Going Bonkers!

Wow!  Time has been flying by for the most part. I have to say that I am starting to get cabin fever after being cooped up for 2 weeks.  I've gotten out of the the house a couple of times, and today I actually drove myself to the grocery store (with doctor approval)!  That felt amazing...to know I am gaining mobility! Other than that I'm tired of sleeping in this recliner.  I tried sleeping in my bed last night...I lasted about 4 hours (mostly restless napping) before I moved back to the recliner.  The pressure of laying on my sides made me a little nauseous. I'm sure some of it is mental. Maybe one more week in the chair will be enough to make me feel better about it.  Huge thank you to Rosemary for hooking me up with the recliner!  I can't imagine this recovery without it.


Yesterday I have a two week follow up with my surgeon.  He removed my belly button stitches, which still doesn't really look like a belly button to me.  The swelling around it is still pretty extensive.  It's rock hard, and not in the "rocking a six pack" kind of way.  Hardcore swelling means rock hard fluid build up.  Speaking of swelling..the swelling on my hips and legs has gone down quite a bit, which makes me very happy!  The doctor said I am healing very quickly and was impressed with how far I've come in a short time.  I have to continue to massage the areas that are hard/swollen to help dissolve some of the fluid build up.  The downside - the second drain has to stay in for a little longer, which was a bummer.  It has to drain around 20cc's a day for two day before he will remove it.  Right now I am averaging around 50cc's a day.  It's annoying but I also don't want to rush removing it...more frustrating than anything else.

How is the pain after 14 days you ask?  Actually - I would rate it a 1 out of 10 right now.  I'm just really sore.  Like I did 10,000 crunches.  Bruising on my back and sides still looks pretty bad and is very tender, but I have to keep massaging it as much as possible.

Overall I feel pretty good at the end of week 2.  I have no regrets so far.  I know that once I heal and the swelling goes down I am going to be very happy with the results!

1st Week Survival

I survived the first week without extra skin!  WOOO HOOO.  This week has been filled with ups and down....both emotionally and psychically. Every day that passes brings a little less pain, a little more mobility, and one day closer to seeing results.

I had a realization the other day.  I booked this surgery 3 months in advance in order to hold the date during a busy time for the surgeon, but a slow time in my office.  Now that the surgery is over I have to wait 2-3 months to see real results.  (Side note:  it can take up to 3 months for swelling and bruising to subside).  I had a countdown on my phone to show how many days I had until surgery, which kept me excited and motivated.  Now there is frustration that I have another waiting period to see how this is going to play out.  As I had this realization I felt pretty down about it.  More waiting...great.

Then a friend of mine gave me some great words of encouragement.  He told me to look back at where I came from.  Look at the amount of work, dedication, and sweat I put in to getting to this point.  No matter what the outcome is of the results be proud knowing that I have created opportunity to do everything that I have set out to do.  WOW!  His words gave me a new outlook.  Thank you JLW!

Yesterday I had one of the drains removed.  Once the drains start showing lower numbers there get removed.  well, the one on the left side was ready to come out.  The process is pretty simple and I read enough about it that I was prepared for the worst (as usual).  The nurse sniped the stitch holding the tube in place where it entered my side, which is at the end of the incision line.  The she said "here comes the fun part"...wait, what?  Fun for who?!?!  She start pulling for what felt like forever.  It was the strangest/grossest feeling.  I could feel the tube sliding under my skin - between the skin and muscle.  CREEPY.  What I didn't know is that the tubes under my skin are actually about 8 inches long!  WHOA! Check that off the list.

Good news - on Saturday I go back to get the other drain out!  Also, they will remove the stitches in my new belly button. It's actually starting to look like a belly button.  :)

Next blog post - GOING STIR CRAZY!

Drainage & Swelling

Time flies when you're...sleeping! Tomorrow marks 7 days since my surgery.  WOW!  What happen to this week?  Oh, right.  I slept the first 3 days straight.  Honestly, I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.  Sleeping has allowed my body to make huge leaps in healing.  I'm so thankful for that.

