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My tips for surviving the first 2 weeks.
My tips to surviving the first 2 weeks after a mommy makeover in pretty much no particular order. I'll include some pics of these items as well.
1. Portable Female Urinal. I know I mentioned this already but seriously... genius. One of the hardest things you're going to have to do the first week or so is stand up and/or sit down. This takes that part out of peeing. I drink a ton of water and tried to even increase that amount after surgery so needless to say, I pee a lot. To be able to stand up to pee (and not make a mess) was a lifesaver for me. I got mine on Amazon.com for $6.30. Worth every penny.
2. Take medication on time and don't be afraid to use what the doctor gave you. Don't try to tough it out, it's more stressful on your body to be in pain and you want your body working its magic to heal. I set timers on my phone so every 4-6 hours they would go off and remind me to take what I needed. Being able to manage the pain before it became overwhelming was so helpful. For myself, it wasn't tummy pain really (see next item), it was my back from being stuck in a recliner and being hunched over. Another note - I could not open my pill bottles on my own so I had my hubby open them all and store them in my bedside container (more on that later). This wouldn't work if you have little ones running around but my kids are old enough to know not to touch mom's medicine and it made taking my meds (without having to ask for help every time) much easier.
3. Exparel. If your PS offers it, take it. I had zero pain in my stomach for at least the first 4 days and by the time it wore off, it was really just a sore feeling, no more pain. To me, it was worth the extra money.
4. Toilet seat riser. As you can see, I'm a big fan of going to the bathroom in comfort. When your body is finally ready to go #2 this thing makes it so you don't have to get alllll the way down to normal toilet height but rather adds at least an extra 3" to the toilet making it easier to sit down and get off of. This was another amazon purchase ($18).
5. Shower bench. I almost didn't get this thinking to myself, how hard can it be to wash myself off. Ha! Sooo glad I got it, especially for the first few showers (truth be told, 2 weeks later, still using this bad boy and intend on leaving it in my shower now, haha). Showering is exhausting. Undressing, washing, drying, lotion, getting dressed again. The first few showers I honestly needed a nap after. No way could I have stood through the whole thing and actually enjoyed the shower. SIDE NOTE ON SHOWERING: Have someone else to wash your hair!!! If you had any breast work done, you will not want to lift your arms up and go through the work of washing your hair. My bestie handled my first few hair washings for me and I can't thank her enough.
6. Ttrl neck pillow. This was amazing for when I had to sleep in a chair. I'd never found a regular neck pillow that didn't leave me stuck with a sore neck until this one. It's not your normal curved neck pillow and works so much better.
7. Wedge pillows for when you can sleep in your own bed. I got the angled wedge for behind my head/back and one for under my legs. You could just stack a bunch of pillows but as much as I move around, this was a much better choice for me. Now at 2 weeks I've eliminated using the angled wedge for my head/back at night to sleep and am just using the leg wedge. But during the day when I'm relaxing and reading or Netflixing my life away, these come in handy to turn my bed into a comfy chair.
8. Container of goodness. I kept all my meds and small items I needed to get to easily in a little storage container where I could get to at all times. It was great having all my essentials within reach. Eye masks, lotion, medicine, pens/notebook, face wipes, extra hair bands, kindle, a hand mirror, Chapstick, gauze, etc.
9. Feminine Pads. These things make great wound covers. Right around where my drain was there was some leaking - I used gauze under and pads to make sure it didn't end up all over my garment/clothes. The pads stick well to the garment so they don't move around and are as absorbent as you could possibly need.
10. Ice. It's fantastic on swollen breasts. I do about 20 minutes at a time.
11. Might seem lame but keep a garbage can where you can reach. Just makes your life easier than having to get up or ask for help every time you have to throw something away.
