redwinelover's Journal, 03 November 2010

Well, here it is, two weeks already since my surgery. AND... I feel I've really turned a corner here in the recovery aspect. Still plugged up! But definitely feeling a lot better overall. In fact, I woke up this morning around 2 to pee (!) and then popped another pain pill after I laid back down and couldn't sleep for an hour (reclined...but whatever). I don't think I even dozed much from that point on. So, back to my insomnia stuff and the need to sleep very regular hours. At least as of tonight, I can start taking my Melatonin again. I've really missed that. I'm still going to hold off on that glass of wine, though. It's been 28 days now, what's a couple more? I'm going to wait at least 2 days, if only so I can say I didn't have a drop of alcohol for a month! Is that sad? :D

So I decided to just get up, move around a bit - took my clean clothes up to our closet. Then I saw the mess on our sink! My son has been drying his hair and styling it in our bathroom since I've been down and have overtaken the downstairs bath. Which would be fine... except he hasn't cleaned any of the hair off the double sink vanity thing for the entire time! It was gross... so I cleaned that off as best I could without really scrubbing. I sure hope I get a LOT of strength and energy over the next couple of weeks. It'll probably take a few DAYS of serious cleaning to get this house back to order. We're having family from both sides come out for Thanksgiving and really need to get it cleaned before that. I'd wanted to clean the house really well before my surgery, but again, feeling like I might be getting sick just before, I took it really easy.

Yep, a definite corner turned here! I'm so relieved. So now I'm going to recount some stuff about the surgery and recovery...mostly for my own benefit, but again, if someone is considering having this surgery done, it may help?

The night before surgery, I was a little nervous, but mostly excited. And worried that my lack of nervousness THEN would have me freaking out in the morning. Had to arrive at the surgical center at 6:00am. I did actually sleep a few hours that night. The doctor is very much the perfectionist and control freak - good in a plastic surgeon! So instructions were to shower both the night before AND the morning of surgery, and of course, no lotions, creams, make up, hair products, deodorant, etc. Being as vain as I am, I DID sneak a bit of hair product in my hair just so I could straighten it without burning it. Stupid and silly, I know. But hell - no make up? Had to at least have some decent hair! lol... Arrived at the appointed time... checked into the center and suddenly a bit nervous. I have a nervous stomach...so anyone that does, knows what came next! Then I was fine and the nurse there was really nice, really upbeat and down-to-earth and really put us as ease. My husband is (as the doctor later pointed out to me) VERY
low key. He was sitting there looking at stock quotes on his phone! Then it was change and prep time... always fun. So now you're in a brightly lit (florescent! ugh!) small room - no make up, dried up skin- naked except for a flimsy gown and waiting. Again, the nurse was great, though and she kept assuring me when it was all over and I was transferred to the recovery center, I would feel some "discomfort", but would not be in pain. That surprised me - I was totally expecting pain. I think the anesthesiologist came in next and was SO comforting and really assured me and took away all my fears of being "under". This was to be an 8 1/2 hr. set of surgeries and that's a long time to be under. So I told him of a couple previous anesthesia experiences, warned him of my very low resting heart rate and he answered every question and was just perfect. And he had been doing this for 39 years and also claimed that of all the surgeons he's worked with over all those years, Dr. Cohen was his favorite as he was SUCH a perfectionist. Then he left and said the doctor would be in shortly for the marking you up for surgery. I told my husband to go on to work then - no point in him being there for that part. For whatever reasons, I find that and the pictures taken a few weeks previous to be the most humiliating part of it. So my husband kissed me goodbye and in walked Dr. Cohen. He asked where my husband was and I told him I'd sent him away! :D So I stand up and he takes out his Sharpies (YES, actual Sharpies) and starts drawing all over my body. Weird kind of surreal thing- seen it done on TV and here it was ... happening to ME. I laughed and said I was surprised to see Sharpies and he said most people are surprised by that. The nurse was sweet enough to hold my gown together as much as possible for me in the back, and then in front when I turned. And Dr. Cohen was suddenly VERY human... Not that he's dropped his professional demeanor - more that he allowed his personality to come into play for a bit. Really kind of nice and comforting in it's own way. But AGAIN as he's marking my body, he comments about the "poor skin tone", the "lack of elasticity" in my skin... the "irregularities" in my thighs... Finally I commented, "Gee... I would guess ALL plastic surgeons are just BRUTALLY honest?!" and he laughed. Then he said, Well...yeah, we probably ARE. But we don't tell you everything wrong and then just leave you that way... we do what we can to FIX them. So we all sort of chuckled and it really helped put me at ease. Then HE left again and in walked the anesthesiologist again. He said it was time to put in the IV and then he'd give me something to relax me. We were talking and laughing and I mentioned this was SO not how I pictured the morning in my head! I thought I'd be a bundle of nerves right then. He put the IV in and I barely felt a thing ... even numbed the area first with a little local and I was amazed. Then I said, Oh, I think I'm feeling that already... and that's all I remember from there. I THINK there was a bit more conversation, but can't be sure. I think the nurse assured me again how well things would go and that I would be very comfortable in recovery when I woke up and my husband and daughter would be there and then I'd be transferred to the center.

Tomorrow I'll write what I recall from that point on...

---

1143 kcal

Fat: 32.46g | Prot: 59.80g | Carb: 160.18g.   Breakfast: organic flax pumpkin granola, greek style yogurt, Sugar Free French Vanilla Coffee Creamer, English Walnuts, Almonds. Lunch: Toasted Sesame Rice Crackers, antipasto, Fiber Plus Antioxidants Chewy Bars - Chocolatey Peanut Butter, Grapes (Red or Green, European Type Varieties Such As Thompson Seedless). Dinner: SFWY SLOPPY JOE SAUCE, Baby Reds Roasted Garlic & Parmesan Mashed Potatoes, Multi-Grain Sandwich Thins, Ground Beef (90% Lean / 10% Fat, Patty, Cooked, Pan-Broiled). more...