I'm home...

Hey everyone! I'm home..and moving SLOW. We got home about 9-10 yesterday morning but I never even thought about getting online (other than a short email I sent to Ellen from my cellphone). I thought this morning that it would be good to sit upright while I drink some decaf java. There was ALOT of posts to catch up on! Whew! You'all have been busy while I was offline! I won't lie and say I'm painfree..but it's not as bad as I had imagined. Most of the pain is from the abdomon..the thighs haven't been bad at all. I've been trying to cough crap up and that's what really hurts. Oh..and I ended up with a fat lip. It must have gotten in the way of the ansthesia tube. Between the lip & the breathing, it's hard to talk. So..visits are welcomed but I'd have a little bit of hard time talking on the phone...k?  I'll try to get on when I can... Huggs.. Sherri ps...Dawn, I'm glad you got through your gall bladder surgery ok!! pss...Floyd, thank you for posting for me!

So glad to hear from you, and that you're doing okay!

Linda...thank you. I hope your son is doing better today! Sherri

Bless your heart, Darlin'. Coughing is SO hard.  And I hope you don't sneeze for several months!  Grab a pillow and hold on tight when you need to cough. The abdomen will settle down.  When you stand up, do it slowly and stretch yourself upright as much as possible.  You will be surprised how quickly you will begin to feel normal again.  My tummy area still has a large numb section.  Feels kinda like my middle is missing.  It's really strange.  I'm so glad things went well for you. Take it easy. Love ya,

I haven't crossed this bridge yet, and hopefully will today..so.. What did you do compression suit-wise to have a BM? That slit just isn't big enough and that was a royal pain to get it back on. It HAD to be washed yesterday and it took Tiffany, Bill, and me doing it.

Sherri I remember it so well! LOL It is a pain in the rear so to speak. Mine unflapped at the crotch and I peeled it up and then it was awful to get it back into place! Jon had to help me for days! I used the trick of wash cloths to line mine to keep it clean and changed every time I went to the bathroom. I would just suffer thru these first few days and when your drains come out it all gets alot better. Hang in there sweetie! Hugs! Marianne 

Marianne, Thanks! Mine doesn't have a flap..just a slit. And yep, almost impossible to keep it dry. Mine goes down way past the knees (probably because of the thigh lift) so mine may be made differently than your's & Annette's was. There was so much drainage on it yesterday that it HAD to be washed but that's not a solution every day. I'm just not sure what to do when it comes to BM time. I'm not really eating enough right now to have any waste but I know that will be an issue in a day or two. With Bill's eyesight...not alot of help from that direction and Tiff works full time & have 3 kids so I can't expect or hope that she'll be here when the time comes. How long did you have to wear your compression suit? Well...gonna go lay down (well..kinda sorta since it's in the recliner) and let the vicodin's take over.. Sherri

I only wore the compression suit they sent me home in till I had my first Dr. Visit and got my drain out. Then I switched to a pull up midruff body shaper which I still wear 24/7. They say we will swell for several months up tp a year. If you leave it off for very long you can sure see the swelling begin :o)...Allot depend on the activity level...I am not as active as you so I don't swell much. I do occasionally still sleep with a bag of frozen peas on my tummy and I can really tell a differance in the mornings. I lost quite a few pounds right away but now that I am leveling off I am back up a good 5 pounds but still looking and  feeling good. Doc says our shape isn't really seen till about a year out. I am so pleased with all mine. I wanted to check with you an Annette, I got an EOB from my insurance company this week.....St. V's charged over 22,000.00 for the surgery room.....my insurance paid it at 100%. I was wondering if they said anything about additional charges if insurance didn't pay? I thought the surgery center was included on the Dr's estimate that we paid before surgery. It doesn't cost me any more out of pocket but I was suprised that I was billed for it and at such a large amount.  Take care and enjoy being pampered! Hugs! Marianne

Sherri, I jsut called the surgery center and they told me that if you have a medically necessary surgery that portion is billed thru your insurance at a highly elevated charge compared to the charge that Dr. Bergamn charges. If you are a self pay surgey you only pay what the Dr. has you pay before surgery and they let her use the facility at a much reduced rate. It sure sounds like a racket to me...lol I guess everyone wants their piece of the pie. I wanted to clarify that part :o) Marianne

"If you are a self pay surgey you only pay what the Dr. has you pay before surgery and they let her use the facility at a much reduced rate. It sure sounds like a racket to me...lol" I'm willing to bet the EOB lists the $22,000 and then a "negotiated allowable fee" or something like that.  The negotiated fee is the amount agreed to by the contract between the hospital/doctor and insurance company, and is usually far less than the actual charge.  In fact, many times the negotiated rate, which is what the hospital actually gets, is less than what the self-pay patient pays.  That's the power of the insurance company using its weight to negotiate better prices.  I don't know how the hospital comes up with $22,000 but I can tell you it's very similar to other hospitals.  Just like gas stations, the prices are very similar and they keep close tabs on each other's rates.