Well, I had my pre-surgical visit with my surgeon and his nurse, and I feel so good about my procedure!  I had a list of questions for him based on other people's blogs that I've read. 
Here they are:
1.  How soon can I drive?  2 weeks..... he said that this is more of a legal issue than an ability issue.  If I were to get into a wreck before 2 weeks after anesthesia, than I could be liable. 

2.  What time should I arrive and where do I go?  7:30 am and I just report to his office.  The operating room is on the same floor.  Then I'll be taken to a room at the hospital.  (I live too far away to go home -- so I'll be staying overnight)  And Chris can stay with me overnight..... :)

3. Will he provide me with a compression garment?  yes-- and I was instructed to wear this garment as low as possible to help decrease the swelling in my hoochie area...... :P  He also said not to be alarmed if I have swelled areas in my legs as well.  This is part of the reason I have to have drains in place after the procedure.

4.  Will the drains leak?  he said that they will leak a little bit, but not enough to require sitting on a trash bag on the way home in the car!  I was really relieved to hear that.  He said that major leaking is more common with liposuction.  However, he is doing some liposuction in my procedure, but not enough to cause major leaking..... whew!

5. How do you close the incision?  I had read some other blogs where people talked about having their staples removed.  Seriously?  Staples?  Staples cause the incision area to look like a zipper once the staples are removed (depending on how long they're in there of course).  So I was concerned about this.  He said that he doesn't use anything on the outside!   All of the sutures are beneath the skin and that he will just use tape on the outside.... but nothing else.  He stated that the sutures that he uses are very strong.  I was very excited about this answer.

6. How tight will the incision be?  Will I be able to stand up straight?  He said that initially he prefers that I don't stand completely straight, as it will put a strain on the area, but I don't have to walk hunched over.  

7.  Sleeping Instructions!! I CAN sleep in my bed if I want to!  All the blogs say that they slept in their recliner for up to 10 days or so..... which I might need to do also, but at least there isn't a medical reason not to sleep in my bed.  I guess we'll find out!

8.  How long before the bloating goes down?  6 months.... he says he doesn't do "after" pictures until at least 6 months.  Some say it takes up to a year.....

9. Can I use deodorant the morning of surgery?  (ha ha!  his nurse wanted to know if I was asking about putting deodorant on my privates! -- uh.... no.... my arm pits)   he said YES!  I've read other surgeon's instructions that say you can't.....

Those were my written questions.  When I got my post surgical instruction sheet I discovered that I can shower a mere 48 hours post!!! I'm very very very excited about that!  The nurse said to take a pair of my husband's whitey tighties, cut the crotch out of them and use it during my shower to hang my drains from.  awesome!

Someone from work had been asking me how long you have to wait to resume "intimate" activities.... this wasn't something that I asked about directly -- but the nurse brought it up to me -- the answer is as soon as I want to try it..... ummmm........ probably not too quickly!

We also had a good conversation about pain medication.  I don't respond well to some pain medications, so she ordered me some that we hope won't make me sick.  They also prescribed me a patch that goes behind my ear the night before surgery that stays on for 3 days to help prevent nausea.

They also advised me that on day 3 expect to be depressed and to feel like, "OMG, what have I done to my body?  yadda yadda yadda."  So.... if I cry all day on day 3, then I'll know I'm just normal!  ha ha!

I really feel like they have thought of everything. Surgery is in 2 weeks.  I'll post some "before" pics soon!  Until then,   thank you for sharing this experience with me..... 

I'm going to the doc tomorrow and I'm very nervous.  Nervous about the financial aspect of this surgery and nervous that something will go wrong and they won't be able to do it.  I'm also very excited!  I did a mile on the treadmill this morning and did  some research about how soon I can start to exercise after the surgery.  That's up to my doc, but what I'm reading is you can start light exercise in about 3-4 weeks (walking)  and after 6 weeks more aggressive exercise. My goal is to get back to the 5K's and get under 30 minutes this year. But I have to get past this surgery first!  They are going to collect the remainder of my fee, give me final instructions/paperwork and do some labwork.  We'll see what the doc says tomorrow!

January 21, 2013

I'm 18 days away from surgery.  I am very nervous, but I've been reading other people's blogs about their surgeries and this is helping.  I've always said that 'knowledge' is power, so I figure the more I read and learn about other people's real experiences, the less fearful it will be.  I did the same thing with childbirth and that was a great strategy.  So perhaps my blog will help someone else too!

One thing I'm disappointed with is the fact that I did not lose a few pounds prior to my surgery.  I am such a bad stress eater and I have had a few stressful events over the past few months.  So I'm actually about 7 lbs heavier than when I had my consult in July.   The nurse at the doctor's office didn't seem too concerned with my weight.  She said that it was "just a number".  So now my hope is that after this surgery I will feel more confident about exercising.  I know that it doesn't matter how much weight I lose now, my belly will still sag and I've got to say, that is VERY discouraging.  When I weighed 115 lbs after having 2 of my 4 children, I still had the apron sag.  I don't have any desire to be that skinny, but just about 20 lbs off would be nice. 

Another concern I have is that this surgery is expensive and vain.  Hmmmm...... I accept that -- but I hope that it will make me feel better about myself.  I am constantly grabbing my belly skin because I am so self conscious about it. (and my husband has really noticed that about me.....) so now I'm just ready to move forward and get this done!  My pre-surgical doctor's visit is Thursday.  I have a list of questions for the doc, stuff like "is it common for the drains to leak?"  and "do a lot of people vomit after surgery?" LOL..... nevermind the pain!  I can't really wrap my mind around the pain.  But my surgeon injects anesthesia into the muscles that he says will stay in effect for 3 days post.  Lets hope that's true! 

Other than this I have slowly been making preparations:  I've purchased hibiclense for my presurgical bathing, I've borrowed a walker and a reacher.  I have a good ice pack ready.  I have waterless shampoo caps and some 'adult' wet wipes! I have some crochet to work on during recovery..... I've purchased some PJ's that are a little loose and button down the front.  All of these things have been recommended by others in their blogs. 

So I'll just close for now and post again after my doctor's appointment.