June 24, 2016
So today I had my 2nd post-op appointment. As per my last doctor’s appointment, my doctor was a little concerned about the bulge below my breasts. He had mentioned to me that he wasn’t sure if the bulge below my breasts was swelling due to improper placement of the compression binder – or – if I had damaged my muscle repair. Luckily it was just swelling!! My upper abdominal area has finally flattened out!! I was so scared that he was going to find something wrong with how I was wearing my compression garment again. I really didn’t want to be scolded. I don’t know what it is about him, but when your recovery isn’t going according to his plan, he defiantly makes sure you feel his disappointment. I swear I felt like a 5 yr old disappointing my parents. But this time, it was all praises!!! So Yey!!!
Monday Appointment: W/ Upper Tummy Bulge: VS. Friday Appointment: Flat Tummy !!!
On another good note, my doctor decided to remove my right drain (my left drain was removed during my first post-op appointment on Monday). Although I was excited about the removal of my last drain, I was not looking forward to the pain. Getting the drains removed is actually really painful!! First, they cut the stitches holding the drains in place (this wasn’t painful). Then, they tell you to take 3 deep breaths, and on the exhale of breath # 3 they pull the drain as hard and as fast as they can out of your hip. Let me just say that it felt like there was a firey-snake slithering out of my stomach. And boy are those drain tubes long!! I was surprised at how much tubing was inside of me.
However, with all the good things happening, I do have some minor setbacks – or annoyances as my doctor likes to call them.
Annoyance # 1) HEMORRHOIDS, HEMORRHOIDS, HEMORRHOIDS !!!
Apparently, hemorrhoids are pretty common after having your abdominal muscles tightened and being squeezed to death by a tummy binder; it has nothing to do with constipation. Since I wasn’t allowed to shower while my drains were in, I wasn’t allowed to take a sitz bath to get some relief from the hemorrhoid pain. So instead, I tried to shrink my hemorrhoids with ice by sitting on an ice cold, rolled-up wash cloth that I’d shove between my butt cheeks. This at least provided some temporary relief.
<——— The picture my Mom will blackmail me with
This is me sitting on my walker with an ice-cold, rolled-up, wash cloth shoved up my ass cheeks
Annoyance # 2) BLISTERS !!!
The tummy binder has been rubbing so tightly on my hips that I’ve developed a few blisters. And the bra that I’m required to wear after my breast lift / implant has given me another blister on the underside of my breast. This is soooo annoying…. and painful. So far, 3 of my 4 blisters have popped and are oozing. Hopefully the big-ole-blood-blister won’t pop and will heal on its own. So in in the meantime, I have excessive medical padding and 3 layers of cloth on my hip blisters all compressed under my tummy binder.
Annoyance # 3) Breast Massage
Today my doctor taught me how to massage my breasts so that I don’t develop capsular contracture. Capsular contracture is the scar tissue that can form around breast implants which causes the breasts to harden and sometimes look deformed. A lot of times capsular contracture is very painful and can make the breast feel very lumpy and tight. So to massage my breasts, I have to pinch the breast tissue below my nipple, push inward and upward until I see my implant hit my collar bone. Yes, you read that right, I literally am pushing my implant out of my breast and up into my collar bone and upper chest area. Surprisingly, it isn’t as painful as I thought it would be – just a really weird annoying feeling.
I have to say, overall the tummy tuck and boob job was not very painful. I think the best word to describe the entire experience would be uncomfortable. The back pain, the hemorrhoids, the tummy drains, and the blisters have been more painful than anything else. Granted, I say this as I am no longer on pain medication. I stopped my pain medication 4 days post-op and have only used Tylenol and ice ever since.
Well, my next post-op appointment will be on Tuesday and my doctor plans on taking off the surgical tape around my incisions. This will be my first view of my scars.
Also, Sunday will be my last day at Casa-de-Mom. I have been staying at my parents house since the day after surgery. I’m a little afraid to go home. I’ve been so spoiled here and well taken care of. I can honestly say that my recovery has gone so well due to the care I’ve received here. As much as I miss my husband and my children, I know that being away from home is exactly what I needed for the beginning phase of my recovery. Once I go home, I’ll need to be a mommy again; and as selfish as I feel saying this – I have mixed feelings about going home.
‘
Although I had some serious concerns about walking, I followed the nurse’s orders; and surprisingly standing up from the recovery bed wasn’t as painful as I thought it would be. With-that-said, I was unable to stand-up straight without feeling like I was going to rip my muscles apart. In order for me to walk comfortably, I had to lean forward at a 30 to 40 degree angle and balance myself on the nurse’s arms. Honestly, my back muscles hurt more than my stomach muscles during our walk.
Lastly, you need to strip and empty the drainage tubes 2x a day. And my God does the right drain hurt more than the left! To drain the tubes, you need to squeeze all the gunk from the tube and push it into the drainage bulb. It doesn’t sound painful in theory, but for some reason squeezing the air out of the tubes & into the bulb is excruciating painful. It tightens up your muscles and burns like a son-of-a-bitch. I can’t wait to get these suckers out of me.
But by 7:30 A.M. my morning episodes had finally came to a halt and my mom and babysitter had arrived. Upon their arrival, it was time to pack up the car and say goodbye to my early morning risers – Ashley & Aubrey. I told them that mommy’s doctor was going to fix her tummy and boobies and that Debbie (their nanny) and Gigi & Babalou (my husband’s Mom & her husband) were going to come play with them for a few days while I recovered at my Grammy & Papa’s house (my parents). Needless to say, Ashley & Aubrey were super excited; not because mommy was finally getting her tummy & boobies fixed, but because their nanny and grandparents were coming to visit for a few days. Mommy always seems to be second fiddle.
Within minutes, the surgical nurse brought me into the room and told me to undress into a gown and take a pregnancy test. As expected, my pregnancy test was negative. Next, the anesthesiologist came into the room to have me sign a bunch of I-wont-sue-you-legal-papers. While signing the papers, I told the anesthesiologist about my severe nausea and low blood pressure issues that anesthesia usually causes for me, and he quickly eased my fears. He said he was going to create the perfect anti-nausea cocktail for me, and that my low blood pressure shouldn’t be an issue. Once I had all my questions answered, my surgeon came into the room to draw on me. I wanted to take a picture of the Picasso he had drawn on my torso, but my doctor didn’t allow it. I’m sure there is some logical/legal reason as to why I couldn’t take a picture of his drawings, but it was a little disappointing. Once the drawings were done it was time to say goodbye to my Mom and step into the operating room. But not before we took a final before picture (left). It was the moment of truth. It was now or never.