Couple of questions

 I'm 3 weeks out on Thursday an I'm starting to feel way...... better an now I have questions for whats next. If yah all could help me out : )

1. How long before the swelling goes down?  

2. How many pants size's did you go down?

3. I have a small opening in my incision & it has a lot of drainage. How long did yours take to heal. An did it open up bigger or just heal up.

4. Did you get kinda down about being so swollen an not being your final size? I'm kinda scared to show off my new body all swollen.   

Thanks for any help just a little anxious now an want to easy my mind.

 1. Everyone is different. Your salt intake also really effects the swelling.  I began to look and feel less like a small whale zippered into a stretchy stocking around the 6 week mark. At 9 weeks, I wake up looking slim and by the end of the day have alot of swelling in the lower abdomen.  

2. I had a ton of tissue in the abdominal area that I used to pack into my pants. Think of jeans as a spanx type garment!  Post op, I am missing like 3 inches right in the tummy area.  The pants fit completely different.  I went down 2 to 3 pant sizes because I was having to buy larger to accomodate the panni.

3. My openings with stiches continued to open until I removed the stitches. Because I didnt notice the stitches for 7-10 days, the wound very large. 2.5 inches wide and 1/2 inch deep large.  6-7 weeks to fill back in.  I had one smaller area that I got later when I was more experienced with stitch protrusion. Got the stitch out within 3 days of the opening. 2 weeks to heal that one.

4. I did get a bit down sometimes about the swelling. I think many of us don't want to look fat and become terrified that the swelling is really somehow fat that we suddenly gained.  I also have heard many people say, "I didnt just spend thousands of dollars to look fatter!".  When I felt bad, I tried to remind myself that in a few months I would see the real results. After years of being fat, a few months isnt so long.  I also would look at the numbers. Can't really argue with numbers.  So no matter how I looked due to swelling or what the scale said from watergain - I was 14 pounds lighter because that is what the tissue and skin weighed that was removed.  

Hang in there. The recovery road is bumpy, but the destinition is beautiful.

I did not go down in size, but look better in my clothes. My clothes are a bit looser. My weight is the same. I had 5 pounds and 2 square feet of skin removed.

Swelling took about 2 months to go noticible down. I was up 4 inches around my waist immediately post-op.

Laura

I think my swelling is down especially w/o binder.
Flat tummy although I am still DDT but pelvic bones poke through and flat profile in the waist.
Even with all my complication I do not regret anything-and I've met interesting people during my long hospital stay.
Mikimi in Israel