Hi All Oh how I wish I would have stumbled on this site a month ago! All of you are so awesome with incredible stories. I feel like I personally know you! Writing this, I am 8 days PO. See? I am a little late because I only stumbled on this site after I got home, and was thinking…. NOW WHAT????? Had no idea what to expect. Was I going to look like this forever? Dear GOD what have I done??? After reading your posts and realizing I was not going to hop off the operating table with what you see is what you are forever!! The before and after pictures and your stories have put be at great ease. I do find one thing really interesting. There are a lot of post treatments out there that differ. I know you have to trust the Doctor, as he knows best for your individual needs. I had a BL, BA, TT, Lipo, and my nipples were inverted so we made the attempt to fix that as well. My Dr had to literally cut off my nipples and graph them back on. I know, you are cringing… Sorry! That was not the initial intent but they were so inverted they would not move. Let me backtrack and lay out my adventure thus far. April 30, 2012 – Monday - THE DAY!! I was SO excited! My husband travel s most of the time so I could not wait for him to schedule down time… I wanted this done NOW!! My daughter got the wonderful job of taking care of me for the 1st week until my husband got home on Friday. Bless her heart! I was in surgery for 10 hours or more. Went in at 7:00a.m. and they called her at 7:00p.m. to pick me up. I don’t remember anything after my husband dropped me off on Monday. My daughter said she couldn’t understand a word I said. May 1st, 2012 – Tuesday Day 1 PO. 1st day was still a little blurry. I was expecting a lot of pain from the BL and BA but most of my pain was the TT. AND the fact that they want you to lie on you back in a somewhat of a reclining position. I can’t sleep like that!!! I finally talked my daughter into letting me sleep 5 minutes on one side and 5 minutes on the other, the rest of the hour on my back. So I laid the rest of the hour counting the minutes to lie on my side for 5 minutes again. Every time I moved my mussels were killing me. I felt paralyzed trying to maneuver around propping myself up with my hands and arms. I was on pain meds every 3-4 hours but didn’t feel a lot of affect. And the tubes… OMG are horrible. Did I also mention I had a catheter? My poor daughter. She has 2 little ones of her own and pregnant with her 3rd. God Bless HER!! May 2, 2012 – Wednesday Day 2 PO. A little better this day but was very hard to walk around. I was hunched over carrying the drainage tubes and catheter. I could only walk a short distance before I had to sit. When I sit, I would be very out of breath. My PS kept telling me the drainage tubes were “my friends” but guess what…. NO THEY ARE NOT!! They are putting weight pulling down on the incision and feels like I have a fish hook probing into my “monkey!” OUCH! I can’t walk much until they take these out!! Had a sponge bath today and daughter and sister washed my hair. That alone makes you feel much better. I took the catheter out today so that is one less thingy hanging off my side. May 3rd, 2012 - Thursday Day 3 PO - A little better today but as I posted earlier, until I get the stupid drainage tubes out it is hard to maneuver around. They are HORRIBLE! I go back to the Dr on Friday to be checked. Feeling a little better each day. My Dr has me wearing gauze dressing covering all the incisions along with Neo Sporran (or something similar). So far, I haven’t been able to see what I look like because I have padding sewed around my nipple area due to the skin graph. It looks like it’s going to be Monday (1 week PO) before I can get the tubes out and the bandages removed. It’s gonna be a loooonnnngggg weekend! May 4th 2012 – Friday Day 4 PO – My husband is back in town YEAH!! And I get to go home. My daughter has been a God send and I don’t know what I would have done without her. It is very strange when your children take the Mommy role and you are the child. Her husband has been sleeping upstairs so she and I have been sleeping in the master. I really think she was sent from heaven… she is an amazing child. Her story is interesting…She is my only child (aside from 3 step children) has always been a little spoiled… ok a lot spoiled, but a very good girl. She met her soul mate at 14, even as she went away to college, they stayed together. (Yes, that is right, I am OLD!) She married at 19 yet still finished her degree. She taught school for 2 years and now a stay at home Mom. Her husband owns a fast food franchise and they are blessed financially as she doesn’t have to work anymore. She has two precious boys and another boy on the way. (She may be next for the MM!) My husband picked me up and went to see PS. Tubes are OUT!!! Thank GOD!!! Still have stitches and still need to keep