Face-lift Post op.....detailed recap of the first 5 days of recovery

Face Lift……I had the works.  Upper & lower Bleph, Mid face, Neck, Forehead (aka brow lift), he built up my cheekbones with fat lipo'd from the neck.  I think that's it...enough right!!!

I thought this was going to be a simple thing…remove a little excess skin fix the eyes. 

This is a little tougher than I expected......
It's hard to see, not just because the eyes are swollen and the eye drops I have to keep putting in but because I have trouble getting my glasses to stay on since they can’t rest on my ears.

I could not eat solid food for the first 3-4 days......You'll need to stock up on straws!  I find runny oatmeal is working well and is filling.  I’m not supposed to eat “hot" food or liquid so I’m drinking tepid pea soup thru a straw.  At least I’m getting protein!  I might weigh myself tomorrow, I think I've probably lost a couple of lbs even with my swollen bowling ball head.

The first 2 days I needed to take the percoset (1 at a time every 4-5 hrs), today (day 3) I've only took 2 Xtra-strength Tylenol in the morning and 2 at bedtime.

I'm taking lots of pictures so I can document this journey and hoping to be able to see some changes.

LOL - I was SHOCKED when I saw my face in the mirror for the first time....I actually thought to myself "what the hell...who is that?"....and then I realized it was ME!

This will make you laugh......
I always board my dog for the first few days when I have surgery (so he doesn't suddenly jump on me and stuff).  So Matthew went to pick him up Thursday morning...he was all excited to see Matthew and excited when he got in the house....I came out of the bedroom called him, he started to run to me, looked at me and barked!  HE DID NOT RECOGNIZE ME!!!!!!!!!  I kept talking and he would hear my voice and look around trying to find me.  It was so funny!
 

Things I wish I knew before I had surgery so I could have prepared.

*Eyeglasses….I can’t see without them and it is difficult to keep them on without resting them on the ears.  The BIGGEST problem is the little nose pads keep hooking onto the tail of the stitches from the upper/lower blephs that the nurse taped to the bridge of my nose.  OMG when you tug on that the move or remove the glasses you see stars!!!
*Sunlight (and PC screen, bright lights in general) really bother the eyes!

*My jaw and back teeth would feel like they had been hit with a bat…very sore!

*Can’t really eat/chew for 3 days….stock up on liquid protein, plain soups, plain oatmeal, egg whites, crackers.  Can't open my mouth to fit anything other than a straw or a baby spoon.
*Could not brush my teeth the first day post-op and could hardly do it the next day...got easier by day 3.

*You have to sleep on your back and at at least a 45 degree angle

*It’s amazing just how much the face can BLOW UP without exploding or popping!

*The surgeon cut my hair!  I’m sure he had a very good reason/need to do so but I was not expecting that….so on the sides of my head I have batches that were kind of hacked off.  At least it grows fast!

*At first it looked like I had no lower eyelashes...I've since found them.  LOL

Sooooo here’s my detailed daily recap of the first week of recovery-

Day of surgery (Mon) wasn't too bad....the eyes are taped closed and then covered with ice packs but I didn't feel too bad as long as I took the pain meds.  Didn’t eat all day except for about ½ cup of runny oatmeal at night.

Day 1post-op (Tues) - the morning was easy.....The surgeon came to the hotel and took out the drains.  He kept saying "Wow, you have no swelling, this is amazing"...he JINXED ME!  Actually I kind of think taking the drains out caused swelling but what do I know.  Anyhow by the evening I was swollen, my neck was so sore!!!!  It feels like I got hit on both sides of my jaw and all my teeth got knocked loose!  Swallowing hurts a little…kind of feels like when you have really bad swollen glands.

Oh boy, wearing my eye glasses is proving to be a challenge…can’t rest them on my ears, they won’t stay on!  Have them sort of wedged between the face garment and the icepack wrap that goes around the face/chin.

We decided to stay at the hotel one more night….works for me, I’m tired!

Day 2 post-op (Weds)…..We left the hotel in the morning.  I called and asked if I could stop by for the surgeon to check me because my face got 3 times bigger than when he saw me the previous morning.  Fortunately he was done with surgery early so he would sneak me in for a quick peak.  Thank goodness they have a Rear Entrance so I didn’t have to sit in the public waiting room looking like this.  Not that I know any of these people and they couldn’t recognize me anyway but still I didn’t want to do that.  Anyhow……The surgeon said it looked normal and that for some reason I just started swelling later than usual.  He said when I get home I can shower…..I was too afraid to deal with it all so I’ll do it tomorrow.

