Ever since she was seven Ellen remembers carrying all of her fat in her belly. Though she’s never considered herself overweight because her arms and legs have always been thin, she would frequently get asked if she was pregnant – even in her 50s. After having 3 kids and just not being able to lose the weight, she thought about having a tummy tuck, but was afraid of the pain and worried about the down time (no mother can afford too much downtime). Fifteen years later and after much research, she decided to visit Dr. Kessler’s office to finally get her long-awaited abdominoplasty. Like many other women who undergo this procedure, she got more than she expected.
Recovery After The Tummy Tuck
Ellen quickly learned that the real pain of a tummy tuck was much less than she anticipated. But, what she hadn’t prepared for was the back pain from being stooped over during recovery. Before the procedure, she read blogs and articles on what to expect, but back pain was never included. Ellen’s advice? Strengthen your back to minimize the pain after the procedure. She also warns that you should be prepared for some pain from the pubic draining tubes.
Ellen was glad she waited the fifteen years to have the procedure. She could recover at home with the help of her adult children and her husband. She shared that in addition to the tummy tuck, Dr. Kessler noticed that because she gave birth to three children in five years, she had a separation of a muscle in her stomach that no amount of sit-ups could fix. He repaired that along with an existing hernia.
Flatter Belly, Better Sex
After her recovery period, Ellen was happy she had a flatter belly, looked better in clothes, and finally stopped getting asked if she was pregnant. But it took her a year after surgery, when she finally got to go to her appointment without her children, to tell Dr. Kessler about her amazing side effect – she was having the best sex of her life in her 50s!
Ellen disclosed that she and her husband had always had great sex. But after children, things definitely changed. Whereas before she only had clitoral orgasms, now she was having clitoral and vaginal orgasms every time she had intercourse. Dr. Kessler responded that this was a common benefit, but that patients just didn’t talk about it. Dr. Kessler did not mention it as a possible benefit preoperatively because not everyone has this experience.
Because the pubic skin was pulled tighter during the procedure, Ellen assumed it acted as a sort of vaginal rejuvenation. She assures readers that this change in her sex life isn’t because the tummy tuck has made her feel more confident. Ellen says that if anything, she’s always been overly confident sexually and that this change in her sex life was purely physical. She couldn’t believe that it was never mentioned in all of the research she did prior to the procedure. Ellen laughed, “If you’re 50, and you can have the best sex of your life, I don’t know why you wouldn’t talk about that!”
If you have questions about this and other procedures, or if you would like to schedule an appointment with Dr. Kessler, contact us.
