Back again..

Omg, back again (WW ONLINE) before things get too out of control, also before I turn 40. Clothes are getting tight. UGH, someone tell me, why is wine so many points now? I may not survive 😜 Goal is to lose 33.2 lbs.

Just rejoined WW online to drop 20ish lbs. I'm not considered overweight, still within the healthy weight range for my height, but I prefer myself at a slightly lower weight and would really like to focus on building muscle and strength. I have been back to the gym since January and I am bringing my 11 year old with me. We are enjoying our time together there and I love seeing him excited about fitness :)

Hey guys! Just a quick update on me. I've been super busy lately. My husband and I are now proud, first time, home owners. We are loving it. The previous owners neglected the yard a little, so I have been busy tackling the dandelion and moss issues. It's a great strength training workout though removing that moss. I am having to rake it all out with a dethatching rake and it's alot of work! I do need to get back to my running again, but I'm trying to get my iron levels up first. I just went in for a bunch of blood work and I am borderline anemic again. I'm not sure why this keeps happening but my doctor (and I) suspect food intolerances to either dairy, gluten, or both. I am NOT allergic though (so that's good), we have done tests for that. Right now I'm back to eliminating those foods from my diet and hoping it helps the tummy problems and acne. Otherwise, I am doing great. I go in on Monday to have a dog ear from my tummy tuck removed on my left side. It is a quick, in office procedure. Hopefully after that this whole surgery thing will be put behind me. I do find that even though I'm over 7 months out of surgery, my tummy still seizes up from time to time for no apparent reason. I guess what they say is true, it does take a year to fully recover. I'm still very happy with my results and I'd do it again in a heart beat.

Well, it's been a long, hard recovery and I'm still not there! I am now 12 weeks post op, but I'm not "healed" completely. I mean, I handled the pain of the surgery well, and I was up and moving right away and living life as normal 2 days after surgery, but the exercise is another story. I was cleared to be active again after 6 weeks, but I found that I actually wasn't ready at that time. I tried ditching my compression garment and after a few days I had to start wearing it again. I also tried walking and running on my treadmill, that didn't go over well either. I would swell up so bad that I would feel like I would pop at any moment! That muscle repair is the worst part of the whole surgery. It feels so tight, like there's a two by four in your stomache. Even without exercising, sometimes (like right now), I'll just be sitting here and BOOM, instant swell for no reason at all. WTH? Apparently, this is normal and can go on for 6-12 months. It really throw your mind for a loop when you will wake up with a nice, flat tummy and by dinner time you look 5 months pregnant. Anyways, as of 2 weeks ago, I am back in my groove. I have been running on my treadmill daily and yesterday was a nice, sunny day so I even took it to the streets. It felt SO good to run outdoors. The only downside is that afterwards my whole tummy feels like pins and needles. I'm not sure why, maybe all the blood flow to my already numb tummy? Very, very odd sensation, but it doesn't hurt, so I'll keep at it. I did gain 5 lbs during my surgery recovery and Christmas holidays, but I've already lost 2 of it in the last 2 weeks, the other 3 will drop off no problem now that I'm running again. I'm not worried. I always journal my food intake, but it really seems like when I'm not being active, I gain weight! I think that I naturally have a slow metabolism and I will forever have to work out if I want to control my weight.

Tomorrow, I have to meet with my plastic surgeon. I am not looking forward to it. Overall, I am happy with my results, but I did have a phone conversation with her at the start of January about my dissatisfaction with the loose skin remaining on my sides. The original plan was to extend my tummy tuck incision to address this issue and at the last moment (literally as they were marking me before surgery) they informed me that they were only doing the incision at the front and not around my hips going towards my back. It is obvious to me that I needed an extended tummy tuck, but what am I going to do now? The surgeon insists that this was the best option for me and there's no way that I want to go under anaesthetic again, so I guess that I'll just have to live with it. It is definitely a huge improvement overall and there's no denying that it was worth every penny. I just wish that they would have completed the job as planned. They say that you should wait until 6 months or longer before you see the full results from this surgery, so I will wait until then before I post a full review about my surgeons and how I went about getting a great price at a top knotch surgical facility.

