Things I forgot to mention...
After checking in to the surgical center a nurse took me back to a staging room, where I disrobed and put on a lovely hospital gown. Next I was taken to the pre-op staging area and got on a gurney. Another nurse came in and made sure which surgeries I was there for, then she tried to insert an IV line. Left arm inside elbow, no luck. Right forearm, no luck. Right arm inside elbow, success! She hooked me up to a few monitors and got my vitals, then Susan came in. We talked for a bit, and we held each other hands. After 10 or 15 minutes the anesthesiologist arrived and asked me a few questions. They asked for my glasses. Then he said something about 'better living through pharmaceuticals', and the next thing I remember was waking up in the post-op recovery room.
I was extremely uncomfortable, mainly from the painfully tight ace bandage around my breasts. I also felt as though I really needed to pee, which I thought was odd because I knew I had a catheter. I could see a clock in the room, without my glasses I squinted to see the time - 2:24pm. I remember being in that room for about 20 minutes, then suddenly the next thing I remember was waking up in my private recovery room.
Instead of those really tight socks they usually make you wear they were using something I had not seen before. Basically I was wearing a pair of inflatable 'boots' which alternately put pressure on one calf, then the other. I kept the button for the 'pain pump' handy and pressed it with regularity. The ace bandage around my breasts stayed for a day or two, and it was quite a relief when they removed it! I could also feel a burning sensation on either side of my genitals, there were two surgical drains. They did not use any drains for my breast augmentation.
That first afternoon after surgery I was hungry, but the pain medication made me nauseous. I was amazed to be asked what I wanted for supper! I was barely coherent and agreed to anything they suggested - apple juice, chicken soup, and a turkey sandwich. I mentioned the nausea, and the nurses quickly resolved that issue. Once the nausea cleared, I ate the sandwich. I was down to around 160 pounds the morning of surgery (my normal is about 165 pounds), but I gained about 12 pounds during my stay (including about 2 pounds for the implants).
The day after surgery is bed rest. The second day after surgery they want you to get up and move to a chair. Just standing up without blacking out was a difficult task, I lost count of how many attempts I made. It is amazing how much strength recovery from this surgery requires.
I have a 'cactoris'. My new clitoris is extremely sensitive. I don't understand how my 'new' parts can be even more sensitive than my old parts, but it is true. It is currently ringed by about a dozen sutures which protrude above the surrounding area like cactus thorns, and it is topped off by another protruding suture dead center. It looks like a tiny cactus right now, so I have a 'cactoris'.