The pain was uncomfortable for the first few days, but not unbearable.  I started coming down from the pain meds after day 3.  I am now down to just a couple a day balanced with Tylenol.  Couldn't be happier about that.  I have overall be surprised and that the pain hasn't been more.  I expected the worst, but landed somewhere below the middle of those expectations.  I have a high tolerance to pain, so thank you to my genetic make up! Right now, my pain is at about a 3 out of 10.  :)

Tomorrow I should get one of the 2 drains out.  The other one plus the stitches in my new belly button will come out at the end of the week.  These drains have been one of my biggest complaints.  I have to empty the bulbs every 4 hours and record how much as come out of me.  This is actually really gross.  The sites where they enter my belly are sore and tender.  Every time the drain tube moves it hurts the entry site.  I can feel the tubes under my skin and it sometimes shoots sharp pains across my belly.   Having them taken out is something I'm so ready for, yet dreading because I'm sure it's going to hurt.

Now let's talk about swelling.  Swelling across my belly where the incision was made has little swelling and is healing nicely.  The doctor did a great job with it.  The swelling and bruising on my hips and flanks where he did some lipo is out of control!  From the middle of my back to the top of my buttocks, and then from the top of my hips down to the middle of my hamstring is dark purple and VERY swollen.  I feel like I have birthing hips!  UGH.  I know this is natural and will go away with time, but the mental frustration is rough.

Positive notes: my appetite is coming back, I'm moving around much easier, almost able to stand completely straight (about another 10% to go), not needing pain meds as much, being able to do things on my own!

My motto = One day at a time!

Big thank you to everyone that has helped this past week.  Whether it was stopping by, texting, Facebook, phone call, prayers and thoughts.


HUGE appreciation to Rosemary and Jeanette who have been around all week for anything that I've needed.  I definitely could not have done this without these two amazing friends.  Much love!

Post Surgery - First 4 Days

Ok folks!  I'm back....for now.  I've been pretty doped up on pain meds and have been sleeping most of the first few days.  Only waking up to take more meds, measure fluid in my two drains and grab a small bite to eat.

I am happy to say that everything went very well on Monday.  I wasn't too nervous and it all happened so quickly that before I knew it I was waking up from a 3.5hr procedure.  CRAZY!

I wanted to share a few pics from the day of (most of which ended up on Facebook anyway).

Here I am in the fancy surgical gown.  They are so different now...they can actually hook you up to an internal cooling/heating system with this gown!  WOW

The nurse came in asked a bunch of questions and got my IV started.  I met the Operating Nurse who was super sweet.  She had been through the same procedure due to weight loss as well.  It was an immediate bond and I knew I was in good hands.  she lost about 200lbs! WOW.  As you can see the pre-op bed they had for me was a little short! HA.

The Doctor came into the room about 30 minutes before surgery to make some markings on me with a sharpie.  He must have taken years of art in med school!  :).
 As you can see below everything from the horizontal line down was taken out!  CRAZY.  I didn't get pictures of my back which is where most of the lipo was going to happen.  Doc also told me that my belly button was not centered.  WHAT?!?!  32 years of life with an off center belly button???  Thank God he fixed that...how embarrassing!  :)

The nurse and anesthesiologist wheeled me down to the OR and got me moved over to the operating table which had a warmer in it.  Felt very nice.  The nurse asked me if I could center myself on the table.  She said it was really important so that I came out all "straight" and stuff.  OH MAN!  So many jokes I could have made, but I left it alone. Put the oxygen mask on my face and I was OUT.


Here I am waking up from surgery.

Coming out of anesthesia was a breeze.  No nausea.  No sickness.  Nothing. The only real pain I had at the moment was a stomach ache.  Nurse gave me more drugs and told me as soon as I could get up and go urinate I could go home.  Was about an hour later that I was on my way home.  A little nausea along the way, but once I got home an in my chair I was good to go.  The next 24 hours was me sleeping, taking drugs, sleeping, taking drugs.  I had the absolute best friends taking care of me!

