Recovery Goes On Despite Covid

 Recovery goes on...

I’ve been having trouble knowing whether to post or not with everything going on. I have so much to be thankful for & don’t want to seem like I’m whinging. I was very blessed to have my surgery the week before the Covid-19 cancellations, but it has also meant that things have been much harder too. The current situations are apart of my journey so I’ve decided to continue sharing & being 100% honest.

2-3 WPO - OMG - the healing itch has reached its peak! It is so itchy all along my incision which is expected but the itch under my skin, all over is so intense & there is no way of making it ease. Argh! So itchy! I desperately hope this doesn’t last for weeks! 😱

3W 2D - Hallelujah 🎉 the itch has calmed down. I’m so glad that intensity didn’t last much longer than a week. The incision is still itchy but the rest of my tummy is so much better.

I'm so excited that the scab on my new belly button fell off today which feels so good. When I first removed my belly button dressing & saw there was a section that was smooth & black, it was a bit of a surprise. Everything else looked & felt normal so I was confident it was fine but black is normally a really bad sign. For peace of mind, I emailed a photo to Nurse Kat. She replied really quickly & said that Dr M said it’s due to a bleed from my large hernia repair. He said it would form a crust & fall off & that I may experience extra bruising around it too. I wasn’t sure how it was going to form a crust as it totally looked like it was under the skin but sure enough, that’s exactly what happened.

Most of the fine scabs on the incision have come off too. The skin on either side of the incision is quite dry, peeling & itchy. Unfortunately I can’t use Dr M’s salve so I’ve been using Strataderm on the incision where there are no scabs. I found the using the gel on my breast incisions really helped protect them from getting irritated by my bra. The days I didn’t use it, I could really tell the difference. So I decided to buy Stratamark gel to add an extra layer of protection for the rest of my skin. I think it has helped but my skin is so dry, I think I need some moisture in it first so will use coconut oil for a few days.

 

Periods Suck!!!

3.5 WPO - The day I have been dreading - period time 🤦🏻‍♀️ It has arrived smack bang on time which is a good sign my body is coping with it all but damn it sucks! I struggle with sensory issues & sensitive skin that both ramp up during period time. Absolutely everything is driving me crazy! I’m extra swollen, my hair is awful, my pjs are uncomfortable (even though I’ve been wearing the same thing everyday) & I can’t stand my binder anymore! My emotions are all over the place. My poor family.

This isn’t new but when I tried putting on undies for the trip home from hospital, the band around the thighs, no matter how loose, make the swelling in my hips really tender & sore. I think the stupid period has made it all worse. I’ve been going with an underwear is optional attitude since I came out of anesthesia undie free (which as a sensory girl, this has been problematic too but better than wearing them) to help with that swelling but obviously it’s not possible this week 😩

To top it off my appetite has gone crazy & all I wanted to do all day was eat & eat & eat! Nothing would satisfy! Luckily I don’t keep bad stuff in the house. I wasn’t a happy chappy.

Even though I know it’s just hormonal & would only last a day or two. It didn’t seem to matter. I felt out of control & had this overwhelming sense of sadness & heavy weight hanging over my head that I could not lift. I think coming home from hospital a day early 🤦🏻‍♀️ straight into a very intense stressful environment, making sure my kids are coping with all the changes (my eldest has Aspergers so all of this is taking a massive toll on him) & not being able to see my Mum to do what we normally do together & feeling like I can’t be honest with her how I’m really going, has now all caught up with me & today I’ve lost the battle of being mentally ok.

Today has definitely been a rough day & I’m hoping I feel more sane & less melodramatic tomorrow 🙄🤦🏻‍♀️💆🏻🙏🏻😘

Our client wishes to remain anonymous.  💕

Breast lift & reduction - September 2019

Plastic Surgeon - Dr Michael Miroshnik, Sydney.

Tummy tuck, muscle repair, waist tightening, mons lift & hernia repair - March 2020

She is 34 years old, is 161cms tall and at the time of her pre op appointment weighed 59kg and at the time of surgery was 55kg.