Had my surgery on Friday! Feeling pretty good but I am still relying on the drugs! I had an Exparel shot that supposedly lasts 3 days so that should be wearing off and then I will just have the hydrocodon they gave me to take by mouth. I have my first follow up appointment on Tuesday so that will be the first time I get a chance to see anything. I was able to see that my backside is much tighter, no sag!

Quick Thoughts:

1- Drains. Kind of a pain but not as bad as I thought they would be. That doesn't mean I don't want them gone now but they are tolerable

2- Pain. I think it is way to early to say considering the meds

3- Mobility- Toughest part is getting in an out of bed

4- Results- Can't say yet

5- Nausea- I am fortunate, I have had non

6- Eating- Not very hungry but I am just doing Protein shakes and yogurt

7- Restroom- Dreading having to sit for the first time, that is going to be painful

8- Would I do it again?? NO QUESTION!!! Absolutely!!!!!!

QUICK UPDATE:

10 Days post op and doing well, I had one of the four drains removed today. Not really that big of a deal but it was clearly towards the rear because the tube was REALLY long. Did not hurt at all, just a very weird sensation. One of the many I have been feeling lately.

BigHappy, I hope you read this because I owe you an apology! I kinda snickered at your idea that your "junk" could swell after the procedure well on Saturday night it happened to me!!! I was VERY freaked out but by the time I woke up on Sunday morning it "all" was back to normal. During my procedure they did make a cut straight down toward my genitals to remove the excess skin in that area and the Dr. said that leaking into or swelling is absolutely normal……."normal" ??? Not when you were not expecting it. I jokingly said, might be a good idea to give people a heads up on that one!! LOL

Still have 4 drains so being 1 down does not feel like a victory at all. I can tell I feel very good! Everyday I get more range of motion and less pain. No longer taking pain meds just Motrin if I feel a little ache

TO BE CONTINUED!

That's great to hear. Yes the drains feel very strange coming out. My wife took one of mine out here at home.

So Butterthebean and I were emailing earlier today and I was telling him how I felt like a caged animal and really want to get back to my "normal" routine…..and because I have been feeling so good I have started to do a little more. Well…..I paid for it this afternoon. After I got home from running a few errands which included getting in and out of my car probably one too many times I went upstairs to clean up a bit and looked at my legs. Well now I know why they were a little sore……THEY WERE SWOLLEN ABOUT 3 TIMES THEIR NORMAL SIZE.

Lesson learned……11 days post op is too early to try and get back to "normal"

I called my surgeons office and was told to get in bed an elevate my feet. Still swollen but hopefully by morning they will be back down again.

Patience is something I clearly don't have!!! :-)

Ouch!!!! Yes the swelling will definitely be your indicator. Easy does it. And know that you will likely over do it again if you forget this lesson.

UPDATE:

Another drain GONE!! 2 down….2 to go!!

I'm on day 17 from a full tummy tuck, and just got my last drain out today! Yeah! Re showers, my doc was the same- shower every day after my first appointment. He suggested the lanyard as well. It worked really well. I would even hang it on the door hook, knob, or wherever, to make drying off easier. He told me no serious walking till 4 weeks, and no walking that would make me sweat (just so I'd know how much to push it). Absolutely nothing that would stress abs! I bet he would include upper body and arms in that. Walking only till 8 weeks! I'm only taking any pain meds at night, I'm a 'rotisserie' type sleeper, rolling over all night, so sleeping on my back with a pillow under my knees isn't easy. I'm still in the binder from the hospital but he said if things keep going well I can switch out to a spanx type product till 3 months out. Hope things keep going well for you! We all have a great 2014 to look forward to!

no different than the sleeve procedure, its amazing how many different instructions we get from our surgeons. i have been told under no terms am i to shower till the drains are out. i was at my surgeons office yesterday to have another one out and i asked about the lanyard that a few folks have mentioned and they simply said…..NO

merry xmas to you all…..i have no shot at getting another drain out prior to next week. i am just going to try and rest and let the swelling go down (hopefully) over the next few days before we get busy as a family surrounding christmas. good luck right???

Yeah I used a lanyard too. I was showering after 1 week. Gawd it felt so good. I wore a lanyard around my neck and hooked the drains to that in the shower.

Had my surgery on Friday! Feeling pretty good but I am still relying on the drugs! I had an Exparel shot that supposedly lasts 3 days so that should be wearing off and then I will just have the hydrocodon they gave me to take by mouth. I have my first follow up appointment on Tuesday so that will be the first time I get a chance to see anything. I was able to see that my backside is much tighter, no sag!

