12 hours post op here

[aeroumr]

To the people nervous about their surgery, DON'T BE.  I had never even had an IV put into me until yesterday when I had this surgery done (I'm 27).  I had excision/lipo from Dr. Robert Young in Chesterfield, MO.  I was so nervous about it, that I just laid in bed the night before for about 3 hours thinking about everything that could possibly go wrong.  I ended up only getting about an hour and a half worth of sleep before the operation.  

As for the procedure, it couldn't have went better.  Having never had an IV and being a little (a lot) afraid of needles, I was actually quite nervous about it.  However, before they stuck the IV in, they numbed the area with local anethesia. To tell you the truth, I didn't feel any type of "bee sting" from either this shot or the IV going in.  After that, the surgeon came in and drew circles on each of my breasts.  We had a last minute conversation and then he left the room.  

A few minutes later, the anesthesiologist came in and gave me a sedative through the IV.  After the sedative kicked in (about 10 seconds), they rolled me into the operative room.  I only remember being in that room for about 30 seconds. They didn't tell me when they gave me anesthetics.  The next thing I remember is waking up about 2 hours later in the holding room.  

As for the pain, there wasn't much right after the surgery.  It was more sore than anything (nothing to worry about). The nurses gave me one pill of pain medication, a glass of water and some crackers.  Thirty minutes after I woke up, I was released to go home.  

I was going to write to these boards right when I got home, however the pain medication (Vicodin) kicked in and I fell asleep.  Having not slept very much the night before, I didn't wake up for about 9-10 hours.  

I haven't taken my vest off yet to see any results.  I think that I'll wait a few days to do that when I'm not quite as sore. However, it does bring me relief when I look in the mirror with a T-shirt on and don't see pointy boobs anymore.  

So for anybody worried about this surgery, go get it done.  I haven't taken any pain medication since I woke up (2 hours ago).  I don't feel like there's any need to.  There's very little pain, only soreness.  

I hope this gives you a little perspective from somebody that never had surgery before.  If you have any questions at all, please ask.

[aeroumr]

I'm a grad student, and I had to take a test the morning after the surgery.  It wasn't really that big of a deal.  You'll be sore, but it's not unbearable at all.  I only took my pain medication (Vicodin) once.  After I realized that it made me feel really sleepy and crappy, I stopped taking it.  I didn't really need it.  

As far as hiding it from your roommate, just wear a sweatshirt around the house and don't let him/her see you try to reach for something above your head.

[Allan7865]

Sounds great man - im so glad your procedure went good. Im having surgery in 1 week and I have to say Im nervous as well!

I am really nervosu about everything after surgery rather than the surgery itself as well. Are you totally laid out for days on end for a few days after the surgery? I have a roommate whom I don't wanna share that I have had this surgery and Im afriad there is no way I can get around it.....should I just stay in my room for several days to avoid any questions?

It all depends how the general anesthetic affects you for the first 24 hours. For me it barely affected me, I was fine walking around the seconds I got home and left the hospital. The main problem I forsee will be your unexplained soreness(Yes it will strain you to get dressed at first) and perhaps massive drains, hospital wristbands, bottles of medications( I was on T3 and antibiotics), a large dressing with foam pads.

[Timtbs]

I am from south county, STL and considering the procedure.  How did everything go?  did insurence cover your procedure?  if not, how mch did it run you? did the consultation cost you anything?  how long did you have to ait after the consultation to have the surgery?  expected recovery time? pictures?  i wanna know it all lol.  Thanks a million, i would kill for these answers as i want to stay local to have the procedure done.  Thanks again,   Tim

[aeroumr]

Everything has gone great so far.  I got my drains taken out on Thursday and finally got to look at my chest.  I could not have asked for a better job.  My swelling has subsided, and I can tell that my chest is going to look great.  

No, insurance didn't pay for it.  Dr. Young, and the other PS's that I have saw, said that insurance rarely pays for the operation.  They said that the only exception might be if you're a teenager.  Anyway, the total for everything was just over $4900.  This includes the  surgeon fee, anethesiologist, hospital room, and prescriptions.  That sounds pricey, but I'm glad I paid it looking at my results so far.  The consultation fee is $60, but is waived if you choose to have surgery with him.  

I waited about a month after my consultation to get surgery, but that was because of school conflicts.  They had times available for me to have surgery 2 weeks after my consultation, if I remember correctly.  Dr. Young does surgery only on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  

As far as expected recovery time, I'm not sure what you mean by that.  The pain/discomfort went away after 2 or 3 days.  The stitches are supposed to dissolve in a couple of weeks.  As far as the scars go, he said that's different for everybody.  I have a follow-up appointment with him in 4 weeks, so we'll see how it goes.  

I will be going home for St. Pats (college gets out) this week.  While I'm there, I will pick up my family's digital camera and take some pictures.  So look for pictues in 5-7 days.  

I chose Dr. Young because of his experience.  He told me that he performs about one gyne surgery per month, which is quite high compared to the other surgeons in the area.  It is the best decision I've ever made.  I am extremely happy with the results.  

If you have anymore questions, just ask.  

[dav242]

great to hear such a positive experience. glad that things went well.
i have surgery in 2 hours (just getting ready to leave, but wanted to check these boards for some words of comfort or something...)
in addition to the general anesthesia bit, i'm also freaked out about how much in pain i'll be in tomorrow, post-op (and how much the meds will affect my body)
i'm having lipo-only done (i more or less have a mild case) and am a little concerned that the fact that there isn't a whole bunch of fat to be removed may lead to more bruising or pain the following day... do you know if that might be the case?

i'm also irked that i won't be able to shower or anything until two days from now (saturday, i guess).

so was it just soreness for you? no sharp pain at all?? i want to be prepared for any major discomfort... i'm hoping the soreness is it and that you didn't leave any major pain issues out of your description!

anyway, i'll keep your words in mind as i head over to the clinic today - i can only hope mine goes as smoothly (and as painlessly)