For many of us, our distended abdomens deflate eventually, given time and maybe a little exercise.
So here it is: what to expect after surgery for diastasis recti.
Your post-surgical abdomen is not going to look like your pre-kids abdomen.
Its not especially pretty.
Youre trading one naked problem for another naked problem.
Its only worth it if you want tofeelbetter (and look better in clothes).
Your insurance might cover it.
Ask careful questions if your surgeon offers a tummy tuck.
I declined the TT as soon as I heard the words ten thousand dollars out of pocket.
(Im vain but not 10K vain.)
he made jazz hands and trilled fuuuh-reeee tummy tuck!
So perhaps its impossible to do an abdominal wall reconstructionwithoutdoing a tummy tuck?
Or at least something close enough to it that it wont matter to you.
Lose any weight you want to lose before the surgery.
This is so they can trim away loose skin during the procedure.
I know,ew.
I can deal with being a little heavier than pre-kids, but I cant deal with a protrusion.
You have to be done having babies.
You cant repair the abdominal wall and then blow it out again with another pregnancy.
Look into an iron-clad birth control method before you even consider the surgery.
The recovery is pretty unpleasant.
Its worse than a C-section.
A year out, there are still patches on my abdomen that are only now regaining sensation.
Youll need time off work and child care.
You cant lift your kids (or anything else) for eight weeks.
I waited until my younger son was two and a half, and even that was pushing it.
I took a bus and subway ride at two weeks out, and the jostling was murder.
Dont schedule it during allergy season.
If youre afflicted with seasonal allergies, wait til the season passes.
I had surgery last March and nearly overdosed on Claritin because I was so afraid of coughing and sneezing.
Your mileage may vary, of course.
Talk to your OB and do your own cost/benefit calculations.
And stock up on Claritin.
