And on the fifth day... (TMI)

... there was poop!

Sorry, but as you all know, finally getting your bowels moving after surgery is a big deal! ;)

It's been six days since my lower body lift. My surgeon did some surprise muscle repair, so the agony of the first three days was not on my list of expectations. I did tell him to do whatever he had to to ensure I got a good result, though. But, as I posted the other day: muscle repair is no joke. That is some serious stuff. Thank goodness for oxycodone.

Otherwise, it's been a weird trip. This morning is probably the first time where I looked in the mirror and could see the difference. My waist isn't as small as I thought it could get, but look ma! there's no belly! And my saddlebags are gone! And my butt lives in a new postal code! It's all very surreal.

I woke up with four drains. Two were removed at my first post-op appointment on Thursday. I'm pretty sure at least one more will be removed on Tuesday. The last one is just now starting to put out less than 70cc in 12 hours.

The good:
- finding a (free!) recliner on Craigslist was the single best thing I did pre-op. I can't imagine my trying to get in and out of a bed at this point.
- drugs. Seriously, don't try to be a hero. Take the pills.
- paper tape and telfa non-stick dressings. I've had some incidental wounds which needed dressing and these are the best.
- compression socks. My legs are so swollen. I'd have so much more trouble if I didn't have compression socks to wear.
- catheter. I was so afraid I'd have a catheter. When I woke up and they told me I had one in, I was upset. Then I realized it meant I didn't have to move out of my bed to go to the bathroom; that's when I realized its up-side.

The not-so-great:
- turns out I'm allergic to the mepore adhesive dressings they put over my incisions in the OR. So, now my entire backside is covered in huge blisters which need the aforementioned paper tape and bandages.
- because I've had to lower myself onto seats and toilets in an awkward manner, I somehow managed to aggravate a knee problem, which has me now wearing a knee brace and being even more awkward when trying to sit down. Fun.
- THE ITCHING. Seriously. It's taking all of my willpower to not scratch my skin off.
- swelling. The morning after, I woke up in the clinic and my arms were swollen to my fingers. That's resolved, but now my legs are HUGE. They look even funnier because I have compression socks up to my knees, so it's just my upper legs which balloon out. It's not helping the tenderness in the areas where he liposuctioned, either. I can't wait for my drains to come out so I can wear the boobs-to-ankles compression pants I bought.

Honestly, I have no idea how Gwen did this AND her arms at the same time. Having done them separately, I can't imagine how difficult it must have been to not be able to do much of anything for that first week because I'm using my arms so much to help compensate for my compromised lower function. Damn, girl! You're a beast!

Some of your waist not being as small as you think it should be is likely swelling at this point, so don't worry too much!

For the itching - see if you can take benadryl. Also, the meds you're taking might cause itching. Ask your surgeon.

I think I used my legs for mobility as much as possible?

It will get better. At day 5 you are quite swollen all around. it takes time.

Did your surgeon tell you to wear compression socks? What you are describing doesn't sound good if the socks are cutting things off and there is ballooning above. I would check with them.

I had to use paper tape as my skin got easily irritated. I bought it at Dollar Tree.