Checking in, one week post-TT

I had my abdominoplasty one week ago today and I thought I'd come and report in on how things are going.  Short answer:  Things are going fantastically well and I am so happy I did this!

I had my surgery in an outpatient surgery center last Friday and felt very well-taken-care-of.  Arrived at 11:00 for the 12:30 scheduled surgery and everything proceeded super smoothly.  The nurses were friendly and helpful and after they took my vitals and got me into the hospital gown, my friend was allowed to come and wait with me until it was time to go.  The anesthesiologist came in before the surgeon did, introduced himself, told me exactly what he was going to do, and was just generally adorable and charming.  Then my surgeon came in and marked me up with a Sharpie so he would know where to cut.  I pointed out a few areas I was particularly concerned about and he promised to make them look great.

Surgery time was just over 3 hours and next thing I knew I was awake and finished.  I talked to the surgeon afterwards but honestly don't remember much of that conversation because I was still flying pretty high from the drugs.  LOL  A couple of hours later (it seemed like just a few minutes) the driver and nurse from the aftercare facility came and picked me up.

I spent two nights at Beverly Hills Surgical Aftercare and can't recommend them highly enough.  Because it was a holiday weekend I had the whole place to myself, and they upgraded me to their biggest, nicest room that had a second queen-size bed for my friend to sleep in.  The nurses were just great and it was nice to feel like I was in capable hands and didn't have to think about things like when to take my pills or empty my drains.

My friend brought me home Sunday afternoon and stayed with me for a couple of nights.  I was very glad she was there because I was very weak and just standing up and walking around my apartment wore me out!  I would definitely have had a hard time getting my own meals for the first day or two at home.

Speaking of meals, my appetite has been pretty much nonexistent since the surgery.  I'm actually pretty happy about that because my weight on the scale is down a few pounds, even though my surgeon told me to expect it to go up because of fluid retention.  But I'm trying to eat enough to keep my strength up and help me heal!

Even though I was cleared to take a shower on Sunday, I held off until Tuesday, by which time I was feeling a lot more steady on my feet.  I did put a small stool in the shower to sit on which I washed my hair, which was helpful.

Saw the surgeon yesterday (Thursday), and although he's super happy with how up and around I am (standing up straight, walking well), he left my drains in for another week because there's still fairly significant drainage.  That's really fine with me because I'm not finding the drains to be much of a hassle.  He did say I can come in earlier if the drainage tapers way off before my appointment.

I was taking one Vicodin every 3-4 hours for the first few days but have been off that and just taking Advil as needed for the past several days.  The pain hasn't been as bad as I'd expected.

Results?  Everything looks great!  My tummy is totally flat, my lady parts look brand new, and even my inner thighs are a tiny bit tighter than they were before.  My belly button is a bit off-center but the doc says that should resolve once all the swelling goes down.  All in all I am super happy I did this!!

Thanks for hanging in there if you're still reading.  I hope this is helpful to somebody.  Feel free to ask any questions!

Glad to hear all went smoothly.  I am scheduled for a TT in a week, so I like hearing about no complications lol

 

So glad it's been going well for you!  I'm very excited looking forward to my surgery in December.  I hope my recovery goes as well. :)

You sound in great spirits!!! So glad to hear all went well. Imagine, in a few months you will have the tummy of a 20-year old!

How awesome for you?? Can I ask did you go home with a Q pain pump? My surgery is 19 Nov.

Yes, I did have the pain pump and it must have done the job because I didn't have any pain in the first few days that a Vicodin couldn't easily handle.  I was concerned I'd have more pain once the pain pump came out, but that wasn't the case at all.  And I was off the Vicodin in less than a week.

I don't know what you mean by "period surgery," but I will say this was the most painful surgery I've had, including a c-section, facelift, and VSG.  That said, it wasn't anything I couldn't handle.  I was pretty worried about the pain and the recovery but it hasn't been nearly as bad as I was expecting.

Congrats on your experience and results.  It is scary to take the leap, and good to hear about the good and the bad.  Can't wait to see pix:)