minidriver

Why thank you, Miss Mimi! Friggin' awesome is definitely what I'm going for! So I switched today from my binder to my Spanx type thing. Unfortunately, I went to the grocery store and by the time I got back the hole from my drain had quite a bit of blood and I don't want the Spanx to get bloody so I put the binder back on. The Spanx thing definitely works better under my clothes though. I am soooooo close to being fully upright. That will make such a difference in my back pain, I think. I can't wait to go have the massage, but I don't want to go while I'm still bleeding from the drain hole. I don't want to subject anyone else to the potential grossness. :tongue2:

Thanks! Yeah, those drains get really annoying after awhile. Sooo happy they are gone.

I posted some more tummy tuck pics, if anybody wants to see them. Link: Plastic Surgery Pictures, Videos, Photos, Pics, Before, After, Cosmetic Surgery Password: goobgone

Miss dee, you are such a freakin' rock star. I think when you get your surgeries, you are going to be amazed at how good you look and feel, and how that will give you a whole new burst of resolve. You have done such an amazing job, and the rest of us could take a big lesson from you.

Hello ladies! As promised, I have posted some "no drain" pics. I am still draining from the one side so I have a sanitary pad taped over it. And the scabbiness makes the incision look worse than it is . . .the surgical glue just doesn't want to come off! While I had my binder off, I decided to try on some jeans and a tank top. I was so excited that I posted that pic too! Anyhoo, to answer the shower question, my PS also let me shower starting at PO day 1. In fact, he really encouraged it. It's so funny how things differ from one doc to another. It made me kind of nervous, but I guess it was okay. Sure made me feel better. Here is the link to the pics: Plastic Surgery Pictures, Videos, Photos, Pics, Before, After, Cosmetic Surgery password: goobgone Thanks for all your support. It really helps.

Thanks, Mimi. Yeah, kinda' ick. I was gonna' come home and try on some sexy new underwear! Oh well. I guess I'll wait till tomorrow.

Well the good news is, I got my drains out today! YAY!! And it didn't hurt at all. Just felt kinda' weird.:biggrin: The bad news . . . .all that old blood from the hematoma is no longer draining into a nice little plastic bulb. Instead, it's draining down my leg. :wink2: The doc put a piece of surgical gauze on it before we left his office. By the time I got home, it had soaked through that, my pants, etc. :frown: I, of course, thought it was new blood and went back in, thinking I needed stitches. He assured me its old blood and that it's best to get it out of there. Uhhhhh, it really grosses me out. I have blood phobia. I don't like actively bleeding wounds. He told me to come home and get in the shower and try to "milk" as much out of it as I could. I almost fainted in the shower. I'm such a boob!!! So no new pics today. I'll post some tomorrow for sure. Oh, here's a funny thing . . . I thought my incision was still really scabby but it's just the surgical glue he used! He said to scrape it off with my fingernail. Who knew? So hopefully my incision looks way better than I thought it did. Other than the amazing draining groin wound, I have felt really good today. Pretty much zero pain, very close to standing up straight, etc. I am at day 12 and I can see how people can go back to work at 2 weeks, although it would be tough. I think 3 weeks would be much better. Anyhoo, I promise I'll post drain free pics tomorrow. TTFN.

Yeah, it was very fortunate timing that I was eligible to apply this year. Otherwise it would have been very difficult to even get two weeks off in a row, since I also teach during summer semester.

I'm on sabbatical working on a book proposal. I don't have to go back till January. Whoohoo!!!

Yeah, it's okay. I have to really work to keep it there.

Wow, that is really impressive! Congratulations!!!! That's a very IMPORTANT NSV!!! I need to have mine checked again. It was still stuck on 5.9 last time, but I'm really hoping it has gone down.

Supposedly it's a type of massage that helps drain excess fluids via the lymph system. My PS is sending me to a woman who specializes in post-surgical massage to help with lymphatic draining as well as scar tissue formation, etc. He claims that his patients who go to her heal much faster than those who don't, with fewer complications, etc. I figure it's definitely worth a try.

Barb that's wonderful news! I will keep all of my fingers and toes crossed, hoping that it works out. Keep us posted!

I am wearing a compression garment. I just took it off to take pics. I'll start lymphatic massages next week. My PS swears by them. Yes, I think he did a really good job. I'm amazed at how many "folds" he was able to get rid of. I think it will look really good in a few more months. We're going on a 12 night Southern Carribean cruise on Nov. 30th, and I'm hoping the majority of swelling will be gone by then.

Oh, that is so exciting! Please let everyone know how it goes!!

