2 Weeks Post Body Lift

Congratulations to anyone who managed to read all my week one post-surgery updates! I know they were a bit boring, but I wrote them not only for myself, but for anyone thinking about having a body lift. I found that there was very little information out there, especially in Australia, on body lift surgery so I wanted to share my experience. It is such a massive surgery so it is quite terrifying to book yourself in when so much feels unknown.

As of Tuesday 20 November, I was two weeks post op and weighing 77 kilos (169.4 lbs). Now don't worry, I won't bore you with another blow-by-blow of each day, but I did want to make some notes on how things have been for me this week. If I have missed anything that you would like to know just leave me a comment or send me an email and I am happy to get into all the graphic details!

I spent pretty much all week propped up in bed with my laptop, kindle and Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. My mum has been here all week and fetches me everything I need so I really don't have to move too much. I can do the basic things like go to the toilet and have a shower by myself without too much pain. I am only in trouble when I do something stupid like drop the soap in the shower... whoops.

I am not in as much pain as I thought I would be in, in fact, I would say that I have been more uncomfortable than in pain. So I feel guilty to have everyone fussing over me when I feel perfectly content, but I do know that if I tried to do too much my pain levels would increase and my recovery would be much slower. I am taking Tylenol 3 for the pain mostly in the early morning and night time when the swelling seems worse and my skin feels so tight I will burst. I tend to be OK to go through the day without any pain killers. There are probably times when some pain relief would be nice, but I have a bit of a phobia about swallowing tablets, it stresses me out so much that sometimes I would prefer to be in pain rather than swallow a tablet (yes, I am like a child).

To give an example of how mobile I have been this week here is a list of all my outings: Thursday I went into work for a couple of hours, Friday I went to see my surgeon, Saturday I went out for lunch with some lovely friends I have met through blogging and Sunday I went to my friend's baby shower. On Monday I was exhausted! So I might have pushed myself a little too far, but I felt good the entire time, it is just that pesky swelling and tightness that comes back to haunt me later on.

I have been really grateful to have such low pain levels after the body lift surgery. Someone I know who had the same surgery as me said she felt like she was being ripped apart and her pain levels were 12/10 for the first two weeks. I don't know why my body has coped so well with the surgery but my guesses would be that it is a combination of the following factors:

• I had a very skilled surgical team (they did not come cheap!)
• I have had a really positive attitude about the surgery
• I have been looked after extremely well by the hospital and my family
• I was in very good health and fitness before surgery
• I was just very lucky!

What hasn't been so easy is sleeping. The pain is worse at night and I have been so uncomfortable that sleep is pretty much impossible. There have been quite a few nights when I have not slept at all and the other nights I manage  between 2-3 hours of broken sleep. I don't want to sound all Pollyanna again, but the lack of sleep really hasn't bothered me too much. I just accept that I won't sleep and keep myself busy playing around on my laptop in bed. Normally when I have to go to work the next day I find insomnia really stressful, but because I know that I don't have to go to work and try and use my brain all day, I just don't care. The biggest problem about being awake all night is the binge fests I have been having. There is nothing much more fun than raiding the fridge at 3.00 am and pigging out in bed while  everyone else is sound asleep...

I had my post-surgery follow up with my surgeon last Friday and he confirmed that I am healing really well. He changed my dressings and I got to see myself completely naked and without dressings for the first time. I still have a lot of swelling, especially on my back, but I was thrilled with the results I am seeing so far. I am very far from model material and will never have a bikini body, but he has removed the loose skin that was causing me so much anguish, so I am thrilled.  My surgeon said I can now take my compression garment off to shower, so that makes life a bit easier. It also means I get to stare at myself in the mirror naked before I shower and try to take in my new body. It is so bizarre to see this body with my head. I think it is going to take a while to get used to it!

Waiting for my check up with my surgeon

My eating has not been great this week (see night time binges above) but I haven't been too concerned. I wanted to give myself time to relax and recuperate and not think about dieting. Now that the first two weeks are over I am being careful to watch what I am eating again. I certainly did not do all this work and spend all this money just to gain the weight back. I will be happy when I can get some fill back in my band, my appetite is out of control right now, which isn't helped by hanging around the house all day feeling tired and bored.

Lastly, here is a quick photo I took of myself on the 2 week mark, can you see that I am getting a waistline for the first time ever??!! I still have a lot of swelling on my sides so hopefully my waist will become more defined over the next couple of months. I will post my more graphic (naked) before and after pictures soon, I am just building up the courage and working out the best way to do it without exposing myself to the whole world!

2 weeks post body lift surgery