Good morning, FatSecret!
It's Monday morning, and today is - hopefully - going to be an interesting day. However, there is also a chance that it'll be a very long and very boring day. Only time will tell.
Friday before the weekend, I talked on the phone with the surgeon who did my tuck. She was a little concerned with my severe swelling when I described it for her, and she wanted to see me today or tomorrow. She asked for me to call the hospital first thing Monday morning and set up an appointment or see if I could get in on a cancellation spot. She wanted to see me Monday or Tuesday.
Well, it is a two hour journey to go to the hospital by public transport, so if I call when the phones open at 9, I will have to wait for the train at 10, and then I can be there at 12, risking to miss an opportunity to see the doc today.
So I decided that it would be smarter to leave from home at 7, without appointment, and be there at 9 am, same time as they open their phones, and I will simply walk up and explain that I need to see the doc. I will of course leave our the little "...or Tuesday" that she said to me. That will conveniently be forgotten. :)
I really hope that I get the fluid thing under control today. It's weighing me down like crazy, it's SO uncomfortable. And now it keeps me awake at night.
I took a couple of photos of the issue last night, so you guys can see what I'm talking about.
This is how I looked two weeks ago, coming home from the hospital. These are the pictures are I have posted before: <iframe class="imgur-album" width="100%" height="550" frameborder="0" src="http://imgur.com/a/mXAkX/embed"></iframe>
...and this is how I looked last night: <iframe class="imgur-album" width="100%" height="550" frameborder="0" src="http://imgur.com/a/FMFsh/embed"></iframe>
Can you spot the difference? :/
My buddy Helewis came up with the brilliant suggestion for me to ask here if anyone out there has had this or similar surgery with the same issues? I am REALLY nervous that the skin will stretch, and leave me with a flappy belly again. I was SO happy with the results, and I would really hate to see it all destroyed because of this.
Google has kindly explained to me that it takes MONTHS for things to really get back to form, and for thing to look right. My problem is that it looked right, even after a few days. It's not until the fluid hell kicked in that I got the funky shape of things.
I spent the most of the day yesterday trying to find out what to do about it. Water pills won't do a thing. It's not that kind of fluid that I need to get rid of. Draining will help, but it's really tedious - and probably the solution they will go with today. Also, the needle they use (unless they actually put in the drains they opted out of doing during surgery) hurts like a motherf...... - no fun. Of course, if that is the solution, then I will be a big boy and just bite the bullet. I need this done and I need it now. I feel like I am about to burst.
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I did manage to get 5 hours of sleep last night. Not too much, but not too bad either. This gives me a total of 8 hours sleep through the last two nights. I feel like I'm running on fumes, but I just don't get tired enough to sleep until the night, and then I am too uncomfortable to do it.
...
Yesterday, I tried playing my bass guitar, but I had to give up. I can't sit in a comfortable position with it and it hurts. This is really sad. I have so much music that I want to play, and seeing that I could do it a week ago just makes it worse. However, I keep forming ideas in my head, and that'll have to do for now. I had actually agreed to do band practice with The Black Peanut tonight, but it is pretty clear to me that it won't happen. Dammit...
...
Anyways, enough boo-hooing from me.
On a positive note, today is hopefully the day where I get this thing fixed to some extend. It's hopefully a day that will show results and make me happier and feel better about the whole thing. I LOVE the new look when I ignore the swelling, and I can't wait for it all to calm down, retract and look all nice and fine.
I have googled a lot of before and after shots of people having the same or similar surgery, to give me an idea of what is normal and what is not, and I found ABSOLUTELY NO photos of any person with results that looked better than mine. The doctors did a great, amazing job on the cosmetics. I just wish they had opted to put in the drains. When they saw me first time after the surgery they told me that everything had acted to nicely that they both had agreed that it wouldn't be necessary, they didn't expect much buildup. I guess they were wrong. Looking at the documents for the procedure, it does say that it depends on the individual operation whether the surgeons should put in drains, so it's not malpractice or anything.
It was just the wrong call, and I hope we get that fixed today.
Again, if any of you who reads this have had the same or a similar operation and have any - ANY - experience regarding the flexibility of the skin after it stretches because of fluids. I would like to hear how it affected you, and what the end result is.
Today, I am thankful for:
- Sleeping for 5 hours. It's a LOT better than nothing. I feel awake today. - Being in a good mood, with a positive outlook. - Ready for a long day. I'm even prepped in case they want to keep me and put in drains! LOL! - Morning coffee!
Have a wonderful week, friends! Life is good!
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