Some Before & After Pics

I find the last two pictures hideous and embarrassing and that's me talking good about them but hey, they are what they are.

TT - Day 25 - Post Op

I notice that by the end of the day “swell hell” is in full force.  In the AM it’s slightly swollen in the abdominal area but not too bad yet but by the PM, it’s much worse. 

I've been trying to avoid sodium to help minimize that of the swelling that I can control. Sitting flexed (not that there’s any other way to sit) each day for about 10 hours a day (the 8 hours at work plus the hour drive home each way) I don’t think helps much.  Not only that, after sitting for such an extended amount of time, I notice the mid-section is tighter and it takes me a bit longer to extend my body to walk more upright.   

I’m taking mid-morning and mid-afternoon breaks to escape to the car, recline the seat and extend my torso for 15 minutes or so.  I find it helps.
 

I’m still amazed at the flatness where once an excess of skin hung.   I’ll walk by the mirror and reverse my steps to walk by again, still in awe of the new tummy.

TT - Day 21 - Post Op

Three weeks since surgery. Yay!

On the way into work this morning I had the pleasure of being bumped by another car while waiting for a red light to turn green.  Yikes!

I don’t know if the guy was on his phone, just not paying attention or what.  It wasn’t enough impact to do any damage to either cars but when his car made contact with my car my initial reaction was to tighten my entire body which I felt most of all in my abdominal area.  It being most sensitive due to the recent surgery.  I slowly got out of my car, walked like the Hunchback of Notre Dame to the rear of the vehicle.  He gets out repeatedly apologizing as he goes on to say “It was a love tap, no damage done”.  At this point, because of how I’m feeling physically I couldn’t give two shits about either car.  I’m more worried about the pain I’m in and immediately concerned that no damage has occurred to the internal repair.

TT - Day 18 - Post Op - Second Follow-Up Appointment

Second follow-up visit was today.  Surgeon is pleased with the healing and says it looks good.  I have to agree, the result is turning out nicely.  There’s no more fluid and I can stop wearing the binder now.  Although I say okay to that, it’s become my security even though it could be described as a torture garment of sorts.  Mainly because it causes itching, can pinch at times, continually rides up and the constant readjusting plus at times it prevents me from successfully taking a deep breath  BUT I am soothed by the “compressed” feeling when I have it on.  It’s protecting and holding the abdominal wall.  When the nurse and surgeon leave so I can put my clothes back on, I make sure the binder is back on too.   

I go back again in two months.  I’m thinking post operative pictures may be taken at this time.  We’ll see.

I went home and told myself I’ll take the binder off for a bit.  I told myself, "I got this. I’ll be home resting on the couch so it won’t be so bad."  

That didn’t happen.   

Mentally I couldn’t do it.  Although I took it off, headed from my bedroom to the living room I soon turned right back around to put it back on.  

There was a solution though.  During the appointment my surgeon said that I could get a girdle type garment if I wanted so that’s what I did.  Later in the evening, I went and purchased a few tummy tight fitting camisoles which will hopefully help wean me off my binding garment I currently feel I need.

TT - Day 14 - Post Op - First Day Back in the Office

I returned to work today.  Walking (still hunched over like a granny) from the car to the building through the lobby to the elevator down the hall to the office was more than I anticipated.  By the time I had made it to my desk I was shaky.  Carrying my purse, lunch and computer bag was probably pushing it a bit too.  A few of my co-workers knew I was having an elective surgery but not knowing what procedure exactly dashed around their cubes to get a look-see, eyeing me up and down, lol. 

It was a very long day and after about 4 or 5 hours into the day, I was thinking to myself “ I should go home, I REALLY should go home”.  But then I’d think, "I’ll just try and stay a little bit longer".  I almost made it the entire day back but about 30 minutes before time to go home, I went and informed my manager (I use that word loosely) that I was going home.  I was very uncomfortable and sitting flexed for so many hours had my abdominal area feeling extremely tight.  I was looking somewhat pale and shaky which she could see for herself and home I went.

I’m thinking I probably should have taken 3 weeks off following surgery instead of two but oh well, it is what it is.  I’m slowly regaining energy each day but still tire easily.  It’ll be a slow process but I’m headed in the right direction.

TT - Day 8 - Post Op - Stitches/Drainage Tube Are Gone

 The following pictures are a couple days after my initial follow-up appointment. My stitches have been removed from the incision site and navel as well as the drainage tube. You can see in the first photo the incision is from hip to hip.  One of my daughter's said it looked like I had been cut in half.  I have to say sometimes it felt like it too.  

TT - Day 7 - Initial Follow-Up Appointment

Today marks the end of week one recovery.  Today was also my initial follow-up appointment.  I once again was very nervous about having to expose the incision.  I seriously contemplated popping a Valium before leaving but I decided against that idea.  My abdominal binder has become my security blanket.  When it's on, I breathe more easily.  When it's not, I don't even know if I hardly breathe at all.   

I still walk a bit hunched over but was informed at the appointment that I can begin walking in a more upright position as my body allows.  I've attempted already and it will definitely be a work in progress because my abdominal muscles are very tight.

