#22 - Week One Post Surgery (June 8-14)

Thursday, June 8, 2023

Issues 

• When I woke up this morning.....or really let's be honest I barely slept from all the itching all night......Mom got here to take over babysitting me and Sean left for work. The itching was insane and I read online that Percocet and similar drugs can cause those types of reactions in people. Mom jumped to the rescue and ran to the store immediately (at 6:30 am lol) and got me Benadryl Liquigels. Oh my god they helped immensely. 

Oh and side note, I had the compression socks torn off me in the middle of the night due to the itchiness so I never made it as far as keeping them on until the first follow up. Because of this I tried to make sure I was doing lots of leg exercises as often as I could (ankle circles etc).

• I noticed yesterday (but was pretty drugged up so didn't think much of it) that my left arm whenever I would reach for anything (reach for the remote, reach to flush the toilet, reach to open the door...literally any time I straightened my arm, I would get an instant electric jolt from my inner elbow to about halfway down my arm (as shown by my lovely artists rendering below). It was a searing, massive pain and was instant and then gone almost as quick as it came but it was almost unbearable. Doing some Dr. Google research (because I'm awesome like that) I end up finding out this is called a "stinger" or "burner". This can happen for many many reasons but one of these is if the nerve is touched when an IV is being put in so I can only assume that is what has caused it. I am putting ice on it and attempting to NOT straighten it but that's easier said than done.

• My lower back is also killing me, I think from using my back muscles to essentially hold my body in this hunched over position. You really don't realize how much your abs do until they can't, Jesus. 

• I sneezed......yep, this is listed under issues because nobody warned me that if I sneezed it would feel like I ripped EVERY SINGLE STITCH out of my abdomen. I can't recall pain like that and I screamed so loud I think I terrified my husband. The instant searing pain hurt so bad I started to cry.......NOOOOOOO you cannot do that either. Apparently, laughing, crying, coughing, sneezing.....pretty much EVERYTHING we do has some affect on or is affected by our abs.......I could not cry either and so I instantly tried to calm myself with HUGE deep breaths but trust me it was soooooo hard to do with that level of pain. I researched after and found that if you need to cough or sneeze you need to grab a pillow and brace it against your abdomen and bend forward as much as you can pushing the pillow into your abdomen to cushion it a bit. Every time I felt like I would sneeze I grabbed my nose with my fingers and plugged it to stop myself, which worked but man......just know if you sneeze or cough you will regret it lol. 

I am typing this all on June 20 and can say that it took about two full weeks before I was able to laugh, cry, cough or sneeze without the massive pain......still not comfortable but doesn't feel like the stitches are being ripped out at least.

Medications and Drains

I continued with the 2 Percocet and checking my drains every four hours. Once I reason out of the Percocet (they only sent me home with 10), I switched to 2 Teva Emtec at my regular intervals. This is essentially the same as Tylenol 3 with codeine but T3s also have caffeine which the Teva doesn't.

Food and Drinks 

I continued with my gatorade and slept most of the day away on the couch. I finally had some chicken noodle soup for dinner once Sean was home.  

Friday, June 9, 2023

Today was my first follow up at the surgeon's office. Sean and I had to be there for my appointment at 8am. I was relatively sore but we took my SUV as it was easiest for me to get in and out of and now that we knew where to park it was a piece of cake. 

When we got to the office, I was taken into the office by the lovely Patty once more. She asked how things were going and said she was going to check my bandages etc. 

Happy I once more wore my super stretchy pants and zip up hoodie. She pulled my pants down so she could undo the abdominal binder. When she did I could now see the abdominal pad covering the incisions, the drain insertion point on either side of my vagina and.......well just the simple fact that my freakin stomach was gone......

.......this is weird.......

She used a Q-tip to clean out some dried blood in my belly button and showed me how to replace the 4"x4" IV drain sponges and put a new abdominal pad on and then showed me how to redo my abdominal binder which has three parts: 

• A goes kind of around your lower butt area and gets done up first
• B gets done up second and going over top of A but slightly lower so over your  upper hips and thee drain insertion points.
• C gets done up last and is the highest - she called it the crown - and it keeps the upper abdomen compressed as the abdominal sutures internally need to be help in place with the compressions bandage 

Then the two drains get safety pinned to the top of C to hold them on so they aren't dangling around. Below is a shot of what it looks like all done up.

Patty advised that I could start showing tomorrow, which the thought of is scary as all hell truth be told. 

She suggested I ensure Sean is close by in case the standing up or the warm water or any combination of things makes me feel faint.....or makes me actually faint lol.

She said that this is where I put on my lanyard (that was mentioned previously in the prepping post) and pin the drains to the lanyard with the safety pins. 

Stand with my back to the water - not too hot - and let the water run down my back and over my front but don't turn around and completely saturate the wound....just enough water and time to "freshen up". 

She gave me a handful of abdominal pads (maybe 6 or 7) and said that I change them when I shower (so she gave me more than enough) and also gave me two packages of the 4"x4" IV drain sponges.....you might recall in my previous post this is the item I had to order more of on Amazon so ask for MORE of these. My drains where they are inserted leaked twice.....both on this day so I went through both packages she gave me on the same day and thee had no more left......hence the requirement to order more. 

She advised that Dr. Edwards was away next week (June 12-16) but that I would come see him the following week n June 20th. 

Issues

As mentioned, my drains started leaking at the insertion point today on two different occasions. This was a bit scary as all of a sudden I could feel my Pajamas were wet on my upper thighs so I thought I was bleeding. 

Once I realized I wasn't, I cleaned myself up and very gingerly (with washed hands) touched the drain at the insertion spots and soooooo gently pushed them upward back into the incisions to make sure they were in there properly. Then I put on the new drain sponges, put the abdominal pad back on and did my abdominal binder back on.

