Recovery, What I Wish I Knew

Hi all! First, I want to thank everyone who contributes to this forum, it's a great resource because of those who share their stories. At day 10 post-op I have learned a few things that I'd like to share in the hopes it may benefit others, I'll try to keep it as succinct as possible.

1. You may read stories of people recovering in a day or two, but please understand that everyone heals differently and try not to be a superhero or have unrealistic expectations of yourself or your body. Recovery isn't about no pain, no gain. Take it easy!

2. Constipation is no joke. Instead of taking the recommended stool softener twice daily, I thought I'd take it if and when I needed it, by that time, it was too late. I suffered unnecessarily for several days with horrible bloating, constipation, and terrible cramping from the increasingly stronger laxatives I had to take. I also looked several months pregnant, which skewed my perspective of my breasts - they looked much smaller than they actually are next to my swollen belly. Take your constipation meds as recommended and try to avoid heavy carbs (bread, pizza, pasta, etc.).

3. Bra pain. The bra they put me in after surgery rubbed certain areas, causing pain and in one spot at the edge of a steri strip, a blood blister from friction. The bra caused irritation for days which I disregarded as part of the normal healing process. In hindsight, I wish I had a backup bra and paid more attention to the areas that were constantly irritated. During my first post-op visit, I was given a couple different bras (soft bras) to try on and felt immediately relief. I purchased the more comfortable bra and have felt great ever since (blood blister still healing). Ask your provider if you can buy a backup bra from them before surgery, perhaps a different style than the one they'll send you home in.

4. Use an app to schedule and track your meds. I used Round Health and highly recommend it for simplicity. I removed the app once I no longer needed to track meds. The best part of using an app is reminders and being able to know exactly when you took your last dose. You can also label meds 'as-needed' and check them off only when you take them.

5. List: flexible straws, 7-up, Gatorade, pre-cut fruit and veggies, crackers, soup, other easy to eat foods like granola bars and bananas, vitamins (ask if office has pre/post-op vitamin supplements for purchase), ice packs, heating pad for back pain, tons of water!

Lifting gallons/pitchers of water or other beverages to fill up cups is difficult, buy small bottles for the first few days and use your straws. Put items on lower shelves - I couldn't reach the bowls!
I didn't buy a wedge pillow, instead I used couch and bed pillows to prop myself up at the recommended incline and had no issues after finding the right combination.
Opening sturdy tupperware containers is hard and may cause unnecessary strain, try ziploc bags instead.
I underestimated the amount of prepared/ready-to-eat food I needed. I wish I had bought healthy frozen meals and more snacks. My husband was sent to the store daily for more food, although if he could cook at all this might not have been such a problem. :) He also fed me an expired salad (I think the dressing had gone bad) which caused hours of vomiting on day 3 and may have been the worst part of recovery (tied with the constipation and cramps).
Sneezing and coughing freaked me out as I didn't want to damage or disrupt anything, but I learned it's okay to let it out. I have bad seasonal allergies and probably sneeze and cough more than most.
Expect to have weird dreams. :)

Best of luck to everyone and I hope this helps for a more comfortable recovery processes!