Thursday, January 27, 2011

One Year Later

It sounds cliché, but I can’t believe it’s been a year since I had my tummy tuck. The worst memories of the recovery have faded, and so has my scar. I’m now back ship-shape around the middle, with no weakness or problems related to having the surgery.

First, was it worth it? Yes! When I think of the ‘before’ me, I was so miserable about the way I felt and looked. There were so many things I couldn’t do (ride on the swing or go down the slide with my son, do much in yoga class, hold my little girl, stand in one place for more than a few minutes) when my stomach muscles were separated. And I looked atrocious around the middle. Now I feel so strong and ‘back together’. It’s fantastic.

Was there a downside? Other than the icky early recovery (and the thousands of dollars that we just paid off), there was little downside.

I had a fantasy that I’d be slim and athletic post-surgery. I did a little too much couch surfing and chocolate munching, and put on fifteen pounds. Now I’m back at Weight Watchers trying to get those pounds off again (five down, ten to go!). Incidentally, I don’t put weight on in my tummy any more. That’s right, fifteen pounds and I still look like I have a flat middle. But I had to buy bra strap-extenders and I have a nice muffin-top to go with most of my jeans.

At my last visit to the surgeon, many months ago, she made some crack about me needing to get my boobs lifted. So I’d be more comfortable. Grrr. Half of me smiled politely, and the other half of me wanted to tell her that I’d feel a lot more comfortable if she pissed off. It’s weird, she had such a warm, fantastic bedside manner while I was shopping around. After the surgery, the warmth was gone and she was extremely abrupt. Ah, well, it's just business. But I still think she did a great job. I plan to keep my boobies the way they are, though!

I hope I have given you some insight into the tummy tuck recovery process. I wish you the very best in your journey. I'm sending some good karma your way, wherever you are!

With love,

Amy