Need your TT recovery tips!

Alright, I'm having my TT this friday. Extended fleur de lis incision. So I have 2 more days to get everything organized. I will be going home after the surgery, with a pain pump in place. My parents and a few friends are going to be rotating taking care of me the first week. I'll be sleeping in a recliner in the living room.

What things helped your TT recovery? Anything special I should buy/do? I'm looking into getting a toilet seat riser. I'm kind of coming up blank past that though. I have all of my food stuff like pudding, crackers, soup, straws, protein, etc.

Was there anything you couldn't have done without during your recovery? What made your life a little easier?

Thanks in advance!

p.s. 2 new pics in boob job album. Bruising is finally starting to let up. The girls are looking good!

I did not need toilet riser after TT. first 2 weeks I took percoset every 4 hours and was out of anything in lalal land.

I could not barely moved, i just  lyed down and sleep, sleep and watch TV.

I took pain pills and stool softners like crazy  and i did not have much pain, but wanted to sleep all day.

i went to work after 3 weeks and was so tight for 3 weeks after sitting all day.
But looking at my flat tummy first time in my lifetime made me forgot all of this.

good luck to you.

alla

Make sure someone is around to help you get in and out of the recliner. You cannot use your legs to open or close the chair for quite a while (it uses your stomach muscles a lot to do this). It was weeks before I could get in and out myself. I did not want to risk messing up my newly tightened muscles!! 

Laura

Hey! Holy crap--getting close! Okay, let's see...what did I do? I put a pillow on the recliner so I didn't have so far to lower down and put a sheet over in case anything leaked or dripped--ewww. Be sure if you do put a sheet on the recliner, have something wrapped around it to secure it so it doesn't slip off everytime you get up/down. You know how I feel about the raised toilet seat--I love it.

To avoid driving your care takers insane from running them around like crazy, get yourself set up with a couple tray tables on either side of you, one with a small cooler to keep bottled water/drinks, ice, and a yogurt or cheese stick  in.  Also get yourself a little bucket (I used the little wash basin from the hospital) filled with your pain meds, lip balm, some crackers (you can nibble if you wake up in the middle of the night to take pain meds to avoid getting nauseous), your vitamins, some baby wipes and hand sanitizer to clean up before you eat your little snacks if you aren't feeling up to getting up to wash hands, and anything else you think you might need frequently and not want to bug someone for. Also, make sure you have a place to keep the tv remotes and phone you'll use so they don't wind up on the ground out of your reach. Now this is all the stuff that I put in place for the LBL and BL with aug all done at the same time, so you may well be much more mobile than I am--at least I hope so!!

Last thing (okay, not really), and I'd start this now--get yourself as cleaned out as you can (Miralax is great and gentle) because there is nothing worse than straining to poop when your guts already hurt! Then you can do a dose of Miralax a day to maintain until it is a lttle more comfortable to go potty.

I also got wipes to use to clean up with being that there is no shower until these DAMN drains are out. It feels awesome to take off my binder and just wipe everything down. Makes me feel more normal. I originally got a bunch of gauze and 4x4's, paper tape, etc. I haven't used any of it. My surgeon said not to use Neosporin on the wounds, but use the preparations that start with a B--Bacitracin, Bactrim (I think that was their names), so maybe have that on hand in case something opens up. I also got some flexible fabric bandaids to use on the one little spot that opened up to make it like a butterfly bandage to hold the area closed. 

Okay, I guess that is all I can think of for now. Like I said, some of this may not apply to your situation, but better too much info than too little.
 
I`m off to look at your boobs!! 

Denise

great post! i am going to have to remember that if i ever get surgery. love your last comment :)

I was wondering if anyone would catch my closing!! LOL!

Glad you found it helpful!

I had a pain pump and then oxycodin for a week and my recovery was pretty pain free.  My recommendation is start stool softeners the day of your surgery.  Good luck.

I'm 6 days out of surgery. I keep baby wipes in every bathroom to clean myself after I wipe. Take a dose of Miralax every day. Make sure I'm getting in three protein shakes a day. Not much else appeals to me. I'm eating a lot of saltines, some cheese... The morning I went in a made a nice pot roast with carrots, potatoes, and onions and spices in the slow cooker so my family would have dinner. The leftovers have been great and one of the few things I can stomach. I add a lot of water to the sauce so I have like beef soup before eating the carrots, beef and potatoes. I had over a weeks worth of my vitamins laid out day by day so there was no guessing what I needed to take each day, and I made a complete schedule by time and what I take so my hubby would know what to give me and when. Included the anti-biotics on the schedule. Lots of pillows to prop my legs up. My bed is too high so I've been sleeping on the couch with one pillow for my head to prop up my back against the arm and three pillows under my legs at night. I sleep on my back. Pain meds every 3-4 hours as needed. Walk when you can. It also helps with the gas. And a small pillow for the car ride home to put between your stomach and the seatbelt.

Good luck.
Jan

sugar free popsicles. I know sounds funny but the meds will give cotton mouth, and those suckers come in handy.

I didn't and am not using a toilet seat riser. My thighs are pretty strong. I think that is key, can you lift yourself by grabbing onto sink or something to get the weight on your feet without using your tummy muscles. Test it and see. If not, then a riser may work for you.

I also cooked up a boatload of food and have it in feezer so all we have to do is thaw and warm up. This is especially helpful for me as I have two small kids, and I don't want to eat fast food (Daddy's dinner) everyday.

I also recommend having some high fiber food around, as the constipation from pain med and anestia (sp?) is bad. The night before surgery, I made my last two meals of the day extra fibery. aka; protein drink with benefiber and a fiber bar for a mid afternoon snack, and an oatmeal with flax around 10:30. I also took a stool softener right then. Then make sure you maintain the softener and high fiber food until you are able to come of the pain med.

Lastly, accept help from freinds and neighbors, family and church folk.

Rest and heal!

stool softener, think I said that earlier--but don't forget tons of pillows for your recliner. Having one or two under legs will make it less uncomfortable and a pitcher of water right next to you--both for constipation and for dry mouth (ahhhh pain meds)

Phone charger--at hospital and right next to

Benedryl as well, pain meds make me itch, and this not only helps with that, but nods me off as well.