Post-Op Day 7

Alright, so today I woke up doing pretty well. MUCH better than the past two day. I'm telling you I cried and cried yesterday and I just could not talk to people, I felt sawed in two and I just felt despair about my entire life. I guess some days of intensive pain do that to you. I was trying to wean my pain meds to 4-5 a day. I think that was too much too soon, I ended up taking 5 tablets yesterday after talking to my Mom, she thought I needed something for pain, I will say once I took a tablet I felt better....

OK, so lets talk about the physical aspects of surgery. Liposuction, guys this part looked totally brutal, I had extensive red and black bruises, I was not sure if some skin was going to sluff off, and I'm serious it was that black. Those areas were three times their normal size, I had these HUGE hips with a flat stomach. The swelling was so extensive those areas felt hard as a board, BUT they were numb, I took some pics last night I'm going to upload with those areas being much improved! The surgeon said it would take 3 months for the swelling to go down but I'm not sure I would ever do liposuction again in any other area. I think I would do lipodissolve instead for those areas that don't respond to diet and exercise. I AM GLAD I HAD THIS DONE WITH THIS PROCEDURE because it would have looked strange having the hips I had with a flat stomach, it was needed but it was an issue with healing. I could not wear the abdominal binder for one because it rubbed the skin off. I found the binder helpful in keeping the swelling down and in just giving support of the vast incision site. For the open skin areas I used A&D baby ointment. The surgeon was amazed at how those areas healed, he honestly couldn't believe it. He asked me what I used again and wrote it down. In all honesty I have never seen any other product heal skin like A&D does. I frequently tell my patients to use it for chapped noses with colds, burns, minor cuts, anal pain with diarrhea, scrapped knees etc., EVERYONE and I mean EVERYONE comes back and raves about how quickly they healed (overnight). I'm excited to see how the lipo turns out after the swelling subsides. I have seen many pics of those having a tummy tuck with all that weight left on the sides and I did not want that so ultimately I will be happy I'm sure opting for this technique.

Hernia repair. This is what initially started this procedure. My abdominal wall ruptured after taking my first couple doses of chemo, I lived with it for a couple of years not well enough to undergo surgery. Once it started to rupture further it could no longer be ignored. I could have just had the hernia repaired but I opted after talking to surgeons to have plastics do the procedure along with a tummy tuck. To just get the hernia repaired I would have had a long horizontal cut with mesh graft in. I'm a nurse and I have seen people return and have continual problems with that procedure. I gained so much weight on steroids and most of it was held in my abdominal area...after talking to plastics they said no amount of weight loss would truly help my abdomen. It might decrease some in size but for the most part I was stuck with that big abdomen and smaller legs and arms. They felt like I would get a permanent result by them doing an abdominoplasty and the hernia repair at the same time. That way I would not have the weight of my lower abdomen pulling on my upper abdomen muscles weakening them, not only that the muscles needed to be brought together in my upper and lower abdomen. I had a 4" gap closed in my upper abdomen and 6" closed in my lower abdomen. I had 7 # of fat and skin removed from my abdomen as well as the liposuction of my hips done. I'm going to be embarrassed to show those before pics once I get them from the surgeon but I am going to so you can see the drastic difference. I just can't believe that is was me, but it was.

Numbness, I have numbness under my belly button, and where the liposuction was done. It is slowly coming back to normal, when it does it itches. You really have to be careful NOT to scratch especially the liposuction areas, have a great emollient cream to rub in for the itch, A& D works but it is greasy...so I used my bath and body cream, it is thick non-greasy and takes that deep itch away.

Medicines. I took percocet 5/325 for pain. As my Doc reminded me you have to be careful to not OD on tylenol dosages which is 4 grams a day. The 325 is the tylenol dose so if your taking no other meds with tylenol in it you can take 12 tablets only a day. I get migraines since chemo, I usually took tylenol #3 or amerge for the HA, we didn't want to do the amerge because of how it clamps down vessels, he ordered firocet which also has tylenol in it, taking the fiorcet decreases the amount of percocet I could take so you have to decide how bad that HA is, but the Fiorcet WORKED. My doc put me on cipro for 7 days post op, I'm sure I had some IV antibiotics as well. I'm glad I had that cipro for a few reasons, one I had a catheter in the hospital and cipro treats UTI's well, it also treats skin well, and is broad spectrum for upper respiratory infections. Since I had some open skin areas I'm glad I had the cipro, also my throat seriously felt like I had strep, I have had some PND (post nasal drip) that was really thick. I'm not sure I didn't get something in my Upper respiratory tract but this seemed to knock it. I really feel like the cipro stopped at least one secondary infection. I get nausea with those headaches so he gave me some phenergan suppositories which I have used a couple of times. I took celebrex once a day, it is the one anti-inflammatory that doesn't inhibit platelet formation. With all this swelling it is nice to have an anti-inflammatory. I took flexaril as a muscle relaxant I already had, he ordered skelaxin. I took 5 mg of flexaril twice a day and at bedtime I took 10mg, I got dizzy with the flexaril which is a common side effect so I took it when I planned on going to sleep for a bit or just rest in my chair. I took a capful of miralax once a day. After using that then I took a duculox suppository. You will get results in about 30 minutes with that suppository. Not only that but it relieves MUCH gas. I hate to talk about this but it is a big deal in this surgery, you DON'T have the ability to push with constipation and this totally elevates this issues. Some people because they are on narcotics don't have a bowel movement for 7 days or so. One I can't imagine the pain that must cause and Two, I think I just would have been done in with anymore pain, but again I had a total wall reconstruction done.

I don't know what I would have done without my Mom getting me this recliner. If you purchase one for the surgery, and I highly suggest you do if you don't have one, get one that is easy for you to sit all the way back in with your feet still touching the floor. Make sure it is comfortable to your lower back, make sure you can pull the lever used to raise your feet easily. I now sleep in my bed at night but I live in the recliner during the day. Pillows in the bed does NOT cut it, I tried. Chairs with ottomans don't cut it either which is all I had in my home.

Incision care. My surgeon opted for a plastics closure meaning I have no staples or stitches to take out except around my belly button. I have steri-strips and the sutures holding my drains in. I'm really hoping I get the drains and sutures out Monday. I use diluted peroxide on the suture line and aquaphor around the drains. I keep the drains covered with a small dressing just so the drains don't get pulled more than anything else.

The new belly button. This can be a big issue. I told my surgeon I DID NOT want that round open button. He sculpted out some of my stomach above it so it would fall a bit. I had a little umbilical hernia so he said he just had to work with what he had but he sutured skin on top of skin and I think in the long run this is going to have a very natural nice result.

OK this post is long and I hope it is informative. If I continue to do well today I will try and upload some pictures.