Home from the hospital and scared...

I went into the hospital early Tuesday morning and I had my tummy tuck.  I spent three nights in the hospital.  I haven't even been out of the hospital for two hours yet and I have already broke down crying in my best friend Kevin's arms and my mom is upset because I won't let her touch me to help me.  I tried to tell her I am just panicked and scared.  I am afraid my incision is going to rip open (it feels like it every time I stand up to walk and they are making me walk three times a day) and I am scared my drain tubes (I have 4 of them) are going to get ripped out.  How did you guys get through this????

Tarra-
Try to hang on.  You  need to remind yourself that the anesthesia is just messing with your emotions.  Are you wearing a binder or some other support garment.  Do you have your drains pinned to said support garment?  Those drains are in there pretty good and while they have been known to come out on occasion -- I believe it is very rare.  Are you still taking pain medication?  If you are then you might need to talk to your doc about switching you to something that will have less chance of messing with you emotionally.  It is really going to be ok.  Just try to hang in there and get plenty of rest.

Red

If you are wearing a binder your incisions will not rip open.  And even if you're not wearing one if your Dr. used skin glue along with stiches etc you will be fine but you should move gently to avoid causing too much discomfort.

I think the anesthesia and pain meds are making your emotions run high.

Your drain tubes won't rip out.  I was afraid to catch them on something, that they would fall out etc but mine were secured with a stitch to keep them in place.  And once I had them removed I realized there was no way they were ever going to just get ripped out because there was a good 6-10 inches of tubing inserted under the skin.

I am only 10 days post op and I feel so much better today than I did even just 2 days ago.  So hang in there and visit the board often if you need to.  That is why we are all here to support each other.  Let your mom help, just tell her what you need and if anything hurts.

Some sort of depression is normal. Your tubes are way up in there,they wont come out. Your incisions will be fine. Walking is a good thing, really it is, LOL You'll feel better as the days pass. makemeheal.com has a great tt message board. I lived on there. Good luck, you will love your new tummy, soon.

First of all, congratulations on your successful surgery.  You are over the biggest hurdle.  Second, depression after plastic surgery is so common, it is a predicted event for most patients.  I went through it on two out of three surgeries - it's something to do with the anesthesia and the length of surgery - it messes with your brain chemistry.  So, chin up - you will get through this little spell and everything will seem bright and rosey again.  Third, don't worry about ripping out your stitche - you probably have three rows of stitches - two beneath the incision itself and of course the one you can see - it's highly unlikely.  And even if the absolute worst happens, it's a minor repair - just call the surgeon, keep things clean and he'll be able to stitch you under a local.  And finally, you need to keep moving around - up on your feet, walk around the house from time to time.  Don't turn into a slug or you risk a blood clot.

Again, congrats.  It took a ton of courage - I salute you! 

I agree with what others have said, your drains are actually stitched to you so they won't come out. I actually put all my drains in a plastic bag and pinned them to my binder. Make sure that you keep your lines flushed out. Also, make sure you are taking something for constipation, I got so bad that I thought I would rip out stitches from straining to go. My PS said that there are several layers of stitches, so you won't rip them out, although, at first, it sure feels like it. You will do fine, but you need to walk more than 3 times a day, that's to prevent clots. You will be up and about before you know it, Best of luck!!

when you walk bend forward  don't try to stand up straight yet it is to soon,your incision will not rip open you are stitched from the inside also

I actually caught one of my drains in the car door one day and walked to the back of the car with it stuck...and it didn't come out!  It wasn't the drain I had the issue with, so take heart, you have a stitch in there and its not easily coming out.

Like the others said, you've been through major trauma, ask for grace and just let it be what it is, depression is hard after surgery and you will need some help to get through it all.  The first week or two is probably the worst of it and every day should get easier!

I wanted to take a moment and thank everyone for their replies.  They have helped me a lot.  Today is day 10 already, although it seems as if it was were just yesterday when I went in and had my surgery.  I am feeling better today, but I still can't wait until all of this is over and a thing of the past.  People are already asking me when my next surgery is, but I am still trying to get through this surgery and right now I am not wanting to think about the next one.