Top surgery questions and stuff

[Midnightstar]

Hey guys i haven't gotten top surgery yet and i probably won't be getting it for a while however iv'e been wanting to ask some questions about it and at least start learning/understanding more about the recovery process.
I've seen some youtube vidoes and it looks like people have a really hard time with recovery is that because of pain or just because of the drains and everything on you? Also how long does this process normally last and iv'e been wondering if inside of the process if you don't have anybody around you is it easy to recover alone and can you?
As much as i listened to the videos i guess i was still left with questions so i decided to ask even if its a long way's off from my life for some reason i like to look into things before hand.

[AnxietyDisord3r]

I can't speak to peri or keyhole (must be B and a half cup or less) but the standard recovery time for double incision is 6 weeks and you still have to be carry about weight lifting, sun exposure, etc after that for months afterwards.

Why is recovery hard:

You've been cut open. Stuff inside has to heal. Stuff outside has to heal.
You have open lesions. Those big incision scars, drain scars, and nipple grafts should you choose that option. Some people forgo nipple grafts and get medical tattoos later.
You've been under general anesthesia. You will be groggy for 48 hrs.
You're taking pain pills. Everyone reacts to these differently. The side effects can really suck.
Post operative care. The drains. It's much easier if you have help, trust me. Then the bandages. Also a lot easier if someone helps you with dressings.
Waiting. That sucks. Gotta wait for everything to heal.

Nevertheless, it's an outpatient surgery, not considered "highly invasive" and recovery unless you have complications is a lot simpler than recovering from other kinds of surgeries. Although surgery gets better all the time. I had a friend with eye problems who had to prop her head at a specific angle for two weeks so all things considered I got off pretty easy.

[FTMax]

I think it's different for everyone. From what I have seen, people who go into this procedure in very good health tend to have an easier time. So eating well, being hydrated, regularly exercising - all a good move.

I had DI a little over a year ago. My recovery was not hard at all. I was up and about the day of surgery, and while I did sleep a lot more than usual for the first week of recovery, I wouldn't say I was ever in pain. I stopped taking the pain killers after the first few days. There was some soreness and some discomfort, but that was mostly associated with having to sleep on my back and wear a compression binder, along with drains. After my drains were out at 7 days post op, I went back to work on day 8. Resumed all normal activities at 4 weeks post-op.

The one thing that can be a little rough for some people is how limited your range of motion is to reduce scar stretching. No reaching, no lifting, etc. for several weeks. I personally didn't care about the aesthetics of the scarring as much as I cared about being flat and having good nips, so I was probably more active than most people during that initial recovery period. Obviously it worked well for me, but that may not be the case for everyone.

As far as being alone, I had roommates around the house with me, but I never needed them to do anything for me. I cooked a week's worth of food in advance of surgery and freezed it, so all I had to do was get out of my recliner, walk to the fridge, grab one, and microwave it. Never needed help in the bathroom. I bought a waist leash so I could walk my dog without fear of being pulled, so that kept me up and active at least 3 times a day.

IME - unless you need emotional/mental support or you are the kind of person who just needs to be around people, you can get through most surgical procedures on your own just fine with enough planning. There are a lot of good threads in this particular Top Surgery board about supplies, what you wish you'd known before surgery, etc. I had someone drive me to surgery, drive me to a hotel after, stay the night with me, drive me home, and come back a week later to drive me back up to get my drains out. That was about as much assistance as I needed.

I had all the recommended supplies I needed at home and filled all my prescriptions in advance. I had enough food to last for over a week. I set alarms on my phone as reminders to take medicine. My roommates both had my surgeon's phone number in case something went wrong, but they never needed to use it. It would be good if you had someone who could stop to check in on you once a day or so, or could call you and check in. But I don't think this procedure necessitates help unless you want it.

[Midnightstar]

I can't speak to peri or keyhole (must be B and a half cup or less) but the standard recovery time for double incision is 6 weeks and you still have to be carry about weight lifting, sun exposure, etc after that for months afterwards.

