3 Months Post Up- Back to Normal - Palm Beach Gardens, FL

It's been over 12 weeks now since my surgery. I finally feel fully like myself. I've felt this way since about week 8. My doctor told me I could get back to my normal workout routine in when I saw him in week 9, but it wasn't until the day after Christmas I got to a Pilates class and today I had my first training session with by personal trainer and I did some cardio on the elliptical. I didn't have any pain, I just felt a little out of shape since it had been a long time since I worked out.

I'll see my PS in March and I'll get my dog ears/love handles fixed. I think he told me he wanted to make sure it had healed and that the swelling had gone down. I think he is going to use local anesthesia to bring the scar father around to tuck in the extra skin on my sides. Right now, it sticks out depending on what I am wearing.

The first 4-5 weeks were pretty rough. I got a rash that lasted about 2 weeks and was so itchy right on the incision that occurred about 3 and 1/2 weeks after surgery. I had to see a dermatologist to get Clobetasol cream for it to go away. I think it may have been caused by Vitamin E.

Overall I'm very pleased by how the scar is healing and how I feel now. Once I get my sides fixed, I think I will be thrilled with the results.

Yesterday was pretty bad. I was concerned because both of my drains were both clogged from the night before. I emailed my DR and told him that the blockage was in the bulbs and that stripping wasn't working since it was at the point where the tubes enter the bulb on both of the drains. I was concerned that the fluid would build up in me. He emailed me back and told me that it was okay and it would eventually work itself out and I just needed to keep the bulbs compressed.

I hadn't taken a shower since Friday, so I tried to take a shower. I took off the binder and my bandages and made sure I pinned up my drains. When I was about to get into the shower and I felt like I was going to throw up and I started to sweat. I put on new gauze and put my binder back on. Once I got back in bed. I emailed my PS again. I told him that I felt that my pain level wasn't getting better and I wasn't sure if my reaction to the shower was usual. He told me that it was normal to feel like that after removing the binder and that everyone has different levels of pain.

Last night I took Ambien, which my PS prescribed at my request after I didn't sleep the first two nights. I had strange dreams, but I felt well rested this morning. Once I tried to get out of bed, it was much easier than the last two days to get myself upright and my legs over the side. Both of my drains had become unclogged overnight, so I was very relieved. After breakfast I had my first BM since Friday. I was thinking that I might have to drink some more prune juice if it didn't happen, but I haven't eaten much.

Since yesterday morning, I'd been only wearing a long shirt with no underwear since the drain had been bothering me. I had to get dressed to go to my PS's office and thankfully my clothes didn't bother me too much.

I went to my appointment where I met with his assistant. She removed my empty pain pump, which didn't hurt at all to my relief. I showed her how one of my drains' stitches was pulling and causing me pain. Since I had it taped over the last two days, it was a little farther out than before. She told me that I would have to stick with it until Thursday since a new stitch could introduce more problems and I had too much drainage to remove it this early. She had me curl the tube and tape it to my thigh and then put gauze over the the stitch and entry point.

She told me that I needed to clean my belly button with hydrogen peroxide since there was dried blood in it after I showered. I told her I only had a few more pain pills and I wasn't ready to switch to OTC. She said she would call my prescription in to the pharmacy.

When I got home I waited a couple hours before attempting to shower. Once I took the binder off and the gauze, I felt fine. When I got in the shower, I dropped the soap on the floor. I stood there wondering if I should just get out and get my mom to pick it up. I eventually used my foot to kick the soap up to the ledge and used the door handle for support and bent my knees to get down to pick it up. Then I used a washcloth to hold the soap in one hand so I wouldn't drop it.

I figure I feel about the same until Thursday, when I can get the drains removed, unless the stitch comes out. I'll be okay if I feel like this until Thursday.

2 days post op, I'm writing this the day after, but this is all about Friday, 10/14.
Today was much easier than yesterday, although I barely got out of bed in time for my 11:30am follow-up appointment because I didn’t sleep well. I clutched a pillow on the 10-minute drive to my PS's office. Once there I explained to the assistant that I seemed to wake up every once my pain medicine wore off and it felt like I never slept more than a couple of hours at a time. She told me that she would ask the PS if I could get sleeping pills and would call me if I needed to pick up the prescription at the pharmacy.
She took off my bandages and it was the first time I saw myself since the surgery (while standing up and not on a pain pump and at 7am in my hospital bed). I had adjusted my binder the night before and I was concerned my scar was really high, since the underwear I was wearing was much lower than the gauze (which was about 4 inches high). The scar was at the bottom of the gauze so I was very relieved that it looks like it will fit under a mid-rise bikini bottom. That is fine because I still have some stretch marks on my flanks where skin wasn't removed.
The assistant showed me how to change the gauze since only my PS had done it the day before and I was only emptying my drains. She also told me I could take a shower just using my hand and bar soap, no washcloth. When I got home, the office called and said the PS called in Ambien to my pharmacy. My mom got it for me along with some prune juice, since I had not had a BM since the day before surgery and the assistant told me that I had to have a BM by today (Saturday) afternoon.
She recommended the prune juice. I'd been taking Colace, but I had a liquid diet for the day before surgery, the day of surgery, and the morning after surgery.
I weighed 144 on Friday morning and I weighed 135 on Sunday morning. I am sure the 9 pound weight gain was mostly swelling and partly because I had not had a BM. I weighed myself right before I took a shower today. It took a lot of energy out of me, so I will take my next one on Sunday.
I was quite nervous without the binder on. I was worried I would grab for something and not realize my limits. I have a shower chair, but I was nervous to sit on it without my binder. I took a very fast shower because I was worried that I might drop something. I tied a workout stretch band around my shoulders and put it on so that the drains were attached to the hand holders and they hung on my back and did not touch my stomach. I also have a Marcaine pain pump that is attached with an accufuser. Since it has a fanny pack with it, I loosened it, put it over my breasts and under my arms, and turned it so it was on my back. I washed my hair, but it was hard for me to get my arms up. I had a little difficulty since my right arm was a little sore; the bicep was tight. I think it was from having the IV hooked up to it. It may also be from using my right arm to help me get out of bed at the hospital and at home. I have been pulling myself using my arms when I need to and I’ve been using the right side of the bed. I’m thinking it will be at least a week before I can shave my legs.
I had also had an Ensure shake for breakfast so I was worried about what would happen. I had the prune juice before my dinner of Caesar salad and linguine Bolognese. About 20 minutes after dinner I was running (shuffling) to the bathroom; I’ve realized that I need to go at the first sign and did not delay since it takes me several minutes to get there. I had one BM, followed by two more 10 minutes and 1 hour later, subsequently. Not to sound gross, but it was a relief and it felt good, despite the awful taste of the prune juice. Note- Drink it with a straw if you must.