Medications and Drains

At the follow up appointment I had asked Patty about doing the drains every 4 hours and if I was sleeping how imperative it was to do and she said "ohhhhhh no. Only do them every 4 hours if you're awake. If you're sleeping SLEEP!! get all the rest you can, set your alarm to wake up just to take your meds but don't get up out of bed to do the drains, rest as much as possible!" Well that was awesome news.

Bad news was that the drains would be in for a FEW WEEKS. I guess because I had my drains out in 2 days after my weight loss surgery I never realized this would be a lot longer. Sigh......

As I had mentioned before you have to have them in until there is less than 25 ml is a 24 hour period for 3 days straight. So my Type-A brain pushed me to redo my drain tracker spreadsheet so I could see at a glance how much output there was every 24 hours. 

I went with 12 pm to 12 pm as my 24 hour period and would then use the next space to add up the totals of all of my drain checks between that period and then highlight it in green. As you can see my right side has significantly more output than the left side. 

I continued with the 2 Teva's every four hours but now knew I didn't have to get up out of bed in the middle of the night to check my drains so I would just wake up, ask Sean to hand me my meds and a drink and go back to sleep, checking and tracking the drain output once I woke up in the morning.

Food and Drinks 

I continued with my Gatorade and had some eggs and toast today. I am also continuing with the one Senekot every night before bed and that had seriously helped......no straining so far because god I don't think I could handle it. 

Saturday, June 10 to Wednesday, June 14, 2023

There is truly no point in me going through EVERY day lol because right now all of it is much the same and the day before.......sleep, take drugs, check drains, repeat.......over and over.....so what I will do is point out or mention some of the changes or things I think are good for you to know. 

Medications and Drains

By Saturday I was starting to wean myself off the painkillers and so was down to 1 Teva every 4 hours. On Sunday I pushed it a bit further to 6 hours but by bedtime I was quite sore and had to then take two before going to sleep so I think I was a bit to gung ho on extending it to six and I could definitely feel the difference. 

Having said that I still tried to space them further and further out to wean myself off of them. On Monday, June 12th I took a pill at 11:30 pm before bed and managed to make it to 9:30 pm on Tuesday, June 13th before the next one so a full 22 hours and then I took the next one at 9:45 pm on Wednesday, June 14th so that's a full 24 hours and 15 minutes. 

By this point I was "sore" but not so sore as to need any of the narcotics throughout the day, pretty much just taking them to allow me to be comfortable enough to sleep.  

Next up........Week two 

#21 - Next steps…….Surgery Day

Just about there…….

 

On Tuesday night, I ensured I had everything ready to go in my backpack for use around the house, had all of my clothes laid out and ready……all the various things I mentioned in my prepping post. 

 

I couldn’t eat or drink anything after midnight so I had my last sips of water and went to bed around 11pm. 

 

Surgery Day:

I woke up early and got my bed all set up with my funky pregnancy pillow cocoon sleeping arrangement I had all planned out in my mind, had my last shower and got dressed in all my comfy clothes. 

 

The plan was that Mom would take me to the surgery, would pick me up when they called and bring me home and then stay and babysit me and the doggos until Sean got home from work at 5pm and then he would take over. When Sean left for work Thursday morning, Mom would come back and once more take care of me and the dogs all day until Sean got home again…..and then Sean took Friday off to stay home and take care of me that day (and get a long weekend out of it lol). 

 

I had previously asked where Mom goes when they call and they told me they have a back door to the surgical suite and they will advise her where to go when she picks me up…….kind of vague…….and I was concerned she would end up lost and this would be a pain in the ass for her. 

 

We had to be at the surgical suite by 6:55 am for my surgery which was scheduled for 7:30 am. So after the debacle of trying to find this place the first time and walking the entire mall, we thought we would leave early this time and try to find a closer door and see if we could also find this special back door so she was ready and knew where to go. 

 

Now I know that we have to go to the OPPOSITE end of the mall from where I came in last time at the WalMart doors but get this, when we try to drive around the mall to an entrance on the other side there is construction tearing up the other entire side of the mall (the squiggly lines in the image below are the entire side of the mall and street that are ripped up and barricaded) so you can’t go into any of the doors on that side or enter the mall or parking lot over there anywhere at all……..so good luck with that. Thanks for advising us of this guys!!!

 

We went back around to the side I entered last time and managed to find a sneaky side road just off 156 Street that took us around the other side of the mall up to where the construction blocked everything off. This worked out perfectly and took us around to a door that was literally the closest one to the surgical suite (see reddish star for where door is that we entered). At the same time we also found the Reserved Parking for the Surgical Suite and around the corner the sneaky back door they had mentioned (see yellow star for the back door to surgical suite) so thank god we came a bit early and figured this all out lol. 

 

 

We head in and at 6:50 am I am in and I am filling out some last minute papers with Mom’s phone number etc. and then they say bye to Mom and usher me back. 

 

I am taken into a room and there is a blue Rubbermaid bin, some gowns, fun paper underoos etc. 

 

The nurse Patty who is simply lovely asks me some questions – my name, DOB, what I am having done etc. and slips on a wristband with all my info on it and puts a second one in the side of the blue Rubbermaid that will hold all of my belongings. 

 

She weighs me and I am very insulted that although I have tried reverting to the liquid diet from my weight loss surgery and was at about 155 lbs this piece of shit scale is saying 160, but that’s life I guess. She looks at a chart and marks down my BMI info. 

 

Day of Surgery Stats

Weight: 160 lbs

BMI – 28 (overweight) (Keep in mind before weightless surgery I was a 40 – severely obese…..so I’ll take the overweight ;)

 

 

Patty advises me to take off EVERYTHING and put it in the bin. She tell me to put on the silly one size fits none paper underoos. I can’t even explain how dumb these underoos are and I truly wish I had brought my phone because I would have taken a picture to document the absurdity of this shit but here is a pic I found online to at least show you them. As you can imagine they don’t stay on properly…..

