First Post Op Appointment & Two Weeks Post Op

Where the heck have I been???  Holy cow.  Between going back to work, school, a sick kid (yes, just one so far), and just normal life, I haven't had the time (or energy) to post.

I went to lunch with my in-laws, Cooper, and Kade on Sunday (Chris was at work) and saw a friend with her family (including her adorable daughter -- I need a girl!....anyway....).  She excused herself from her family with the explanation of something along the lines of "I'm going to go tell Lindsay that her boobs look good".  She said they told her not to do that and her reply was "C'mon...it's Lindsay!  She'll love it."  And I did.  It made my day.  So, thank you.  :)

The point of this story -- don't be afraid of telling me anything like that to my face.  I paid a lot of money for these.  Haha.  I won't get offended.  Just don't make it weird.

Anyway...

My post op appointment was pretty short and to the point.  We got there a half hour early and I wasn't in the waiting room but two minutes before they called me back.  Love when that happens!

I changed into the robe and took a real look at them..  Whoa.  Doc came in and took a quick look -- said everything looked fine.  I personally think they look ridiculous, more on that later.

He had me lay down flat on my back which was slightly difficult.  It was the first time I had laid down flat since the night I tried to sleep in my own bed...and it wasn't much different.  I tried to hide the pain in my face, but don't think I was able to because the doc chuckled.  I really enjoyed finally being able to stretch out my back and shoulders, but the pain in my chest was not my favorite.  On a scale of one to ten, it was probably a five (or a solid one thumb up -- haha JEN!).

Then, he showed me the "massage" that I have to do ten times a day for ten seconds each time.  And by "massage" I definitely mean to use those quotes.  I thought it'd be similar to a back massage which means it would feel good.  Negative.  I have to push the top of the implant down to stretch out the muscle and skin below.  Ow.  I have to say that a week later, it doesn't hurt quite as bad, but still...ow.  Not a comfy feeling.

Once that was done, he had his intern/med student/whatever change the bandages on my incisions and clean it up a bit.  Talk about a slightly awkward situation.  Here is a guy that I don't know about 8 inches away from my bare chest while my husband is there holding my hand (taking the steri-strips off stung a little and I'm a huge wimp).  It ended up not taking very long and we were out of there about the time my appointment was scheduled to start.  I go back on April 8 for another check up.

In the past week, a lot has changed.  Work is getting much, much easier!!  I made it a full day on Thursday and then went in for a half day on Friday to make up for some of the hours I missed earlier in the week.  I was able to work all this week (so far) at my full 9 hour days -- with the exception of today, but that wasn't my fault.  (Kade is sick!  No fun.)

Alright, now for the list....

Tight - Things have definitely relaxed a lot since last week.  My right breast feels tighter than my left and it also looks like it is sitting up a bit higher.  You may notice it in the pics at the end of the post.  My Google searches have told me that a lot of other women have experienced this, especially in their dominate side (I am right-handed), so I'm not too worried about it...yet.

Swelling - Swelling has gone down a lot.  Still a bit on the tops and more on the right than the left.

Backaches - No more, unless I start slouching.  Having a breast augmentation has actually forced me to have better posture I think.

Medicine - Completely off everything.  I took Tylenol off and on until about Friday - so 10 days post op.

Moving - Almost back to normal.  I am still a little sore, but only notice it when I reach up high for something.  It's more of an ache like I just worked out and totally bearable. 

Appetite - Yep, it's back.  Completely.

I am still only wearing a sports bra.  I ended up buying another one at Target last week and I bought a large.  I probably should have gone with an extra large... :-\  I'm not used to that!!!  Before, a small was too big.  I'm excited to go get measured for new bras though.  No idea when I can start wearing them, but right now...I don't really need to.  These things do not need any extra support to push them up.  They're doing pretty good on their own.

So, as far as looks.  They're ginormous.  And the other day I think I realized why they look so funny to me.  It looks like they're smashed.  Like someone has their hand pushed up against them so I have permanent cleavage.  I've never really had cleavage.  So, maybe it's a combination of looking funny and me not being used to it.  I am not upset with this because I know they will not look like this forever.  Once they relax and drop to where they are supposed to be, they will look much better.

Alright...here are a couple pictures....
They are unedited (sadface!) because my free trial has run out on Lightroom and I haven't had a chance to purchase the full version yet.

