I had a little setback yesterday. It turns out that going to yoga class 3 weeks after surgery made my tummy unhappy. After feeling great Wednesday, I noticed a huge bulge above my belly button on Thursday afternoon. I spent all day drinking water and watching reality TV, and the swelling went down today. Whew!
I want to tell you about the eye-opening appointment I had 9 days post surgery. We had planned for my hubby to take the kids to the park all morning, then they'd all come with me to the doctor's office for my afternoon appointment. After lots of whining, delays, and unexpected dirty diapers, I decided to just drive myself. I was feeling pretty spiffy once I arrived and settled into the waiting room, and there I met another patient. She had the 'tummy tuck hunch' like I did, so we started comparing notes right away.
Maria had her surgery the day before I had mine. She had barely slept since the surgery because she didn't have a recliner. And her drains were still in, and hurting her like mad. Mine had been taken out 2 days before. Let me tell ya, the drains really suck. The tubes are about 1/4" diameter, and they come right out of your body. And your body is kind of annoyed that some plastic has been stitched in. The day they're removed is a glorious day indeed. It's also a day you might want to wear Depends--you leak out of those holes for hours.
I was feeling pretty advanced after talking with her, but it still cracks me up to think of how we looked. Here's what Maria was wearing: A matching warm-up suit, sneakers (with laces tied!), and a bra. She also had styled hair and makeup. Here's how I looked (I call it "Institutional Chic"): $5 WalMart sweats with mismatched tee-shirt, fuzzy purple slippers, unwashed hair, no makeup, and no bra (my DDs seemed just fine perched on top of the abdominal binder at the time).
I guess the bottom line is that your body knows how fast to heal, so don't obsess about what other people are doing. And your excellent doctor has seen the likes of you many times, and will tell you when things aren't going well. So let your body do its thing! Chances are that the chick who is bounding around two weeks after surgery is probably ten years younger than you are, and the lady who is far behind you in healing is also ten years older than you are. But you'll all get to the same destination.
Heal well!
