I was awake as they wheeled me back into my room and got me back into bed. My brain was a little fuzzy, but I was clear enough to remember the doctor coming in to talk about the surgery. He said that everything went well...he had talked to me previously about the fat I still had left in my upper stomach area and how he couldn't do anything about that fat during this surgery. He reiterated that after the surgery. He said I would see improve in my shape but that I would need to lose another 10-15 pounds to make the results ideal. I am fine with that I told him. As long as the giant apron of fat below my bellybutton was gone. He assured me that it was and that he thought I was going to love my new breasts. He did end up needing to use implants. The smallest ones he has (which are 150cc) just to round out the center where I didn't have much density. Everything sounded great. He told me to rest and he would be back in the morning to check on me and process my discharge. This was at about 3 in the afternoon.
Things went along well for a couple of hours. Then I started to feel really nauseous! The feeling got worse and worse. I asked Lupita for something just in case I was going to throw up. She brought me a little tray and I held on to it for dear life. Sure enough I started vomiting...and vomiting...and vomiting. I felt like I was getting weaker and weaker. Lupita called Dr. R who came right back. After checking me over, he said that I had lost too much blood and I needed an immediate transfusion! What??? Well, if that's what I need then let's get this party started! They started the transfusion and I held on to my little tray like a lifeline. Pretty soon that nausea went away. Lupita brought me some ice to suck on that that was heavenly! Dr R told her that as long as I wasn't nauseous, after about an hour I could have a little bit of water...and if water stayed down, then I could have a bit of juice in a few hours. He left, again promising to come back the next day.
I slept off and on all night. Lupita waking me up frequently to check my vitals and to ask how I was feeling. I wanted to tell her that I felt like I had been run over by a bus...but she was so sweet I held in my normal sarcasm. She wanted me to eat a bit of fruit the next morning...but that just wasn't going to happen. After one bite my stomach protested and I DID NOT want to start vomiting again! Now I should mention that during all of this I was doing my best to keep my daughters informed about what was happening and needless to say they were upset. Fortunately, the hospital had wifi so when I was feeling semi-human, I was able to FaceTime with them to show them that I was alive! The doctor didn't come until very late the next day. He said that my heart rate was still way to fast and he didn't want to release me yet. That meant another night in the hospital. Yikes! How much will that cost, I asked him. Nothing was his reply. A part of my package was "complication insurance" which covered everything except the transfusion...that was $200. OK - I can handle that. So I settled in for another night.
The next day I was released mid-day and Rosie came to pick me up and take me back to the Casa. When I got there, they got me up to my room - the only issue I have with the Casa is that the bedrooms are upstairs...a LOT of stairs. I clearly remember standing at the bottom and thinking...I don't know if I can make it to the room! Of course I did...and then I remembered that Laura was gone and she had the bed by the window. I saw that they had made up the other bed for me so I asked if it would be possible for me to switch to the bed by the window. They were so nice and immediately switched everything over to that bed and got me settled. Bliss. I elected to get the pain pump (which was an extra $300 - and worth every penny IMHO) so I wasn't in any actual "pain"...but I was uncomfortable EVERYWHERE. Mostly though my back - where he did the lipo - was sooooo tight! It's hard to explain, but I felt like someone had blown me up like Violet in Willie Wonka.
The care I received at the Casa was first rate. The rooms were nice (mine had an amazing ocean view that I only had to turn my head to see) and each had it's own bathroom. The food was good, breakfast-lunch-dinner-and snacks, and the nurses were so nice. The only problem is that there is a pretty big language barrier with some of them. They have apps on their phone to help with their English and I had an app to help with my Spanish...so we muddled along pretty well. They had such sweet and helpful attitudes that I didn't really care about the language being spoken.
Got some surgery stats from the doctor today...a total of 12 pounds was removed during surgery.
My "apron" weighed 10 pounds!!! He removed half a pound of tissue from each breast and a pound of fat from the lipo! Amazing! He said that is probably why I needed a transfusion. Every pound of tissue removed has blood in it...the more tissue, the more blood loss. At this point I thought that I was on the mend. Yes, everything is sore and swollen and I have a lot of healing to do...but I am on my way.