 

 

Patty also tells me to put on a compression stocking for each leg (that goes from your toes up to your groin and will stay on for surgery and for the first two full days until you come back for your first follow up to help avoid blood clots). She says I can put my socks back on over top of these to keep my feet warm and should put my crocs back on to wear walking from here to the surgical suite and then we will toss them in my fancy Rubbermaid bin.

 

Then there is a hospital gown, that does NOT cross over in the back so your ass is literally hanging out for the entire world to see but there is a big hospital blanket you can cover yourself with.

 

Last step is a fancy hair net. 

 

Patty tells me I can go use the washroom next door if needed and then just relax and make myself as comfy as I can and Dr. Edwards will be in within a few minutes. 

 

As I left my phone with Mom I am sitting listening to the world’s loudest clock – tick, tick, tick, tick………..finqlly Dr. Edwards pops in.

 

Again, so lovely, he sits down and says:

 

Dr. E: Hi Penny, how are you doing today?

Me: Ummm a bit nervous but okay. 

Dr. E:  I get that….but no worries we’re going to get you in soon and get you all taken care of and you’ll look amazing. 

Me: Awesome…….Do you think you guys could have a louder clock in here????.....

Dr. E: Right?? That thing is quite loud!!

Me: Oh and I need to thank you for these amazing underoos, these things are epic!!

Dr. E:  So glad you like them, they’re all yours to keep……don’t say we didn’t give you anything!! Okay I am going to head out. Use the restroom if you need to and we will see you in the OR in just a few minutes!

 

Patty comes back to get me and I wander down the hall with her to the operating room and she introduces me to the anesthesiologist and the assistant, both lovely people but I can’t for the life of me remember their names…….She asks me to climb up onto the bed and position my but in the middle and then I can kick off my crocs and lay back. 

 

Once I do this they add all these funky little heart rate sticky things to my body and get me all positioned.  

 

Then the lovely anesthesiologist makes attempt one at the IV…….my veins say no such luck Senor……with no liquids in a while my veins are apparently hiding…….he makes attempt two………haha sucker, we aint’ coming out for you (says the vein to the anesthesiologist once more)…….so the anesthesiologist says to me, because you’re tensing up your veins are kind of collapsing or hiding whenever I try to insert the needle so what we’re going to do is give you a gas mask that will put you to sleep and then once you’re asleep I will be able to do the IV without your body tensing up, okay? Okay……..

 

So he hands me the gas mask and tells me to put it over my face and take long, slow, deep breaths and warns me gently that it will smell very weird but not to worry that’s normal and it will quickly put me to sleep. I’ve had this many times before so no worries guy, I know the drill…….I put it over my face and start breathing and WAIT this is NOT the same as those other times, I really do smell a very weird, very strong smell that is different than the other times. I have just long enough to take a few breaths thinking hmmmm what’s different about this gas than the gas from the other times? Why is this one so much……….…….ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.

 

Post-Surgery

Blink, blink, blink…….I look around and see the hospital curtains and realize I’m done. I’m not in pain, so to speak, but my brain is fuzzy and I am having a hard time breathing so I am breathing fast and shallow.

 

I hear them saying Penny…..Penny, you need to take slow breaths, your oxygen is at 100%, you’re okay. I try to breath but a few minutes later I’m doing the same thing and they’re saying the same thing. Not sure what the deal was and if it was just anxiety or what so I start taking slow, deep breaths….in through the nose and out through the mouth……slow and steady over and over……just concentrate on the breathing I keep keeping myself. 

 

The recovery room nurse introduces herself as Sarah. I remember her asking how I’m feeling and giving me a pill and some water. Then I keep working on my breathing again. I can hear someone in the bed next to me and can see and hear someone in the bed across from me so I know there are (at least) three of us in here and I have nothing better to do so as I’m doing my deep breathing I find myself wondering what procedure they had done and trying to see them.

 

At some point Sarah comes back and tells me Mom is on her way and will be here soon, in the mean time she is going to show me the drains and what I’ll need to do with them. She says she’ll also be showing Mom when she gets here so not to worry about remembering it…….PHEWF……why the fuck would you even tell me when I’m high?? But actually I feel fully alert (I think) and as she shows me, I totally get what she’s saying. She shows me how to open them, dump them, “prime” them and seal them advising that I need to do this about every four hours and mark it on a tracking sheet they will give me. 

 

Shortly after Sarah says Mom is there. She is going to go give Mom all my supplies and go through all of the instructions and details and then she’ll be back to take my IV out so I can get going home. Cool yo…….

 

Shortly after that I realize…..for fuck sake I actually have to pee…..how does this work? How do I get up? How do I move around? Just as I am about to go back into anxiety breathing mode, this lovely lady walks past and must have seen my face cause she asks if I’m okay……I croak out ummmmmm I need to pee. 

 

She laughs a little and says hey that’s great, means you’re hydrated. As soon as your ride gets here we can get you ready and can then get you to the washroom. I say actually my ride is here, Sarah is out explaining things to my Mom now. 

 

The lovely lady says “oh nice, I’m _____ (so sorry I cannot for the life of me remember). I’m another nurse here. Let me get your IV out and we can get you dressed and into the washroom.”

 

She takes the IV out and helps me pull my loose pants up and over the compression stocking telling me I need to try to leave those on for the next two days until my follow up appointment Friday. She helps me pull on my hoodie and zip it up……I have less than zero desire or care to put my sports bra back on and there is NO way I am getting underoos on so my undies and bra go into a little bag. 

