Halifax Tummy Tuck

It’s honestly surreal to have surgery behind me now.

The moment I woke up in post-operative recovery, I was hit with the reality and gratitude that it was all over. And also, parched as heck! The first sip of water I had was absolute bliss. The day went by quickly, although it felt like it was going to be the longest day of my life when I first woke up. Here’s how yesterday (Surgery Day!) went:

Wake Up & Get Ready

In a classic toddler move, both my kids must have known I was hoping for a great sleep yesterday and elected to wake up early – with S (2.5) waking up just after 6am, which is unusual for him. I snuggled in bed with him for a while until E (1) woke up shortly after. I got a bit weepy during dressing time with E and then saw them off to daycare. I walked the dog, grabbed a parcel I’d ordered and then took a long bath and washed my hair. It’ll be a week before I can have a full shower, so I might book myself in for a shampoo & blow dry before then.

Arrival

With my hospital bag in tow and remarkably few nerves, we made our way to The Landings Surgical Centre – but not before I dropped a box of swag items off for my clients at The Tire Man! Within minutes of arriving, I was brought back to my overnight room and got undressed/ dressed for surgery.

Step One: My first nudes

Prior to meeting with the surgeon, my intake and prep nurse had me strip down and pose for my before photos. I’ve never been naked in a photo that I can recall, so that was a bit odd for me! The purpose of the photos is of course to see the before/after and my identity would be hidden. Here’s the before photos I took in my fav swimsuit (that I hope to wear again, though the bottoms might be TOO BIG!!)

Once I got back to my room, the anaesthesiologist came in to go over the pre-op questionnaire to ensure there were no concerns to be aware of before I was lights out.

Step Two: Inky

In front of a mirror and with Dr. Bendor-Samuel just before surgery, he showed me what he would be and used a black sharpie to mark my stomach pre-op. Of important things to note were my significant muscle gap and the loose skin around my lower abdomen.

We started my having me put both hands on my lower belly and pull the skip *up*. This allowed us to visualise what results to expect, and Dr. Bendor-Samuel marked the horizontal incision line accordingly. Then, he looked at my belly button, hips, waist, made a few more marks.

Next, I climbed onto the exam table where he checked out my muscle gap. Because it was quite significant, he recommended permanent stitches with dissolving stitches atop within the muscles themselves so the gap can’t reopen. (When he got in there during surgery, the gap was even wider than expected!) He explained where I could expect incisions, what to expect from them, and what the first few post-op hours would be like.

Step Three: Drugs, drugs, drugs

My surgical nurse came to grab me a few minutes later and got me ready for the surgical theatre. I walked into the theatre and was immediately greeted with my “better-than-Jello” shots: drugs and a 50ml sip of water.

I hopped up on the surgical table – which is the last time I’ll be doing any hopping up and down for a while to come, might I add – and the team went to work getting me ready. First, my IV was put in and I received the first drugs for pain which made me feel pretty loopy and then my sleepytime cocktail. I was on oxygen during this time. Once I was out, they inserted an oxygen tube.

I had compression stockings on my legs and special massage “boots” on my calves to avoid clotting.

The next thing I remember is having the tube slid out and being in post-operative recovery! Seamless. I went into surgery around 12:30 pm and woke up at 3:30 pm, with all of the prep, clean-up, and everything in between.

Step Four: Recovery Begins

I stood up to get into my wheelchair before being wheeled to my overnight room, where I again stood and climbed into my bed. This was hard because I’m stooped over and my body felt weak and slightly wrecked.

But, it was easier than I had anticipated it might be.

I hadn’t eaten yet, so I immediately asked for water and food. If you know me, you know I don’t like to miss a meal! I guzzled water and devoured a piece of toast at about 4pm.

I had pain meds shortly after eating, which knocked me out again. By the time I fully woke up again, it was 7pm! I got to get up and go to the washroom and then for my first post-op walk, which was actually so nice. I really needed the confidence boost and the physical relief of the walk, which took a lot of pressure off my back from lying in the bed.

Before I called it a night, I was up to the washroom again and had a chance to wash my face, brush my teeth, and down some more water. I drank a lot before bed which really helped me feel better. If I’m completely honest, I went to bed feeling so much better than I thought I possibly could.

Step Five: Home she goes

I was released at 6:15 am this morning, the day after surgery. I got up and got dressed on my own which felt like a huge milestone. Truly, I feel so much better than I thought I would by now. I’m moving well and my energy is good. My biggest challenges will be remembering that I’m literally less than 24-hours post-op right now and also staying on top of my meds, which are not optional but a necessary part of healing.

I have a drain which is held in my pelvis/lower abdomen by a suture. I’m emptying it in the morning and at night. My incision and lower abdomen are completely covered in bandages, and I have a binder on over my stomach. It comes quite low, reaching my hips and also coming up to my rib cage. It’s imperative I wear the binder to support the muscles and my upper body, but also will help keep the swelling down. I get to open it 2-3x a day for 20-30 minutes, but only while lying down.

I’ll get to remove the very sexy compression socks tonight, while I’ll be carrying my super-cool drain around for 7 days post-op. At that time, some of the bandage will also be removed and I’ll get to see what I’m working with as it relates to the incision!

My first order of business upon arriving at home was getting into even comfier clothes. I was too warm with long sweats and the compression socks, so shorts were the way to go. Because it’s feeling tight to put my arms over my head, I’ll be wearing button-up and zip-up tops for a while to come.

What’s to come?

My first big step in recovery is visiting a lymphatic drainage massage RMT to help me keep the fluid build up down. This will be super helpful in my recovery. I’m seeing her 3x over the next 10 days.

On Monday, November 25, my drain will be removed at my 7-day check-up with Dr. Bendor-Samuel. I am looking forward to seeing some of the results at this time, though they will certainly be very preliminary results! (Also, showering.)

I won’t see my full results for a while to come but I’m already feeling how tight my core is.

When it was all said and done, a whole pound was removed just from the front of my tummy in the form of loose skin! That’s like a block of butter, my friends. A block of friggin’ butter just from lost skin. Insane.

I opted for liposuction on my flanks and tummy as part of the full tummy tuck. This has resulted in some serious bruising as lipo isn’t a gentle process! This was obviously not medically necessary but will support the tighter, more streamlined body shape I was aiming for in my final results, especially since they were already in there! I probably would never have gone for it otherwise.

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The total recovery process is about 4-6 weeks, similar to a tummy tuck. As the days progress, my goal is to increase the amount of time I spend on my feet and moving around gradually so as not to overdo it. I am cautiously optimistic I could so a slow walk around the block by next week!

I won’t be lifting babies or doing any strenuous exercise until Christmas which will be tough for me. I’m already missing the babies, but I’m reminding myself that the final results are going to allow me to be even more active and engaged with the little stinkers as my recovery progresses!

Questions? Drop ’em in the comments!