The next morning I had an appointment at the Oxygen Chamber. I did much better this time. I found out that it's OK to bring my iPod into the chamber and having music to listen to really helped my frame of mind. Taking that drive into TJ, sitting up in the chamber for 90 minutes and then the drive back wiped me out. I took a 2 hour nap as soon as I got back to the Casa. I am really looking forward to tomorrow when I get to take a shower! My hair is nothing short of disgusting and I cannot wait to wash it.
The time came for my much anticipated shower and it was everything I dreamed of. It didn't occur to me that I was way to weak to take a shower on my own! After taking off all the compression garments, all the wound dressings, getting my lanyard to hold my drains up out of the way, and actually getting into the shower (thank God for shower chairs), I was already exhausted. Then my angel Lupita took over...she washed my hair, and my body, and rinsed me. Then she handed me the wash cloth so I could wash my "cootchie cootchie"...I got the giggles like a school girl when she said that! LOL She dried me off and helped me back to bed. She did all the "nurse things" to my wounds and re-dressed them. Took care of my drains, and generally fussed over me like a mother hen. (In case I haven't mentioned it...I LOVE Lupita). She then told me to lie there and rest for a few minutes because I have a massage soon. After about 30 minutes they came and got me for my massage. Martha is the massage therapist (and a nurse) at the Casa. She has a small room set up there, which is nice so you don't have to travel for your massages. The bad part again is the stairs! First you have to go down all the stairs to get to the main floor...then through the lounge and through the kitchen...then up a small flight of stairs...then turn right and up a very steep flight of stairs to her studio. By the time you get there you just want to lay down!! Lymphatic drainage massage is different that any other massage I have every gotten. Martha uses a machine first ...she puts gel on your back and the uses an "RF wand" (radio frequency) and moves the wand in circular motions on your back. She does half of your back at a time. The machine is timed, so it beeps when it's time to change sides. I didn't have a watch and there is no clock in the salon, but I would estimate that each side gets about 3 minutes with the wand. You are just sitting on the side of the table during this part. After the wand, she uses a warm oil and begins the massage. These massages are to help your lymphatic system drain all the excess fluids that are stuck in your body after the surgery...and I was so swollen that I really needed it. She uses a sort of sweeping motion up and over and down. She has a few pressure points that get some attention...under your arms and at your groin. After she finishes with your back, she cleans off the oil and helps you to lie down on your back on the table. That is the hard part. In the beginning, flat on my back was NOT a comfortable position for me. But she puts a big pillow under your knees so that your stomach is still kind of contracted which helped. She repeats the entire process on your front. The first couple of massages were very uncomfortable. I was stiff and sore and nothing she was doing felt good. But as the days went by, I started to look forward to them. The surgery package I had included 5 massages...I ended up buying an additional 2 massages and had my last one the day before I left for home. I really do believe that these helped me a lot. My bruising went away faster and after the first couple, I did feel better after every massage.
So this was to be a busy day for me because after my massage I had about an hour to rest and then back to the Oxygen Chamber! I was actually thinking that a shower, a massage, AND an appointment in the chamber was too much for one day...but then I asked the nurse if I could drink coffee yet and she said yes...but only one cup. She asked if I would like her to make me a cup, but I said no...because right across from the Oxygen place is...Starbucks! I planned to ask Rosie if we could stop there after the appointment for a small coffee! OK - now I had something to look forward to!! This was day 4 after surgery and I had almost started to feel human again, so a coffee was my reward! I went and had my time in the chamber and then Rosie took me to Starbucks. She stayed in the car while I went in. I opted for a tall iced latte and eagerly waited for the barista to hand it over. While I was waiting, Rosie came in. She was talking to someone on the phone. I thought she was either worried about me being in there alone, or she had decided to get something for herself. The barista called out my name and I walked up to get my coffee. I got a straw and put it in the cup and turned to walk to Rosie. She looked at me and took the coffee right out of my hand! She said "you can't have that...you are supposed to be fasting". Uh no, I am not fasting...I had breakfast and juice this morning. She said that she had just talked to Martha, who had just talked to Dr R, and Martha said I was supposed to be fasting and that Rosie needed to take me to the hospital!! WTF?? I was sure that there was some mistake. I told Rosie, she must have me mixed up with another patient. Why would I need to go back to the hospital? She put me on the phone with Martha who told me that they have been sending all my stats as well as photos (I knew they were taking wound pics each day but they never said anything about being worried about anything) to Dr R each day. The photos they sent him this morning bothered him enough to want me back in the hospital. OK - well I am not one to argue with the Dr...but everything SEEMED fine. I was not in any new pain (I was on my last day of the pain pump), I had looked at my incisions just that morning in the shower and nothing looked alarming (OK - I know - I am NOT at doctor), so I had no clue what was happening.
