This is the sixth part in the Diastasis Recti Surgery Series. If you’re new to the series, be sure to start with the Introduction.
Sigh. I think this blog post is going to be difficult. This week was difficult. I don’t know what happened. At the end of week two, everything seemed to be going well. And then week three happened.
I guess things just start catching up with you. The newness of the surgery wears off, and you’re left with your life at this point in time. Here’s my life right now:
It hurts to do everything. Go to the bathroom, get dressed, stand up, walk. Ride in a car. Forget about picking up anything. I feel kind of pointless. What good am I? Maybe on a good night I can rinse the dinner dishes, but I can’t load them into the dishwasher. (Man I never thought I would miss that.) Can’t really clean, load laundry, make the bed, and don’t have the stamina to do school.
I am tired and uncomfortable all day long. I’ve been pregnant four times. I know what it is like to be uncomfortable for weeks at a time, but this is different. It is painful. I also feel guilty because I feel like I should be able to do more stuff. I am über cranky and irritable. My tailbone is bruised due to sitting reclined for so long. (this pillow
 has worked wonders, though.)
Thoughts start to enter your mind, such as: will my stomach ever stretch enough to be able to lay flat on my stomach? What if something went wrong and I never fully heal? What if I can never stand up straight again? Can you imagine the back pain? I really have to deal with those thoughts quickly.
Well! Makes you want to run right out and have surgery, huh folks?
Here’s the thing: I know I have the wrong perspective. I should be concentrating on what I can do. Let’s do that, shall we?
- I can shower.
- I can blow dry my hair.
- I can use the bathroom.
- I can eat at the dinner table.
- I can ride in the car, and drive if necessary.
- I can walk around the mall, and walk around the block.
- I can change diapers.
- I can blog.
- I can attend church.
- I can attend a church picnic for several hours.
- I can push my daughter in her umbrella stroller.
- I can hold my two-year-old. (As long as he’s still…)
- I can watch the boys play baseball in our backyard.
- I can nurse my daughter.
- I can finally lie down on my side to sleep. That was a major accomplishment that has made a world of difference in my quality of sleep.
I guess those are a few things. You know, I read about Christian persecution in China today. That’ll change your perspective. I read about how the church there doesn’t even pray for their trials to end quickly. They pray for God to give them strength to endure the trial. They don’t pray for a lighter load, they pray for a stronger back. Whoa! What a God-filled perspective!
So that’s my new goal for week number four. Pray for strength to endure….without complaining. And I am sorry about all the griping, but I wanted to be real with you, especially if you’re reading this because you’re contemplating the surgery.
I know we will get through this! Read on to week four.
You can view before, during, and after pics here.
I am having surgery this Friday. I have a umbilical and ventral hernia as well as a diastisis. my doctor said she could fix everything I am so nervous bc every article I read says I would need a tummy tuck except for yours. I am nervous about what my stomach will look like. I am a spin instructor and work out regularly. Is your scar noticeably? How is the recovery? I have a 1 year old and a 3 year old. Thank you for your story
Hi Andrea, thanks for taking the time to read. Yes, my surgery was done by a general surgeon. Like you, i had diastasis with a ventral and umbilical hernia. I was surprised when she said she could do it, because like you, everything I read said it had to be done by a plastic surgeon. My dr explained that with the way a plastic surgeon would do it, the likelihood of the diastasis coming back would be much greater – with a plastic surgeon. So that relieved me.
I’m not going to lie, the recovery was rough on me. I’ve tried to be as honest as possible in all my posts. It will frustrate you how you won’t be able to do anything for several weeks. I’m two months out of the surgery and now I’m starting to feel normal again, except for the infection that I came down with.
But, if you’re a spin instructor, you’re definitely starting out in much better shape than I was, so you will probably fare better than I did. 🙂
My surgeon did a fantastic job – the scar is beautiful. No joke. It’s still pink, but I know it will turn silvery and fade, sort of like stretch marks. I’m going to gather up my photos and do a before and after page soon; check back in a week or so if you’d like to see them. But the scar is great. My stomach is not baggy anymore. I was just telling my husband today that I never thought I would see my stomach be flat again. 🙂
I had my husband home for many weeks while I recovered. We are very fortunate he has a job that allows him to take so much leave. We also had both of our mothers come in for a week at a time. But we have four young kids, I hope you do have some round the clock help scheduled for a week or two. I believe you are really going to need it.
Hope that answers your questions. If you think of anything else, just ask me. Best wishes on your upcoming surgery! And please let me know how it goes!
Oh, by the way, I just realized I never updated the post to show the newer updates I’ve written. There are a few more updates if you’re interested in reading them.
Did you do anything special to boost your milk supply post op? I’m going to have a total thyriodectomy when my daughter turns 8 months & they’re pretty much telling me that’s impossible. They say the stress of surgery will dry my supply. Any thoughts appreciated:)
I did not do anything special. I wasn’t warned about my milk supply in any way. It totally shocked me!! In a sense, I’m glad I didn’t know because it wasn’t something I was fearful of. (There were plenty of other things…) The only things I did were: 1) I pumped for several minutes before I fed my daughter and 2) I WAS TOO STUBBORN TO GIVE UP. 😉 You can definitely look around for natural things to do to increase your milk supply – I just can’t tell you how that worked for me because I didn’t try. Best wishes on your surgery, mama!! I’m praying for your milk to stay strong. <3