Postop Day 1

I finally feel more awake...but I am very sore and tight. It reminds me of my cesarean pain, but more intense because the surgical incision is so much wider. However, I told myself that I would only use the narcotic pain meds if I really needed them....and surprisingly I didn't feel like the pain was that bad. So I managed fine with the muscle relaxant, nerve pain, and either 2 extra strength Tylenol or 800mg ibuprofen. Of course the antibiotics needed to be taken twice daily no matter what, and I didn't have much need for the nausea meds either. Then in addition to checking my drain (and keeping it from forming clogs, by "stripping" it to clear any blockages) I was also able to start opening up my abdominal binder to let the dressings air out (I probably did this on surgery day too but I have no recollection of it haha)

Getting up and out of bed took a lot of assistance from my husband...and walking around was tough, I was hunched over like a little witch. But I did manage to hobble from my bed to the couch, toilet, back to bed, couch, toilet...you get the idea. We did have to go to see my surgeon that day for a quick check of my incisions, and that was uneventful other than her telling me I was finally allowed to shower! So that night I finally felt refreshed and clean.  

And here are my postoperative day 1 photos! I felt very much like Frankenstein once I fully appreciated what the surgical scars looked like 😅