On Tuesday I went in for a tummy tuck and liposuction arranged through the Harley medical group.
I found everyones stories on here really helpful when I was researching whether it was the right thing to do and so would like to return the favour and give my story.
My admission time was 11.30am at Highgate Hospital and I’d been told to not eat or drink after 7am. Frankly eating at 7am isn’t on my list of priorities anyway so I ate my last thing – a chunk of cheese and some ham at 10pm and set my alarm for 6am to have a drink of water then went back to sleep until 8am.
The taxi picked me up at 9.15 to take me to the station so I had an hour for a bath and to grab my suitcase before I left the house. From there it was a train into London, a tube to Highgate and a 10 min walk to the hospital.
I got there half an hour early which would usually be an excuse for a coffee and a cigarette but given that I had to give up smoking three days before the op (did have a little blip on Monday with one!!) I thought I’d go straight in.
Check in was easy and after I’d filled in some forms I was taken to my room a nice private room with its own bathroom and a window to the grounds but very much a hospital room. The next few hours were pretty boring – I unpacked, the nurse popped in to do final checks blood pressure, weight, height etc and other than that I was left to myself so I lay on the bed reading and trying to avoid how thirsty I was feeling (not drinking is much harder than not eating!!)
At about 1.45 Dr Pros popped in and got me to sign the consent form again, he took some pictures and got out his black marker and drew all over me – he said he had two minor operations before me and then I’d be going in for my op. More waiting, more reading. Then the anaesthetist came in to see me and checked my medical history again and said she’d see me at 4 and again I was left alone
Must have been feeling quite relaxed at this point as I feel asleep!!
Woke up about 3.30 and decided to change into my gown, support socks and gorgeous paper knickers and waited.
Just before 4pm the nurse came and got me and we walked together down to the room where they were going to put me under (I can’t remember the official name). This is the first time I was really nervous and my heart was pounding like you wouldn’t believe. I can’t explain why but it felt a bit different to when I’ve been under previously – it might be because the anaesthetist wasn’t waiting for me – I had to lie on the bed and wait for her then she kept popping in and out in between putting in the drain and she didn’t really talk to me. She also mentioned Dr Pro was preparing the theatre which was the room she kept popping into – it was a bit unnerving hearing clanking and clattering of instruments that were basically going to cut me open – it was just strange. Then she said “you ready” I said “yes” and as I looked at the clock 4.05 everything started to get a bit blurry – I felt pain up my arm as I went under which I’ve never felt before – I mentioned it but not sure if they replied as my next conscious thought was post op.
I’ve thought about this a lot because it’s odd. I felt very alive and not in the least groggy from the moment I woke up but I was back in my room so I guess I did come around in the recovery room and they wheeled me back to my hospital room but I must have blocked all of that out as my memory is very much of one minute being asleep and the next I was wide awake – no in and out of conciousness and being really sleepy as I’ve had before.
So I’m back in my room and I can feel something tight on my tummy but I’m not in pain, I’ve got a drip in, and around my legs they have these things that expand and contract. The nurse mentions that she’s put something on my lips to keep them moist and I immediately ask for a drink of water which she lets me have – bliss!!
As I say I feel really quite alive and not sleepy so I chatted to the nurse the normal types of q’s – did everything go ok etc. Quite soon after the doc came and saw me and said he was really pleased with how it all went then I was texting and reading in my room and drinking more water. Must confess I lifted the blankets to look at my tummy but just saw the huge compression garment, and two drains and not a lot else – also noticed I wasn’t wearing the knickers anymore which was a bit disconcerting for half a second then I realised modesty was probably inappropriate given that the team had seen my insides!! Was rather glad I’d done my bikini line the night before thou (LOL)
As soon as the drip had finished they removed it but kept the needle in my hand in case I needed any painkillers. They asked me if I wanted anything to eat and to be honest I didn’t but they brought me a few biscuits which I did end up eating.