 

She helps me up and I can move surprisingly well…..again I think these Percocet are killer and are really helping with any pain…..she puts me into a wheelchair to make my way the 10 feet to the washroom where I get back out of it and get into the washroom and manage to pee all on my own. Back in the wheelchair she wheels me out to Mom who is waiting with my bag with my underoos, sports bra, drain cups, drain logs to complete, some gauze and Percocet. Then she wheels me out the back secret door and over to the car. 

 

It’s a bit awkward getting up from the wheelchair as I am hunched over and then getting down into the car seat which seems to be exceptionally low but we manage to get me in lol. 

 

I don’t remember much from the ride home as I was pretty groggy again as the Percocet had kicked back in so I think I slept most of the ride home. 

 

We got into the house and the dogs run full tilt at the door, excited to see me, but truly I think they realize something is wrong and come to somewhat of a screeching halt and don’t jump on me but rather start sniffing me. I reassure them I’m okay and slowing make my way to the living room to the couch. 

 

A few things they advised of:

• I need to keep pillows under my knees to take pressure off of my abdomen
• I need to move my ankles and feet around as much as possible to avoid clots…….just do ankle circles etc. 
• Remember to take my painkillers every four hours (at the most, after 6 hours) even if I am sleeping, wake up and take them. If you don’t you WILL feel the pain. You can time this to do with your drains which is every four hours so then it all coincides. 

 

My couch has reclining sections so I sat, very slowly and very carefully in one of the recliners with a pillow behind my upper back/head. We put two pillows under my knees as I need to keep my knees and back somewhat elevated to take pressure off of the abdomen and the stitches and then my heated blanket covered me and as soon as I was comfy I was passed the fuck out again. 

 

The photo below I found online and this is essentially how you want to be sitting (I just used pillows to prop myself in all the applicable areas to be sitting like the photo shows).  

 

Medications and Drains

They had given me 2 Percocet before I left the surgical suite at about noon. I set alarms on my phone/watch to continually wake myself up every four hours to do my drains and take more meds. 

 

I woke up and took two more at 430pm and did my drains and again took two more and did drains at 830pm. I had Sean help me up at midnight just before he went to sleep so I could do my drains and take my drugs and set another alarm for 5am so he could help me again as he was getting up for work. 

For the drains they give you a sheet to track the ml’s of liquid being drained and essentially you will have the drains in until the volume of the liquid is less than 25 ml in a 24 hour period for 3 days in a row. 

Food/Drinks

Being so out of it and pretty much passed out the entire day from the Percocet I didn’t eat and truly didn’t even want to. I was super thirsty so I kept my glass of Gatorade next to me and drank a LOT of that over the first three days. 

 

Issues

You might remember in one of the previous posts I mentioned the Benadryl……..so about midnight when Sean woke me up to do my drains/meds before he went to sleep I started itching….and itching……and itching. I didn’t think much of it at the time but even though I took my next dose of Percocet at that time I barely slept as I was itching and scratching my arms, legs, neck, chest…..everywhere….the rest of the night

Next Up......Week one (June 8-14)

#20 - Prepping for the Upcoming Abdominoplasty

 

As I mentioned in my last post, Dale had sent some pre-operative instructions and post-operative instructions, which (to me) were half assed, at best. 

 

As I am too type-A for this shit and need to be prepared I started asking questions and doing more research. 

Hopefully this is not too blurry for you to read.....The Pre-Op and Post-Op seem to have some info on one that should be on the other and seems to have some info missing entirely. 

My suggestion is ensure you read ALL of the info the doctor's office gives you and then start to question things to figure out what else you need to know/buy/do.

I will share my takeaways from my surgeon's Pre and Post Op docs below and then give you some info on what else I found out/bought/asked etc. in order to be well prepped and ready for surgery day.

Pre-Op Instructions 

My Takeaways on the Pre-Op Instructions:

• #1 mentions not smoking for 2 weeks prior to surgery......K got that. I don't smoke, I vape and a super low amount (1.5mg). I set myself a reminder that I need to go on the patch two weeks prior to surgery. It does NOT say it here but from all my research I found more info to indicate that you should not have ANY nicotine for 2 weeks prior to surgery so where I thought I was being smart (I'll just put the patch on 2 weeks before to ride out the withdrawal up to surgery), I found out that NO I should be completely nicotine free by two weeks before. So exactly two weeks before the surgery I had my last vape puffs when I went to sleep and then didn't pick them up again. Keep in mind I vape 1.5mg so for me it wasn't so much the nicotine I needed but the habit with my hands. You'll likely want to consider going on the patch much further in advance so you don't have to cold turkey it like I did......Oh and I will discuss this later but for those that do smoke cigarettes ir even higher levels of vape juice it's best to get off them AS SOON AS YOU CAN......trust me, after surgery if you are coughing (as us ex-smokers who are expelling the remaining shit from our lungs do) you will actually feel like you want someone to kill you and put you out of your misery....so start getting rid of it as soon as ya can. 
• Coughing, Sneezing and even laughing for the first few days after surgery will make you wish you had never done this

• #6 mentions the loose casual clothing - button up top preferred. Okay so I went with my regular underoos, super stretchy waistband pajama bottoms, a front zip sports bra, a zip up hoodie to wear over it and crocs with socks. In hindsight I did NOT need the underwear or the sports bra.....literally they got me from the car to the surgical suite but nobody else was around to see me anyways.....after surgery these were NOT going back on so might as well leave them at home. The pajama bottoms and zip up hoodie and crocs.....best ideas ever. 

