Update On Me :) and Poll for those who had LBL

Ok so I will be 3 weeks postop on Tuesday. 

Pain - As of Thursday a lot of my nerve endings came back to life all at once, weird eh?  Everything but my belly button is numb, it just really scared the poo out of me as I didn't have much pain (got over the muscular pain for the most part just dull ache) and then this came on suddenly.  Extra strength tylenol was doing me fine during the day with my roxicet at night.  Then WHAM.. thursday hit me with a ton of bricks.  I posted about it, I got lortab.  Does it work?  Not so sure it really helps with nerve pain.. my skin is still sensative to the touch but less zingers now for some reason so who knows?  I think its more something I am just going to learn to deal with as it will be insconsitent and worse other times than not.

Stanima/Endurance - I am finding that my back is so weak after walking or sitting for very long that the only way it feels good is propped up in bed or on the couch. I am gonna have to get my fanny moving if I wanna get these back muscle strong again - I go back to work in less than a month (june 12th) as a floor nurse, 12 hour shifts.  AHHH.  I hope I gain a lot of strength between now and then. I still wanna lean back in chairs.  I feel this pulling sensation that makes me uncomfortable on the back side.  Maybe this is normal?

Swelling - well, I am still swollen for sure esp along the incision lines, some in mons and maybe in thighs? hard to tell.  I am still wearing the compression garment.  I feel like I can't go without it.  I can take a shower but by the time I am dried off and I am running to put that thing on.

Incisions/scarring - Scar sheets (new gel) - still loving them and sticking fine.  My incisions are fish line thin and flat - i can't get over it. Belly button still has some scabbing and some slough tissue (yellow) tissue at the bottom of it - not puss, to me looks like tissue healing. Slight redness around the edges of bb, putting single antibiotic ointment on it.  Tape burns still look like crap :(  Putting mederma on those.

Photos - I have decided to wait and take photos the next time I go to the doctor on June 8th (my 6 week appointment).  Other than healing of my incisions some I don't think the change will be that drastic for me.  So we will do a 6 week photo shoot (DH will hehe) and then maybe 3 months and so on.. we will see.

***POLL***
For those of you who had an LBL...

When did you feel like you could go without your garment?

When did your stanima come back full force?

How long before you belly button was totally healed?

How long before you sat in a chair without a pulling sensation?

When was your swelling totally gone? 

Did you stay the same size or go down sizes?

How long postop were you without swelling etc to know what size you were going to be?

Thank for your input!!!

7 weeks post op:

When did you feel like you could go without your garment? - I escaped at exactly 6 weeks - as soon as he let me!!! (I think it was hurting more than helping at that point). Still wear compression shorts if I'm going to be active.

When did your stanima come back full force?  Still dragging ass mid-afternoon, but almost back where I was. Still sleep a lot on the weekends though.

How long before you belly button was totally healed? My star-trek shaped BB is healed, but still a bit pink.

How long before you sat in a chair without a pulling sensation?  Sitting is fine with the exception of the incision end where the internal stitch knot is at at the back of my thigh (from thigh lift) under the butt cheek where I sit - that still smarts.  I sit all day at work but do sit on a little travel pillow as my chair has always been hard as a rock.

When was your swelling totally gone?  It's still there - some days are worse than others. I'm down to two months preggo look from 3 months at the moment.

Did you stay the same size or go down sizes? I went up a size - prob still swelling. But can't wear hip hugger jeans for awhile, they rub my hip incisions raw.

How long postop were you without swelling etc to know what size you were going to be? HA! I'm curious to see the answers on this.

Cass

Thanks for sharing!! I hope I feel like I can ditch the garment at 6 weeks but I think I will be one that wants to wear it as I am wearing it plus flexees panties on top for additional compression for more comfort.. crazy! I may not be able to breath but stomach feels better, swelling is worse today then ever but I have been more active.  I hate the pressure sensation on my incisions.  UGH!  

I still wear my binder or a shaper all the time I feel funny without it.

I'm still swelling too, some days are worse than others. I still have alot of numbness in my hips and back more so than my stomach.

So far I went down from a size 12-14 to a 8-10 but still weigh 159 the same as I did the day I came home from the hospital.

I can't wait for the swelling to end, at times my stomach swells alot and it gets hard too. I'm curious to see what others farther out have to say.  Debi

Thanks Debi.  I think I am going to be one that likes my garment too.  I have on two at the moment! HA.  I am really swollen today from doing more than I ever have.  Activity sure makes ya balloon up.  The pressure on the incisions is sure uncomfortable, feels like I could split them open but realize I won't.  

I can't wait to see our final results, maybe by Christmas we can get that gift from Santa :)  Hopefully sooner! :)

well i had mine april 14th last week i started to have alot of pain i think i pulled something when i bent over, i went to walmart and bought a girdle type panty thing, and started wearing it instead of the binder after 3 days wearing it all my swelling just vanished this week and no pain, still a little numb in spots, i can now squeeze back into a size 4, with the swelling i had to wear size 12s, whatch out when you start feeling good because you will over due it and feel like crap the next day. it just keeps getting better every week. tracy

Oh no on pulling something!! Is it feeling better now???  I added flexees control top high top underwear on top of my body garment tonight! I am very swollen after more activity.  I hate the pressure sensaiton but I can barely breath!  AHHH I can't wait for all this to go down, patience has never been my virtue.  Did you take any bromelain, that pineapple extract ppl talk about on here?  Glad to hear your swelling has gone down, you give me hope for the future!!   Glad to hear each week gets better and better for you.. hope whatever you pulled is feeling better now Tracy!  Thanks for you input!

Hi Melissa!

I wore my "garment" for a while after I went back to work - and especially the first few weeks I started working out.   It just seemed to help the swelling and certainly helped me feel more secure.  So, I guess it was about 2 (maybe 2 1/2) months from my surgery date when I stopped wearing it.

Again, it was probably about 2 months, maybe a little more after surgery.  Like you, I worked out a lot before, but it took me at least a few weeks to get back into a groove after I was able to start working out again. Working out gives me more energy.

My belly button healed quickly - it was such a non-issue for me, I don't even remember.

I still have the pulling sensation sometimes when I'm sitting and it's been 6 months.

There are times when my swelling is totally gone, but other times when I still swell.   My mid-section gets really hard (it's hard to describe how the numbness feels).  It doesn't hurt - I guess I'm used to it.  My hip bones get really sensitive sometimes, especially when I wear a belt that rubs against them or certain low-rider jeans.

I went down at least a size and am certainly more comfortable in the smaller sizes.

It was a couple of months, maybe even 3 before I was sure that my size was about what it was going to be. 

I still marvel sometimes when I touch my hip bones or look at my new belly button.  I do have "phantom" itches sometimes.  Like, my backside will itch, but when I scratch it, I can't feel that I'm scratching it.  It still feels sometimes like I have novacaine in my mid-section. 

Have a great week!!

~  BJ

Thanks BJ - you are always so helpful I really apprecate it your input.  I love my garment and cant imagine being without it, even doubled "garmented" right now b/c of extra swelling as a result of more activity today - most since surgery, so uncomfortable with the incisions.  Makes me feel like they could just pop - not a fun sensation.  I am one that isn't patient so I can't wait for it to go down!  Did you take the bromelain pineapple extract ppl talk about on here? I picked some up today, I am getting more desperate I think. LOL.  

Hi, I am still pre op but I have a question that nobody has mentioned and I need to know. How did the LBL affect your sex life? I am wondering if my husband will be able to touch me without me yelling STOP. Please let me know, I don't want to ruin his life too. thanks, Carole