NEW PICS

Posted three new pics. They are the last three pictures. Not noticing any real differences, but what could I expect in a week. Definitely noticing the size imbalance between my left and right sides so I'll need to try and work on that. Sorry for any of you that are squeamish, because the time came to finally remove the bandage. I completed week five of my new program, which had me performing 100% of my five rep max on my power days. Tomorrow means I'll be striving to break some pr's on my upper body power day. I'm only moving up 5-10 pounds on lifts, so I'll be attempting 90's for flat dumbbell press, 205 for barbell row (I might stick with 195 as I wasn't happy with my form last week), 70's for dumbbell military. Hopefully I can get them all.

I applaud your hardwork from a fitness standpoint, but applaud you more on your dedication to accept what happened to you and move on like nothing happened at all. Man, looking at you reminds me of everything I went through. Heck, even the scars look close to the same. Keep striving bro on everything you want to attempt. You know you can do it! All it takes is time, blood, and sweat. You may already know this, but I would avoid ab work for atleast 2 months after surgery. You will get enough work just from proper breathing and contractions with the rest of your exercises. The last thing you want is a hernia (which is what I did to myself). Btw, your stomach wall will move back into "place" after some time, so dont be discouraged if you think your ab location will be messed up after surgery. Trust me, i've had four in the same spot and mine look just like they would if I didn't.

Keep strong and healthy!

Thanks buddy. I'm actually past the three month mark from the last surgery so I'm doing some ab work again. I've been going by feeling, and back off when it doesn't feel right. The ab wall will eventually start to look better, but I also had to allow the incision area to close up on it's own, after they had to remove the staples due to infection, so I'm not sure if that will come completely together by itself. That's ok though I can wait until the end of the year when I'll be ready for some cosmetic surgery. I'll just have to rely on my glowing personality until then. I have to say it's amazing while going through this, how many people I've met who have had some form or know someone who underwent something similar. Just out of curiosity how long did it take your stomach to start looking normal again?

Wow, I had my incision open up too due to a staph infection lol. Pretty much impossible to avoid those nowdays, which is truly sad. It took my stomach 5-6 months to fully set back into place where everything was smooth and even. Knowing that your healthier than I was when I was recovering might mean a shorter time span. Hey man, confidence is everything! Plus, chicks dig scars! :P

Btw, ever tried doing any unilateral training? Basically doing a routine with just one arm like an incline one-arm dumbbell press. It actually helped increase my strength by a ton and balanced out my little imperfections (lefty).

I do occasionally some unilateral movements on leg presses, extensions, etc, but I'm also on a specific plan designed by Layne Norton right now, so I usually don't deviate from his directions. Damn sounds like you and I pretty much had identical experiences. I never like to see another person having to suffer through this, but it definitely is kind of cool having someone in the same situation with similar goals. Good luck with the power lifting, let's see which one of us hits the 150 lb mark first (little friendly competition).

We both dont have colons so atleast its fair LOL!