• #7 mentions no jewelry....now I get this - no rings, bracelets etc. what I needed to know was what do I do with other piercings - Conch, Daith, Rook, Lip, Nose etc. I've had multiple surgeries recently and had bought a large assortment of Bioplast (literally plastic) jewelry for these that I used for those surgeries and assumed I could use again. I contacted Dale to ask and sure enough they said it was fine although the lip one would HAVE TO come out, no Bioplast even as there was a choking hazard.....fair enough (although my last two surgeries they let me use the Bioplast in my lip).

• At the bottom it mentions using an antibacterial soap for 3 days prior to surgery on the surgical area.....Trisan or Adapt. I went to my friend who is also my pharmacist and even she couldn't get Adasept for some reason....but I did find Trisan at Shoppers Drug Mart for $20......kind of dumb to pay $20 for some soap where you won't even use 1/4 of the bottle but whatevs.....I will follow instructions like a good soldier. I set myself a calendar reminder for 3 days pre-surgery to start washing daily with this. 

Post-Operative Instructions:

My Takeaways on the Post-Op Instructions:

• #2 mentions you will be given a prescription to fill before surgery day....make sure they give you this and you get it filled. This is your pain meds and trust me you will want to have them on hand and ready to go. The Percocet I got at the surgical centre lasted until about 24 hours later and then I started the pain meds from the pharmacy.

• #5 mentions you should have gravel and a stool softener (Senekot) on hand before surgery. You will want to ensure you have these. While I only needed the gravel once (the day AFTER my surgery) I was happy I had it when I needed it. The Percocet and the T3s are GOING TO bung you up after surgery and you will NOT be able to strain to poop. I cannot emphasize this enough......although the though of liquid shit is gross, it will be a million times better than constipation so you will 100% want that stool softener and will want to start taking it pretty much the day of your surgery. If you think I am making this up, go ahead and try to deal without it......come back and tell me how wrong you were later. ;) 

• #6 in the Post Operative document mentions that you may take Ibuprofen (Advil) for break through pain but that there is a risk of increased bleeding and it says ** DO NOT take Ibuprofen before surgery **. This does NOT mention for how long prior to surgery you should refrain from taking it - you would think this would be on the Pre-Op document and in either case that it would be more clear. As I had a wicked migraine I reached out asking this exact question - how long before surgery should I NOT have Advil and is there anything else I can have as I have an awful headache - she advised that anything that thins your blood (advil, aspirin, echinacea, alcohol) should all be avoided completely for two weeks prior to surgery but that you can take Tylenol products. Ummmmmm this is a pretty fuckin  important one to leave off your Pre-Op instructions guys......

• #7 mentions you can eat what you can tolerate - I stocked up on light things - chicken noodle soup, vegetable soup etc. 

• #14 mentions your drain recording sheet that you need to track on and bring to your follow up appointments - I will have a section on this later. 

Further Research / Follow Up Etc......

So.....after reading this and doing my own independent research, I started making myself a list of the things to buy and to do before surgery

• One of the things that is NOT mentioned anywhere here is the Abdominal Binder - From everything I read online, after surgery, you need to wear an abdominal binder for many months following surgery but there was no mention as to whether this was something that you need to purchase yourself and have ready for when you get home. I followed up and for my surgeon (yours may be different) mine was included and would be provided on the day of my surgery. 

• Having worked out a lot over the last year I know how intensely painful it is when you workout your abs/butt/thighs hard core one day when you haven't in a long time. I remember how insane it is when I can barely sit down on the toilet because your muscles hurt so much. I read on ONE post, only one, and I cannot for the life of me understand why more people haven't suggested this - that you might want to consider a toilet seat riser so you do not have as far to go when you need to sit down on the toilet. This one purchase was worth its weight in gold and I cannot explain how thankful I was that I bought it. 

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B08P4WM3B6?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

• I am a side sleeper by nature, it's practically impossible for me to sleep on my back and even when I try I almost always wake up back on my side so I was concerned because of course you will not be able to sleep on your side for a while.....but what to do???? Hmmmm appears pregnancy pillows are the way to go according to some people and I grabbed this pretty cool one on Amazon (link below). This truly did help me sleep more upright and kept me tucked in and facing up.....and I was able to move it different ways - whatever worked to get me comfy and keep my knees elevated but staying on my back. Having said that, it was a bit awkward to get myself situated in it right at first and I need my hubby's help to do sol.......and I did only use it for the first week or so and then found I was perfectly fine with just regular pillows so you may be able to save yourself the $80+ and use regular pillows to just jam up under your sides to prop you up and keep you on your back. 

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B09LQWCJMG?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details 

• Some folks also get wedges instead (or also) - these help position the knees upwards to take stress off the abdomen. I did not get these and instead just used pillows. 

THINGS TO BUY

• Stool Softener (I used Senekot but there are many brands)
• Gravol for upset stomaches as this ""may" happen
• GingerAle and Soda Crackers (in case you get an upset tummy)
• Gatorade - As you won't be eating much it's best to keep you electrolytes up....I drank a lot of this the first few days.
• Lanyard to pin your drains to for once you are allowed to shower (any basic lanyard will do)
• Trisan (or Adasept if you can find it) or other antibacterial wash for the days leading up to surgery
• Advil or Tylenol (whichever you prefer) for breakthrough pain and for after you're done the Percocet and T3s
• Consider if you want to purchase something like the toilet riser and pregnancy pillow mentioned above. :)

Some things I ended up having to buy AFTER THE FACT - didn't even realize I would need them are:

