Hey SulyRu- you look great btw, although we are our own worst critics. Isn't it amazing if we all look at our husbands body's they just don't care and they get away with it!! I wish you a speedy and safe recovery. Make sure you have at least one person dedicated to helping you for the first 10 days. You will benefit by taking arnica and bromelain and B and C vitamins pre and post surgery. Keep a bottle of rubbing alcohol next to you with your meds and lots of heat and ice week one. I had zero appetite for the first 7 days which resulted in me losing 10 lbs. Try not to look at yourself for the first week, you may or may not get discouraged. I looked TERRIBLE although my curiosity got the better of me everyday. I hope you are staying in DR for at least a week post op but if you cant, make sure you have lots of water, ice packs and meds for the plane. All the best, by week 4 you will be overjoyed at your new look. xoxo Jojo
nice article on spitting stitches and after care:
What is spitting a stitch?
I know. There are things which seem so normal to us surgeons, which the normal patient looks at and thinks, “What?!”
We surgeons sew. We stitch a lot. When we put the breast together after a lift or do a tummy tuck, we sew you back together with sometimes hundresds of sutures which you don’t see. We close your skin like layers on a cake, aligning each layer. The deep sutures are primarily dissolving ones. Your body slowly, over the course of months when your tissue has healed together, dissolves the internal sutures.
Ah. But here is the rub. Sometimes instead of dissolving the sutures, your body will push the foreign object (suture) out of your body. When it does this, we call it spitting a stitch. It will feel like a little bump, maybe be a little red, almost like a zit. The the top may open with a little discharge (which looks like a small dab of “pus”- most likely just white blood cells and other things) and you will see a little fishing line sticking out. Usually this happens along your suture line (incision/ scar).
That is your suture.
If it does spit, it is not a big deal. You likely have hundreds of internal sutures. If you can grab it with tweezers, give it a gentle pull. If it doesn’t come out you can clip the part sticking out with a nail clipper. Clean the area with a little alcohol or hydrogen peroxide, and then apply polysporin. If the area looks irritated, is getting worse, or there is red skin around it, then you should see your doctor.
It is a common part of healing. Just weird. Certain sutures do it more often (so I try to avoid those), and some people are prone to it (guess their skin just likes to spit). Again, the key is keep it clean, no infection, and get the irriation to stop.
i used to dream that i woke up from the anesthetic right in the middle of the surgery - so alarming that i HAD to discuss with my PS who looked at me like i was from mars. Needless to say, don't discuss your dreams with PS!!!
PS- talk to the DOC about wearing the CG in flight. It can cause respiratory complications as well as DVT and stroke. just a heads up to talk to PS about it before you go. Flying can be brutal on the bod. I swell up after regular flights even without surgery. I just dont want you to feel badly about yourself either.
im 5.5 and def not ready to travel. The flight to Aus (unless you are upfront in a flatbed) is HORRIBLE. I cant sit in a car for an hour let alone a plane for 20 hours. At my healthiest, the first 3 days in Australia is pure hell with the jetlag so imagine how it will be in your recovery???Please wait til your 3 month mark when things get a little bit easier according to all the posts here and my own experience. Its also Australian SUMMER right now until about may/june and the heat and sun are incredibly strong at this point. I know you want to resume life as normal but this is a beautiful country that you want to enjoy to the fullest. Whatever you choose, be well and stay healthy!! jojo
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