Again.
On Wednesday the 21st, I got up at 445 and my mom picked me up. We headed straight to the Same-Day Surgery Center at WestHealth in Plymouth for my abdominoplasty and brachioplasty. The entire day is now a little fuzzy...but it went really fast. I have nothing but wonderful things to say about the staff at WestHealth - everyone I encountered was kind and professional and compassionate. I was nervous but ready to get it over with at the same time. It felt like I was under for 2 seconds and when I woke up, I was in pain but not overwhelmingly. I was very thirsty. Very out of it. And very cold. They rolled me back out of recovery and to my room where Phil and my mom were waiting. After some post-op instructions, I was wheeled out to the car and we went home. That night was hard. I was in pain and the recliner we have isn't ideal for recovery. The handle that reclines the chair was hard to use with arms that are hacked up. My abs were useless. It was a rough night.
Thanksgiving morning, Phil packed up and dropped me off at my parents. Recovering at their house was so much better than home. They let me sleep in their souped up Sleep Number bed with all the bells and whistles. Getting up and down from bed was extremely painful...nausea and dizziness every time I had to get up. However once on my feet and the initial wave of pain passed, it was OK. I set the alarm on my phone to stay on top of the pain medication and my mom is such an amazing nurse. She helped me shower on Saturday - which makes everything better - and kept me comfortable and fed.
I moved back home on Sunday - I could have easily stayed at my parents if Phil wasn't scheduled to leave town on Monday. My mom came and stayed at our house to help me on Monday thru Wednesday. I could not have gotten the boys off to school without her. Then she and I just hung out for the week and got some serious errands run as well as keeping up with laundry and household chores. Having her here was awesome. Thursday was a trip back to the surgeon's office where they pulled one drain out (leaving one in place). Dr. Leung let me know that she removed 9 pounds of skin during surgery. That does not include the fat she removed via liposuction. 9 POUNDS OF SKIN. That totally blows my mind. She also fixed some separated ab muscles from pregnancies and a small hernia I didn't even know I had. My week off from work for recovery went entirely too fast.
Every day gets easier. The incisions are healing quickly and look a bit scary now but it's only been 2 weeks. I'm really really sick of the remaining drain. It's not in the greatest place - right in my hip-crease on my left side. Flannel pants with a drawstring are the only thing I can comfortably wear as long as the tube is there. Counting down the hours until the drain is gone.
The results are amazing. I will add photos shortly of before and after's but it's quite amazing to have a flat (albeit swollen) stomach that is totally numb. I am already dreaming about going for a nice run and not feeling the jiggle of before. My arms look awesome from most angles. It's going to take time for the scars to fade and I'm prepared to wait. The waving flags are gone and that's what I wanted most.
So it's behind me and I'm so happy. So happy I was able to do it. So happy with the results. So happy I'm on the road to the next new normal.
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