The Surgery and The Day After

It's the day after surgery, and I just got home from the hospital a couple of hours ago. The surgery went very well. First and foremost, I must say that Dr. Vann, the surgery coordinator, the pre-op nurse, the OR nurse, the CRNA, the nurse who got me ready for surgery, and my two overnight nurses we all amazing. They were kind, compasionate, thorough, and did an excellent job making sure my experience was as relaxed and stress-free as possible.

At this point, I am going to go step-by-step an explained what happened before, during, and after surgery. The purpose of doing this is to help anyone who has been considering a tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) understand exactly what to expect.

The day before surgery, I was on a liquid diet. I was only allowed broth-type soups, jello, water, gingerale, or Sprite. After midnight I wasn't allowed to have anything to eat or drink. I arrived at the surgery center at 9 AM. Once arriving, they took me back and I was changed into a hospital gown, compression socks (to help prevent bloodclots), and a surgical hair cover and booties. "Before" photos were taken of my front and side view, and then Dr. Vann came in a made his surgical markings on my stomach and sides. The prep nurse got my IV started, and then the OR nurse came out to give me my first round of antibiotics and a little something to relax me. After this was complete, my husband was allowed to come back and sit with me while waiting on the surgery to start. At 10 AM, I was taken into the operating room. I was stripped down and scrubbed from my neck to the top of my knees to make sure all areas that would be exposed during surgery were sterile. Afterwards, I got onto the operating table. The CRNA explained that she was about to administer the anesthesia. The last thing I remember is her telling me to drift away to the beach and enjoy a Mai Tai. :)

Before Surgery

I woke up a little groggy from the anesthesia, but the pain wasn't as bad as I expected. I actually was able to walk to the recovery room with the help of a nurse. The surgery lasted about 3 hours. It took about 2 hours for the tummy tuck, 30 minutes for the liposuction of my love handles, and another 30 to get me cleaned up and into my compression garment. Once in recovery, the nurses made me very comfortable, and I slept off and on the rest of the day. My husband was allowed to stay with me until 6:30 PM, but then he had to go home for the night.

                                                                        In Recovery

While staying in the recovery suite, I had to get up and walk down the hall every two hours. Even though the walking portion of recovery can be painful, it is very important. If you don't walk every couple of hours, you get very stiff and the pain is even worse. One of the first things my husband asked was, "How is she going to use the restroom?" During my hospital stay, I had a catheter inserted, so that I could rest comfortably and not have to get up to use the restroom. Also, after surgery, you will have two drains--one from each side. The drains help the fluid build up come off which is crucial to keep down swelling and help with the healing process.

I didn't experience any unbearable pain until around 3:30 AM. I woke up with my whole abdomen sore and in pain. I called the nurse and she gave me some pain medicine and muscle relaxers. After giving me something for pain, the nurses let me rest while the pain eased off. At 4:30 AM, the nurses came back to prep me to go home. The removed my catheter and IV, but kept my drains in.  When my husband arrived at 5:15 to pick me up, they showed him how to flush out my drains and measure the fluid. They also showed him how to give me a shot once per day to keep my blood thinned to prevent clots.

We arrived home around 5:45 AM. All of the moving around and the drive home caused my pain to come back quickly. I took a muscle relaxer and slept from 6:15 until 10:30. When I woke up at 10:30,  I was able to eat some soup and crackers, which made me feel a lot better.  I've noticed my pain has been getting worse, but I am able to tolerate it well. At this point, walking is the hardest part. When walking you have to stay slumped over. It's impossible to even attempt to stand up straight after this procedure.  I've also found that at this point urinating in a bed pan is much easier than actually using to toilet. Just getting up to walk down the hallway is exhausting. By the time I get back to the recliner, I am short of breath and exhausted.

The nurses told me to expect the third day to be worst pain wise. We're on day two now, so I will keep you update on how I feel tomorrow. So far, I'm hanging in there and keeping my pain undercontrol.

Oh by the way, I was able to see my tummy when the nurses took of my compression panel to put fresh gauze underneath this morning. Even though it was bruised and a bit swollen, I still teared up. I never thought I would have a flat stomach again. It was an amazing feeling to see my stomach that flat!