Sounds perfect, right? A quick fix surgery to tone up the loose skin and muscle around the belly?
You’ll finally feel like yourself again and walk with confidence again....right?
This is NOT a judgement article. There are reasons to have plastic surgery, including and not limited to:
- you’ve exhausted all options and still are having problem aesthetically with a body part
-something about your appearance is affecting your self confidence, and there is little or anything you can do to shield or change that
-you have physical ailments due to a body part that is not functioning the way it should, and plastic surgery is the option
-you have had a traumatic experience, and seeing that body part causes emotional and mental stress and/or physical limitations and difficulties
And I’m sure I haven’t covered HALF of the reasons that plastic surgery may be necessary. It is a legitimate LIFE saver for many people.
So I ask you, with me, to pull back the judgement hammer and just listen to this one scenario.
I can start by telling you MY story, and then I can tell you what I would have done differently.
If you follow my story on any of my social media, you know that I had severe Diastasis Recti, the division of the rectus abdominus down the vertical center, due to pregnancy. Mine in fact was so extreme that I had severe pain and discomfort, and it appeared that I had exhausted all options.
In fact, by this time, I had been in the fitness industry for 10 years. I had ZERO quality answers for what was ailing me, and ALL the wrong advice from my own industry and the medical industry.
I would bet that YOU or someone you know has a similar story...because Diastasis Recti is present in 65% of women who have ever been pregnant and 15% of the rest of the population. Still, in 2016, the information is confusing and non-congruent.
Anyway... my Diastasis Recti continued to get worse rather than better, and it was affecting my everything: my confidence, my health, my career, and my relationships. It was standing in the middle of my life.
My Diastasis Recti was so severe that I had a huge gap down my center, and would often have to push my intestines back into place.
I opted in for a double surgery: a general surgeon to handle the hernias and mesh overlay (yep, I did that), and the plastic surgeon to repair the muscles and skin.
I was the strongest person I knew, and I KNEW I would bounce back and be better than ever! RIGHT?!
When I awoke some 6-8 hours later (I think), I could not breathe. My lungs would not inflate. The nurse was telling me to breathe deeply, and I couldn’t. I thought I was going to die. It took me hours to start to regulate my breathing. Then, I realized that I couldn’t move my legs. It took me more hours to figure out how to use my arms to move my legs, and 1-2 people to help me move even to the absolute minimum. I was on morphine with a pump, and felt like I needed it constantly. On top of that, the oxygen blowing in my nose was causing my sinuses to shut down, and my head felt like it was going to explode.
I spent 2 nights in the hospital with little improvement.
When I went home, I had to sleep sitting up, I had to have help to go to the bathroom, and I couldn’t hold my children. I didn’t get to shower for 3 very long weeks.
I cannot mention this time in my life without mentioning that the day of the surgery was the day my father went into hospice, and a few weeks later, still barely able to function, I flew to Virginia to see him living, and a few short weeks later, was by his side as he died. I mention this because all of this impacted my emotional health and my recovery greatly.
That was the summer from hell.
4 months later, I could finally, barely, after much effort, stand up relatively straight and walk. It took me a while to get out of bed every morning and stretch the tissue back up to being able to function.
9 months later, I could run and leave the ground....barely.
A year later, I was diligently practice yoga and Pilates, and THAT saved my life. THAT brought me back into fitness, and THAT was my recovery of choice. Shortly after that, I added Insanity Asylum. Yes, I was completely mad, and it took every ounce of energy...while simultaneously making me a total strong badass again. But I still couldn’t do a sit up.
It took 3 years to do a sit up again, and it’s STILL (almost 6 years later) different from day to day.
THAT was a long story, and here is the second part.
What I WOULD have done had I known more THEN. (but when you know better, you do better - Maya Angelou)
The Flat Belly System came out of this trauma, and I am very grateful for that. I feel like this was all a very long and painful purpose, but a purpose none the less. The pain I had trying to recover from this trauma gave me the ability to understand again how the core works and how it heals. SO, if I had known that BEFORE all of this, I would have used it religiously until I had closed the muscles to the best of my ability.
When you can bring the muscles as close to closed as possible, and if you still need to opt for surgery, THEN, the surgeon has a tiny amount of repair to do. He could fix the hernia (and I would NOT opt for mesh again; little did I know), do a couple of stitches where necessary, and close up.
I think if that were my story, it would have been FAR different.
Some people have an elasticity issue, where the linea alba and the skin simply do not retract back at any time. But if you can isolate where the problem is AFTER working the muscle back in and finding your core connection again, the doctor may not have to pull as much skin and linea alba, again, hopefully reducing the recovery time and pain.
THAT is my 2 cents, and here is my addendum:
I am not a doctor and do not give medical advice. My advice is based on my personal experience and my 20+ years of experience in the field of wellness and fitness.
If you are suffering from Diastasis Recti, I BEG you to get the information and get help FIRST.
