Melis Abdulovski is an experienced and passionate women’s health and pelvic floor physiotherapist. She has a special interest in pelvic pain and post partum recovery. Melis generously shares her personal journey of abdominoplasty surgery.
It has been over 3 years since my life changing abdominoplasty surgery. Now, let me tell you how grateful I am for my body and strength since having this surgery. Not to say it was an easy process recovering from this major surgery however the long recovery was worth it.
I’d love to share some of the nitty gritty information that influenced my decison to undergo this surgery.
First, some background:
DRAM (diastasis of the rectus abdominis) involves the separation or stretching of the central connective tissue between your abdominal muscles. It can cause a doming or bulging appearance along the centre of your stomach which can be aggravated by lifting or contracting your abdominal muscles.
It is a normal process that occurs during pregnancy where the abdominal wall begins to stretch to accommodate the needs of the growing baby and uterus.
Often, DRAM will recover well in the early weeks and months after delivery, however in severe cases, the muscles may remain significantly separated. If the connective tissue remains significantly stretched and the muscle bellies separated this can interfere with the body’s ability to transfer load effectively in daily tasks.
So here is my story..
With my first pregnancy I developed what would be classed as a ‘moderate to severe’ DRAM along with an umbilical hernia. Neither the DRAM not hernia recovered, despite allowing for time and with targeted exercises and activity modifications.
I noticed my DRAM became worse after my second pregnancy (It was measuring a 6cm separation).
I had some other symptoms such as low back pain, stress incontinence and aesthetically I was extremely unhappy with the way my stomach looked.
I felt very weak in my ‘core’ and this impacted my results and performance with weight training.
Some more background:
What is an Abdominoplasty?
Abdominoplasty (also known as a ‘tummy tuck’) surgery involves the removal of excess fat and skin to improve the shape and tone of the abdominal area. In addition, it can also repair separated muscles by drawing in the muscle and pulling the connective tissue together with stitches.
Tummy tuck procedure requires a horizontal incision around the pubic hairline. General Anesthesia is administered for surgery. Sutures, skin adhesives and tapes close the skin incisions from the tummy tuck procedure.
My story..
I made the decision to book in for an Abdominoplasty and hernia repair in October 2020. At this time I was approximately 14 months post-partum.
I researched for a couple of months to find an experienced and well qualified surgeon.
After reading great reviews and connecting with previous patients (who had undergone abdominoplasty), I booked a consult with Dr. Craig Rubenstein from Coco Ruby Plastic Surgery. My first consultation with Dr. Rubenstein was a positive experience. He had numerous qualities that made me feel comfortable; great rapport, kind, humble and very experienced.
My actual surgery involved 90 mins in theatre. I was eligible for a Medicare rebate only for the hernia repair. The surgery was quite expensive, with significant our of pocket costs (more than $10,000 in 2020).
The actual break-down of costs included all review visits for 12 months, rapid recovery kit and support garments, post op healite treatment, post-op app with a dermal clinician for scar treatments (such as laser).
Medicare Changes
Since this time there have been some positive changes for women requiring abdominoplasty since Medicare has created a new MBS item for rectus diastasis repair. There is now Medicare funding confirmed for abdominoplasty with muscle repair after pregnancy. (For more information refer to the Medicare Benefits Schedule or ask your doctor).
Road to recovery
I won’t sugar coat how challenging my recovery was. Having two young children to care for whilst recovering from an invasive surgery was no fun. However I am so fortunate and thankful for the supportive network I had access to. Without my family support, I wouldn’t have been able to undergo this surgery.
It did take a whole month to return back to work and slowly commence my safe return to exercise. My journey to return to exercise was long and challenging.
However now nearly 4 years post- abdominoplasty, I have never felt stronger, I have my confidence and self-esteem back and am now kicking goals with weight training. I have no regrets!
If you’re reading this and this resonates with you, please don’t feel afraid to reach out to find out more details.
My goal is to empower and educate women who have a significant DRAM and considering surgery.
You can book an appointment with Melis here.