walk through those doors then you might want to reconsider since you might have some fears about surgeon or his staff...

    There is nothing you can do once you get there for your surgery, it is totally out of your hands...

    You can do your best to make sure you are the best that you can be before hand...fill your meds, take the meds that you have to before your surgery, have everything that you need set up at home so you can relax and begin your recovery...

    Other than that, my only advice is stay on top of your pain meds, don't wait to be in pain before you take some more....

    I set my alarm to go off every four hours to take my pain meds, even if I was sleeping I would wake up, down a few pills along with a few Ritz crackers and some peanut butter as the pills would make me feel sick to my stomach, then go back to sleep...

    Keep this up for a few days and you should be good. The swelling sucks! I feel bloated all the time and its obvious, but that's to be expected at only three weeks post-op....

    Best of luck! I would do it all again in a heart beat!!!
  • kimad
    kimad Posts: 3,010 Member
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    How long after a tummy tuck can you begin to exercise again and what types of exercise? I am going into surgery this Friday and to be honest I am scared to death of the whole ordeal! What helped you get through the pain and the healing process?

    Thank you!

    I am 2 months post op.

    I basically did nothing for 6 weeks (no cleaning, no lifting baskets, vacuuming, exercising, baths, sex, etc.) and got clearance 2 weeks ago. I went back to the gym, and felt I was taking it easy, but now have some more swelling -- which I know is NORMAL but I have one spot around my belly button that won't resolve and I fear I ruined something. I think at 2 months I would have felt if I pulled a stitch, but even at 6 weeks I caution anyone.. take it VERY slow. I felt great and back to normal and now I feel like I blew it :(

    ETA: I am the only one who can see it, but I know it's there!

    like another poster said, the swelling sucks! it will go away, so keep that in mind. I didn't prepare for the swelling, it was/is nuts!

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