My tummy has never looked flat, from the moment I woke up. It is very round from under the breasts to the incision, I look just as bad as before except I don't have the large pannus. If it was going to be flat wouldn't it have looked flat at some point already? I am scared that I am going to have gone through all this and still not be able to wear regular clothes.

I really hope so because I am going through hell

You're only 5 days out... It's probably anything from swelling to gas or water retention... Give it some time before you come to the conclusion that it hasn't done what you hoped it would do! I'm sure once it's settled and healed a bit it'll look better.

I really hope you can find a way to relax and let your body heal. There could be something wrong but it is most likely not the case. You might be one of those people who swells more than others. If there is something wrong you will have an easier time accepting it if you come to terms with knowing that there isn't anything you can do about it right now. You need time to heal before you can get answers. You are also in that time period after surgery that you can get depressed easily.

You are probably not familiar with me b/c I had my sx over a year ago. I've had 2 tummy tucks so far and I still need another muscle repair. I made myself crazy. I got very depressed and went to a really ugly place. After my second sx and realizing that things were still not right I had to find acceptance. You can always have another surgery to fix any problems but you can't get those days worrying, crying, stressing back. You might be like me and realize that it was a waste of healing time, especially in the very beginning, to use so much energy on worrying.

Be good to yourself.

smpalesh wrote:My tummy has never looked flat, from the moment I woke up. It is very round from under the breasts to the incision, I look just as bad as before except I don't have the large pannus. If it was going to be flat wouldn't it have looked flat at some point already? I am scared that I am going to have gone through all this and still not be able to wear regular clothes.

You are still so early and hopefully getting worked up over nothing. I am sure u r extra swollen right now! I didnt see a flat tummy for about 3 weeks and sadly only enjoyed a cpl months of flatness before my TT and hernia repair failed That is when i looked like u r describing and still awful 7 months pregnant looking right now with skin that feels like its ripping from the pressure of the swelling. I will hopefully be fixed for good a week from tomorrow (10th) and then i have to go through all this again so i do sympathize with you.
Take some pics if you can and post them maybe you need some other points of view. We are our harshest critics. Look at both my ablums not just my repair and see how swollen i was right after then pretty flat at 6 weeks.
I hope you start feeling better soon hun, i will keep u in my prayers. I also hope your pain is starting to get more manageable.
And always remember to call your PS, you paid alot (I'm assuming) and he should be available to return a call anytime should need be!

And plz ignore all the typos in above post lol. I am half asleep and just read what i wrote to you!
One ? for u though, u talked about the swelling from below breast to incision.... did your PS do a MR? If it truely is that swelled out but the pannus is gone it kinda sounds like plication wasnt done... Is your swelling soft or hard and round?

SWELLING!! At this point you should still be very swollen. Check out my first pics. Right out of surgery I had fat rolls. I looked pregnant the next day. My swelling continued to go down for a month I would say. Don't worry about a thing. You're way to early to judge.

Hi there honey, I am so so sorry that you are going through this. I am going to give you my most honest and humble opinion and please do not get offended but I agree with you and I don't think that is just swelling alone. It doesn't look like he pulled the upper section of the skin down far enough to give you a flat midsection but I could be totally wrong because I have yet to experience the surgery yet and I hope that I am wrong. Did you by chance view your doctors Before and After pics of prior patients and how long has he been doing tummy tuck surgeries if so that may put you at ease if prior patients started like this and ended with great results.One other thing that I noticed is that your pubic hair looks as if it is sewn into the incinsion line I thought it was required to shave that area to prevent the hair being in wound of the scar.Did the doc give you a new belly button also ? Have you heard back from the doctor yet ? And if you don't mind what doctor did you go to ?

Typically the incision goes to the pubic line if you have a low incision. It is shaved at the time, but it grows back. Well, I mean the incision will be right at it, while some is growing through it. I had an inch of public hair cut off, so my incision sits right at the hairline. Shaving is hard for quite some time, til the scar heals. Many will shave right above and below it. The mons area is lifted up, raising the hairline. Whether the incision is at the top of that hairline, or some of the hairline is cut off, it still sits at the top.

Although nothing is ever certain and we can't say for sure, I have seen many look just like smpalesh does in her pictures, and it turns out to be all swelling. That ledge is normal for many, and it creates that "look."

There is absolutely no way to tell this early, at least not through a picture.