Pre-op with Dr. Havard - The Plastic Surgeon

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

So, today was my last day of doctor visits before surgery. A relief and also my anxiety.  That means it is really happening, I am going through with it, no turning back now – well I could if I wanted to, but really, why would I?

I have decided that I absolutely love Dr. Havard and his awesome staff. Anca, his assistant is absolutely adorable, pleasant, nice, really nice, and easy to talk to. She made it easy to just talk and ask my dumb list of questions.

1.      So how much can I ‘really’ move my arms?

2.      How long til I can drive?

3.      Do I have to buy some stupid special bra that costs me an arm and a leg?

4.      Surgery is how long?

5.      Can I be home alone the first night? What am I going to need, except sleep?

6.      What about softball, how long will I be out?

7.      Let’s talk about the pain again?

8.      Can I get out of the hospital the next day? I really want out of the hospital the next day. What do I have to do to get out of the hospital the next day?

9.      So, while I am out, can you just throw in an eyelid lift so I look ten years younger? He didn’t see a need.

10.  Will there be a computer available so I can update my blog and let everyone know things went well? Hmmmm…. “Possibly,” she says…… YEAH for me!

My biggest question was still all bottled up and not sure I want to share it here either, so I will think on it some more as I share other stuff. I eventually asked, she laughed at me hysterically, for a few minutes… ha.

Now, mind you, this is it, this is the last meeting before we start cutting so all of my insecurities, fears, and questions need to come out. I learned some other very interesting things.

1.      My surgery is scheduled at 7:30am and they have two and a half hours on the books for it. That isn’t long at all and amazing they can do it in that time.

2.      They will cut my peck muscle (from underneath my armpit, inside not out), insert the saline expanders (boobs) and then fill them to as much as they can without popping the stitches – that could hurt. So my boobs will be from 50cc’s to maybe even 200, now that would be great.

3.      I will have a drain tube on either side of me, along with a pain machine that has five days worth of pain meds that will continually pump so I will be relieved of pain without the grogginess and constipation of pain pills. I need to still eat fiber to help and thanks to my wonderful co-workers, I am pretty sure I got that covered.

4.      I will be bandaged up and won’t get those off until the drain tubes come out so about 7-10 days, no showers for me – YUCK! Apparently they don’t know me very well and how I take at least two showers a day and I CANNOT even go without a shower when I am camping – thus the reason for a shower tent! I know make fun, but I am cleaner than you are…..

5.      And then in three weeks after I will get my first 50cc’s injected into the temporaries. Apparently there is something medal and the needle finds in underneath my skin and that is how she knows to start pumping it in. Right through my chest. It is absolutely amazing! I won’t feel anything, at least I better not, for there might be a ton of screaming if I do. I will see.  And then I can go back to “normal” activity in six weeks. You know he should really get to know me better because normal for me and normal for most are just not the same. I asked about soccer and he just gave me a look. I think that means no….. but, what about?

6.      Then after they get to the size I want, then we talk permanents and I am shooting for January so I am ready by softball season. Dr. Havard doesn’t think it will happen with all the holidays in there, but he just doesn’t know me and when I get something in my head, it WILL happen and there is no stopping me. And when I get the permanents, for most people it is four weeks and then normal activity. For me, because I am a softball coach and player and those are “normal” activities, he is going to double it. Eight weeks, are you kidding me! Well, even more reason to get it done in January so I can start hitting and throwing. Oh, then he said, well we can wait until after softball season….. Again, he should REALLY get to know me better because if he did he would understand that I have MY softball season and I WILL be playing this next season – duh! I got another look, he tried to tell me January may not happen again, but I just said, “uh-huh, OK, sure.” I know better.

And that is that, nothing more to be done, but…………to wait – not my favorite part, though I will manage. Tomorrow night Jeremy comes home, can’t wait…… but I know I have to. All this waiting can really wear on a person. May I suggest a fast forward button be invented….. yesterday?