I had a post-op appointment the follow day, which also went well. (More later in a different post).

I'm starting to come off the pain meds now, which is pretty cool for only being 4 days out of surgery. Lots of swelling of course.  Lots of tingly, itchy sensations across my belly.

All-in-all, I'm doing MUCH better that I was expecting to be at this point.  SO GO ME!

Last phew photos of general incision lines and bruising.  Scroll at your own risk.

COURAGE

Ok folks....continue at your own risk.

Seriously stop reading now if you don't want to see me half naked....ok, fine.  It's just my belly but note that you have been warned.  I told you (a few entries ago) I would have the courage to post before pictures before my surgery so here it goes! And remember what yo mamma told you - if you ain't got something nice to say...don't say a damn thing at all. HA!

Below is the result of swelling to over 300lbs causing the skin to stretch and expand then losing 115lbs quickly.  As you can see my skin is saggy, droopy. A badge of honor some would say. To me is a mark of the past.

In about 15 hours I will head to the surgery center to start the process of changing the way this looks. More importantly I start the process of changing the way I (ME) see it.s  This surgery is about me.  It's not about what others think of me.  I am proud to say I have put in hard work to get to this point and now I am ready to have my mental image match my physical image.  In the beginning it felt like vanity, but now I realize it not vanity at all.  It's self esteem.  It's about feeling good about myself.  It's about self actualization by achieving your goals and working hard to get what you want in life.  That's what I've done.  I deserve it.

The next 15 hours will be tough, but it's worth the life time of happiness that comes with it.  Of course I am concerned about the pain, but it's only temporary.  The scars will fade, but the change will last forever.

Next blog entry will be POST surgery.  My emotions are all over the place, but alas the time is here.

Signed, Sealed and ALMOST Delivered

So yesterday was Pre-Op appointment with my surgeon.  Which marked my two week countdown (actually is was 13 days) to my surgery.  I got there early in true fashion.  The patient coordinator came and chatted with me.  She is a very enthusiastic and excited woman, which was nice to see during such an anxious time.  The nurse came and took me to the exam room to review the pre-op logistics, which I will get to in a moment.

The interesting part about this appointment is my expectations.  Mentally I went in thinking that I have no expectations.  When I left feeling a little disappointed I realized that I need to get a handle on my expectations.  What I experienced was a well oiled machine of an office.  An office that does this type of surgery regularly and without hesitation. BUT....in my head it seemed robotic, which made it feel impersonal.  After many conversations with my friends and family, I know they were doing their job.  I know they are taking care of me.  I don't need a hug from them - I need them to do their job well.  :)

Back to the logistics.

The nurse walked me thru a laundry list of "Dos & Don's" for the next two weeks.  Most of which I already knew from my extensive research and planning.  The list of medications and CAN'T take is 3 pages long - all because they are blood thinners and that's not a good thing pre, during or post surgery.  Also, no alcohol starting a week before!  I get it...no blood thinning activities.

I had to read and sign several consent forms, nothing too scary.

The doctor came in and reviewed the surgery list with me.  He had me take my surgery off and talked me through exactly what he planned to do.  GUESS WHAT...I get a new belly button out of this.  Yup, that's right folks. A flashy new belly button. Wait, is that weird?? Who cares I'm excited.  He took some photos for the infamous before/after photos and asked if I had any other questions.  I said yes and grabbed my phone where I had been making my list.  He just chuckled and answered everything.  I finished up and went to visit the financial accountant where I paid my "tab" in full!  YIKES, that made it very real.  No turning back now.

Finally I chatted with the Patience Coordinator to get my reporting instructions. December 15th I must arrive at the surgery center at 5:30am....WHAT?  Did she say AM?  Gesh.  Ok, fine.  I will be there as I probably won't sleep the night before.  Surgery will last 3.5 to 4 hours and will go home a couple hours after I am awake.  CRAZY!

So, I am signed, sealed (paid) and almost delivered....11 days and 18 hours until surgery!

Time to start checking my other lists and finalizing my shopping.