Living my best life!

Today my pain pumps dried up and I was able to remove them, so no more fanny packs! Three of the tubes came out with no issue, but one on my breast was a little stubborn. Fortunately, I was more stubborn and adamant about getting it out of me.
Lovenox injections are getting more tolerable and pain pills are doing their job. My stitches aren’t hurting as much but some of them feel itchy. I’m feeling much better each day and spending more time upright, but I still get exhausted and am snoozing throughout the day.

I thought I’d share a picture of my gear. You can’t see the binder under my tank top. The tank top beneath the sleeves and bra help to keep straps from digging into me and prevent chafing. It’s a lot and super tight right now due to the swelling, but it also helps to restrict my movement so that I’m not bending or twisting my abdomen. I don’t mind the binder so much, but the bra is the worst. I can’t wait until I can get away from these and just wear Spanx.

Other than that, my stitches are still painful but I’m much less groggy today. I keep telling myself that the worst part of recovery is over and it should only get better from here.

I had my first post-op visit this morning and finally got to see what’s under the binder, sleeves and bra. The incisions are the most painful part, but the stitching is very clean and tight and I hope I won’t have to worry about any of them popping open. Dr. Sigal found some muscle separation in my abdomen so he stitched that back together and between that and the lipo I actually have a waistline now where before I was box shaped.

Speaking of lipo, Dr. Sigal hooked me up. In addition to my flanks, he got part of my lower back and armpits. The biggest surprise was the Buffalo hump that I had on my upper back. I had no idea that was a fatty deposit and thought that it was an unnatural curve in my spine. In fact, I was planning to start seeing a chiropractor to have my back straightened out. Dr. Sigal said that he saw it and went ahead and removed it because it’s only going to get bigger as I age. I am so, so grateful for that and now I’m going to go see my PCP and try to figure out if there’s a condition associated with that (Cushing’s??).

At the post-op appointment my dressings were also changed and I had my first injection of Lovenox which was not a pleasant experience. My wife will have to administer the next six injections over the next six days and I don’t know if I feel sorrier for her or for me. I had some lightheadedness after the injection, but I think that was me and not necessarily the medication. My injection spot bruised right away, but that was expected because I bruise very easily.

Today I definitely feel like I’ve been hit by a truck as the anesthesia has worn off. The stitches hurt when I move around and the bindings are tight, but my belly and breast are numb from the pain pumps I’m sure. No drains and the blood is pooling at my vagina, which is normal.