Just as a reminder, this was my before picture.

2.25.13

And after - two weeks post op 3.12.13

In this one, you can see the different between my right (your left) and my left (your right).

Confused yet?

You can see the difference here, too.  My right (closest to the wall)is sitting higher than my left.

This picture makes them not look so different, but there is still a difference (at least to me).

Also, ignore the funny look on my face....

Back to work!

Alright, we are playing race against the clock...and by clock I mean my pain pill.  Cuz I just took one.  And they make me sleepy.

My post-op appointment is tomorrow and today is my official one week mark!  The twins are one week old!!!  Ok yeah, gag me with a spoon.  That was horrible.  I will not do that again...

Anyway.....

I went back to work yesterday and was able to survive until about 3:00 before I headed home.  I will admit, I was very slow, but I was there and I was (mostly) productive.  And I was able to survive on only Tylenol.  Woot woot!!  The pain and discomfort I felt yesterday was mostly just soreness -- think after workout muscle soreness...but an intense workout - last chance workout!!

I need to get caught up on Biggest Loser....Ok, back on track.

I tried for all day today, but went home about 3:00 again.  I felt fabulous this morning.  I really thought I would be able to work all day, but after a couple hours I felt my whole chest tightening up.  It didn't hurt, just like a charlie horse -- without the pain.  It was mostly just annoying and made it difficult to move.

Tylenol pretty much did it for me today and yesterday, but tonight it didn't.  It's not ridiculous (so no one yell at me!!!!... Laura lol), I just decided to take half of a pain pill to hopefully dull the uncomfortableness (yes, that's a word) and get my chest muscles to relax.

Swelling is about the same since I updated last.  I need to take after pictures, but my husband is passed out on the couch next to me and I'm too lazy to get up for a picture.  BUT, maybe tomorrow after my doctor's appointment.  We'll see.

Ok, crazy post all over the place, but I did it.  I just wrote an 8 page paper and I'm kind of burnt out on writing...so................... G'nite!

Pics and a post-op appointment post to come tomorrow!!

Mistakes

I made three mistakes yesterday.

1) I tried to only take regular Tylenol.

2) I drove (literally down the street) to my much needed hair appointment.

3) I slept in my bed instead of the recliner on the couch.

Ow.  Ow.  Ow.  Ow.

Yeah, I know.  I shouldn't have done that!  And believe me, I'm paying for it.  Yesterday evening I finally gave in and took a whole Percocet.  That, of course, meant I fell asleep on the couch, sitting up, even though I kept telling Chris I *really* was watching TV.

Driving to my appointment was fine, but after all morning with no real painkillers, the drive home was interesting.  My chest was killing me by the time I got home and the place I get my hair done is really down the street.  (For my Vegas friends, please ask a small town person what the real definition of "down the street" is, because it doesn't mean 'I live at 95 and Rainbow and only have to go down the street to get to the mall.)  BUT!!!  My hair looks fabulous...well, it will once I actually have the strength to do it!

I got my highlights re-done and had Amy add in a few darker ones, in case you were wondering.

As for sleeping on my bed, it felt great for my back!  I think it was the first time that I was able to completely stretch it out.  The girls, however, were not too thrilled.  I was able to get comfortable enough to fall asleep, but woke up in pain.  I usually sleep kind of on my stomach and kind of on my side and obviously, that's not happening right now.  I either had to sleep on my back or kind of on my side propped up with a pillow.

Chris had to go back to work today (I was lucky to have him for as long as I did!!) which meant I was home with the kids.  Cooper was being (mostly) good and Kade wasn't being bad just...a typical one year old boy?  Before Chris even left for work, Kade had successfully emptied four decks of cards and two sets of dominoes and threw them (literally) all over the living room.

I made it through a gourmet breakfast of cereal and toast before I called my mother-in-law in tears.  Two minutes later, she was walking in the front door to screams of "Yaya!  Yaya!!"  Cooper has called her Yaya since he started talking and it stuck.  She got the kids dressed, grabbed their very full dirty clothes hamper, and took them all to her house for the day.  I was so exhausted in that hour and a half that I had them on my own, I immediately sat down on the couch and fell asleep...sitting up.

As for a compare and contrast, I thought I would go off my first recovery post from the other day and do a quick update on each area.

Tight - Nothing has really changed in this department.  Things are still really tight on the sides and top.