I went for my 6 week follow up appointment with my plastic surgeon today. I've got clearance for everything! She said that I don't have to wear my post surgical garments anymore, only if I start to feel tight or sore. I can start exercising again. She wants me to gradually start up though, and to really watch it if I'm going to lift weights and maybe even hold off on those for awhile still. She said to just follow my body as far as both the exercise and ditching the compression garment go. I'm allowed in hot tubs, swimming pools...all of that is fine. My scars look great YAY! I am still swelling but with this surgery that can go on for months.

I asked about the loose skin at my hips, she said that they went as far as they could with the incision without doing a circumferential (full body lift), and she does not feel that a circumferential was necessary for me. She does say that I need a revision for a slight dog ear on my left side. We will do that in February, which is also when my next follow up appointment is.

Time to go for a bra fitting and get some good supportive bras, and some new panties!

So, I went in today to get the seroma drained from my tummy. I woke up at 6am, and the swelling was gone! My body reabsorbed it? So strange, but I had sent my PS pictures a few days ago, when the fluid was there, and she had agreed that I was more swollen then I was before and said I needed to come in to have it aspirated. So I wasn't imagining things! When I was there today, she looked over my incisions and she had missed a stitch under my breast when she removed them last week, so at least my visit wasn't a total waste of her time. The reason the fluid and swelling went away seems to be because I've been RESTING! Not during the day, but forcing myself to put my feet up in the evenings. She wants me to continue to do so until my next visit on Dec 7th. OH, and I get to stop sleeping in my post surgical bra! YAY! At least I'll have SOME relief since I still need to be in the abdominal compression garment for 3 more weeks.

Looks like tomorrow I have to go and get some fluid (seroma) drained from my belly. My tummy is numb, so I won't feel it, and I'm not in any pain just pretty swollen. Ah well, tis life!

I kinda overdid it two nights ago. I went shopping at Costco. I tried not to buy anything too heavy (heaviest was a case of Alphaghetti for the kids), but I think just the effort of pushing the full cart around the store and unloading the groceries into the van, and then doing a quick shop at another grocery store was just too much. I came home and I was sooooo hunched over, swollen, and uncomfortable. I didn't pull or damage anything, just overdid it. I didn't feel right again until the next afternoon, but on a positive note...I have noticed considerably less swelling since then. My compression garment feels alot comfier with the reduced swelling, and I am sleeping much more soundly because of it. I'm even sleeping on my side! :O)

I went to see my Plastic Surgeon today. I had all of my stitches removed (except the dissolvable ones in my tummy incision). My belly button no longer looks like a spider is living in it LOL! The breast stitches were a litttttle tender coming out, but hey at least I have nipple sensation. I never had any before the reduction. My PS is thrilled with how I'm healing, everything looks great, but she is still strict about no activity for 4 more weeks. Just take it easy she said. I also found out that I had 800 grams of skin removed from my tummy and 187 from my breasts. What a difference 2.1 lbs worth of skin removal makes. She said that I can take 2 X 30 min breaks from wearing my compression garments each day. PHEW! I can't wait to start that! I will be wearing them for 4 more weeks both day and night.

I'm getting so sick of wearing this stupid compression garment. It's seriously making me miserable! It's so snug, and I'm so swollen, and I feel itchy, and bitchy and UGH! I just want to take it off!!!!!!! Before I go CRAZ-Y! I did manage to get it on all by myself after my shower tonight though. That's the first time that I haven't needed Dh's help.

