Tips for getting through plastics?

[jess9395 5,448]

I am a planner. All the what to bring lists/posts and "trip reports" helped me so much through my WLS.

I have plastics scheduled for June 11th--abdominoplasty, mastopexy w/augmentation and brachioplasty (tummy, boobs and arms).

What helped you all get through it? What should I do or have ready before I go? What helped you?

I'm not traveling far--about a 90 minute drive so I will do two nights at a hotel, but other than that its outpatient.

Thanks everyone for sharing your tips!

[AvaFern 3,516]

I am also a planner and I read a lot of advice on this site. My first two surgeries which includes all of the procedures you are having plus a thigh lift were cake. My last surgery has been a complete and total B, which is what I get for saying, "ohhh plastics are easy", figures, lol. So..the most important advice to remember is that you will heal. You may feel miserable, you may not, you may be in a lot of pain, you may not, you may be nauseous, frustrated, and have to deal with consequences, and you may not, but above all else you just have to remember...time was going to pass no matter what, at least you're spending it healing toward having a fab new figure.

In terms of practical advice, have everything at around waist to chest height. With the abdominoplasty you can't reach over your head and with the brachioplasty you don't really want to move your arms a whole lot at all, so minimal movement to get to everything is nice. The best thing I did for all of my surgeries was to put a press on nightlight on my nightstand. The first few nights, or even weeks, you wake up a little disoriented, in pain, and of course you have to go to the bathroom or find something. You just flop your arm over, smack on that light, and things are much less annoying. For all of my surgeries I also slept on what is kind of like a puppy pad for adults. It is designed for people who are incontinent, but it does a fantastic job of not destroying your sheets or your couch in case you happen to bust a leak or spill a drain while you are sleeping. You can wash them, they dry quickly, and I have been eternally happy that I bought them especially for my last surgery when I managed to bleed all over everything on a daily basis for awhile.

I assume someone is driving you? If it is only 90 minutes, maybe reconsider the hotel or even just the hotel on the second night purely because your own home can be fully set-up for your recovery and you don't have to worry about whether or not someone cleaned well. You are so totally blitzed after they move you out of recovery and into your car that a 90 minute drive is not painful and you probably won't remember it. In your house everything can be somewhat close to sterilized, you will have your own bed and bathroom, and you can have all of your gauze, compression, wraps, pillows, and everything set up exactly how you will need it without having to worry about having to do the same thing in a hotel.

Past that, you will LOVE your results, I'm sure. Plastics are the bees' knees.

[jess9395 5,448]

Thank you!!!!! I hope things start getting better for you on your third surgery soon!

Love the nightstand light idea! And the pad, never even would have occurred to me. That's why I love hearing been there/done that stories! And thanks for the help with the mental game of it too!

I am not driving myself, DH is thank goodness, but I am supposed to have a follow up post op the day after so they STRONGLY recommend staying over in town that night. We have a small boutique almost B&B booked so hopefully it will be okay. I can't imagine I will even notice after 8 hours in surgery. We are coming into town the night before and thus the two nights so I can get used to the hotel and DH can have somewhere to be during the surgery other than the surgery center or wandering around. Your reasoning makes a lot of sense though!