Recovery update week 4

The news is a mix of good and bad. And really it's only one major bad thing... I can't seem to shake the fluid build up in my upper abdomen. They keep draining it and the fluid keeps coming back. Tomorrow is another doctor's appointment and I'm sure he will drain it again.

Now for the good... I have lost a total of 8 pounds and have a flat stomach despite all of the swelling. I can finally walk like a normal human being most of the time rather than walking like the hunchback of Notre Dame. On a side note, maybe I should have had the surgery before I went to visit Notre Dame last month! ;) I can lie in bed without having my head propped up and pillows under my knees. I can also lay on my side and I can just about sleep on my stomach again.

A nice side effect of the surgery is that I cannot eat quite as much without it being painful anyway. So I expect to be able to lose more weight just from the lack of being able to overeat like I used to. It has not been an easy recovery by any stretch of the imagination but I am starting to feel better. This week is the first time I can honestly say that.

My recommendation for anyone considering a tummy tuck... be prepared for a tough road, and if you live in Houston make sure you try to have the surgery well before summer because these compression garments are HOT (and not in a good way)!

Recovery update

Let's see... I've now developed complications. I have seroma on my up abdomen which is essentially a build up of fluid. I showed the nurse this when I went to get my second drain removed and she recommended binding that area tight and not using my abs.

The first suggestion is somewhat easy as long as my husband is not traveling. I'm bound up tight with an ace bandage so much that it's hard to take a deep breath. Her second suggestion has been a little more challenging! Have you ever tried to not use your abs? I have found that I use them quite a lot for normal daily life. So that one is not going so well.

If these two things don't help, there is another option on Tuesday when I go in to see the doctor. I will let you guess what that is since the thought of it disturbs me so very much! So far it's looking like the other option is likely.