12. Take naps. If you're a mom, you know how rare it is that you actually get to do this anyways. I was personally exhausted the first week and still tire way easier than normal. By 4pm I'm exhausted but the hubby gets home around then and takes over so I can nap until my little heart is content (at least until dinner is ready.) I have taken more naps in the last 2 weeks than my entire adult life combined and it's been great (and I'm sure helpful for my recovery)
13. Here are some other tips I had found online that I am using but aren't as much comfort related:
* Bromelain and Arnica for swelling and bruising. I had very little bruising but of course lots of swelling. Not sure if these are helping but still taking them daily along with my multi-v.
* Water. Drink lots of water. Your body needs it. It's reduces swelling. 'Nuff said. Food. Eat healthy. Lots of protein.
* Sunshine. For me it was tough being house bound so I made sure to open up the blinds or take my little bathroom shower stool outside every now and again and just sit in the sun. Good old vitamin D is good for the soul.
* Wear you binder/garments/compression everything like your PS advises. I got lucky and my PS provided me with a garment that I actually don't find horribly uncomfortable. At about a week she added a compression band for my breasts (I wasn't using it right the first few days so it wasn't doing anything but then checked YouTube and figured out how to make the thing actually put pressure where I needed it).
* Baby wipes are awesome for wiping off (no showers/baths for the first couple days).
* Take it easy. Don't over do it. Get up and move around every now and again but don't try to go run a marathon. For the first week my moving around was getting myself to the bathroom and/or to the kitchen to get some food for myself. Every now and again I did a lap around the house just to get some steps in. I know it's hard to be useless as a mom but it doesn't last long (and how often will you ever have to just worry about taking care of yourself).
I was just cleared to start scar treatment so one of these days I'll follow up on how that's going. I am sure I am forgetting something that I wanted to share but this is what I've got right now.
1. Portable Female Urinal. I know I mentioned this already but seriously... genius. One of the hardest things you're going to have to do the first week or so is stand up and/or sit down. This takes that part out of peeing. I drink a ton of water and tried to even increase that amount after surgery so needless to say, I pee a lot. To be able to stand up to pee (and not make a mess) was a lifesaver for me. I got mine on Amazon.com for $6.30. Worth every penny.
2. Take medication on time and don't be afraid to use what the doctor gave you. Don't try to tough it out, it's more stressful on your body to be in pain and you want your body working its magic to heal. I set timers on my phone so every 4-6 hours they would go off and remind me to take what I needed. Being able to manage the pain before it became overwhelming was so helpful. For myself, it wasn't tummy pain really (see next item), it was my back from being stuck in a recliner and being hunched over. Another note - I could not open my pill bottles on my own so I had my hubby open them all and store them in my bedside container (more on that later). This wouldn't work if you have little ones running around but my kids are old enough to know not to touch mom's medicine and it made taking my meds (without having to ask for help every time) much easier.
3. Exparel. If your PS offers it, take it. I had zero pain in my stomach for at least the first 4 days and by the time it wore off, it was really just a sore feeling, no more pain. To me, it was worth the extra money.
4. Toilet seat riser. As you can see, I'm a big fan of going to the bathroom in comfort. When your body is finally ready to go #2 this thing makes it so you don't have to get alllll the way down to normal toilet height but rather adds at least an extra 3" to the toilet making it easier to sit down and get off of. This was another amazon purchase ($18).
5. Shower bench. I almost didn't get this thinking to myself, how hard can it be to wash myself off. Ha! Sooo glad I got it, especially for the first few showers (truth be told, 2 weeks later, still using this bad boy and intend on leaving it in my shower now, haha). Showering is exhausting. Undressing, washing, drying, lotion, getting dressed again. The first few showers I honestly needed a nap after. No way could I have stood through the whole thing and actually enjoyed the shower. SIDE NOTE ON SHOWERING: Have someone else to wash your hair!!! If you had any breast work done, you will not want to lift your arms up and go through the work of washing your hair. My bestie handled my first few hair washings for me and I can't thank her enough.
6. Ttrl neck pillow. This was amazing for when I had to sleep in a chair. I'd never found a regular neck pillow that didn't leave me stuck with a sore neck until this one. It's not your normal curved neck pillow and works so much better.
