Got a needle in the tummy today. No big deal, actually, but I was a little apprehensive about it. Nothing came out so I guess the little puffiness is not fluid accumulation.
The day started with lymphatic drainage at 1030. I left there feeling outstanding. Haven't had that kind of reaction to the therapy before. Nice! I felt slim and limber when I was done (I did have a huge bladder download right afterward which I'm sure contributed to the slim feeling). I had a big lunch and then returned to see the cosmetic surgeon for a checkup. The lymphatic therapist suggested that the surgeon might have to do some drainage today, but maybe not depending on how well the lymphatic therapy went. Apparently, it went well because the surgeon couldn't tell for sure if there was fluid or not. She went in with a needle (which I did not feel at all) and nothing came out. I guess that's good. :)
She told me to start putting bacitracin on my navel again as it was looking a little irritated. It was spitting stitches, those dissolvable stitches that are supposed to disappear on their own, which her assistant easily removed with tweezers. This happened with my gallbladder surgery last year, too, so not a surprise today.
The assistant also removed the paper tape strip that was on my incision. It looks suprisingly good to me. The doc said I could go ahead and start using the silicone strip that I bought for scar healing. I ordered it online and it shipped yesterday, so I should have it no later than Friday. http://www.rejuveness.com/Tummy-Tuck-Scar-Treatment-p106.html
I also ordered a kit for removing other scars, like stretch marks. http://www.rejuveness.com/c140/Derma-Rollers-p148.html
The two holes where the drains were inserted look kind of ugly to me, but the surgeon, as well as her assistant and the lymphatic therapist all said they look really good. Apparently, some women end up with some pretty nasty looking, infected holes to deal with. These things look like two eyes staring out from just below my bikini line. I have been washing gently in the shower with regular cleanser, then following the surgical areas with Hibiclense (sp?) every day. Maybe that's helping. Maybe all the fresh food is helping everything heal from the inside, too.
I missed my daily walk for three straight days last week. I was trying to increase by one minute each day, partly to keep myself from pushing it too hard. Well, so much for that. I've been walking for 60-90 minutes a day since the weekend. LOVE it and will continue to walk at this pace until I'm at 6 weeks, then I will start some slow jogging to see how that goes. I am going to add some 2.5# ankle weights and wrist weights in the next couple days. Don't want to lose the muscle I've worked so hard to gain, and I can already feel that happening.
I'm not standing up completely straight yet and that's kind of frustrating at times. If I sit too long, especially if I'm leaning forward, I have to stand up really slow and stretch out slowly as I walk. Very tight tummy tuck! I will be happy when the healing is complete and I can do some bending and twisting and backward stretching. :)
Have to wear the binder until I'm at 6 weeks, then it's optional. I suspect I will continue with some kind of supportive under garments - always glad to get the binder off for showers, and always glad to get it back on.
The therapist and I were talking today about the little bonuses to getting a tummy tuck, like the mini front thigh lift and the vajayjay lift. The surgeon mentioned the effect on the front of the thighs during my initial consultation, but no one mentioned the effect on the vajayjay until today. It didn't even cross my mind until recently when I was finally able to shower. I'm glad she brought it up today because it is very noticeable to me, and not in a bad way. It's not so much a cosmetic issue, although it is clearly improved in that regard. I guess the only way to describe it is to say it's not limp and saggy anymore. It's not like it was a problem before, certainly not something I noticed, not something my husband ever mentioned. Now that it's pulled up, though, I can definitely appreciate the improvement. I'm not saying it's a huge difference, just an unexpected bonus, kind of like vajayjay botox but without the pig botulism toxin injections. :P
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