December 01, 2011

No more drains!!

Today was my second post-op appointment from my lower body lift, and I am SO glad to report that my surgeon removed my last drain! She wanted the output to be less than 30 cc's, and it just barely made the cut today. If it wasn't for the smaller compression garment, I doubt that I would have been able to get it out today. Ever since I started wearing it, my drain output decreased a lot.

FREEDOM!!

And speaking of that, today my surgeon told me to get a size XS--I had to laugh, first because I've never worn an XS ANYTHING, and second because I *just* started wearing the small. These garments are going to cost me a fortune! But I'm so happy to have the drains out. I was expecting the drain removal to be excruciatingly painful, but I had four drains and none of them hurt coming out. They just felt very weird, like a snake slithering through my abdomen.

The best part? I can sleep on my stomach now! With the drain in, I was always worried that I was going to roll over and pull the drain out while I was sleeping, so I've been (attempting to) sleep on my back and sides for the past 17 days--and I'm not getting much sleep because I'm so uncomfortable. I'm going to sleep like a baby tonight, I hope :)

I asked the doctor about some concerns I had about the swelling and a couple of spots on the incision that are puckered. She said the puckering is normal and will go away when the internal stitches dissolve. I was worried that my swelling was a seroma because it seems so BIG, but she said it's perfectly normal and it could take 4 months for my stomach to be totally FLAT. She said that it will be flat, though, so I just need some patience. She said a lot of people are upset because they can't fit into their old clothes at first--thankfully I don't have that problem! I would be devastated if I couldn't fit into any of my jeans. So I feel confident that I'm right on track.

The doctor mentioned again that I can start running any time I want to now. I don't know when I'll run again. I was planning on waiting until January--but I feel so good right now that I know I could get back to it soon. I think maybe on Monday (3 weeks post-op) I'll do a very light, easy run and see how I feel. I'm certainly not going to start running like I'm training for a race. 


Remember the outakes I posted from the video that Sparkpeople asked me to make? Well, they were making an advertisement for Spark, and they used my clip along with some from other people. And I finally get to post it!  Here it is:

I really do love Sparkpeople. I never would have lost all the weight that I did without the tools and resources that they provide. And I've "met" soooo many amazing people! I remember when I first started losing weight, I would browse the site for hours reading about other people's success, and it was very inspiring.

My favorite tool on the site is the Recipe Calculator. There, you can add all the ingredients in a recipe, type in the number of servings, and it will give you the nutrition info per serving. Then you can save that recipe (public or private) to come back to it whenever you need. When you see the nutrition labels on my recipes, the nutrition info was figured on the recipe calculator at Spark. It's a pain at first, to enter all the ingredients for all of your recipes, but once it's done, it's done--you don't have to do it again.

Okay, I'm off to make some turkey burgers for dinner!

16 comments:

  1. Yay!! That is wonderful news.

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  2. I love sparkpeople too, but I love your blog more.

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  3. Hooray for no more drain! And I hope you get 12 hours of sleep tonight :D

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  4. YAY on losing the drain. It didn't hurt but you're right - it just feels odd. Don't be surprised if working out makes you swell more - it does for a lot of people but hopefully you'll be lucky and it won't.

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  5. Hooray for drain removal! I'm a new reader, and want to let you know that you are the most inspiring story I've ever read! Thank you for always being so honest and forthcoming. I hope to be where you are in the future! P.S. Your thighs are amazing!

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  6. I love the advertisement! That's great!!

    I'm starting to get used to the drain idea now. When you first mentioned it, it was like total phobia moment. YOu know how some people freak out if they're in small tight spaces? Well I freak out when things are inside me like that. I can't even keep a mouth guard in my mouth at night. But if I desensitize myself to the idea in advance, I might be able to do it. One day. :D

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  7. Happy dreams!!
    Pat

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  8. Just promise you won't push yourself too hard when you start running again!

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  9. I love turkey burgers! lol! I'm SOOO happy you get to sleep on your stomach now! I don't know how i'm going to sleep when I can't anymore (eventual babies) How the hell did you sleep while pregnant?

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  10. Speaking of being pregnant ^, what happens if you get pregnant after you've had this surgery?

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  11. @Taunya

    There is NO CHANCE that that will happen :) After I had Eli, Jerry got the old snipperoo... two kids are plenty for us to handle!

    But I'm not sure how it would effect a pregnancy. I know that it's not recommended to get a tummy tuck if you're planning on getting pregnant again, but people do it. It might just stretch the skin out again.

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  12. Thanks for stopping by my blog. Was just reading some of your recipes....will definately have to try some of the oatmeall, especially the baked oatmeal and the bars.
    I DVR Dr. Oz and just watched the 400th episode...woohoo you looked fabulous. Hopefully I'll be where you are in the not too distant future, I have a total of 150 to lose, but one day at a time!
    Look forward to following you.

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  13. Tammy/TexzanDecember 02, 2011

    Katie your doing awesome,, take it one day at a time,, you have the patience,, I know you do,, you were able to lose 125 pouinds and that didnt happen overnite. I am so excited for you,, i knew your weight would just plummet after you lost all that extra skin. Your to cute !! :-)

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  14. I love the video! It gave me chills. I love sparkpeople when I use it, but I unfortunately haven't stuck to it (that seems to be a trend: weight loss, spark, blogging, crocheting). In fact, that is where I "met" you (before you became famous!) :D

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  15. Finally the drains come out! Glad to hear you are doing well. I love the video! No surprise that it's super inspiring. SparkPeople has been an amazing tool for me. LOVE the website and the book.

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  16. I'm glad your final drain is out. Hopefully, your sleep is much more comfortable now. Love the Spark video!

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I used to publish ALL comments (even the mean ones) but I recently chose not to publish those. I always welcome constructive comments/criticism, but there is no need for unnecessary rudeness/hate. But please--I love reading what you have to say! (This comment form is super finicky, so I apologize if you're unable to comment)

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