I still have the Phlebitis going on too, to top it all off :oS

I didn't sit in my recliner all day. I wasn't doing too much, just sitting at the table with the kids doing school work all day, and sitting at my desk to browse the internet, and walking around a little bit. Well tonight when I was sitting at the table helping my daughter with some school work and it hit me all of a sudden. I started to feel like a balloon getting bigger and bigger. My friend described it as feeling like "Violet" from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. That's exactly how it felt. It hit me so hard and so fast that my husband walked by, looked at me, and said, "Oh my God, Are you OK? The look on your face......". I felt like I was gonna pop right through my garments. Both my breasts and my tummy were just huge. I felt desperate to get the garments off so I thought that it would be a great time to take a shower. Phew, thankfully, sitting in the shower and just resting helped the swelling to go down. I had no problems getting back into my garments with Dh's help of course.

The Phlebitis is better today. I slept the entire night (and I slept 12 hrs) with it elevated above my head and it definitely helped. It is no longer red or warm to the touch, and the pain doesn't travel the 4 inches up to my wrist anymore. Now it's just a rice shaped bump, which isn't nearly as sore as yesterday. So hopefully soon it will be gone.

So I was just at Planet Organic and almost fainted right in the aisle while talking to a sales clerk. I had to sit down on the yucky floor and put my head between my knees. I've had this hard kinda bump like thing on my left wrist/arm area (same side IV was on). It feels to me like a piece of long grain rice in my vein and it's a little red and sore for a few inches up to my wrist. It was really sore last night, and still sore today, so I thought I'd better go to the Dr's which just so happened to be only 2 blocks away from the store that I was at. The doctor said that I have Phlebitis, which I guess is an infection in my vein from the IV. Certain medications e.g. nausea medications that are given through the I.V. can cause phlebitis. I was given gravol through my IV after surgery. I wonder if that's what did this. The doctor said that she was glad that I came in anyways, because she was not happy about a report she had been given about my surgery. Apparently my heart rate dropped during surgery? (Noone told me!) So she just wanted to check my heart, which was fine. Phew!

Today, I'm in a miserable mood. I think the post plastic blues are setting in. I had a HORRIBLE sleep last night. I thought *hmmmm, maybe I'll try the couch tonight*...yah BAD friggen idea. This compression garment makes it even less easier to bend or move and I was just so uncomfortable, but of course felt too lazy to transfer all my pillows, blanket, and sheet back to the recliner, so I just laid there in agony. The sides of my tummy incision were sore, my left nipple was sore. Maybe my nerve endings are starting to reconnect and I am feeling sensation again? I'm just a big, whiney baby today. I have to keep looking back at my pics and convincing myself that it is better than before and this was worth it.

Here's my compression garment and surgical bra, OMG it's so restrictive. It's necessary though. It kinda bubbles in on the side there, I'm not sure why. There are hooks (like a bra) all the way up the side, then a zipper. It looks like it's dipping and digging into me, but it's not.

I'm losing weight. I'm down 5 lbs since surgery, despite all this swelling. Usually it's quite the opposite with this surgery and people go up about 10 lbs.

Bandages are off! Drains are out! Holy #$%^ it hurt getting the tape off. That was the most sticky ass tape I've ever seen in my life. It was like she was ripping a layer of skin off. She had to brace herself and use two hands to tear it off. Then she goes "the drain removal may hurt"...PFFFT, yeah right! After what I went through with the tape, no way...I didn't even feel the drains coming out!

I look like I've gone to war, but otherwise I look good! My boobs look freakin' fantastic and she said they only took about 150cc's total out of both of them. I am particularly impressed with the boobs, I've gotta say. I kinda think that there will be a slight "dogs ear" on the left side by my hip, but my Plastic Surgeon thinks it's just swelling and will go down, but she did say if after 6 months we feel it is an issue she will do a revision for me. I still have loads of stretch marks. They seem to stand out even more to me now than before, but oh well...scars don't bother me. She did a nice job on my belly button too. It's perfect (just still in war wound stage). I am allowed to shower now, but Dh is in a meeting after work, so won't be home until late tonight. I have to wait for him to get home because there is NO WAY I can get back into this tight ass compression garment on my own. It is SOOOOOOOOOOOO snug. Comfy, but really snug and I'd strain myself trying to do it up. So when he gets home at like 8pm my time, I will have my first shower (ahhhhhhhhh) and get him to take some pics that I will post in my private album. I can't wait to compare the pics to my before pics. It is hard for me to look past the wounds and swelling right now.

