One year ago today I had skin removal surgery on my stomach, technically an abdominoplasty and more commonly known as a tummy tuck. (Though I hate saying "tummy tuck" because it sounds so superficial and mine was after a long, hard journey getting healthier...not just because I didn't want to deal with a pudgy tummy, but I digress..)
Today I am going to share exactly how I feel on a physical level with regards to healing and scarring; and another day I'm going to share how I feel about this anniversary on an emotional level.
One year later and my scars are doing just fine. I do have some pudginess on my sides and my tummy feels "soft" due to the 20 pounds I have gained, but I still have a relatively flat stomach. (note: It makes my thighs and chest look bigger!! Sometimes that's good and sometimes not. lol)
Right away I was confident I had done the right thing and I have thanked my husband many times over the last year for financing this surgery. Prior to my surgery I had maintained a 70-pound weight loss for over a year and the only thing I disliked that I couldn't seem to get rid of was my stomach that just hung down in my pants and almost touched the floor when I did planks or the like.
Well, it occurred to me, after watching a weight loss show, that my stomach might be more of a skin issue than a weight issue and a consultation with the doctor confirmed that. I was delighted and after my husband returned from a deployment we went ahead with it.
I had no complications whatsoever and everything healed up just as it should. Next week I go in for my one-year followup and I know he won't find anything wrong. It was a long slow process of healing, but I was well prepared for what was coming, followed my doctor's orders and I healed just fine.
Having the excess skin removed from my abdomen was like a dream come true for me.
If surgery would never have been feasible for me I would have been able to be content without it. However, having surgery was like the proverbial icing on the cake of my weight loss success and I feel tremendously blessed to have had it done.
One thing I have really enjoyed over the last year is wearing dresses without a full body girdle to keep things smooth. And when I tried on an empire-waist dress and it didn't look like a maternity dress due to my little pudgy belly I was thrilled.
I will try and post pictures by the end of the week. I was supposed to have my daughter take some, but got I got distracted that day and forgot. Photo proof is always nice for me, a visual learner, so I will not leave you hanging either. :)
Have a good day!
Wow - has it been a whole year already??
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