What a difference a day makes

The bayou yesterday as I was driving home (the result of about 12 hours of torrential rains)

The bayou today as I was driving home

Recovery update week 4

The news is a mix of good and bad. And really it's only one major bad thing... I can't seem to shake the fluid build up in my upper abdomen. They keep draining it and the fluid keeps coming back. Tomorrow is another doctor's appointment and I'm sure he will drain it again.

Now for the good... I have lost a total of 8 pounds and have a flat stomach despite all of the swelling. I can finally walk like a normal human being most of the time rather than walking like the hunchback of Notre Dame. On a side note, maybe I should have had the surgery before I went to visit Notre Dame last month! ;) I can lie in bed without having my head propped up and pillows under my knees. I can also lay on my side and I can just about sleep on my stomach again.

A nice side effect of the surgery is that I cannot eat quite as much without it being painful anyway. So I expect to be able to lose more weight just from the lack of being able to overeat like I used to. It has not been an easy recovery by any stretch of the imagination but I am starting to feel better. This week is the first time I can honestly say that.

My recommendation for anyone considering a tummy tuck... be prepared for a tough road, and if you live in Houston make sure you try to have the surgery well before summer because these compression garments are HOT (and not in a good way)!

Oh how I hate Mini of the Woodlands!

I have commented previously on my dislike for the Mini service department. Now I have a beef with their salespeople. When I bought the car I had no intention of getting any of their special or extended warranties.

Somehow we were talked into one that covered the tires and rims. The nearly exact quote from the salesman was that you could slash your own tires and they would replace them no questions asked. Sounds pretty darn good! I'm really not so gullible as to believe that I could really slash my own tires and have them cover that. What I did take that to mean was that if I accidentally clipped a curb that they would replace the tire. This was important since I seem to have a knack for destroying the passenger rear tire often.

Lo and behold! I managed to clip the passenger side rear tire only about 6 months into owning the car. My husband had been on my case to take the car by to have that tire replaced and to get the 13000 mile oil change (my first because they said it could make it that long!) I had been putting this off mainly because I kept forgetting so the hubby kindly took the car to have all of the work done.

This visit did not go well at all. I should back up a little and tell you that the hubby does not trust letting a car go 13000 miles without an oil change so he has changed it a few times over the last year. So when he asked to get the tire and rim replaced and the oil changed, they refused to do both.

The tire and rim, they said, had been damaged by a curb. REALLY Mini of the Woodland? REALLY? I could have told you that but you MIGHT want to talk to your salespeople who are telling people that this $800 warranty will cover that and tire slashings!

Then they refused to do the oil change even though I have gone over 13000 miles over the last year. Why? Because the car says it's not time yet! THE CAR TOLD THEM! Apparently my husband changing my oil in between has negated them changing the oil so I have to wait even longer to get a real oil change (not that they hubby can't do it... just that he hasn't been able to find one of the filters in the car so that he can change it.)

Now my husband really hates all things MINI. He has threatened to sell my car if I don't. Thankfully the car is solely in my name and I don't believe he can get rid of it without my consent.

Oh did I mentioned that I have sent several emails to MINI USA about our dealership and not once have gotten a response? Can these car companies really afford to ignore customer complaints? I for one will never buy another MINI! So on the year anniversary of buying my MINI, I'm looking at new cars. We shall see how that turns out! I will keep you posted!

Recovery update

Let's see... I've now developed complications. I have seroma on my up abdomen which is essentially a build up of fluid. I showed the nurse this when I went to get my second drain removed and she recommended binding that area tight and not using my abs.

The first suggestion is somewhat easy as long as my husband is not traveling. I'm bound up tight with an ace bandage so much that it's hard to take a deep breath. Her second suggestion has been a little more challenging! Have you ever tried to not use your abs? I have found that I use them quite a lot for normal daily life. So that one is not going so well.

If these two things don't help, there is another option on Tuesday when I go in to see the doctor. I will let you guess what that is since the thought of it disturbs me so very much! So far it's looking like the other option is likely.

Oh my! What have I done?

I have had several surgeries in my life. The first that I recall was emergency surgery for appendicitis when I was in the third grade. It left me with a 3 inch long scar that wasn't too awful looking for most of my life. After I gained some weight, the scar area did not which left a very odd dip on my abdomen

The second major surgery I had was in my junior year in college. This one wasn't emergency surgery but it wasn't waiting on finals to be over the next week either. I had finally gone for my first OB/Gyn and the doctor took one look at my abdomen and told me that I was pregnant. I insisted that I was not (I was correct) but they did an ultrasound anyway thinking that I was lying.

What they found instead of a baby was a cyst the size of a small melon. Of course it had to be removed so they scheduled surgery for a few days later. Normally a surgery like this would leave a scar that is low and not seen by most people. Unfortunately the size forced them to cut me open down the middle and this surgeon really didn't do the scar well, so it's always bothered me.

I have been wanting to do something about those scars since my late 20's. The first plastic surgeon I spoke to encouraged me to wait until after I had all the children that I wanted. There was also the lack of available funds back then. As it turns out I won't be having any children and surprisingly my company had a fabulous year and provided me with the necessary funds.

So about a couple of months ago I decided to go for it. I talked to two surgeons and chose the one I liked better and went in for a more extensive talk with my chosen surgeon, Dr. Basu. He and his staff informed me that a scar revision surgery would likely be covered by my insurance which surprised me.

I'll admit that I went into that meeting knowing that I would get something other than the scar revision. The other area that I wanted to fix was my upper thighs. Particularly my inner thighs were out of proportion with the rest of me. Even when I was super thin I had a problem there. So I was planning on getting that fixed as well.

The surprise came when the doctor asked if I had ever considered a tummy tuck. He explained to me that the best way to get rid of the noticeable scars that I have was to do a procedure with the skin similar to a tummy tuck. He explained that if he were to do that, he could remove some of the excess fat and tighten the ab muscles. So I did it... Monday.

I was released from the hospital yesterday evening and today I sit here wondering what the heck I have done to myself. The pain isn't as bad as what I expected thankfully however I cannot walk upright yet which causes my back to hurt. I also can't sleep flat yet which makes sleeping difficult in a regular flat bed.

I'm sure I will be thrilled with the results a few weeks from now but at the moment I still wonder what I've done to myself.