Hello new me - a two stage mummy makeover experience part 6

Hello new belly button, goodbye 11 year old hernia

Say hello to my new belly button 👋🏻😉😂 Normally Nurse Kat removes the stitches but due to the Covid-19 restrictions Dr M did it himself ☺️. I must say I felt a bit special which was nice after such a horrible hard week ☺️ Oh & this doesn’t hurt at all. My tummy is so numb, it just felt like little tiny tugs. So easy. The tape next Monday will be another story 😬

Oh & my belly button has a dark crust & some extra bruising because of the large hernia repair. Dr M said there was a big hole all the way through. He wishes he took a photo 😳😂 I've had that hernia for 11 years, hooray to be fixed 🎉🦋

12 days post op and standing tall

Today is my stand straight deadline given by Dr M at my appointment 2 days ago & I did it!
It’s the weirdest feeling though as I don’t feel straight. I’m always surprised when I go to check in the mirror only to discover I actually am 😇🤗🤣 I think internally the muscles from my bra strap downwards 2 inches & my groin have some extra work to go.
I found that from days 1-10 my body just naturally got a little straighter each day without any extra effort. I was amazed & thought this is pretty easy. Little did I know that the last part of straightening does not happen on its own & it does require quite a bit of effort 🙄😬 When I told Dr M that I thought I’d continue to naturally straighten until the end, he smiled & said, “the 10 day appointment isn’t just to remove stitches but also to give the final push into getting everyone to stand 😉”. 🤦🏻‍♀️ The final stretch feels scary because oh my goodness am I so tight from my groin up to my bra strap (in the very middle is not too bad, so that’s a positive 🤣). Even though I don’t feel like doing it as I’m not able to get much rest this time around, I am finding going for slow walks around the block helps stretch the tightest muscles a bit.

Feeling pretty good as I’m a little less swollen again & I can now see my lower rib definition 😂 But oh my the itching 😱💆🏻🤪

 Why I am using steri strip tape

6.5MPO - BR/BL & 2 WPO TT 🎉
You probably all noticed that I don’t have the taupe steri strips covering my glue & mesh tape like everyone else. I totally forgot to talk about it.
As I have super crazy sensitive skin, like I mean next level annoyingly sensitive skin. I ended up with my skin fusing to the tape which also peeled off at removal leaving a sore carpet burn like graze & an itchy rash that lasted for 5 months first time around.
This time Dr M used a stronger waterproof glue under the mesh so that the top tape could come off day 2. That glue could have caused a reaction too but it seems to be ok. The taupe tape does provide extra protection & also hides the scary incision but the reaction I have is really dramatic & affects my recovery. Dr M decided the tape wasn’t worth it this time around.
This is quite rare to do it like this because Dr M always has to weigh the pros against the cons. He has to ensure that we heal safely with the best possible results. I did tell him before my BR/L about how sensitive my skin is but it’s hard when lots of people say they are sensitive to tape. No one ever believes me how ridiculously sensitive I am to everything until they see it for themselves. Unfortunately first time I just had to go with a wait & see approach.
What was surprising is that even though I had a pretty good reaction first time, it wasn’t crazy itchy until after the tapes had been removed. Meant the first 2 weeks were easier to get through than I expected.
Nurse Kat & Office Manager Katie became my advocates for doing something different this time around which has been really good but if I were to do stage 1 all over again, I wouldn’t actually change a thing. I think having the breast incisions covered up first time around was incredibly helpful & I would have struggled a lot more if they weren’t there. I’m only finding things easy & not scary this time because of my previous experience. I’m happy with how everything has gone & wouldn’t change any of it ❤️☺️

Our client wishes to remain anonymous.  💕

Breast lift & reduction - September 2019

Plastic Surgeon - Dr Michael Miroshnik, Sydney.

Tummy tuck, muscle repair, waist tightening, mons lift & hernia repair - March 2020

She is 34 years old, is 161cms tall and at the time of her pre op appointment weighed 59kg and at the time of surgery was 55kg.