7. Wedge pillows for when you can sleep in your own bed. I got the angled wedge for behind my head/back and one for under my legs. You could just stack a bunch of pillows but as much as I move around, this was a much better choice for me. Now at 2 weeks I've eliminated using the angled wedge for my head/back at night to sleep and am just using the leg wedge. But during the day when I'm relaxing and reading or Netflixing my life away, these come in handy to turn my bed into a comfy chair.
8. Container of goodness. I kept all my meds and small items I needed to get to easily in a little storage container where I could get to at all times. It was great having all my essentials within reach. Eye masks, lotion, medicine, pens/notebook, face wipes, extra hair bands, kindle, a hand mirror, Chapstick, gauze, etc.
9. Feminine Pads. These things make great wound covers. Right around where my drain was there was some leaking - I used gauze under and pads to make sure it didn't end up all over my garment/clothes. The pads stick well to the garment so they don't move around and are as absorbent as you could possibly need.
10. Ice. It's fantastic on swollen breasts. I do about 20 minutes at a time.
11. Might seem lame but keep a garbage can where you can reach. Just makes your life easier than having to get up or ask for help every time you have to throw something away.
12. Take naps. If you're a mom, you know how rare it is that you actually get to do this anyways. I was personally exhausted the first week and still tire way easier than normal. By 4pm I'm exhausted but the hubby gets home around then and takes over so I can nap until my little heart is content (at least until dinner is ready.) I have taken more naps in the last 2 weeks than my entire adult life combined and it's been great (and I'm sure helpful for my recovery)
13. Here are some other tips I had found online that I am using but aren't as much comfort related:
* Bromelain and Arnica for swelling and bruising. I had very little bruising but of course lots of swelling. Not sure if these are helping but still taking them daily along with my multi-v.
* Water. Drink lots of water. Your body needs it. It's reduces swelling. 'Nuff said. Food. Eat healthy. Lots of protein.
* Sunshine. For me it was tough being house bound so I made sure to open up the blinds or take my little bathroom shower stool outside every now and again and just sit in the sun. Good old vitamin D is good for the soul.
* Wear you binder/garments/compression everything like your PS advises. I got lucky and my PS provided me with a garment that I actually don't find horribly uncomfortable. At about a week she added a compression band for my breasts (I wasn't using it right the first few days so it wasn't doing anything but then checked YouTube and figured out how to make the thing actually put pressure where I needed it).
* Baby wipes are awesome for wiping off (no showers/baths for the first couple days).
* Take it easy. Don't over do it. Get up and move around every now and again but don't try to go run a marathon. For the first week my moving around was getting myself to the bathroom and/or to the kitchen to get some food for myself. Every now and again I did a lap around the house just to get some steps in. I know it's hard to be useless as a mom but it doesn't last long (and how often will you ever have to just worry about taking care of yourself).
I was just cleared to start scar treatment so one of these days I'll follow up on how that's going. I am sure I am forgetting something that I wanted to share but this is what I've got right now.
2 Weeks Post Op
Finally hit the 2 week mark. I guess I am getting around better but still seem to get tired pretty easy. Still swollen, actually maybe even more so at this point than any other day up to today. My left breast is still pretty high and swollen (right side is less swollen and definitely not as high). At my post-op appointment 2 days ago my doctor removed the tape covering my incisions and while I know it is still super early, I can't stand what they look like. One side is way higher than the other side and there is no way that side will be able to be hidden by my underwear/bathing suit so I'm bummed about that. I'm trying to be patient while the scar works on healing but I was hoping it wouldn't look as bad as it does. Now to wait and start trying out some scar therapy and hope for the best :-)
Picture update
I'm at 10 days post op. Can't wait for my breasts to drop and fluff and swelling to go down but I know I will just have to be patient. Each day I am finding that I can walk a little more upright (although after I eat and by the end of the day I'm never as straight as I am in the morning). I am also getting my energy back, although I do still need a lot of breaks. I was originally planing on returning to work tomorrow, however I've decided to wait at least one more week.
Provider Review
So far, so good!