Good luck to you, Sophie! I hope you do not have too much pain, and that you are thrilled with the results!

Terry

Good for you Soph. Can they give you a six pack?

I think it's different for guys, I just tell people that my scars are from Ninja's.

hahaha Big D! I love that you tell people the scars are from Ninjas. I tell people I was in a gang fight! lol makes me look tough :P

Cindy,

You can also tell people a Alien popped out of your stomach or it was from abdominal implant surgery.

hey soph
it really didn't hurt at all. i had it done outpatient, less than an hour. but i didn't have lipo. just scar revision.
no pain meds either.
it won't be long now.

Thanks so much for your support, and thanks for your last post, Holly. I'm trying to prepare myself mentally for it, but with Christmas etc. to deal with first I don't really have time! However, I have learned from my previous surgeries that I'll have to line up soups and easy meals that I can just whack in the micro, and that I have to do a big tidy and clean at home before I'm operated so I don't have to lie here looking at the housework pile up. Also it'll be challenging as last time I had my sweet and patient cat, Baggy, who never left my side. This time I have two pesky kittens who won't understand that my stomach is off-limits! At least I'll have lots to watch other than the TV I feel a bit guilty at times because I know that I could have made myself look a bit better by exercising. I mean, I can't blame my expanding hips and thighs on my severed stomach muscles. But I'm hoping this will help me motivate myself to look after my new body. Surgery (ie: a second shot at life) has certainly made me look after myself on the inside a whole lot better.

Hey guys! This was easy peasy! About one hour in surgery, I was home after 2 hours' lying relaxing in the ward, and just feel taut rather than being in any pain. I've taken pain killers at the first sign of discomfort on the advice of the nurses, but I feel great! No nausea, no dizziness. I have to eat lots of prunes etc to keep BMs really loose so I don't strain against the incisions, but other than that I'm just chilling at home, watching TV and snoozing. Thank you to all of you who gave support and advice - I really, really appreciated it.

Hey Soph,
Great news!!!,,take some photos!,,I am sure we all want to see the metamorphosis into a beach beauty
keep us posted and all the best xxx

I am really considering this after my upcoming hernia repair and then hoping for a 'dry spell' of surgeries. I would love to see pictures if you feel comfortable in sharing. You can also PM me if people have an oposition of seeing the pictures.
Jennifer

Hi, I'll try to get some photos taken. I should have taken some "before shots" (it got worse and worse) but never mind. So far it looks like the gunshot-stoma scar is gone, and the flab that hung down in different directions is reduced a lot. I'm still swollen so I can't really much has been removed, but it'll be an improvement no matter what.

Glad to hear you are feeling good!! Great news!
Cheryl

Hey Soph, great to hear everything went well.

3 weeks down the line, the incision has healed very neatly. There is a long scar from one pelvic bone to the other, like a long stripe along my bikini line. On one end there's a visible skin fold, but the surgeon is going to tidy it up in the autumn, along with the incision running down from my belly button to my bikini line and crossing the horizontal scar. The ugly stoma scar is barely visible as it's mostly below my bikini line now, and the bumps are gone! I just have to wait for the swelling to go down, keep taping the scars for another 3 months and keep them out of the sun for a year I will try to post pictures soon.
To any of you who are considering having this done - I had a mini tummy tuck and it was sooo worth it!

HI Soph
I was excited to see this post. I have oftenthought about having a tmmy tuck with all the wwight gain and loss over the years being on and off steroids. I didn't understand however, did they remove the long belly button to bikini line? Mine is so ugly, wide and drawn out. When I have seen films on tummy tucks they cut out a section of skin and flab and pull it down leaving behind a realitivly smooth and scarless tummy. Was tha the result you got...for the most part?

I'm almost 5 weeks down the line now, and had a look at my scar yesterday as I was changing the tape that I have to put over it for the next couple of months. I swear, there is no scar!!! Just the tiniest thin, pale line. No raised edges, no pink line, nothing. I am seriously impressed with this surgeon! What he did was open up down my colectomy scar from my belly button down to my bikini line. He then opened horizontally across the bikini line from side to side, so the scar is very long - from one pelvic bone to the other (are they called the pelvic bones? I mean the bones that stick up when you lie flat on your back - the ones at equal distances from your belly button from left to right on your belly!). So I got a kind of crossroads by my bikini line. He liposuctioned around my belly button as there really was no excess fat above it, just around and below it. But the op has actually made my whole belly slimmer because the skin has been pulled taut. He took away 300g fat and almost as much skin, then pulled the skin down to my bikini line and stitched with internal stitches that dissolve and leave no ugly marks. I look so much better, it's amazing. And getting rid of the stoma scar was such a relief. It is almost entirely hidden beneath my bikini line now. I have lost some feeling just under my belly button (at the crossroads) but he'd warned me that this would very likely/definitely happen and it's not an area I feel desperate to have full feeling, so my thoughts are: so what? If you can find a surgeon who comes recommended by someone you know and trust, go for it! I am so glad I had it done.