Surgery and recovery

 August 30th I had surgery.  I'm not much one for secrecy so I'll just tell you (even with all the judgement around plastic surgery) I had an abdominoplasty and diastasis recti surgery.  I'm super glad I did it.  It was my first surgery.  It's an elective surgery.  With the size of babies I had (all around 9 lbs and Ben 1 once shy of  10) my abdominal wall was spread pretty far apart.  Technically it is a hernia.  That along with some loose skin that I could never quite tighten no matter how hard I worked at it led me to the decision to have the surgery.  With the surgery, they go in, sew up your abdominal muscles and then take any loose skin and cut it off.  I feel like I was in pretty good shape before the surgery so that made the recovery quicker.  I was back to work the Tuesday after surgery and I was out hiking the week after.  I had to slow down on my exercise regimen quite a bit so I hiked and hiked for the last 4 weeks.  Here are some beautiful pictures from two of the hikes I went on.

I love the waterfalls I cross when I try to summit a mountain.

Also, it's fun to see huckleberries now that I know where to look.  I see the plants everywhere but not the fruit as much.  I really think it has to be the perfect mix of moisture, elevation and sunshine.

These were my views from the top.

Blue is my constant companion on these hikes.  I'm glad to have him there.

Different hike and landscape.  That's the coolest thing about where I live...deep mountains on one side and lovely desert landscapes on the other.

I will actually kind of miss the hiking but have decided that I will retire into this as I get older, even try to keep up with this at least once a week now.  

Here are some things about recovery from an abdominoplasty.  The first few days you are really tired and really weak.  Carrying and lifting is difficult.  Standing feels funny, but stand and walk, walk, walk.  Sleeping is the WORST!  Be sure to have lots of pillows around you when you do sleep.  After the first week you are not as uncomfortable but you are super itchy as your body starts to heal and you wear this garment that squishes you all the time.  I had the surgery in the summer and it was hot and the extra garment made me so much hotter!  Also, I felt bound all the time with the garment and sometimes was around the house without a bra to feel less bound.  You may not like the following quote but I thought it was so funny that it should make it in my blog.  One day at the dinner table I had taken off my bra and I thought I had a loose fitting shirt on.  Apparently it wasn't loose enough because Riley said to me, "I'm all for the free the nip movement for women, mom, but only for 30 and under."  Thanks Riley for clarifying that.  Again, considering everything I am super happy I got the surgery done.  Already I can feel my abs are stronger and I am excited to get back into the full swing of things.

This week I got to get back on my bike, rower and weights.  It's a slow start and I'm having to be careful (I could only squat 70 lbs....ugh!) but I am loving it.  I'm grateful for a healthy body and I'm excited for the new changes I do see in my body and for the progression of strength I should see from here.