• Benedryl Liguigels - A side effect of the Percocet (for me not necessarily everyone) was INTENSELY HORRIBLE itching. My surgery was on Wednesday and by Thursday evening when trying to sleep I was scratching everywhere and a lot. My mom ran and grabbed me these and they were a life saver, almost immediately after I took them. 
• Hydrocortisone Cream - Adding this on week 5......long past the Percocet phase and the itch is UNREAL, EVERY DAY. Between the healing and the binder and compression garment holding everything in so tightly the itch is unbelievable and I have been using the Benadryl and Hydrocortisone cream SO MUCH. And keep in mind we cannot get anything over 1% over the counter in Canada. I am fortunate I had some 2.5% on hand from before and it's the only thing keeping me sane so perhaps ask your doctor for a prescription for 2-2.5% that you can fill before surgery. Trust me you'll thank me later.
• Cottonelle Flushable Wipes - By about day 2 when I realized that I would be pooping a lot (from the Senekot) and would not be able to shower as routinely as I am used to, for cleanliness sake I purchased a 4 pack of Cottonelle Flushable Wipes on Amazon so that I could use them after pooping or to freshen up my arm pits/body etc. I got a 4 pack (168 wipes total) for $13 on Amazon. I did not end up using even one full pack before they weren't needed anymore so if you can buy them in advance when prepping get one pack at WalMart, not 4 from Amazon lol
• 4"x4" IV Drain Sponges - At my follow up appointment two days post surgery they checked everything and gave me a handful of abdominal bandages and told me I could begin showering as of day 3 and changing out the bandages. They gave me two packages of 4x4 IV drain sponges to go around where the drain is inserted into the skin. For some reason they only gave me the TWO packages (each package has two so that’s four) and since I wasn’t seeing them again for two weeks and my drain insertion point started leaking a bit (to be expected) I went through those in 2 days and had to then order more online from Amazon so ask them for extra…..for the $10K plus that you are paying them they can and should give you more fucking drain sponges. 

TO DO

• I have a two story house and knew I would be moving about from bed (upstairs) to the couch (downstairs) or to let the dogs out etc etc. So I put everything I needed together in a backpack to make it easier for me so I wasn't forgetting things anywhere and then having to try to go back for them. In my backpack I had all my meds (Percocet, T3s, Gravol, Senekot, Tylenol and Advil as well as my normal meds - Birth Control, heartburn etc that I need to take) a book, a pen, my glasses (I only use them when watching TV), my crackers, my portable cell phone charger and cables.

• I practiced setting up my bed with my pregnancy pillow and other pillows. I made sure I had a little step stool next to the bed to help me get in an out as my bed is higher. 

• I put my toilet seat riser on both of the toilets I might use it on to ensure it fit properly on each and wouldn't wobble and fall off lol. 

• I prepped all my loose clothes – shorts, pajama bottoms, tank tops - anything that was loose and could easily be pulled on and over my drains. I put them all in a stack where I could reach them for a few days as it will be exceptionally hard to bend to grab them out of drawers etc. I put them all in a pile on my bathroom counter which worked out really well. 

Okay guys......I think we're as prepped as we can be.....hope this helps you prep for your upcoming surgery.....and best of luck!!!

Next post will be how surgery went, what's happening day-by-day and how things are progressing. 

Spans across/through/between posts #18 - #20 - F45 Journey

My friend Sia, like me, had struggled with her weight most of her adult life and she was another one who, like me, had tried everything.....other than putting in the "hard work" cause I mean who the fuck really "wants" to work at it right???

She had started doing Crossfit and eventually found this place called F45 and had been going there for over a year at that point. I had been watching her progress and she had lost a ton of weight and really loved it there.

I was still skeptical that it would do anything for me and I had lost the majority of the weight I wanted to lose but did still have SOME eight left to take off and now wanted to tone and get stronger more than anything.

In January 2022, I decided to do a free one-week trial at F45 Blackmud Creek where Sia and Ben had been going. 

The classes were at 530am and I went to the first one with Sia and Ben on Monday, January 3, 2022 – Redline. 

For those that have never been Redline is not so affectionately called DEADLINE and everyone was surprised that I went to that as my first ever class and more so that I actually came back…….They joked about how horrible Sia was for not warning me about Deadline and she said "well I figured if she does Deadline and actually comes back, then there is NOTHING that can stop her"........she was right.

 

I decided before the first free trial week was even done that I was joining. It’s crazy expensive but somehow, someway I instantly found a place I enjoyed going …..with people that immediately treated me like family and pushed me and spurred me on and made me want to actually drag my ass in there at 5:30 in the fuckin morning each day and was therefore willing to fork over the dough. 

 

I was diligent and for the first while I was going 5-6 days a week. I had some old injuries and so some things I couldn’t yet do or I had to modify and that was fine. 

The trainers were amazing and always helping me look for ways I could modify certain things. 

The owner Ali was only there once in a while but was so nice, I loved her instantly.

 

The head trainer Susie was this tiny little gorgeous model like blonde thing. Sweetest chick ever and so encouraging and amazing. She has her own fitness business outside of this and runs that as well.

The other trainers were Christie, Charity, Ana, Deanne, Emily and Kat who were all just unbelievable in their own ways and I loved them all.

L-R: Charity, Christie, Kat, Susie, Deanne, Emily & Ali

I joined the challenges almost immediately with the first one being in January just after I joined. 

You get weighed in and do your body measurements and then you go hard core on the workouts and healthy eating etc. for the entire time of the challenge and then get re-measured/weighed etc at the end to see any changes.

 

By March 2022 I had completed my 50^th class and by the end of June I had completed over 100 classes. That’s 100+ classes in 6 months!! 

 

In late June, I managed to finally do box jumps…..box jumps are something I had avoided at all costs due to an old injury….and to the tremendous fear of falling on my face in front of everyone. What I didn’t realize was Kat was watching me do it and when I landed the first she never said a word, when I landed the second she lost her bloody mind and started taping and screaming and so literally the whole gym stopped to watch me do another and another. They all stopped doing their own workouts to yell and scream and clap and run over to high five me. The emotions I felt…….I can’t even describe that day to you. 

Our "home" is closing.......