When I wanted the loo I needed to call the nurse – mainly because I was still attached to the bed with the leg compression thingies and they had to unhook me. The nurse helped me get up and came with me to the toilet and of course I couldn’t go – turned out to be stage fright – when she left me on my own in there I was fine. She helped me back to bed and I did feel a little sick from the exertion but again I wasn’t in pain everything just felt tight.
By now I think it was bed time as the hospital was quiet but of course I couldn’t sleep – I think I may have dozed lightly but seemed to spend a lot of time looking at the ceiling waiting for them to come and check my blood pressure again. About 3ish I got so bored I put the telly on and watched that for a couple of hours – after I was helped to the loo I asked the nurse not to put the leg compressors back on as I couldn’t sleep with them and she didn’t so eventually I managed to get to sleep but don’t think it was very long before the hospital woke up – nurse came in to check blood pressure, breakfast and paper etc arrived. Of course I managed to doze through all of this so by the time I felt awake enough for breakfast my scrambled eggs were cold.
Not long after at 9 the doctor came to see me again and checked the garment and the drains and said they’d take the drains out before I left the following day. The nurse came in and I asked if I could have a shower. She said no – that I couldn’t have a shower until my first appointment with the harley medical group which was in a week – no shower for a week!!! To make myself feel better I got out of my hospital gown and put on my nightdress and some knickers (the drains were coming out of me slightly below where my knickers would normally sit so they weren’t massively comfortable but I felt better wearing them.)
The rest of the day was to be honest fairly monotonous – I finished my book, had my blood pressure taken every now and then, got up to go to the loo – unassisted by this point as I wasn’t hooked up to the leg compressors, dozed and was brought my meals. They also gave me my first antibiotic which I will have to take twice a day. The only drama came at the end of the day when I went to the loo and noticed blood at the top of my knickers – one of the drains had come a little lose and they had to change the drain dressing.
Sleeping overnight wasn’t easy - again not the pain in my tummy (I am still amazed how little pain there was) but by now my back was hurting and I could only lie in one position. Whenever I needed the loo it was a bit of a struggle to get up and I was starting to worry a little about going home the following morning – I had a friend I could call on if I needed her but I really hoped to be able cope OK on my own.
7am and the hospital came alive again – they came and took my blood pressure for the last time and my breakfast and paper was delivered. By the time I had finished breakfast the nurse came in to take the drain out – it was a weird sensation having them removed but it was remarkable how mobile I felt once they had been removed – it was easier to get out of bed and move around and by now I was ready to go home so I got up and started packing. The pharmacist popped in with my antibiotics to take home and then the doctor came in at 9 – he looked at the garment again said he was happy for me to be discharged, wished me a good Christmas and said he’d see me in the new year.
And that was that – I just needed to wait for my car to take me home – he was a bit delayed so I stripped the bed (yes the removal of the drains had made that much difference!!) and walked to reception to wait for him, got a bit bored of waiting so took myself for a walk around the outside of the hospital – fresh air feels so good after being cooped up for 2 days.
Once he turned up he drove me home and the trip was remarkably comfortable considering I’d had major surgery.
So I’ve been home for about two hours and currently I’m lying on the sofa typing this – I have no worries about being able to look after myself – I’ve been up and down to the loo and to the kitchen and although I’m slower and stiffer than usual I feel fine – in fact when I’m lying down the only thing I can feel is the compression garment which is quite tight.
Frustratingly I still haven’t seen the wound or my tummy as it’s been encased in the garment and wont come off for a week. I really don’t know how much of a difference it’s made – my tummy definitely looks flat under the garment but it’s so tight I’m sure if they had put it on my old tummy if would have looked flat. My tummy also looks broader and I can’t define my waist but the surgeon has mentioned that it’s just swelling and it’ll take a few weeks for that to go down.
So that’s it for now – the exciting time will come on Tuesday when I see my tummy for the first time and can put up before and after photos
