11 days Post-op Abdominoplasty

Well it has been a long week (and a half).

I am feeling really well. I am starting to be able to do things on my own. I can finally make it up and down the stairs of our house- but i try to limit this to once a day. I can shower myself and dress myself. I can make myself a cup of tea and my cereal (as long as everything is on the bench or on a high shelf in the fridge).

I can also walk a reasonable distance but am hunched over and need to sit down or lean on something for a rest.

What can't I do yet? I can't make anything more that the above to eat for myself because standing up that long in the kitchen hurts my back. I can't reach things in the kitchen that are on shelves or in the freezer. I can't lift anything heavy, for example a 2L bottle of milk or juice- I feel the strain straight away in my abs. I can't tuck myself in at night or pull the heavy blankets onto myself during the night if they fall off.

Apparantly I can't throw a cushion! I tried to throw the light cushion I was holding at my daughter who was annoying me (understatement of the year). I felt a slight strain in my abs which has taken 3 days to stop hurting. Laughing, coughing and sneezing also causes pain that can take a day or two to get better.

On the positive side I have had lots of time to think, relax, read, work on my laptop, watch movies and help my kids with their homework.

Most nights I have slept on the lounge downstairs. I have slept in my bed twice but with a combination of a hard mattress (just the way i usually like it) and not being able to roll freely, I am waking up with pressure pain on each side. Not to mention a husband that pulls the blankets and snores!Downstairs on the lounge I sleep soundly with my daughter's pet, a white rabbit called Sparkles, a great room mate.

Some of the more specific things I have noticed about the recovery are
- a contracting and tightening feeling of my abs,
- an itchy scar,
- frustration at wearing the elastic compression bandage,
- yellow and black bruises on my abdomen and
- swelling from the top to bottom of my abdomen.

The difference in my appearance is already amazing. As well as having more normal, tight skin on my tummy I also now have more of a waist (because my abdominal muscles have been moved in- so I am not as 'wide'). No signs of the 6 pack yet, but we will put that down to the swelling.

One thing the doctor mentioned that I didn't really pay much attention to was that I would also notice a tightening of the skin from my upper legs. This is because of the 'pulling' of the skin that was done. Well I have actually noticed this improvement which is nice. I feel like I have lost 2-3 kg off my legs, simply because the skin is tighter.

So here we go, the start of a new week. No mum here to help me this time.My plans are to get the kids off to school and pick them up- but little else. Let's hope my kids are well behaved and independant or it will be a very long week!