Surgery Day!!!

Surgery day has arrived! I spoke to the surgical assistant the week prior to go over the basics, make sure I got all my prescribed meds, and knew when/how to arrive. As for meds, my surgeon called in a whopping 5! Narcotic pain killer, antinausea, nerve pain killer, muscle relaxant, and antibiotics. I was instructed to take 2 extra strength Tylenol and a nerve pain pill approx 1 hour prior to arrival in the morning. I felt okay...maybe a bit more talkative than usual (thanks to the meds plus nerves!) I was brought in, a quick urine test to make sure I wasn't pregnant and there was no nicotine in my system, and I was ready to go! I met the anesthesiologist, they put my IV in, started running the good stuff, and before I realized what was happening they were waking me up and the surgery was done! 

I felt pretty lightheaded upon wakening. My blood pressure is normally 90s/60s so I wasn't surprised to find myself dizzy after a major surgery. It took me a few hours in their recovery room to get enough fluids in and nibble some crackers before I could safely get up from bed to use the bathroom. After that I was finally able to go home under my husband's care! 

Most of the rest of the day is a blur....I was clearly still under the influence of meds during surgery, so all I did was lay in bed and sleep on and off. Got some more fluids and a small dinner (I think it was a PB&J sandwich, my ultimate comfort food) and back to sleep again. So the only picture I have after surgery is below....showing off my surgical drain who I affectionately dubbed Jared the JP! 🤣 Drains are pretty standard for tummy tuck, to prevent buildup of fluids as you heal. I was told to keep track of the output from the drain every day...and it would be ready to pull once the output was less than 30ml in 24 hours. So the tracking also began that day (my husband did it at first, I was still too zoned out haha).

Don't worry I didn't let my daughter do anything crazy with the drain! 

P.s. Nicotine is a pretty big deal for surgery. It really slows down the healing process and leaves someone at a much higher risk of having complications. If you are a smoker before getting cosmetic surgery done, the surgeon may ask you to quit. And if you lie and smoke anyway, they will know the day of with that urine test and can cancel everything right there! So if you are a smoker, consider quitting in advance...if not for your surgery than truly for your own health 😁