Does anyone have any info on The Baylor Residency Program

1. are you driving now?  you're about 2 weeks out now, right? 

 2. How is the pain, are you still sleeping in the recliner and can you get up and down without assistance? 

 3. What about using the potty....is that normal now? 
4. What kind of stitches did he use?
5. Did you get 1 or 2 compression garments from him? 
6. Did you use the wedge pillow thingy or something else to elevate your legs?  What about your arms?

As you can see, I've got lots of questions.  Been out shopping trying to get my last minute supplies.  Craziest  thing, I cannot find a funnel with a long spout anywhere!   

 

I've only driven once this past weekend and only because I had to.  I just had to take it slow to get in and out of the car.  I needed help pulling the seat belt but I can do that now.  I'll be driving myself tomorrow to the dr too.  I stilll walk funny and a little slow so I really don't want to be out anyway.  I've had my family take care of getting stuff for me so there really hasn't been a need.  I did go to the movies once because I was going stir crazy but I was tired by the time I got home.  I needed to get out but that was enough to last me a few days!  LOL  Its just a hassle to take a shower and and deal with the arm bandages and compression garments and finding something that doesn't make you look like a bum yet presentable and covered up.  I can only put socks on my left leg but can't bend my right leg high enough to that sock on.  It's flip flops tomorrow!

The pain is MUCH better.  It's still a little tender but nothing like before, thank God!  I ran out of my pain pills a few days ago and then I took aleve in the mornings only.  That's worked fine.  I found that if I wasn't in pain I walked a lot better.  As you can tell, my arms are much better too.  I got mobility in those pretty quick.  It's just the underarms that bother me.  Not pain but because the incision goes down through my armpits they still rub on each other some.  I can't put my arms straight down on my sides because of the ace wraps which adds to the funny look.  Even without the bandages I can't because of the swelling. 

Using the potty is normal now.  I guess I did that over the weekend too.  It kind of just happened without me even noticing it. Somehow the pain has a way of stopping you from wanting to sit all the way down.

He uses internal stitches and then glue on top.  They did that for my last surgey and I love that.  No steri strips or stiches or staples to deal with.

I only got one garment from him.  I'm fixing to order another one online.  I used the ace bandages on my legs for the first few days but needed compression in my knees so I switched to the garment.   I'm still using the ace bandages on my arms too.  He gave me garments for those but they were too tight.  He told me to wait for the swelling to go down before I put them back on.  I've heard some people love them and hate them.  I don't think I'm gonna like them but we'll see.

I'm in the recliner during the day with my legs up.  I only sleep on the couch at night with my legs and arms elevated on pillows.  For some reason I couldn't sleep in the recliner very well this time.  I slept in it for 2 weeks after my LBL.  Go figure. I think the last one I had reclined further back to almost flat since I got that one at a medical store.  I'm guessing that's why.  I can get up by myself now.  I did that late last week but I was scared to at first.  I was worried about using my arms too much and putting weight on them.  I used my stomach muscles to help pull myself up.  It was not comfortable at all but I did it.  When I pulled myself up and sat I took a deep breath for a minute and then stood up.  I always made sure I took my pain pills before I went to sleep to make it easier when I got up  because I always would wake up 2 or 3 hours after I fell asleep to go to the bathroom.  The first few days I woke someone up to help me up at night.  I didn't want to chance messing up my results or stretching my scars for sure.  That's what I worry about the most.  I have a wedge pillow but haven't used it.  I bought firm pillows and that works fine.  I think I'll get it out of garage and try it.  I bought it for my LBL so it's more the type you would use to lay on as opposed to putting your legs on it.  Maybe I'll try the bed this weekend. It's just that it's so high and I literally slide down off it.  I don't want it to rub on the incisions that are in my groin area for sure. Otherwise, I'd have to sit up in the dark, reach for the lamp to turn on the light to see the stool, get on the  stool, etc.  Too much trouble if you ask me!

I would try going to the restroom and just squatting.  That was easier anyway. I used the freshette a few times but the last time I used it I didnt position it right (don't know how that happened) and I ended up peeing on myself a little and splashed on my garment and socks!  What a mess.  I put it up after that.  The freshette I used didn't have a long spout either.  I didn't want to pay the extra 8 dollars for it.  Try it with a short spout anyway and see if it works.

Please let me know how it goes for you!

thanks for the info...I found a toilet seat riser at Walmart for $21 and got a funnel with a long spout on it for $1.77.  I think I'm covered now whichever way I decide to "go".

Rent A Center doesn't have any recliner/lift chairs available and the rental fee at the medical supply stores is out of my budget so I'm gonna have to figure out a way to climb up into my bed and just camp out there.  I'm 5'8" so I don't have that far to slide (LOL)

Oh, my BF surprised me with a laptop last weekend so now I don't have to worry about climbing the stairs to sit at the desktop in my office....I can lay in bed and post away!!

thanks again for all the great info. 

Do you have an Aaron's in your neck of the woods?  They lease furniture too.

A new laptop??   What a sweet BF!!! 

One thing I bought at the supply store was a hospital rolling tray.  I love love love it!  I rented one for a month for $15 and fell in love with it.  I ended up buying it because I couldn't part with it!  It was the only one that would go high enough to slide over my giraffe bed.  I like it because the surface is large enough to push my laptop off to the side and eat on the other.  That's the only place I've eaten since surgery.   

I know why you were thinking 16th - because it was my day with Dr. Lo!
I haven't written up my story/experience yet because Im tyring to remain as dopey as possible for the tme being. That and I had a slight complication that Im not out of the woods out of yet.
But soon I will talk of it all.

Bless you and Thank you so much for the info I will check into it. I feel like its about time to remove my constant companion (the old weight), lol.  Insurance just makes it so hard to complete your journey.

I wish I could start a petition that prompts a study by the health care reform committee that shows that even though they allow the insurances to allow these different life saving surgeries that helps us extend our lives, they hinder us when we can not go through our insurance to complete the process that extends us mentally.

I know that they say plastic surgery is considered cosmetic, but when I look at myself without any clothes on it comes under all mental. Even an allowance for the loss of a certain weight would help. And when I say that I mean that there can maybe even be a clause to where if  you have loss a certain amount of weight you can qualify for "reconstructive surgery". It's just a thought, because it shouldn't be this hard, or this expensive. But thanks for all of your help. I will get back to you soon.
 

Try messaging Dr. Lomanaco. He posts here regularly.

Hi I see that you have gone to Dr. Sauceda. How was that experience? Did you have to stay there long after surgery for recovery? I'm just looking into all of my options and was wondering how is the experience when you chose a facility in Mexico.

I enjoyed my experience with Dr. S. He is kind and compassionate and a good surgeon. The doctors here and my brother in law who is a NP were amazed at how amazing my incisions looked. I stayed 9 days after surgery. He suggests 12. I later developed an infection 3 weeks after surgery so it's important to have home follow up figured out. I've really needed my local PCP on bored who helped find a surgeon to take care of me with the infection and wound care. But I don't have any regrets going to Dr. S in regards to his surgical skills. He's amazing and the afterware was nice. 

I also did my sleeve in Mexico (different doctor) and both times had great experiences. They are VERY clean facilities. I had great care with this past surgery locally but it was amazing how not as clean the local hospital was compared to the two in Mexico.