Surgery date scheduled!

I am SOOO excited. I decided to go with the first surgeon I consulted with, Dr. Douglas Forman of Bethesda, MD. I have had multiple great interactions with him and his staff. He is also well reviewed on OH, RealSelf, Yelp and the local press, including doing body contouring post-weight loss. I feel very confident with his skill and his professional manner.

I will be having an extended breast lift and extended tummy tuck. We talked about doing the entire lower body at once, but he doesn't like to do that and I am comfortable with his opinion. The surgery is Friday, May 18th and I will stay inpatient for one night. I was unsure that I wanted to stay in the hospital because I can never get any sleep there, but it will be a chance to get more mobile and pain stabilized before going home.

I know that I have seen other folks post lists of necessities but I can't seem to find them in the postings now. If anyone has ideas of things that I need to get before surgery, I'd appreciate a list or PM.

Again, I am SOOO excited even though it means weeks of not being able to swim and run.

Get started on the extra protein NOW!! So excited for you.

Thanks Kelly! I'll add in another protein shake and refocus on more dense protein snacks. Gotta keep my body healing!

As Kelly said definitely start eating lots of protein before and after for healing. My surgeon attributed my fast healing to my consumption of protein which a lot of people ignore.

The things I really used were a foam wedge pillow with a washable cover which I got from amazon (some just use a recliner, but I didn't want to have one in the house and the pillow made the transition to a bed from the couch easier). You'll need extra pillows for under your knees too. I wore camisoles under my tummy binder (tee-shirts would obviously accomplish the same). I didn't need much in the hospital as I mostly slept off the anesthesia and figured out how to get up and down, so I stayed in the hospital gown and didn't read or use my phone/iPad. DEFINITELY have something easy to get into to go home. I had super stretchy yoga pants which I wore along with super stretchy leggings at home for a while.

Oh and maybe have something in the house like milk of magnesia for constipation. I did fine with the restart of my bowels after WLS, but not after TT. It was rather painful for a couple of days once I got full but couldn't let get rid of the backup (TMI I know, but it was a big problem for me at that point).

Thanks Liz! As for getting and keeping things moving, I've got a good selection of options plus prunes! Between WLS, dental surgery, my hysterectomy and now PS, I have lots of experience with preventative measures.

I still have a wedge in bed from WLS but I did order a recliner with power lift since my wife has back problems and may not be able to help me get up and down. Not thrilled about having it in my living room so it may get donated after I'm done with it.

I've started adding a second protein shake in to boost my total protein. How much did you aim for with surgery?

Also just ordered a couple more dark colored camis to wear with the binder. How long did you wear a binder and did you wear some other compression gear after that?

When were you up to walking after your TT? I will really miss my swimming and other vigorous exercise for a few weeks!

Thanks!

Hmmm... it was probably about a week before I could walk upright completely. I don't think I started taking any walks outside until the drains were out (at 6 days).

I believe the compression was for about 2 weeks (I thought it was going to be longer so I remember being surprised when he said I didn't need it any more). I had bought a softer compression over the counter garment to wear at that point but my surgeon said it wasn't necessary so I never used it.

I do remember that I felt pretty close to 100% in about 4 weeks. At that point, I drove all the way to Florida in 3 days and was swimming in the pool there.

I had abdominal surgery (laparotomy not laparoscopic) years ago and it was similar - slightly less painful which might be because I already knew how to change positions? Since you had an open hysterectomy I would guess it would be pretty much the same for you too in terms of getting around.