Unfortunately only about two weeks later on July 18, 2022, we got a devastating email from the owners Ali and Trevor advising that the studio was closing and the last class would be that Wednesday, July 20, 2022. Covid had wrecked many people’s businesses and livelihoods and theirs was no exception they simply couldn’t make it work anymore. 

 

We all went to that last few classes and we cried and commiserated. This WAS OUR FAMILY. We didn’t know what to do next but knew that we HAD TO stay together. 

 

Moving on........where do we go???

Sia started reaching out to other F45’s starting with Windermere to tell them what was going on and see if they would take us on, honouring the cost we had been paying. Although expensive it was still cheaper than other F45s……they agreed

 

Coming full circle I went to my first class at Windermere with my “family” on Monday July 25,^, 2022, and appropriately it was Deadline again bahahaha. 

 

They have a head trainer Joel, which meant Susie would NOT be coming with us and of course we understood that but it made us sad. 

 

Christie and Kat were both offered jobs at Walker Lakes F45 so we would be losing them but thankfully Charity and Deanna were both offered coaching positions at Windermere so that meant we would at least see them. 

 

I can’t say I’ve really lost weight per se but I have 100% changed my body – clothes fit differently, I feel stronger. 

 

In July 2022 I decided to have my wedding dress “preserved” in a box so it wouldn’t get wrecked. I remember trying it on one last time before it got boxed up and although I was weighing in a few pounds heavier than when we got married the dress was almost falling off me – so much looser in the mid-section and the boobs so it was easy in that moment to tell that the scale is not always the indication you should go by (I know they say that but it’s hard to stay off the scale and ignore the weight when you’ve been bred to believe the scale is what matters your whole life)…….anyways, I weighed more but overall I had “shrunk” lol.

 

From July 25, 2022 to May 2, 2023 we have all faithfully worked out at Windermere and our family, for the most part (minus a few coaches) has remained intact. 

 

One thing that started in 2023 were my headaches started getting much worse again and cardio days set them off big time so I stopped doing the cardio days and was only doing strength days but that’s what I loved anyways so I was okay with it.

 

I am trying EVERYTHING for the headaches – massage, chiropractor, physiotherapy, medications, blood work, a catscan of my brain to ensure there was nothing major going on (there wasn’t thank god), stretching…..I have asked for a referral to a neurologist and am waiting (impatiently) on that.

What in the actual fuck??? Again????

Anyways……..May 2^nd it was announced that Windermere would now be closing ad the final day of classes would be May 6^th. Of course we were all upset, blindsided and heartbroken. We didn’t want to go through this again. 

 

Everyone immediately went into action mode – checking out Movati, a nearby gym or various cross fit locations…..trying ton determine what do we WANT to do and what CAN we potentially do where some of us can stay together. 

 

Movati was offering a “deal” but only for a few more days. A few people jumped on that immediately. 

 

Sia once more took the reins and contacted Man Made Crossfit on the southside here to see if they could give us a demo day, they agreed to do one on Sunday, May 7^th. 

 

A bunch of us showed up. Now to say that I almost died feels like an understatement. I seriously fucked up my elbow doing a “snatch” and the majority of the session was cardio and because it’s pairs I was pushing so hard that I got a massive migraine, almost puked and Krista (my partner) MADE ME sit out halfway through which is when I was so frustrated and angry I started crying. 

Later on Sunday, we got the email from F45 that the owners are in talks with a potential investor and as such the doors would remain open for two more weeks (up to May 21) while they sort through things. 

 

Tuesday the 9^th I went to strength at F45 and was super excited it was open and I was back but quickly realized my elbow was MUCH worse than I had thought it was so then couldn’t go back at all until I sorted that out. I’ve been seeing massage and chiro trying to fix it. 

 

Meanwhile we have lost a bunch of members that went to Movati and Sia and Ben decided to move on to Man Made Crossfit where we did our demo day, so only a few of the original folks are now left and I haven’t heard from any of them. It’s sad and I feel like my “family” is now gone. I am quickly losing my motivation. 

 

May 21^st Joel emailed to advise everyone that F45 would be remaining open. I told him I have been off due to my injury and that I have surgery coming up June 7^th and will need to put my account on hold from June 7 to July 19^th at which point I can come back. 

 

Sigh…….the motivation is less and less and now with the injury and then my surgery where I have to be off……I guess I need to determine next steps for me after July 19^th........

#19.....Next Steps in the Loose Skin Saga......

Dr. Edwards Consultation

On January 23, 2023, I head down to the mall for my plastic surgery consultation. I truly say that flippantly as I still find this hilarious.

I park at WalMart and head into the mall and wonder if this is like hillbilly surgery…..come on down to “the mall” and we’ll cut ya open…..need some bandages or Tylenol after the procedure we have WalMart and Safeway right here for ya…….

 

Okay back to the overview here…….first things first, these fuckers could give you some better directions as I have apparently come in at the complete opposite side of the entire ,all so walk from one end to the other before finding it. Sigh. 

 

Once I get to the office I grab an Abdominoplasty brochure in the waiting area and settle in for some reading. I don’t get very far before they call me in.

 

I sit and wait in one of the medical rooms and in walks Dr. Edwards….. I shall give you his bio now in case you care:

 

Dr. David Edwards attended medical school at the University of Alberta, graduating in 1983. He then did a Rotating Internship in Ohio at the St. Thomas Hospital Medical Center. Following this, he completed his training in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the University of Alberta, obtaining his Fellowship (FRCSC) in 1988.

 

Dr. Edwards next undertook a Cosmetic Surgery Fellowship at the Cosmetic Surgery Hospital in Woodbridge Ontario in 1989. He then returned to his hometown of Edmonton, where he began practice in 1989.

