BL/BA in less than 48 hours...tips needed!

Hi everyone...panic has just started to set in.  I can't believe the time has finally come.  This is my very first plastic surgery, so of course I am nervous. I have gone through a ton of posts, but can't seem to figure out a search to get my last minute questions answered...any advice would be greatly appreciated.

1.  I know everyone is different, but how many days before you felt like getting up and about...like say to walmart or something for a bit. (I have 2 year old twins so I am wondering when I will feel like sitting outside to watch them in the sandbox etc).

2.  Did you use bromelain?  Did it help?  Where do you buy it?

3.  Is there a schedule for the ice...like so many minutes on, so many off?  No one has told me ---I am assuming maybe they tell me after the surgery...


4.  Did you wear anything under the garment they give you? 

5.  I have read that they are very firm and may not look so good after, if this was the case, how long before you felt like...YAHOO...boobs that don't hang to my belly button!  LOL  A week, a month?

6.  Did you start walking (slow-say around the neighborhood) fairly soon to help with healing?

Any tips you have that you want to share would be great!  My babes are gonna die without me being able to pick them up for so long.

i just had mine 2 weeks ago and mine look like cones, i dont know when there suppose to drop and fluff, but so far i think they look awful , i have not had any pain with them just alot of itching, and alot of swelling.

Hi Tanya

Don't panic...you will be fine quicker than you think. I had a LBL, BA/BL, Brachioplasty and medial thigh lift. I was walking around the room on day 2, I was on the treadmill (slowly) in the hotel on day 4 for 20 minutes and in the mall for several hours on day 8. How well your pain is managed will matter. For me the BA/BL was the least of all concerns. I actually had minimal pain and only used Tylenol after day 4.

I did not use bromelain but you can purchase it anywhere from GNC to Walmart.

I did not do ice, the comfort level of my BL/BA was great.

I used a self sticking gauze wrap around my incisions that I purchased from walmart to keep the incisons from rubbing against the garment. Many people wear t-shirts though. I had bought them to wear but they were uncomfortable to me.

Mine were a swollen. By 2 weeks they were still about 30% swollen but by the 4th week or so they were 'normal'.

I started walking around the room on day 2, on the treadmill on day 4 and have not stopped since then.

Tips...My best friend was sports bras and compression garments. They kept me comfortably in place. 

God speed and a quick and uneventful surgery and recovery!




Dr Francisco Sauceda.....plastic surgeon extraordinaire & friend!

 

Sorry I can't help but wanted to say good luck and keep us updated on how everything goes.  I was thinking about you when I was on line last night and thought your surgery was soon.  Glad I saw your post.  Tracy

Thank everyone!  Everyone's experiences are so different, but at least I know what to expect on either end.  I didn't have much pain at all from my RNY, didn't take the pain meds for more than 2 days...hoping that happens with the BL/BA.  I hate how pain meds make me feel.  I know walking helps with recovery too so I am hoping I can do a little more each day to speed things up.

I am already mentally prepared for them not to look good at first.  I have told my husband to remind me when I get upset (if I do), that they will drop, the swelling will go down, the nipple will not look out of place etc LOL.

I am starting to get a little nervous, not for my surgery, but for how my husband will be taking care of these 2 year old twins without me for a few days!  I obviously can't lift them for a long time, but being around will make all the difference.  Thanks for your responses!