Simultaneous TT and BR, 56 Yr Old Mom of 2, 38 DD/DDD - Reno, NV

Well, don't know if anyone is reading this, but i have a couple of new goodies: First, if after your two week surgery anniversary, you have swelling and a weird swooshy feeling when you ambulate (in the pubis area) -- call the Dr.'s office and arrange for Aspiration. They removed 110 cc's of serum yesterday and it felt glorious afterward. Appt for another one is next week.
Second, get TJ brand or Spanx brand body suit with hooks in the crotch area for total abdominal support. I got one with straps and no bra to avoid any rolling of the fabric. The TJ brand at Dillards has silicone edging to its fabric so that the skin is protected from irritation from fabric .
Funny note, I went to Kohl's to purchase the spanx and I asked for a salesperson to aid me in finding the product. The upfront cashier called for help, it arrived. But the young lady dropped us off and said to us good luck as she took off before she did any help. The department was so disorganized my husband and i gave up and left the store, going to Dillards. The one lingerie employee there was incredibly helpful, and the dressing rooms have a call button so you can call for help when you need a fitting or different size. World of difference at Dillards -- higher price point than Kohls, but you deserve it!!! Go somewhere where they know their brands and what the brand can do for you!

Monday 24th, operation. 5 hours under anesthesiology. Lost 510 (grams, cc's) in one breast and 570 in the other. TT was extensive with flank lipo; upper arm lipo accompanies the BR. Renown S Meadow Hospital in S. Reno was amazing -- great teamwork with Dr. Dahan. Recommend tubing to those who have this much taken away from body cavities, as they will fill and they need to drain; tubes really help the pain. I did barf upon being fed saltines and orange juice. The instant my stomach got OJ, it was all she wrote, so don't drink anything after surgery unless it is tea or water!
I could tell, post op, immediately that Dr. Dahan understood what i wanted and he followed through brilliantly! Boobs are the easy part of this mommy makeover. Know it, and get through it the first two weeks! You will be in a haze for the first week, thankfully and then the second you will deal with the odd feeling of healing - pain, itching, constantly going pee and drinking healthy fluids. All magazines and books were set aside because my eyes couldn't focus on anything close up anyhow -- the surgery changes your whole bodies' modus operandi due to the trauma of surgery and the anesthesiology etc to wear off.
First, my grown kids actually took excellent care of my wounds and my needs for meds, walking, eating, and maintaining a clean home. God bless them. Second, please get toilet seat augment device that you put over your toilet -- you will need this and be thankful the first 4 or so days post op. Second, have a walker with a seat to use the first week. Also, laxatives were more important to me than just about anything -- for me, miralax is too gentle -- first night post op, please use 3 little bis-coidyl tablets along with having at least one serving of mil of magnesia during the day hours. I cannot tell you what a struggle my first bowel movement was without invoking images of Discovery Channel mixed with Scream 4 audio! Of course i exaggerate, but you do not want constipation with the TT. Not. No. Nyet. You do not want to have to push.
Also, recommend stocking up on these foods: Greek yoghurt, almonds, dried berries, Smart Water constant and cold, hot ginger tea made with fresh ginger that is boiled into tea for 15 minutes, along with camomille in the evening. Avoid salty at all costs -- immediate swelling will occur. Just keep electrolytes balanced and eat fresh carrots, apples, grapes. Also!!! Sugar free tart fruit flavored popsicles. The best! Sally, nurse at Dr. Dahan's office, recommended reading Wheat Belly diet before surgery and boy is that a smart way to recover from this, thank you Nurse Sally!!!
Bra -- this was a real issue. I was a 40 DDD. What the heck kind of holster do I get for the healing days? If you go into surgery a 40, you will come out a 40 -- so I discovered that a non-cup, front zip type of yoga bra that is made of non-cotton, wicking type of material.
Surgical Tape Allergy -- wow, did I not know I was allergic until this operation. Hives everywhere the tape was. If this is a concern, i can tell you that itching will be worse than any pain you have, so have benedryl cream/gel on board, nearby and take benedryl. I took 6 benedryl on a bad day, and it really helped me to deal. And it didn't make me sleepy due to all the histamines at the tape regions of my skin and the healing sights where cutting was done because all of the anti-histamine in Benedryl went to those sites and helped! Amazing. Also, a reaction of Percocet is itchiness, and i think it played into the over all discomfort. I am sensitive to drugs. I only mediated with Tylenol for pain from then on...sad clown.
Emotional etc. We moms, we are tough! We got coping skills for this. But what is hard is asking for help when we need it. Ask. You need it. Be as non-judgmental about your breasts and tummy as possible these first two weeks; everything is swollen. Also, after two weeks I felt very wakeful mentally and did not sleep well at night. And napping is not needed any long.
One more really helpful things -- I am a hiker and love to day hike so I have a lot of CamelBak equipment on hand. If you can have one of these pouches and keep it filled with cold Smart Waters, right next to the bed, where you are perched, it was a God Send! Anytime in my sleep, I'd just pull the tubing over and bite down the the mouthpiece for an instant relief to Cotton Mouth.