Swollen - I'm noticing a little more swelling on the sides.  I didn't think I ordered side boobs, too!!  Everything is still really high.

Backaches - Getting MUCH better!  My upper back is still hurting a little bit, but my lower back feels "much more better" as Cooper would say.

Medicine - Back on the Percocet.  I'm still trying to stick with just a half of a pill a few times a day, only taking it when I need it and not on a schedule like I was right after surgery.

Moving - Moving around a lot better, especially with my arms.  I showered yesterday and was able to wash and dry my hair on my own without much trouble.  I just have to move slowly and ease into it.  My boobs will move a bit with some pressure, so it seems like the muscles are starting to relax a bit.

Appetite - As long as I don't let the pain get out of control, my appetite is back.  I have been careful on what I'm eating though because I notice a lot of unhealthy things are making me bloated and uncomfortable quickly.  I think the first thing I really wanted after surgery was salad, more specifically just the lettuce.  So, I've been eating a lot of that.

Things I still can't do:
*Cough without sounding like an old man
*Sneeze - well, I haven't had the need to and I hope I don't for a while - OW!
*Raise my arms above my head (although my range of motion is getting much better!!)
*Wear a normal bra (Sports bras ftw!)

I'm set to go back to work tomorrow and still have every intention of going in (for at least a few hours), but I'll reevaluate tonight and see if that will even be a possibility.  Luckily, my job isn't too demanding physically so I think I'll be ok.

Recovery - Through Post op Day 3

I haven't really talked in detail about the recovery yet so, here we go!

Tight - For women who have been 40 weeks pregnant and you just think your skin cannot stretch anymore - multiply that by 10 and move that pain to your boobs.  If my skin could talk, it would be saying many much profanities.  I knew that going from an A-cup to a C or D cup would make everything tight, it's just hard to imagine it.  I'm mostly feeling the tightness at the top and along the side of my boobs.

Swollen -Find your collar bone.  Put your index and middle fingers side by side and place your index finger along your collar bone.  Now imagine that your middle finger is resting on the top of you boob.  Yep, that's me right now.  The doctor actually gave me a strap that I have to wear.  It wraps around my back and velcros together on top of my boobs to basically push them down.  It is super comfy.  *rolls eyes*

Backaches!! - This was something I was not expecting.  I have been having a very difficult time getting comfortable because of my back and most of the time the pain in my back has been worse than the pain in my chest.  I have been using a lot of pillows to support my upper and lower back and a lot of heating pads (on my back only).

Medicine - The first couple days were rough and I was definitely taking one Percocet every 4 hours.  Chris even set alarms in the middle of the night to make sure I was able to get my pain pills on time.  Today, I've been able to go down to half a pill every 5-6 hours.  I'm also taking an antibiotic three times a day and stool softeners - which is basically a necessity when you're taking narcotics.

Moving - That has definitely been interesting.  I have been giving my ab muscles a major workout because I cannot use my arms to lift myself up.  (So, I should have a six pack when this is done right?!).  At first, Chris would have to help me sit up and get me off the couch, but last night I finally sat up all by myself!  I was pretty proud.  haha.  Also, moving as far as the boobs go - that is nonexistent.  Literally.  Even if I push on them, they barely move.  I'll learn the massage techniques to soften them up at my post-op appointment on Wednesday (Chris is pretty excited about that part).

Appetite - Starting to get one.  I pretty much only ate crackers, chicken broth, and water the day of and the day after surgery.  Yesterday I started venturing into more foods, but still just don't feel hungry.  It's really frustrating because I have four boxes of Thin Mints staring at me in the kitchen.

First post-surgery shower - I had to wait 48 hours after surgery to shower and take the bandages off.  Ow!  With a lot of help from Christopher, I was able to get my hair washed, towel dried, and brushed.  He didn't do too bad...but it was definitely interesting.  I have steri-strips (??) on my incision (areola) and those have to stay on for a bit longer.

So far, today has been the easiest and I'm starting to think that I may feel good enough to go back to work on Monday -- but we will see.  My doctor called me this afternoon to check on me and I asked him if he beat me in the chest with a baseball bat during surgery because that's what it feels like!!  He told me it's all downhill from here, so let's hope he is right!

Before and After

Since I was never blessed in the boob department and was super self-conscious about it, I always bought padded bras.  Most people are used to seeing me with a padded bra and probably never thought I was THAT small, so I took two different "before" pictures.  Here is one as people are usually used to seeing me (with the padded bra) -- please ignore the ridiculous look on my face...

