I Made it! Today was the day!

I did it!  I made it through surgery.  I was a little nervous about the anesthesia, but the whole process was amazing!  

My surgery was moved from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. so I didn't have to be there until 8.  I was thankful for a little extra sleep, and I was able to go to the surgery center rested.  The surgery center was like a doctor's office (inside and out).  It didn't seem "surgical" at all and was very nice.  Everyone working there was awesome and they all did a great job as far as I was concerned.  After they called me back, they did the blood pressure, temperature, questions, etc. and then took me to the room where I put on a gown, robe, compression socks, and slippers.  Then I sat in a reclining chair and the nurse covered me with a warm blanket.  I waited around awhile, went to the restroom, and then the nurse came back to start my IV.  I don't have a problem with needles, so that party didn't bother me at all.  I went to the restroom again after getting the IV (I drank lots of water and OJ in the few days prior to my surgery because I heard that being well-hydrated can help with the nausea after anesthesia).  I waited in the little room for awhile longer and t hen I spoke wit the anesthesiologist.  She was very nice, and seemed confident that I would do fine.  I remembered that I had my wisdom teeth removed several years ago and it went very smoothly so that lessened my fears somewhat about the general anesthesia.  Finally, Dr. Pousti came in and drew on  my chest and labia (for my labiaplasty).  He is such an awesome doctor.  Although I am a super-planner type of person, in this case, I totally left the cc decision up to Dr. Pousti (I found out later that he put in 550 cc mentor silicone in each side).  He is the professional, and I trusted him to give me the look I was going for.  Even if I had an idea about what exactly I thought I wanted before, I still have no qualifications to dictate how many cc's, etc.  I didn't even specify where I wanted my incision (he went through the areola).   I did bring in lots of pictures, and I let him make all the other decisions based on the photos that I liked and what we had discussed and come up with together.

My nurse came to get me and walked me to the OR where I lay down on the table with my legs in the leg compression thingys and my head on the little pillow.  Everyone in there started to work doing their jobs like pros and I felt so well taken care of.  Immediately after the anesthesiologist told me to take a deep breath, I was out.  It really does happen that fast.

I started waking up, but I felt like my eye-lids were very heavy and I was still really out of it.  I did not feel nauseous!!! Praise the Lord!  I was so concerned about feeling sick.  As I was waking up, I began to take some deep breaths to get some "good" air in my lungs.  This helped out immensely, in my opinion.  I would highly recommend deep breathing to help with recovery.  I had just minimal discomfort in my breasts, but it was very very small.  I was really not in any pain.  Soooooooo much easier than giving birth.  The nurse gave me a little more pain med in my IV.  He said their goal was for me to be in NO pain whatsoever.  I immediately asked if I could have ice chips.  I was so thirsty and my throat was a little scratchy.  He came back and fed some to me and then let me feed myself.  Gradually I felt better and better.  Two or three different nurses (and the anesthesiologist) periodically came in to check in on me and to replace the ice on my labia.  They were all so nice and accomodating.  I think the first thing I asked when I was waking up was "did you call my husband?"  After they talked to him and checked my vitals one more time, the male nurse that had taken such great care of me, brought in my clothes and laid them out so that I could get dressed in bed.  He then helped me put on my shoes and got me in a wheelchair.  He carried all my stuff (to include flowers from Dr. Pousti!!!) and took me to wait for my hubby.  This was the worst part of the experience.  I never do well transitioning from lying down to a wheelchair, but I took it very easy, kept breathing deeply and did ok.  The other thing that bothered me was the bad taste in my mouth from the anesthesia.  It is AWFUL!  If you haven't experienced it before just know that it will taste really bad.  The ice chips and other beverages they may offer you while you are waking up help out a ton!  I couldn't wait to get in the car to get a sip of something more than ice!  That taste could have made me sick, but I got something else to drink just in time.  My kids were so excited to see me, and my son arranged my pillow in the front seat and rubbed my head on the way home.  He totally messed up my ponytail, but I didn't care.  He was being so sweet!  The drive took about 20 minutes and by the time we got home I was very ready for the pain meds.  I had my hubby bring me something else to drink and the nausea medication first to get a headstart on it.  He then slowly helped me upstairs, I peed, got in my bed, and then took the rest of my medication.  I slept several hours then ate some cheese and crackers when I woke up to take another pain pill.  Still no nausea!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I am drifting off to sleep so  I will have to update later.  I hope this is coherent~ the pic is the only one I could get so far.  I am pretty much confined to the bed and can't even reach the nightstand very well.  The next few days should be better for picture taking!!!