6 Months Post-op — The Messy Middle
Quick recap: I had a 10 cm DR and an umbilical hernia. In November, both were repaired laparoscopically and robotically using mesh. I did not have any cosmetic work done by a plastic surgeon, just the functional repair by the general surgeon.
I’m in this weird space that can only be called the messy middle. I feel strong and I can tell that I’m getting stronger, especially in my core. I’ve been in PT for about eight weeks and it’s definitely helping. I’m able to do everyday activities with an ease and efficiency that I couldn’t before I had surgery, and complete exercises correctly and effectively that I used to do improperly and didn’t feel in the correct muscles. But what’s hard for me lately is how much my body has changed and how unpredictable it can be from day to day.
(Disclaimer: none of this is intended to come across as fat shaming, just challenges with my changing body.)
I have love handles that I did not have before surgery and my abdomen is now wider than my hips and shoulders. This has made getting dressed a bit difficult and frustrating: leggings that fit my legs are too small for my abdomen, so they roll and are uncomfortable, and leggings that fit my abdomen (or any pants, for that matter) are entirely too big for my legs. Before surgery, I was still able to wear my maternity leggings because they comfortably fit my severely distended abdomen. But after surgery, my abdomen is now too flat, centrally, to hold them up, so they slide all day. I’ve had to choose which challenge I want to deal with.
Recently (and after so much wasted money), I found one design of working pants that don’t roll or slide and are cute: Boost PowerHold® High-Waisted Flare Pant by Fabletics. As summer approaches, I plan to embrace my dress collection as alternatives to athleisure.
I’ve come to understand that all the skin and fat that grew to accommodate my distended abdomen has now settled at my sides and my back; my central abdomen is mostly flat. I’ve been reading that this is normal and can change over the next several months because healing can take anywhere between 12 and 18 months. Apparently, I can also be dealing with swelling that isn’t completely visible and can change from day to day. PT is also helping me address muscle imbalances and posture issues that affect how the fat is stretched across my midsection. I have a pretty short torso, so it’s all kind of just stacked and squished between my ribs and pelvis. Sometimes, it feels physically uncomfortable.
Less about aesthetics and body composition, I’ve also noticed that since surgery, I cannot finish many of my meals in one sitting. I stop eating when I’m comfortably full… then I’m hungry 30 minutes to an hour later. I learned that this is because my stomach is adjusting to its new parameters, per se; it didn’t have the pressure of an intact abdominal wall for months. I usually end of up eating 5 or 6 smaller meals a day.
TLDR: Skin and fat that covered my distended abdomen before surgery have settled at my sides, making it a challenge to find clothes that fit. I also eat several smaller meals a day because I cannot finish larger meals in one sitting anymore. All of these things are apparently normal parts of healing.
I share these updates so that anyone else who may be in a similar position will have information on what things could look like for them post-op. I haven’t found much info about the post-op period for the functional repair without the full tummy tuck or some amount of lipo.
Previous updates are on my profile if you’d like to read them.