all the dressings on. Was told I didn’t need to wear the compression garments yet. Wonder why different PS have such a different style of practice??? May 5th – Mat 7th Day 5-6-7 PO – This weekend was ok. I still have lots of swelling but feeling much better. I hate these dressings almost as much as the draining tubes… ok, not THAT much but still hate them. I think the tape more than anything because it literally rips your skin when you have to remove it. I need to wear them for at least until my next appointment which is 5/14. I can get up and around a lot better not. Still get tired rather quickly, however, I think back to day 2 and 3 where I was literally out of breath just walking across the room. I am bad at giving others advise that I don’t practice myself. I need to work on that! But even if you feel MUCH better, try not to overdo it. Your body is in shock and is not sure quite how to handle all the changes. May 8th 2012 – 8 day PO - I took it pretty easy today. I am trying to force myself to do a little more each day. I am still ONLY restricted to sponge baths... Again, why are Dr’s orders so different!! Everyone else on this site get’s a shower!! Why can’t I??? May 9, 2012 – 9 Day PO – Reading all the post’s and stories on this site, you people are truly amazing!! Everyone is SO supportive and non judgmental. I cannot express enough how wonderful you are and touch the lives of so many... we should have a “reunion” some day!!! Mommy Makeover Reunion!! How fun would THAT be!! LOL. I am getting stronger every day. Completely off pain meds. I have been since Day 6. I think they were giving me really bad headaches, either that or could be caused by the withdrawal of the meds… I had been cutting way down for awhile. I am still really swollen. I am starting to get this tingling feeling in my breasts. And sometimes, sharp shooting tingles. Doesn’t really hurt, just feels really strange. Wonder what is up with that! May 10, 2012 – 10 Day PO - My husband left town so I am left with changing these dressings by myself… not as easy as it seems. I am still tender, and still swollen. My tummy feels really hard in places. What is that?? I am going to write down a list of questions for my PS who I will see on Monday. I am also itching a lot. That’s pretty much a no brainer due to healing, which is good. It is kind of annoying though on the places that is still numb. You scratch but you can’t relieve the itch because you are still numb. It is very strange. May 11, 2012 – 11 Day PO – I will upload pictures soon. I am trying to take pictures every 2-3 days just so I can see if I am changing. My breasts are still tender and swollen and my tummy is still numb and hard in places. Not sure what that means... Is that because it is swollen? I told you earlier that my nipples had to be removed and re-graphed in place. Pray they live! I heard that there is always a chance they don’t, and if so, THEN WHAT??? I am looking forward to Monday because I am hoping I get the green light to shower and not have to wear these dressings. Even to wear a normal bra will be SOOOO nice. As long as I have these dressings, and have to wear loose clothing, AND can’t shower, I will feel kind of yucky. May 12, 2012 - 12 Day PO. It’s almost Mothers Day. Besides my husband, 1 sister, and daughter, I have not told anyone about my MM. My family is SOOOO big that it would just be too much. My husband always says that if you tell one sister, the whole family knows in minutes. Don’t think that’s entirely true though. Back to my point, I really want to be with my Mom on mother’s day. Tomorrow I think I will do the dressings to the bare minimum and wear something really baggy. The only other thing I have to be careful of is not to do too much. I can’t walk around as fast and spend hours in the kitchen helping with everything… I guess somehow it will work itself out. Hope all you Mom’s have a WONDERFUL Mothers Day!! Updated on 12 May 2012: My tummy is really tight right above my insicion and now i notice a bulge that was not there before. Is this Normal?Updated on 14 May 2012:May 14th, 2012 - Monday Day 14 PO Went back to PS today. Still have on dressings :( and still can't take a real shower. :( But did get a few stitches out. The Dr said the hard mass was due to trama and will eventually go away.Have to travel next week for work and wondering how I'm going to be able to be in public with all this gauze on. Will need to change the dressings myself all week long. I shouldn'T be so negative... You guys are all so positive all the time. With that said, I am feeling better every day, and I have all of you as new friends. Have a great week!Updated on 15 May 2012:My dr still has not put me in a CG nor has he mentioned it! Wonder why?? Whenever I mention it he tell me "not yet" just don't understand why I am the only one on the MM site that doesn't have to wear one!