Rosie took me to the hospital and to my relief, my original nurse Lupita (not my Lupita from the Casa) was on duty. She took me into a room and proceeded to do everything she had done on the day of my surgery. Gown, compression stockings, new IV line...I tried to ask her what was going on and all she could tell me was that Dr R told her to prep me for a "procedure". OK - now I am starting to really worry. I called my daughters to let them know what was going on...even though there was not much I could really tell them. Then came the longest two hours I have gone through in a while. Finally the doctor came in to talk to me. He pointed out the very large, very dark bruise around my belly button. He said that is not normal, and considering the blood loss and subsequent transfusion during my last surgery, he is worried about clots. He asked for permission to open up my incision to check things out. He told me he would only need to open about 4 inches of the incision. He said that he may go in and find nothing...which would mean he opened me back up for no reason...but his gut is telling him that something is not right. Wow, OK doc...you're the man...if you say we need to go back in, then let's do it. He said he was assembling a team and we could hopefully be back in the OR in about 30 minutes. He estimated that the whole surgery would take less than an hour.
The same anesthesiologist came in to talk to me. She asked if we could do the epidural again. She said since the area affected is a lot smaller this time she would only need to do a smaller process and that I should be good to go a couple of hours after surgery. By now it's 4pm. Lupita comes to get me and take me back to the OR...deja vu...surgery begins and I can't feel a thing. There is a blue drape above my head and one corner of it keeps drooping into my face and I keep batting it away. Suddenly I can hear this awful sucking sound and it just goes on and on and on. I am trying to focus on the music playing and tune out what's happening. I think I dozed off for a few minutes because the next thing I remember is the doctor telling me that he is done and I am being stitched back up. He said he would come and talk to me once I was back in my room. After I was back in the room for about 30 minutes (I had time to call my kids and assure them that I was doing fine) Dr R came in to talk to me. He said that he was very glad we had gone back in to look because my abdominal cavity was full of blood clots. He said that he had never seen anything like it! Long stringy clots that were keeping my drains from working and then one giant clot right around my bellybutton. He suctioned and rinsed and cleaned the whole area and feels that everything will begin to heal properly now. I was a bit in shock at that news! I asked the doctor how long I would stay in the hospital and he said that a driver was coming at 9pm to take me back to the Casa! So I had about 3 hours to get my legs working again, drink some water to hydrate me, and get dressed. Oh and I forgot...I was still low on blood so they gave me another pint of blood as well as a pint of plasma! Good lord! It was amazing how quickly I bounced back from this though. When Lupita came in to remove the stockings and take out the extra IV to help me get dressed I was feeling much the same as I had that morning. Then the nicest thing happened. The anesthesiologist came in and said "I know you are scheduled to lose the pain pump today...but I am going to fill it up for another two days so that you can rest and recover from this surgery! She comes back in with a syringe and puts another two days worth of drugs into the pump! Now...the 4 day pump cost $300 so I fully expected this was going to be $150. I asked her how to go about paying for the refill and she smiled and said "this is my gift to you". What??? That was maybe the nicest thing a doctor has ever done for me! Two more days of not having to take pain pills...wonderful !!!
So at 9pm Rosie came and got me and we made the drive back to the Casa. My "other Lupita" had the door open before we even knocked. She enveloped me in a big hug and said "I was so worried about you"! She helped me up to my room and fussed over me. She refilled my water bottle, brought me a little snack (since I missed dinner) and after all that, I slept like a log. Now...the best part is that my iced latte is in the fridge. Rosie took it back to the house for me and they are saving it so I can have it later. So glad I got an iced coffee!!! Onward and upward!
I just LOVE reading about your journey!
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