See, absolutely ridiculous.  So, not bad, right?  Ok, here's a couple of my real "before" pictures.

 

Alright.  There I am in all my nonexistent glory.  This is the bra I bought to wear after surgery, so it is a TAD bit big on me in those pictures.  Now, for the first (and only up to this point) after picture I have.  I took it on my phone, so it's not all that great...but here it is.  This was about 8 hours post-surgery.

 

 

You see how the bandage at the top is curved right by my collar bone?  Yep.  It is swollen clear up there!  My boobs look a little lopsided and lumpy because of the bandages over my nipples, but you get the idea.  So there we go.  More after pictures to come later.



Surgery Day!

Chris and I got a nice Tuscany suite at the Peppermill for the night before surgery and he made sure I got a nice big English soaking tub in the bathroom.  It was fabulous!  We had my "last meal" at Biscotti's and then headed back up to the room to get some sleep.  I didn't sleep all that great because I was nervous and excited all at once.  I got up about 545 am and took a bath in the huge tub.  We checked out of the hotel room at 630 and headed over to the hospital.

First, they did all the paperwork (signing consent forms, paying for the surgery, etc.) and then waited back out in the waiting room for the nurse to call me back.  It didn't take too long before I was called in and had to undress and get in the sexiest outfit I've ever seen.

'

I had a nice purple paper gown, blue socks, and these super sexy leg massagers that would be turned on during surgery.  You know you're jealous.

 

I had to have my blood work done that morning, so the lady came in to do that and then the nurse came in to put in my IV.  She numbed my hand first which was...AMAZING!  Slight sting from the numbing medication, but I felt nothing afterward.  Why don't they do that all the time!?

 

It seemed like FOR. E.VER. before the anesthesiologist came in.  Luckily, we had HGTV (my newest addiction) to entertain us me while we waited.  Once Dr. Hansen (the anesthesiologist) showed up, it was all downhill from there.  He was hilarious and helped me not to feel so anxious. 

 

He said that Dr. Murphy likes the operating room temperature set at 60*.  Thankfully, Dr. Hansen promised he would get me in a nice little "heat sandwich" (heated blanket below me and on top of me with a personal heating system hooked up to my gown) so I wouldn't get too cold.  After a little more joking around, he brought out the goods.  He gave me a cocktail of an orange labeled medicine and a little bit of a blue labeled medicine and about 15 seconds later I felt fabulous.  See??

 

 

 

I remember telling Chris that I could feel the effects of the medicine and the next thing I knew, I was waking up in recovery.

 

I was a little surprised at how quickly I was discharged.  I don't remember getting dressed and barely remember getting to the truck.  That Facebook status I sent saying surgery was done and I was heading home -- yeah, that took me about 10 minutes to type out and send.  I was pretty out of it and ended up sleeping most of the day.

 

I had every intention of updating each day, but it's been a rougher recovery than I expected.  The doctor told Chris after the surgery that my chest muscles were so tight to begin with that my recovery was going to be more difficult and then I got sick about 7 pm from the anesthesia.

 

I'm starting to move around a little easier, but I'm still in a lot of pain.  I'll update again tomorrow (or later today technically) about more details on the recovery and may post the first set of before and after pictures!

Pre-op Appointment

So, my pre-op appointment was February 11th.  Chris had to work, so I made the drive over to Reno by myself.  For some reason, I was super nervous before going back to see the doctor. I finally went back and had to wait in the room for a while.  I got bored waiting by myself and took a few of these:

 



They had really nice robes (I wanted to steal it).  I getting even more nervous and then in walked the doctor...and a 4th year med student...who was male...and cute.  It was slightly awkward because I had to have my "before" pictures taken.  But I survived!  The doc talked to me a little more in detail about the surgery and what I would need to do/not do before surgery (i.e. no meds that will thin my blood -- which meant no Advil, or EXCEDRIN MIGRAINE!).

The doctor told me that I would probably not like him much after the surgery is over because it would look like I shoved two basketballs underneath my shirt.  I told him I can't eat or have a Mocha before surgery so I won't like him much before either.

The pre-op appointment was quick and I didn't have as many questions because I had almost all of them answered in my consultation.  Now it was just a waiting game for surgery day!