emily'smommymakeover

We're home now. What a day. Everything went as planned and Emily is asleep in her own bed. I'll act as "guest writer" at least one more time before turning the blog back over to Emily.

After about four hours of waiting in the waiting room, I have to admit I was getting a little anxious. I knew the surgery was supposed to take four to five hours, but I hadn't heard from anyone since they wheeled her to the O.R. at 7AM. I had planned on working during the down time, but just couldn't

focus. Instead, I found myself tweeting for Emily and keeping up with friends on facebook. I was so appreciative for all the comments and support.

Finally, Janet came in to tell me that they were all done and that Dr. Hynes would be in to talk with me shortly. It wasn't until then that I realized just how worried I had really been. I was of course telling myself that everything would be fine, but it was something else entirely when I knew that it actually was fine. I breathed such a sigh of relief.

Dr. Hynes came to the waiting room and said that everything went perfectly. He said that the surgery went faster than he anticipated and he kept repeating, "I'm very pleased." That was comforting. He said that he had removed about three pounds of loose skin around Emily's tummy, and he called it "strategic weight loss." He reminded me that he had used two different size implants because her breasts weren't exactly the same. He gave me some instructions regarding pain meds, dressings and our appointment tomorrow afternoon and then was gone.

I grabbed some lunch and waited another forty-five minutes and was then led back to the pre-op room where I saw my bride. Swollen and drugged, but still beautiful, she greeted me with a smile and a whispered, "I love you."

When asked how she felt, she said (and this is an exact quote), "I feel like that time when I was a kid and my boobs started growing." I laughed. I can't really relate, but I think I get the picture.

Jeff, our new nurse, asked how her pain was on a scale from one to ten. She said it was a four, so he gave her some Percocet. Not long after that, she was telling me the pain was at a level two.

The narcotics were definitely having their way with her as she kept asking me the same questions over and over. She didn't even remember being wheeled to the O.R. until about 3:3o. Her eyes widened and she said, "Oh. Now I remember."

I called my parents and Emily's mother to let them know that she was okay. My mother still can't quite relate to this whole blog thing. She took a look at some of yesterday's pictures and said that she thought Emily was a very brave lady to put that on the internet. I agree. She also said, "I just never would have guessed that she had all that under those jeans. She always looks so small." That might explain why so many people didn't think Emily needed this procedure, and it might also explain why this has been so important to her.

Dr. Hynes came in one more time to check on Emily. He reminded me of a few things I needed to do, told Emily what a good job she did, and promised to see us tomorrow. He made sure we had his home number and encouraged us to call him if we encountered any problems.

Then I got a lesson in nursing from Jeff. He showed me how Emily's pain pumps worked, explained the intervals for putting ice on her, told me about the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce & toast) and then he showed me how to empty the drainage bulbs. Admittedly, this was something that is certainly out of my comfort zone, but not undoable. I can put aside my squeamish nature to take care of her post-op.

By now it was time to get dressed and go home. This is where things got a little bumpy. Emily got unplugged from her monitors, had her catheter removed, the blood pressure sleeve was removed and Jeff and I helped her sit up. But this moving around BS was too much even for her. She got nauseous and Jeff saved the day with some anti-nausea meds. A brief rest and I was helping her get dressed. Thank goodness she had worn in a sweat suit to make room for all the bandages, the pain pumps and the drainage bulbs.

Thanks for the visit by my Aunt, who is a nurse at St. Joseph. It was nice of her to stop by. And my Dad even made a short appearance before zipping out of the room when Jeff started to remove the IV. Guess I come by my squeamishness honestly. I hope Tanner hasn't inherited that trait, or it's gonna be a tough road to being a plastic surgeon some day. Speaking of Tanner, when he saw his mom all dressed up in bandages and still acting pretty groggy, he put on a brave face. But when we were alone, he admitted that he was scared for her. I explained that the hard part was over and that we just need his help while she recovered. He came around when he realized that she was safe now. It's probably a good thing he didn't know what to expect, or he may have been a lot more anxious at school today.

Hopefully, Emily will feel up to taking over the blog again tomorrow after our post-op appointment.

On a personal note, and because she can't stop me in the state she's in, I'll indulge just a tiny bit and add this: Now that I'm sure everything is going to be okay, I feel a lot like a kid on Christmas Eve who can't wait to open his presents tomorrow. :)

Comment by Annie:
Emily – You are so brave for documenting all of this and making it through! An inspiration, because I sure could use it after Noah and then the twins! Hoping for a quick and easy recovery!

Annie

Comment by Leslie:
Oh David, you're so stinkin' funny!

Comment by Stacy:
David, they are HER presents, not yours :) Glad Emily's feeling okay, and pain pills are sometimes a GOOD thing..... Stacy

Comment by Rebecca:
Wow Emily, you look great even with all those bandages! And I love your comment about when you were a kid and your boobs started to grow! Love it! Hope you feel better soon.

Comment by Teresa:
I am so happy that you have made it through what was hopefully the worst! The report was you looked great today! I hope you are not in any pain–use that pain pump. :) I will see you tomorrow! Teresa

Comment by Helene:
The second and third day after surgery are the worst. You feel a lot of burning when you try to stand. It is a lot like the first time you stand after a c-section but not quite as bad. It is totally tolerable with pain medication and know that on day 4 you will feel a marked improvement. I am on day 6 and got my drains removed today. What a relief! I feel so much better without them. It did not hurt to have them removed, just felt weird like a snake. I have a slight fever today but incisions look good and I am taking it easy. I think I am turning a corner and things will get easier faster.. Best of luck to you! You are right behind me! Keep posting!