Six Weeks Post-Op

Yesterday marked six weeks since my surgery--which meant I could ditch the compression garment! I woke up at around 6:15 and decided to run on the dreadmill to get my run over with early. I left the garment on while I ran (and I'll probably continue to wear it while I run for about six months). I just did three miles.

After showering, I got dressed without the compression garment--and it felt so weird! When I pulled my shirt on, it felt so strange to be able to feel it drape across my stomach. But it felt very freeing, which was nice!

My kids are doing a holiday camp at a rec center near our house this week. It's Mon-Fri from 8:30-4, and they play lots of sports (kickball, flag football, soccer, ice skating, etc) and games and do crafts. My mom paid for it as a Christmas present for the kids, and she got 50% off from a coupon, so it was only $50 per kid for the week. That's a pretty good deal! Almost eight hours a day for each kid for five days, and only $100.

So I drove them to their camp, and talked to the woman who was in charge (I wanted to make sure I felt comfortable leaving them there). I told her that if they didn't want to stay, just let them call me and I'd pick them up.

I came home and cleaned the house because my friend Sarah and her new husband were coming over (Sarah is the friend whose wedding I was just in in October). I was moving around a LOT and after a few hours, my belly was really swollen. I probably should have taken it easy or just worn the compression garment for another day.

I picked up the boys at 3:45, and Noah kept saying how much fun he had. Eli said he "hated" it, but when I asked him if he wanted to go again tomorrow, he said yes. Eli's kind of pouty, and when something doesn't go his way, he thinks everything is just terrible. I talked to the teacher and she said he was upset because he wanted to play with Noah and ONLY Noah. She asked him over and over if he wanted to call his mom, but he said no. Today he was really excited to go ;)

The boys spent the night at my parents' house last night. Sarah and Ne came over and we ate dinner (chicken taco soup that I made in the slow cooker).

Then we played four games of Euchre (a card game). Euchre is definitely a Michigan thing, because most people from out of state have never heard of it. Sarah is from Michigan, so she knew it, but Ne didn't have a clue. (Are any of you Euchre players??)

We taught him how to play, and him and Jerry were teamed up against me and Sarah. Sarah and I were all about strategy, and doing well--but Jerry and Ne kept getting really lucky! And they won the first three games, which was so annoying ;)  We won the fourth game, and then we were satisfied. Sarah and Ne left at around midnight.

I probably should have taken at least one picture last night, but I am kind of a bad blogger  in that sense. When I'm doing something fun with other people, I much prefer to just live in the moment instead of taking pictures of each moment for the blog. So you'll have to use your imagination :)  We moved the dining room table into the living room, and Sarah and I were looking totally pissed every time the boys took another trick by pure luck.

It would have been so easy to overeat last night on snacks alone. I made hummus and I had tortilla chips and veggies to dip; I bought Doritos for the boys, because they like to eat them with Tapatio (a hot sauce). We had chips and pretzels, and I had my Dr. Oz Brownies in the fridge. But I ate a small bowl of chicken taco soup, some veggies and chips dipped in hummus and one brownie. I had one glass of wine, and then a few cups of tea. I went to bed slightly hungry, which meant I didn't eat too much.

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Since yesterday marked six weeks post-op, I took some more pictures. There are barely any changes from week to week now, so I'll just start doing monthly comparisons for about a year. Maybe I'll start showing my scar, to see how that changes too.

Before surgery, then post-op weeks 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6

Before lower body lift

6 weeks after lower body lift

I really AM going to post the promised post all about the surgery. There are actually two posts, because it is so long! I'll probably be finished in a day or two.

Right now, I'm going to the thrift store to get some new clothes now that I'm out of my compression garment! :)