Day 3 post-op (Thurs)....took my first shower, had ice packs on almost all day again.  Neck feels a little better but still puffy in the back (not in front)....teeth don't hurt this afternoon.  Still can't open the mouth to eat solid food....getting tired of egg whites, yogurt, protein powder...   I think the swelling in my eyes is starting to go down a little but now they are very bruised looking.......yesterday the selling in the eyes was REALLY BAD!  Now the mid-face has the worst swelling.  I look totally distorted!!!

I still can't eat solid food but can open my mouth a little more tonight.

Finally got on the PC for a few mins but the bright light from the PC was bothering my eyes.

After heating up dinner my neck felt so tired....it's hard holding up my pumpkin sized head!

Day 4 post-op (Fri)....had a bad time overnight….woke up at about 2pm, could not get comfortable, could not get back to sleep…the ice packs on my neck were really bothering me!  Finally I took a percoset which gave me some relief and helped me to sleep.

This morning I feel pretty good, especially mentally….less foggy/more alert.  BUT the swelling in the face has not gone down at all.  UGH.  I’m going to increase the amount of Bromelain I’m taking to see if that helps with the swelling and I’ll try to get some Arnica cream too (already taking the arnica pills).

I weighed myself this morning….I’ve lost about 7.5  lbs after face surgery….well, I couldn’t eat really the first 3 days. NOT a good way for me to lose it but I’m loving the number and I can see and feel the difference in my thighs, calfs, and butt.  Maybe some of it is losing the swelling from the LBL I just had in Dec?????  That would be nice!!!  I’m sure as start eating a normal diet again I will regain a couple of lbs but that’s ok ‘cause today I’m almost 10 lbs below goal and don’t want to get too thin.  (who would have ever thought I’d be worried about being too thin!)

 

Tonight I really think the swelling is starting to go down…all of a sudden I noticed my face doesn’t feel like it is going to POP!   And…YIPPEE, I found my lower eyelashes.  LOL!

Day 5 post-op (Sat).... YIPPEEE The swelling is starting to go down.  It’s not quit as good as it was last night but still SO MUCH better…I can actually feel relief that the face is not blowing up still.  I was starting to look and feel like an overstretched/over blown balloon getting ready to pop!

I can really see an improvement around the eyes.  They are still all bruised and bloody but the shapes and lids look better.  Hope it still looks good when the swelling is all gone.  Could you imagine after all this seeing folds of skin again…that would not be a good thing.  Vision still gets blurry and I have to use the drops all day but it getting better.

Still a lot of bruising on and around the face…it will take time to heal. 

My spirits are much brighter today…guess it’s just the excitement that things are starting to mend and I don’t have a pumpkin head anymore.

This afternoon I banged my head!  GOOD GRIEF!  I was sneaking in the spare room getting gift wrap for Matthews V’day gifts and when I tried to put the big bag of wrapping paper & supplies back I kind of taped the accordion door and it bounced back and hit me right on the side of my head…yes, right were the staples are!!!

Eating is much easier today too.....now that's a good thing!

More to come over the next few days……

TTFN

Ruth

PS - sorry if the typing is bad I can't see to well

Thank you for such a detailed, day by day summary. It really helps those of us that are considering similar plastics (or definitely are, just not sure when) know what to expect. It takes some of the worries out of it.

You're results look stellar so far, and are only getting better.

Hi!
Thanks a bunch for taking time to give such  detailed information on what I can expect.  I am having the very same procedures you had, on March 26th.  I'm looking forward to seeing the fabulous results of the surgery.  Take care and have a great weekend!

Judy

very good  journal Ruth

what a shame you banged your head, OUCH

 I fell on my bad  hand 2 x already, couldn't have fallen the other way
glad u r doing better


Susan

Oh my goodness...be careful with your hand (and your head)!!!

I love your detailed updates and this time you went before me so I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciate you giving all the details...good and bad. I always feel like I'm reading a good book and don't want to put it down...LOL  I think you look great at this stage and it's only going to get better and better. I love our surgeon and we are so lucky to have found him!

Hope it continues to get better for you each day!  Now, take more drugs, then go walk the left side of your head into the wall so your swelling will be even!  Happy healing!
Cindy