Update on the Surgery- I have always had a muffin top

I love before and after pictures. Let's start with the original BEFORE.

For my insurance, the type of surgery I needed to fix my stomach was abdominoplasty or hernia repair with tummy tuck.

If I had known how difficult this recovery would be I probably wouldn't have done it so soon. I am glad I did it though. I am starting to be able to laugh again, I still dread sneezing and coughing.
I am still swollen around my tummy and I need to wear a wrap for a few more weeks.

Belly button is crooked. I asked the Dr. He said he had to sew it into existing skin tissue, the line were it should have gone, was too torn up to support it, so he moved it over a bit. I wish he would have told me sooner, did he think I wouldn't notice? I spend a good day and a half stewing over it before I got the gumption to tell him he misjudged the site. I don't mind now, it is just my own personal joke, well, and N8s. I really think it's quite funny. However, my career as a belly dancer is over and they will never want me to do underwear commercials again.

Sitting up or rolling over is still tender but I was pregnant with triplets once and I still haven't forgotten it. If the muscles torn apart while I was pregnant and I couldn't take anything for the pain, they can grow back together without anything for the pain again. Since I've had Celiac disease my whole life and didn't realize it, I am used to a few tummy aches. Yes, I am telling you I took no pain meds, not because I was trying to be cool. I didn't need them. Because of the triplets and Celiac disease I have become pain tolerance hardy. (Don't google that term, I just made it up.)


The skin is killer tight. Dr said he stretched me pretty tight. I had a freckle that is a good 3 inches lower than it used to be.

Before

The Dr said the nerves start feeling again in about a year, yah, it feels funny down there and I still feel like Frankenstein a little bit. I was shopping the other day and had to stop myself from looking at the billowy loose fitting shirts.

After: I wouldn't have done this surgery cosmetically, it is intense, I have a low scar from hip to hip.

 Note the protrusion of my belly button in the before pic, how often was I asked, "How far along are you?" I took no offense, I often wondered myself if there wasn't one more in there.