Quick Thoughts:

1- Drains. Kind of a pain but not as bad as I thought they would be. That doesn't mean I don't want them gone now but they are tolerable

2- Pain. I think it is way to early to say considering the meds

3- Mobility- Toughest part is getting in an out of bed

4- Results- Can't say yet

5- Nausea- I am fortunate, I have had non

6- Eating- Not very hungry but I am just doing Protein shakes and yogurt

7- Restroom- Dreading having to sit for the first time, that is going to be painful

8- Would I do it again?? NO QUESTION!!! Absolutely!!!!!!

So how did you use the bathroom before?

Not exactly sure how to respond to that question but my mindset at the time of that post was…..

I was just sliced and put back together at my midsection and could barely get in and out of bed and consider I pee standing up I was deathly scared of having to "sit" down when nature eventually called. So to answer your post on a very basic level….I "used" the bathroom both sitting and standing, before and still.

UH OH!!!! Drain Alert

So there I am minding my own business emptying my drain at is normal 12:30pm time slot and I notice the bulb will not hold its seal. After I squeeze the air from it, immediately it re-inflates. I assume that there is a crack or slice in it and I look everywhere, submerge it in Water and I can find nothing. No idea why, I look down at where it enters my body and I notice the stitch holding it in is a good 6 inches away from my body. IT IS NO LONGER ATTACHED!! With mild panic I slowly (and painfully) slide it back into place and tape the tube to my leg. Squeeze the bulb and bingo, it holds the suction. I call and talk to my nurse and find out the following:

1: Happens all of the time

2: If it falls out again she said just to pull it out

3: I am not a doctor but I think I could play one on TV

My only concern is if it comes out again this drain has averaged 30 cc per clean out 3x per day so I am way over the amount that they would just take it out. The nurse said that if it does come out and I swell they will reinsert it…..that sounds like it will hurt.

And the drama continues.

Ouch. Yes they told me that happens all the time. Apparently I'm the only one who ever had a cat bite a hole in it, rendering it useless.

I thought you were gonna try to top that with a story a about a king cobra or something.

Drain Update:

Butter, I was going to try an come up with a rogue elf that damaged my drain like your cat but I am not a very creative story teller!!

In any event the drain tube started sliding out again so I made the call…..I just yanked the sucker out myself. Since my surgeons office is so far away and tomorrow is Xmas Eve I am going to wait till thursday to go there. The decision was easy because the drain was not collecting any Fluid so in or out it was not serving a purpose. Depending on any swelling I experience over the next few days will determine if they insert another drain. I really hope that is not the case. I can't imagine that is a pleasant experience!

Right or wrong……I am only 1 drain away from a SHOWER!!!!

I just got my last drain out last Thursday evening. My doctor stressed, and stressed again, how important it was to keep the binder on and snug to help deal with any accumulating fluid. He said fluid retention was prevented by both the drain and the compression garment. Maybe you want to snug it up a little, although that sounds like torture also! Good luck, you're very brave. I was more than surprised at how long mine was when it came out. There was over a foot in there!

UH OH!!!! Drain Alert

So there I am minding my own business emptying my drain at is normal 12:30pm time slot and I notice the bulb will not hold its seal. After I squeeze the air from it, immediately it re-inflates. I assume that there is a crack or slice in it and I look everywhere, submerge it in Water and I can find nothing. No idea why, I look down at where it enters my body and I notice the stitch holding it in is a good 6 inches away from my body. IT IS NO LONGER ATTACHED!! With mild panic I slowly (and painfully) slide it back into place and tape the tube to my leg. Squeeze the bulb and bingo, it holds the suction. I call and talk to my nurse and find out the following:

1: Happens all of the time

2: If it falls out again she said just to pull it out

3: I am not a doctor but I think I could play one on TV

My only concern is if it comes out again this drain has averaged 30 cc per clean out 3x per day so I am way over the amount that they would just take it out. The nurse said that if it does come out and I swell they will reinsert it…..that sounds like it will hurt.

And the drama continues.

My nightmare when my drains were in!! I would have passed out cold!

Last Drain Update…...

My 4th drain this morning succumbed to the fate as my 3rd. I woke up to find that the suture came loose and it lost its suction power. I called my Dr's office at 7:30am this AM (Saturday) and my surgeon called me back in 8 mins, very impressed. It had been producing as much as 100cc per day, which as you all know, much more than where 'they" like it before it is removed. However, my doctor said sometimes the body can just deal with the extra Fluid. So I yanked the sucker out!! They will have to use a needle to remove any liquid that might accumulate under the skin or if it is really bad a radiologist would aid them in inserting another drain. On a side note…….right now……I AM DRAIN FREE and it feels awesome!!!

I am going to take it easy for the next few days and tomorrow morning (24 hours after the drain is out) take a shower that last about the same length….24 hours. Can't wait.

My leg swelling is still annoying but it is what it is. The resting has helped.

I will keep you all up to date on the progress of the premature drain removal