Tummy tuck, breast lift, lipo 360, chin lipo

I had my post op Tuesday and my Doctor removed my drain, hooray! Got to take a quick pic of my results so far and I am happy, even with the swelling. I did a side by side of Day 2 vs Day 8. I'm feeling a little better each day but still very sore, as expected. Still taking percocet for pain but I got the ok to start Ibuprofen so I'll be backing off on the percocet this week. So far the pain has been tolerable with medication from the beginning. The worst part was the swelling on days 4/5. Dr also removed the stitches from my chin and belly button. I was finally able to shower last night. I was really looking forward to it but it was so much work. I got a shower chair off Amazon which I highly recommend. There's no way I would've lasted standing for a shower. My back cramps up so bad after standing for more than 3-4 minutes. I am standing up a little straighter each day but I'm still hunched over and my back pays the price. Back to the shower.....just taking the pressure garments off, trying to shampoo my hair without raising my arms above my head, drying off, getting back in the to the compression garment...exhausting, lol. I do have more energy this week but I still can't do much. So far the things that I highly recommend for this journey are #1 exparel for pain during tummy tuck, worth the extra $$. #2 lift recliner to get up on your own, couldn't live without it. I rented mine from a local medical supply store for $166/month. #3 Shower chair $27 on Amazon #4 Lots of pillows to get comfortable. Even sleeping in a recliner I use many. That's it for today.

So Day 5 was by far the worst so far. The swelling in the afternoon/evening was terrible. I ended up tearful a few times between the pain, swelling, fatigue and inability to do almost anything for myself. You learn who your real friends are when you're this needy. I'm so grateful to have the family and friends I have around that are here for me when I need them. I had a laprascopic hysterectomy just four weeks before this surgery. No comparison. Yes there was some discomfort but I could pretty much do everything for myself. I was up and around the next day. There's been a huge decrease in swelling since I cut salt out of my diet. Drinking more water has helped too and it gets me up and around which is good for me too. My Mom helped me wash my hair in the sink today which took every ounce of my energy. I could barely stand over the sink to do this. I felt so much better after.

Swell hell is no joke. The mornings were fine but I started to swell in the afternoons and was miserable by the evening. I felt like I was going to explode out of my compression garments. Even my feet swelled. I decided to cut salt, drink more water and walk more and it helped.