Abdominoplasty: Two Weeks Post-Op

Officially it’s actually 16 days as of this publication but I thought I would share a little bit what the second week was like.

All under Control

Everything seems to be under control and “on schedule” this week. The internet is full of conflicting information on what you should feel and when, and that is only made more complex by the actual surgeon’s / clinic’s advise. However, I am following instructions. No risks here!

I have nothing physical to complain about for the most part. On Wednesday I got my stitches out and I was told that everything looks really good. I do have a few concerns about a few skin “wrinkles” above the left side of my incision and when I phoned and later sent photos they said it was from the surgical tape. But, now that the tape is off, they are still there. So I need to find a solution for that (which will include another phone call…)

I also had a manual lymph drainage massage on Friday and will do that weekly for a while (I have 18 physio visits covered under my insurance, and this is considered physiotherapy); I can’t say yet if I have had any benefit from it, but it is definitely interesting how the body’s lymph system works.

More Mentally than Physically Challenging this week

The worst thing of this week was probably the fact that I can’t sleep really well on my back (in a beach chair position) and after so many nights of only about 4 – 5 hours of sleep in total I was just exhausted and emotional. My compression garment is really tight – as it should be – and yet I have a lot of swelling. And the garment presses into the top of my ribs, which is, well, kind of annoying.

The combination of no sleep and physical discomfort (less from the garment, more from the swelling) unfortunately created a few down days for me.

Reminder to myself: I chose this

I did choose this and I already knew about the possible (probable) discomfort. However I’m human and had a few longer moments this week where I reminded myself of this fact and it didn’t immediately change my outlook. Honestly, that’s OK! I’m not beating myself up about it.

Activity

From approximately day 10 to 14 I have been allowed to use my spin bike or even regular bike gently. However, I just haven’t tried yet. I don’t feel like it will be successful based on the swelling and slight discomfort along the incision line. So maybe I’ll try next week.

My lovely husband bought me a new pair of Hoka’s (Clifton 8), so… of course I had to gently test-walk them this week. And I love them! My average steps this week was around 6500 per day, where last week was 4000. I feel like that is a good, not-too-agressive progression. But I need to really keep it in check still for a couple of weeks.

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Saturday I had a lovely little walk in Sonsbeek

Also I feel like I can do a bit more around the house but I need to do it in a slow, thoughtful way. This is of course slightly different than my “normal” sometimes chaotic way of doing things. It’s good to slow down though. Maybe I’ll have fewer stubbed toes and hit elbows because of this more mindful way of “being”.

Next Week

Next week I “go back” to work again (I tested it Friday because I had online training that was due – last time I missed the deadline they blocked my email account, as if that was some sort of punishment hahaha!) and it was fine. I just need to be sure to stand up regularly as that helps the tightness in my abdomen.

I have my first cryotherapy appointment on Friday as well; I’m buying a 4 session package for EUR 25 which I feel is a really good deal. I am super curious how this will go.

I also can start as of Wednesday to use scar cream. I was thinking about using a tape, but again, all kinds of conflicting information on the web (hypafix or silicone strips, just to start?) and my clinic says “not necessary”. (Ok so why does it exist??).

On to Week Three!

I’ve gotten over that little slump and am ready for week 3! That means, upon completion just one more week 23/7 in the compression garment. Looking forward to that!!