Why is recovery hard:

You've been cut open. Stuff inside has to heal. Stuff outside has to heal.
You have open lesions. Those big incision scars, drain scars, and nipple grafts should you choose that option. Some people forgo nipple grafts and get medical tattoos later.
You've been under general anesthesia. You will be groggy for 48 hrs.
You're taking pain pills. Everyone reacts to these differently. The side effects can really suck.
Post operative care. The drains. It's much easier if you have help, trust me. Then the bandages. Also a lot easier if someone helps you with dressings.
Waiting. That sucks. Gotta wait for everything to heal.

Nevertheless, it's an outpatient surgery, not considered "highly invasive" and recovery unless you have complications is a lot simpler than recovering from other kinds of surgeries. Although surgery gets better all the time. I had a friend with eye problems who had to prop her head at a specific angle for two weeks so all things considered I got off pretty easy.

Thanks for the info, yea i never really had surgery before anyways so it probably just freaks me out a little and i get paranoid easy. But when the time comes this will be good to look back on and read over again so thanks.

[Midnightstar]

I think it's different for everyone. From what I have seen, people who go into this procedure in very good health tend to have an easier time. So eating well, being hydrated, regularly exercising - all a good move.

I had DI a little over a year ago. My recovery was not hard at all. I was up and about the day of surgery, and while I did sleep a lot more than usual for the first week of recovery, I wouldn't say I was ever in pain. I stopped taking the pain killers after the first few days. There was some soreness and some discomfort, but that was mostly associated with having to sleep on my back and wear a compression binder, along with drains. After my drains were out at 7 days post op, I went back to work on day 8. Resumed all normal activities at 4 weeks post-op.

The one thing that can be a little rough for some people is how limited your range of motion is to reduce scar stretching. No reaching, no lifting, etc. for several weeks. I personally didn't care about the aesthetics of the scarring as much as I cared about being flat and having good nips, so I was probably more active than most people during that initial recovery period. Obviously it worked well for me, but that may not be the case for everyone.

As far as being alone, I had roommates around the house with me, but I never needed them to do anything for me. I cooked a week's worth of food in advance of surgery and freezed it, so all I had to do was get out of my recliner, walk to the fridge, grab one, and microwave it. Never needed help in the bathroom. I bought a waist leash so I could walk my dog without fear of being pulled, so that kept me up and active at least 3 times a day.

IME - unless you need emotional/mental support or you are the kind of person who just needs to be around people, you can get through most surgical procedures on your own just fine with enough planning. There are a lot of good threads in this particular Top Surgery board about supplies, what you wish you'd known before surgery, etc. I had someone drive me to surgery, drive me to a hotel after, stay the night with me, drive me home, and come back a week later to drive me back up to get my drains out. That was about as much assistance as I needed.

I had all the recommended supplies I needed at home and filled all my prescriptions in advance. I had enough food to last for over a week. I set alarms on my phone as reminders to take medicine. My roommates both had my surgeon's phone number in case something went wrong, but they never needed to use it. It would be good if you had someone who could stop to check in on you once a day or so, or could call you and check in. But I don't think this procedure necessitates help unless you want it.

Smart idea to freeze food ahead of time
And thanks, that helped yea i'm not 100% sure yet what i'll do but reading the comments here gives me a idea of everything. It does sound like i may be a person who'll want someone around helping just because of my anxiety but other then that i wouldn't know. Good to know it isn't to invasive though. Iv'e been looking at some information on forums, i go back and forth between questions and finding some helpful info others have wrote.  

[AnxietyDisord3r]

If you keep stuff (for example in the kitchen) on high shelves, take it all down to the counter before you leave for surgery.

Unlike Max, my pain was about a 5 (out of 10) immediately post op, then down to a 3 a week later, and is now around 2 or 1. If I strain and do something I shouldn't it gets worse. (Too much force, arms to high, whatever.) Possibly because of my sensory processing defect (from ASD) I've had to stay on pain pills because otherwise I get an urge to claw my bandages off. Most people won't have this response.

[harlee]

It is much easier if you have someone to help you for the first week or two at least. I didn't experience much pain (didnt need pain killers) but I was just so so exhausted for the first few days and at one point I felt a bit overwhelmed.