Greetings from my pity party! Attendants:1

I have hit a self-pity wall today. I smell so bad like pee and as someone who likes to be clean that's making me tear up right now. I can use antibacterial body wipes until the cows come home (though, the cows would probably leave for my stink!) and it doesn't help because the garment is what stinks. I had a few catheter issues where it got kinked which is very bad in the catheter world as it just builds up and comes out where it normally would and you don't know it's happening until it's too late.

(full on crying now dammit) I just want to do ANYTHING for myself and not rely on my legions of friends (I feel so fortunate for them) who then have to see my split crotch pee garment and naughty bits in all their glory and worst of all smell me as they empty disgusting fluids for me. I want to shower. I want to wash this retched sausage casing. I have swelled up like a balloon and that's incredibly uncomfortable. I have an epic wedgie all the time from this split crotch. So uncomfortable! Anytime I do get up, I need someone to help put my recliner bed back together. So no independence there either. I've had enough. And am nowhere near the end.

I talked to the doctor's office today and they said the doctor will likely give me permission to be out of this torture suit for two hours to wa**** I'm going to buy a second one too so I can do that when I want. Correction, ask a friend to do it for me since the washer is upstairs where I can't go for weeks. She said the swelling is expected so I'm trying not to worry there though it severely limits what I can eat as well as my breathing. It also hurts because my drain tubes are trapped between it and my bloated self.

Thanks for reading my grossness and letting me blubber here for a few minutes. I was due for a good cry. I might just cry a while longer before my next victim from my knitting group comes by to be exposed to me.

Loving vibes to you all.

Funny enough, I wasn't panicked about the pain...more so the idea that I was going to be cut circumferentially. For whatever reason, that freaked me out. The pain was well managed the first night in the hospital, and then the second night when I was at home, I took my pain pills and went to bed. BIG MISTAKE. I should have set up an alarm for 3 hours and 55 minutes later to get up and take the pills, rather than be woken up out of a dead sleep with abdominal pain! But what at that moment felt like it took my breath away, was back under control within 20 minutes, and I just kept on top of my pills going forward. It honestly isn't as bad as you expect. It hurts to rise into a sitting position but hey, just lounge around and watch netflix :) You will be so astounded with the amazing body you have hiding under the skin that it will feel worth it! Here is my most recent post with pictures (and a link to my original post immediately after surgery) in case it helps. Just have your water, pain pills, chapstick, and a baggie of snacks (so you don't take the pills on an empty stomach) very close to you at night. I put them on a stepladder next to my bed so I wouldn't have to awkwardly reach to my nightstand. You will do great!

My surgeon Dr. Joseph Michaels in the Washington DC area, specializes in plastic surgery after massive weight loss. He's a miracle worker. I had an LBL and BL in one surgery, and an arm lift six months later. I am still beyond ecstatic at my results.

My post with pics.

Pretty much you just suck it up and do it. In the scheme of things it will really suck for about 1 week and then life will be considerably better and you'll make gains every day! Plus, just think - 6 weeks from now you'll be ready for the beach!

I booked a consult with a PS reasonably local to me and had a good chat with his office manager. Much to my surprise, he does not do LBL in one step. Instead, he does the tummy tuck first and then the back at least 6 months later.

The surgeon was one of three in the province recommended by the provincial bariatric program and I've heard wonderful things from a past patient; her scars are beautiful!!! I was hoping to have everything done in one go, but now I'm wondering if recover and infection control would be easier in a staged process. Has anyone done it this way?