I go back in one week to have the stiches removed from my nipples and to switch to paper tape on my abdominal incision. The stitches that were used for my tummy are all dissolvable. After the paper taping we will switch to silicone tape. I dunno, it just feels darn good to be out of those bandages and into my compression garment and surgical bra. My skin can breathe!

Today my bandages on my tummy loosened up enough that I can see my new belly button. It is so cute! It's little, but not too small and it has nice shape to it. They got rid of my navel piercing scars that I had. My upper tummy looks good. I still have stretch marks, but it's weird, because it's the stretch marks that use to be further up and are now pulled down. I don't mind the stretch marks though. They were to be expected. I knew that not all of them would disappear with this surgery and I'm OK with that. Only 11 more hours until my bandages are off! I'm only draining 10cc's of fluid per drain, so I know that those will for sure be removed tomorrow too :O)

Only 14.5 more hours until I go to see my plastic surgeon and get these damn drain tubes and all these sticky, constricting, claustrophobic feeling bandages removed. Finally, I will get to see what is underneath all of this. I'm so excited!

So, today is my first day of no meds. I am out of Tylenol 3's. I guess if I need something I'll just take Ibuprofen or regular Tylenol. I'm still doing ok as far as moving around and doing things, but today is hubby's day off so I'm taking advantage of the opportunity to rest. I'm just toughin' it out until Tuesday when my PS finally reveals her work under these bandages. I'm really excited to see what's under there.

Oh, and I had a blood grenade explode on me last night. That was nice. One of the little tabs popped open on my drain tube ball thingy and body fluids were all over my clothes and chair. *sigh* This surgery is definitely not glamorous!

Oh and I've found something that hurts almost as much as coughing....laughing. Omg, I read something really funny online this morning and I couldn't stop laughing, but it was hurting so bad! I was holding my tummy as hard as I could. So no laughing, coughing, or sneezing from now on. I can't handle it!

The card reads, "I'm right there with you to share this great moment in your life. I'm so proud of you Shaunna. Love Karine"

Wow - talk about a tear jerker. This made me cry and that's no easy task! Karine was the only one to send me flowers after my surgery (not that I expect any). I am so lucky to have her as a friend. She has been by my side through "thick and thin" literally.

I'm doing great today too! I cut back on my pain meds. I managed to unload and load my dishwasher. One plate at a time, but still, I did it. I leisurely picked up a few toys. Fed my kids throughout the day. Stood at my window and chatted to the neighbour. Played some games with my kids. Played dolls with my daughter. I sent my husband back to work today. I felt that I wouldn't need him here at home, and I didn't. My kids were very responsible and helpful, and we all managed just fine without him. My husband told me when he came home that I'm not slouching enough. I can't help it though! I do slouch more at night though. Last night, I did not find it comfortable to sleep in my recliner. I had to lay on the couch and elevate my legs and head with pillows. My bandages have gotten loose at my upper chest area, enough that I can have a little peek in there with a flashlight to see my NEW CLEAVAGE. It looks so cute!!!! I can't wait to see the rest!




Thought I'd share a pic of what I looked like the day of surgery. I still haven't figured out how I will go about posting before and after pics, but I will figure something out so that they aren't too X rated. This is just to give you an idea of where I'm at right now. It looks worse than it is....I think? ;o)

Today was a great day. I'm still managing really, really well. The only thing that freakin' KILLS me is to cough! Ugh, it feels like I'm getting stabbed in the stomache for real. Everything else is fine though. I can get up and down by myself from my recliner and the toilet. I sit at the table to eat my meals. I made myself a bowl of soup and grabbed my own snacks. I am managing very well. I have taken pictures, and edited them, and have them all read for posting. I am still going to wait until Tuesday though, when I get these bandages off and have more to show. Then I've decided to post them to a private, password protected blog. I will share that password with those of you whom request the info from me. I will not be setting this blog to private. It is helpful to too many people and I don't want to take that away.