On Thursday I am going to my Pre-of visit for my surgery! I can't believe it's so close. On May 9th I will be having a tummy tuck and arm lift. Each time I see my arms in the mirror or feel my tummy giggle I get a bit giddy. :) I am expecting recovery to be a challenge, but am confident that it will be totally worth it when all is said and done.
I need your help! I've come up with questions to ask my surgeon at the pre-op, but am hoping that you will come up with extra questions to ask. I promise to post the answers. :) Here's what I've already come up with...
~ What time is the surgery? (I know, I should probably already know this...)
~ How long will the surgery last?
~ How long will I be in recovery?
~ When will I return for a post-op visit?
~ Will the drains *really* be in for 5 day? (My paperwork says 5 days, but that seems soooo long.)
~ What are my lifting restrictions?
~ I am taking 3 weeks off of work- is that long enough?
~ What foods should I stock up on that will aid in healing?
~ Should I continue to take my extra vitamins after surgery?
~ What should I wear to the surgery?
~ How much skin (weight) should I expect to lose? (Everyone wants to know this one!)
~ Can I donate my skin? (2nd most commonly asked question)
~ Where does my stomach end? (This one seems weird, but when you have a lot of excess skin it really is a bit unclear what is your stomach and what's your back...)
~ When should I expect to be fully back to regular exercise? (I want to do my Free to Breathe 5K again in September and am hopeful...)
Your turn! What would you want to know? What am I forgetting to ask?
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About Me
- Kari
- On June 19, 2009 I started my weight loss journey. It has become quite the journey! As of today (2-1-11) I have lost 162 pounds and have gained a whole new life. This blog is a continuation of my journey. I hope to inspire and encourage others through my process.
Hi Kari, since we all are different I don't know that your doc will be able to answer all your questions at the post op. I think all are good questions. I know you are looking for more questions but instead I will answer some of the questions with how it went for me. Not sure that helps you at all but maybe a bit though I did have different procedures than you are having.
ReplyDeleteWhat time is the surgery? They will tell you this at post op for sure but it ended up they had to change my time from 8am to 11am.
~ How long will the surgery last? On your post op/price papers it should show how many hours are estimated. Mine was 10.5 and I was in there the full amount though many others I talked to it was less than expected.
~ How long will I be in recovery? No idea just remember once I was awake (and groggy) I kept saying "I need a nap" lol and they shuffled me out the door within a short time.
~ When will I return for a post-op visit? my post op was 4 weeks and now 3 months.
~ Will the drains *really* be in for 5 day? one drain was 6 days, second drain 2 weeks and third drain almost 3 weeks.
~ What are my lifting restrictions? I didn't lift anything more than a few lbs for 4 weeks and didn't go back to weight lifting till 7 weeks.
~ I am taking 3 weeks off of work- is that long enough? I took off 6 but then I think mine was more extensive (body lift, thigh lift)
~ What foods should I stock up on that will aid in healing? I just ate as I did before surgery. Did drink a ton of water daily though because it really does help with the swelling. Eat a lot of fiber type stuff too.
~ Should I continue to take my extra vitamins after surgery? I continued with the muli vitamins I really think it did make a different. Also make sure you take a stool softener so you don't get back up. I always ate a lot of fiber but for some reason after surgery I was terribly constipated, it was torture and no one had told me before hand it would be like that.
~ What should I wear to the surgery? I wore a button down the front dress.
~ How much skin (weight) should I expect to lose? 10.75 lbs but thought it would be more. I think a better question might be does your doc weigh what he takes off.
~ Can I donate my skin? Mine took pictures of it and yes he donated it.
~ Where does my stomach end? Yea knowing how far around each side he will be going is a good one.
~ When should I expect to be fully back to regular exercise? I started doing cardio (walking/elliptical) again after 4 weeks and was back to full exercise after about 7 weeks.
Not sure any of that helped but good luck :)
Hey Kari, thanks so much for the comment on my blog - I couldn't find a place to email you, so I'm leaving you a comment here! Your blog is amazing. YOU are amazing. I can only hope to have the success you have had.....I am going back to read allof your older posts now ;)
ReplyDeleteAli @ A Serendipitous Life
Thank you Ali! I even figured out how to add an "e-mail me" button to my page today. :)
ReplyDeleteDawn~ Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I have been pouring over your blog to prepare. I'll keep you posted on my progress. :) Kari
ReplyDelete