emily'smommymakeover

It's been a week. I'm certainly not back to 100%, but I am feeling like myself again . . . well, my new self that is. The question I'm getting the most is, "Does it hurt?" so I thought I'd outline the pain as I experienced it for the ladies who are considering also taking this journey.

- The tummy tuck incision. Very little pain at all. I did notice that once the pain pump was removed, things were a little more tender and sensitive so I guess the pain pump was really doing its job. It's certainly nothing like what my c-section felt like. Really not even close.

- My new belly button. A little bloody, a little tender. But not really a big deal.

- The incisions where the breast implants were inserted. Similar to the tummy tuck, pain pump did its job and I haven't really noticed much pain.

- My breasts. My silicone implants are 400 ccs and 425 ccs, so there's some stretching going on. That has caused some pain. I've described it as being like when my breasts first started growing and also kinda like a punch in the chest. A week later, they are still pretty tender but I wouldn't describe it as painful – more like "sensitive." Moms, remember when your milk came in after giving birth? It's a lot like that.

- My back. I didn't see this coming, but my back is the worst. No, not from carrying around my new breasts – from sleeping propped up on my back. I normally sleep on my stomach, so between being properly elevated post surgery, and just not being able to turn on my side or my stomach while sleeping has caused me a lot of discomfort and pain. In fact, the night I came off the Percocet, I ended up trying to sleep in the recliner downstairs. Not getting sleep is my pet peeve. So combining sleep deprivation with back pain, I started to have my first tiny tinges of regret about the surgery. I'm still struggling with sleeping in this new position but it's not as bad as it was, and thoughts of regret are certainly gone when I look at my flat tummy in the mirror.

- The hose (medical stockings). To prevent blood clots during surgery, Dr. Hynes prescribed special knee-high hose that are super tight. I finally got to take them off and it was such a relief. Again, not painful, but itchy.

- The compression garment. Now I know why women gave up corsets. Oh wow. I'm still wearing the compression garment, and I'm supposed to pull it tighter and tighter every day. This is maybe the most uncomfortable thing I've had to wear, but the side benefit is that it's so tight, I can't eat a bunch of Twinkies and gain any weight back. :)

- The pain pump tubes. Of course having tubes sticking in your body can be painful and uncomfortable, but these didn't really bother me or hurt me until they were removed. Ouch. A really quick ouch, but pretty painful for about two seconds.

- The drainage bulbs. Also tubes coming directly out of my body. But their removal wasn't painful. It was just weird. Two feet of hose (I may be exaggerating) being pulled from deep inside my body . . . just weird.

- Tape and band-aids. Hey, I'm just being thorough! Yep, I got some skin pulled off when my bandages were removed. No big deal. David kissed my owies.

I think that covers everything. Big picture – the tummy tuck was not as painful as my c-sections. And the breast augmentation wasn't as painful as breast feeding for the first time. So if you're a mom getting the mommy makeover, duh, you shouldn't have too much trouble enduring.

Comment by Marlene:
Emily, Thanks for another great update. Looking forward to seeing more pics.
Sleeping on your tummy ... hmmm .... I have a feeling you did that for the last time, but I imagine you'll find a comfortable position to sleep on your side.

There's a great pillow made by Tempurpedic that is made for you to sleep on your side, and I highly recommend it. Made it an easier transition to sleeping on my side after my herniated (neck) surgery. (I was also a tummy sleeper, which is tough to do after neck surgery).

Glad you're enjoying your new body, and still following doctor's orders precisely. I bet your doctor wishes all his patients were as good as you've been.

Love the compression garment comment. Maybe I can make a new diet out of that called "Squeeze Me" ...

Marlene.

Comment by Cara:
Glad to hear it! I LOVED your little shout-out to our mean Twinkie lady, I can't remember her name.
Cara