 

He presently practices at the University of Alberta Hospital, the Misericordia Hospital, and the Meadowlark Surgical Centre & Cosmetic Clinic. He is, Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Surgery at the University of Alberta.

Dr. Edwards is a member of numerous societies, including the Alberta Medical Association, the Canadian Society of Plastic Surgeons, and MANUS (The Canadian Society for Surgery of the Hand), GAM (The Canadian Microsurgery Society), the Canadian Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, the Northwest Society of Plastic Surgeons, and Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

 

So first thing I notice is he sits down and asks me what I’m interesting in….what am I looking for…..what are my issues (so to speak) and he seems to genuinely be listening and caring. 

 

When I’m done with all my explanations he asks me to undo my pants so he can take a look at my stomach and says oh yes we can totally get this taken care of for you. 

 

He explains to me what the procedure looks like:

1.     They make an incision across your lower abdomen above the pubic hairline. 

2.     The skin is then “lifted” off the deep muscle layer of the abdomen as far up as the ribs. 

3.     The belly button remains where it is just kinda dangling and hanging around waiting to be repositioned……..wait…..WHATTTTTT? What do you mean it dangles and will be repositioned?? how is that possible….I mean my belly button seems pretty well ensconced in its place sir. He tries to explain to my feeble mind that he cuts really delicate incisions around my whole belly button essentially cutting it “loose” from the other skin that will be removed and so then it’s just dangling and hanging out for the time being in its same location but it is no longer “attached” to all of the surround skin. 

4.     The abdominal muscles under the skin that was lifted (mentioned in step 2) are then repaired essentially by stitching them together toward the centre to “tighten” them.

5.     The skin is all pulled downward and all the extra fat/skin is removed from the bottom

6.     A new little hole is cut into the now flattened leftover skin where my belly button was before/will again be now and the belly button that’s just been hanging out up until this point is kind of “popped through” the newly designed belly button hole. 

7.     They stitch up around this little belly button hole to get my belly button settled in its new place and then stitch up the top skin and the bottom skin (now pulled together after the excess was removed) down along the lower abdomen under the bikini line. 

 

Here is a photo and below that a video that both helped me understand it a bit better.

Link to: Abdominoplasty Procedure Video 

 

My additional questions:

• I ask about the recovery – how long will I be off work? He says typically 3-4 weeks depending on how physical your work is. I said I sit at a desk all day and he says then probably about 3 weeks but of course it will all be dependent on how you’re healing of course and to keep in mind that although I sit at a desk, sitting still, upright for 7.5 hours a day may/will be uncomfortable for a while.

• What about the gym? He says probably about 6 weeks or so. 

• I ask about the cost of course and he say “the costs for the Abdominoplasty is $10,000 plus tax. Some doctors are more, some are less, this is just what I charge”…….he said it in a way that made me feel surprisingly comfortable with the cost. Like he’s saying yeah there may totally be people that are cheaper and by all means you can go check them out……but you get what you pay for…….but there are also people that are far more and I am not out to gouge people so…….it is what it is, check things out and you do you lol

 

After answering all of my questions and having made me feel so comfortable, I leave and the next day I contact his surgical booking person Dale and say okay I’m ready to go…..what do you need from me.......LET'S DO THIS!!!!

 

Post Consultation

Dale asks when I am interested in having the surgery. I have been thinking this through and there are a few considerations:

-      I can’t get ANY time off work between now (January) and the end of April to mid-May as this is our NO time off time because we’re so busy……so no way I can be off for 3-4 weeks. 

-      We’re going to Disneyworld on September 23^rd so I want to be done and healed before that.

-      I want to give myself as much time as possible to heal before Disney but also know I can’t take a bunch of time off until at least mid-May I think well let’s push it to the beginning of June……I will have some nice weather to sit in the yard recuperating and then should be healed up by the end of June/beginning of July…..long before Disney. 

-      I check in with Mom and Sean to see…..If I was to go with Wednesday, June 7^th, can the two of them coordinate to take Wednesday to Friday off to assist me for those first few days (help with the dogs, feed me, run me to my appointments)……yep they can…….okay……so I tell Dale we will go with Wednesday, June 7^th.

Dale sends me some paperwork:

-      Standard agreements

-      Deposit info (need to pay $500 with the remainder due 2 weeks before surgery)

-      Lab requisition for bloodwork and a ECG that needs to be done prior to surgery

-      Medical report my family doctor has to complete and send back prior to surgery

-      Pre-operative instructions

-      Post-operative instructions 

 

I called Dale with my credit card number for the deposit and then it’s on the books and we are good to go. 

Dog Ears

Huh......what the fuck am I talking abut dog ears for in a post for a tummy tuck??? Okay so after my consultation I was talking to my sister about it and she mentioned our friend who had it done ended up with Dog Ears and needed a second surgery to correct that and I should ask whether it's included IF it's needed. 

Turns out Dog Ears are a common side effect of tummy tucks and occur when there is excess skin left at the ends of the incision line creating a small fold of skin resembling a dog ear. 

They can be particularly noticeable when you are standing or sitting as they tend to bunch up and create a bulge. 

I did  follow up with Dale to ask if after surgery any revisions were needed to correct any issues from the first surgery if this was covered? I mentioned the friend who ended up with the “dog ears” on the sides and her surgeon covered it and fixed it up for her. 

Dale advised that yes typically any revisions necessary from the original surgery are covered. IF AHC changes the rules, that could change what is covered, but as of when she advised me they had no indication that any revision surgeries would be de-insured. You do need to wait a minimum of 3-6 months post-op before any revisions would be considered to ensure all swelling has gone down etc. 

So just a thought to ask about this with your surgeon. 

I'll have further posts explaining more about how I prepped, things I looked into and found out beforehand, things I bought to make life easier while recuperating etc.