Monday, November 25, 2013

Bum Watch- Day 19

19 days post surgery already!

My entire body aches from sitting and lack of sleep.  But I know it will get better.  Tonight we might try getting me to the sleep in my bed and see if that makes life better.  It is incredibly hard to get comfortable, especially still with drains tugging and pulling on my tender bits.

I also have two small wounds that we are treating.  They are spots that have opened instead of healing.  Both are small, the one at the top of my butt crack is about the size of a quarter.  I have another one where my thigh incision hits my crotch.  That one is a bit bigger- more like a loonie.  Twice a day the wounds are cleaned with hot water and a cloth, then a piece of gauze covered in this special clear gel is taped/wedged into place.  The gel eats away at some of the tissue and promotes healing.  I freak out when I see the wounds and think I am dying.  Husband looks at me like I am a lunatic, tells me these are nothing in the world of wound care, and proceeds to fix me up.

Along the incision lines, the scabs are rapidly falling off.  Actually, my entire body is flaking off.  Leaving warm, humid LA and coming home to cold, dry Faro has my body shedding skin like a snake.  Today after my sponge bath, we slathered me up in moisturizer to help.

My weight is sitting just under 165lbs and I am still very swollen.  The core of my body has zero curves; I am thick and feeling like I could explode at any minute.  I cannot wait for my waist curve to come back!

And a really fun number?  My hips, just over two years ago, were 65" around.  They are now 41".  I have lost 2 feet from around my hips!  It is fun holding up a measuring tape and looking at that. 

My work right now is getting in my 100 grams of protein each day.  A struggle since the pain pills suppress my appetite and cause nausea.  And also to get up and walk around my house a bit more.  My goal right now is to be up at least four times a day to make a little walk down the hallway.

Matt is off work until the 6th and I am happy to have him here to deal with the house stuff, the kids and taking care of me.

Wound right at the top.  Bum is still very lumpy, bumpy and swollen. I hope my bum looks much better in a few months!

Scabs are falling off and incisions are healing!  But that tummy is still pushed out and swollen.  Thighs are very tight and still swollen too.  Bruising is nearly gone from my entire body.

Belly button looking better.  Incision lines are becoming flatter.  I still cannot believe the front of me is flat... the rolls are gone.
Providers of my entertainment.

Wee kitten snuggles help healing, right?

7 comments:

-N- said...

Looking great! Healing well! Don't worry too much about those two small wounds, considering the size of the incisions, a couple of open spots are pretty much par for the course. I can't get over how smooth most of your scars are. Yay to skilled surgeons and bat suits!

Anonymous said...

You are a brave girl. First for sharing some skin and secondly for having the surgery in the first place. I am not so sure I will be able to do it when my time comes. Why didn't you have the surgery at PSSC with Dr. Harris?

Matt, Kara, Hunter and Cavan said...

Hi Anon!

I checked at PSSC first off since my first surgery was such a success, but in the end I went to Dr. Katzen because of the type of surgery I ended up wanted. Not all surgeons down the lower 360 and also do it combined with the inner thigh lift. Dr.K just had the experience I was looking for with this type of surgery. Since I had to travel no matter which surgeon I picked, I had to go with the most bang for my buck- most surgery done at one time that I felt comfortable doing.
I have heard fantastic things about Dr. Harris and have seen great photos of his work too!

Anonymous said...

You give new meaning to the words Butt Ugly.

Matt, Kara, Hunter and Cavan said...

ahahahhah Do I ever.

Anonymous said...

That took a lot of courage. Hope you heal quickly!

Anonymous said...

I'm wayyy behind on your posts (working full time and toddler at home doesn't leave much time for anything else). Missed you going off down south. You look amazing. So brave to put this out there.

Which reminds me, I need to track down my mittens from you. Winter is hitting Southern Alberta and I need mittens again!

Shanlee