Halifax Tummy Tuck

When I attended my consultation at The Landings to inquire about the mini tuck I was hoping for, Dr. Bendor-Samuel and I had a very in-depth conversation about my health, my goals, and what had brought me to his office that day.

The assessment (which I’ll talk about in another post) took about 30-45 minutes from start to finish, and I left with a wealth of information and a booked appointment. To an outsider, it probably seemed wild that I booked my appointment so “quickly” but after years of feeling insecure about loose skin and learning about the benefits of fixing the diastasis recti (DR) I thought was normal, it was an easy decision.

Getting Ready for Surgery

In July 2024, I was just off of a training route that helped me shed the last few pounds from my pregnancy. I weighed in at 124lbs on consultation day. Because I am active and healthy, Dr. Bendor-Samuel’s advice was to keep doing what I’m doing and to avoid gaining weight.

PHYSICAL PREP

A week later, I joined a new gym and have committed to 4x a week weight training mixed with cardio on top of my regular activity level. I lowered my overall body fat percentage, which was more important to me than lowering my total body weight. My goal between July and November was to get as strong as possible.

I especially focused on strengthening my back muscles and also working on mobility to help my body get ready for what will be a challenging recovery (more on that to come!)

Two weeks out, I started increasing my protein and water intake and slowly started to scale down the intensity of my workouts. With a week to go, I began avoiding any core exercises to ensure that my muscles aren’t sore before surgery.

PURCHASING PREP

Two weeks out from surgery, I stocked up on the post-op necessities:

• Sodium Chlorate rinse (aka saline)
• Gauze
• Steri Strips
• Stool softeners
• Cough drops (coughing will suck!)
• Gatorade to help with hydration
• Wedge pillows to prop me up in bed
• Belly binders x 4 (so I can change them often)
• Polyporin
• A red light therapy machine to promote healing
• A WALKER (yes, you read that right!)
• Silicon strips for my scar
• A table tray for bed (so I can eat and work in bed for the first few days)
• Arnica Montana

MENTAL PREP

I’ve been very torn between reading every bit of information I can find and avoiding it like the plague for the past few weeks, as I know I tend to fall down rabbit holes and hype up my own anxiety. But, I also wanted to feel prepared for the worst.

Needless to say, I’ve been as far down a rabbit hole as a pre-surgery patient can get and I’ve read everything from “you won’t be able to stand up straight for two weeks” to “I was walking a mile by day four post-op” and everything in between. I’ve been trying to remain focused on being as prepared physically as possible – that means having the house ready, too! – so that I can mentally unplug for the first couple of days.

I bought several books and made a Watch List of things to dig into for entertainment post-op while I recover.