My sutures were taken out of the incision sites.  The many from the hip to hip incision were removed as well as the few around my new navel.  That was a very uncomfortable process of pinching and pulling as I experienced very odd sensations as the sutures were removed by the nurse.  I think if I had squeezed the arms on the examining chair any harder, I would have left permanent fingertip prints in them.  

Side View

Drainage Bulb

The surgeon came in to speak with me and see how the incision was healing.  He seemed pleased with his work as am I.  He gave approval to have the drainage tube removed  which automatically had me breathing uneasily.  The nurse snipped snipped as the surgeon distracted me with conversation.  After the snips of the two sutures holding it in, I felt her tug, then tug again and then it was out.  

Whew.  I am so freakin' glad that is over.  In the above pictures you can see a slight pudge which is really the swelling caused from the surgery.  I have now lost 6 lbs. since surgery total.

Drainage Tube That Was Removed

The picture above shows the tubing where it entered my hip covered by the two band-aids.  

I have to continue wearing my compression hose, the picture below, for another week.  Happy happy joy joy.  I despise them.  Being hot natured in combination with the warm Texas weather does not make me like them. At all. BUT I do understand the importance of wearing them still. 

My Sexy T.E.D Hose

I go back the end of next week for a subsequent follow-up appointment.  My binder has been tightened and a new line marked down the length of it so it remains tight. 

Very tight.  

Did I say tight?  

Fresh gauze was placed on the incision area and some placed on the drainage tube opening.  It should heal within 48 hours but until then I'm to keep fresh band-aids on it as well as Polysporin ointment.  Since returning home and prior to this blog, I've already had to take the gauze off and put a fresh band-aid on due to the drainage.  

I've been limited to sponge baths this past week and washing my hair in the sink which hasn't been as bad as I thought it was going to be.  I still have to wait that 48 hours for the site where the tubing was to heal but I am ready to take a shower and just let the warm water trickle down my skin. 

TT - Day 5 - Post Op

Fresh gauze was put on my incision again today.  It still remains to be an overwhelming process.  I feel very anxious and break out in a sweat.  I saw the incision again, still looks nice and is healing well.  I was able to take the time and clean off some of the adhesive left on my skin from the initial bandages from surgery.  My abdomen has areas with varying sensations.  Some places it has no feeling so it feels like I am touching someone else's skin to areas that are hypersensitive.  Once non-stick gauze is put back over the incision, I then have to put on a man's cotton shirt and then wrap my binder on over the shirt.  The shirt helps prevent the binder from agitating the incision area.

I continue to have my drainage tube that enters one side of my hip and I believe that is goes the length of the incision but am not quite sure.  There are two sutures at the entry point holding the tubing in place.  I don't know why but seeing that freaks me out a little.  I have to keep ointment and crisscross band-aids over the area because it's basically an open wound.  The bulb that contains the drainage is attached by Velcro to my binder which is nice.  This prevents it from hanging loosely so less chance for me to get my fingers or anything else entangled in it.

After sponge bathing today and putting fresh gauze and clothes on, I was able to tighten my binder more than it was.  That's good because that means the swelling is going down.

I've been experiencing some muscle spasms randomly.  They're to be expected.  I was prescribed Valium to help relax those muscles if needed but have managed to just breathe through them without the meds. I also am taking an antibiotic to be proactive in prevention of any potential infection.  I take them twice a day so one again tonight and then my last one in the morning.

I've lost 5 lbs since surgery.  My surgeon told me I should lose at least 4 lbs once the excess skin was removed.  I weighed the first day after (on Friday) and had only lost a pound but I also need to keep in mind the IV fluid and swelling may have some way factored into that. 

I have a my first follow-up appointment on Wednesday and hopefully drainage will be down to a minimum so the drain tube can be taken out.

My next to oldest daughter keeps calling me asking for pictures.  A demanding little thing she is.  Given what I've described above with the drain tube, binder, and shirt plus the sexy little compression thigh high stockings I get to wear for two weeks I'm quite a sight to see. Although I've every intention to take some, because of my nervousness and the feat of getting through the bandage changes I haven't paused to take any. 

Not just yet.

Oh yeah, Happy Labor Day too.

TT - Day 3 - Post Op

I got up this morning and washed my hair in the bathroom sink. Moving in a hunched over position helped this process. My back is aching somewhat due to that and probably sitting on my bum so much as I recover. I am not able to shower so I sponge bathed myself.

Today was also the day that the bandages were to be taken off and changed. I was feeling quite anxious about it. The tape was pulled (ouch) and the incision was exposed and I also saw my new navel. It's no longer an outie, but an innie. I still bear some stretch marks from having children but the flap of skin is no longer there and the stretch marks are less. The whole process I found to be quite overwhelming and began to feel light headed and feeling a bit faint.  Although I started out in the bathroom, I ended up laying on the bed to finish the gauze/dressing change.

I have yet to take any pain medication today but will probably take one tonight to help me sleep. I've not been resting well at all.