Wow, I don't think I'll ever like myself naked. I'd be okay with just liking myself clothed at this point!

Welcome, Danyett! This is a great place to hang out. If you have questions, or just need support, this is the place to start.

Thanks for the support, ladies. I am feeling better today . . . I think you're right, Sue, that major surgery really messes with you hormonally, etc. And, yes, I think getting the drains out is going to help quite a bit. As for the continuing surgeries issue . . . I had planned to get a breast lift with my TT, and then changed my mind a few weeks ago. Now, of course, my breasts look awful to me. Thighs are disgusting. Butt is saggy and flat. Everytime I mention any of this stuff, DH says "Oh no. Are you going to want to get that fixed now too?" I am also self-pay and really can't afford to have multiple plastic surgeries. I think it's just hard for people to understand what it's like to have such poor body image for years and years and finally have a chance to look good.

I wasn't sure when we were doing our weigh-ins, but I am down 1.4. Your 1.8 will come back off. You'll probably have a big week next week.

Oh, I'm glad you're doing better. Still in the recliner (the post-op directions say 2-3 weeks). And the drains come out Monday one way or the other. The PS says the risk of infection is just not worth it after 12 days or so. Unfortunately, I'm still draining about 50cc per day per drain, and the one on the left is still really dark red - I'm assuming from the hematoma. That side is still more swollen than the other but nothing like it was. I posted a long, whiny post over in the plastic surgery thread. Bleh. I'm not liking this today. I'll post more pics when my drains are out Monday.

Thanks, Mimi. I just took a little nap and that helped.

Oh, no! I was wondering how you were doing. Poor miss dee. Can you drink some hot soup or tea and get that cottage cheese down? Are you taking ibuprofen? I wish I were closer . . . .I would come play nurse.

WARNING - this post is going to be very whiny, so if you are scheduled for surgery soon and are easily discouraged, you may want to quit reading now. If, however, you understand that there will be ups and downs in the recovery process and won't take anything I have to say too seriously, then forge ahead . . . . Okay. The whining shall commence in 3 . . 2 . . I just feel crappy today. My lower back is so sore from not being able to stand up straight. I am almost there . . . but not quite. Everytime I try to stand up totally straight, my tummy is just too tight and it feels really weird. So I end up still being slightly stooped and have a whopper of a backache. I still have my drains. I'm consistently draining about 50ccs per 24 hours, and on the left side (where I had the hematoma), the drainage is still very dark red. However, my PS is taking the drains out Monday regardless of how much I'm draining as he feels that leaving them in too long increases the risk of infection too much. I'm worried that I will have lots of swelling with the drains coming out, but can't wait to have them out anyway. I'm really tired of them. I'm tired of not being able to wear pants. The binder is annoying the crap out of me. Bleh. :blushing: My incision is kinda scabby and ugly and puckery. It doesn't hurt. Quite the opposite, in fact. It is completely numb. And that bugs me. And it's not just the incision but a huge swath on either side of it. This leads me to my biggest irritation of the moment. . . I feel very disconnected from my new tummy. When I look at it in the mirror, it doesn't look like me at all. I have never had a flat tummy, ever. So it just looks like someone else's torso has been inserted into my body. And the numbness just adds to the feeling since, when I touch it, I can't feel anything. It totally creeps me out. I was putting mederma on the incision in front of the mirror and I had to quite looking at the mirror because I could see me touching myself but couldn't actually feel it and I couldn't handle the dissonance. Hope that makes sense. As for energy, etc . . . I feel well enough to be really tired of the fact that I don't feel better. But I don't feel well enough to actually do anything. I just took a shower and, by the time I had finished, dried off, redressed my drain insertion sites, put on new panties and t-shirt, etc., I was kind of light-headed and not feeling that great. Pathetic, yes? Okay, I'm finished. I just needed to vent. I'm sure tomorrow will be better, and it will be great to get the drains out on Monday. And don't get me wrong - I'm still thrilled that I did this. I'm just not particularly enjoying this stage of recovery. I'll post new pics on Monday after the drains are out. TTFN

Thanks for the info. Supposedly mine is a hematoma, so it will hopefully not return. It has gone down quite a bit now. Yay! Sorry to hear that yours took so long.

I'm really not in much pain . . .it's more like just really uncomfortable. It's really tight, so when I try to stand up straight everything just kind of pulls. And the binder and drains are a pain in the butt. However, I took off the binder for a few minutes last night and tried on kind of a tight t-shirt to see how I looked and it was an amazing difference. I would say that I look like I've lost about 10-15 lbs. It's amazing!!