Op day experience Started by: Emily

I’m just over 4 weeks post op now; it does feel like a bit of a distant memory (it’s amazing how quickly time goes during the first few weeks – maybe because I was high on codeine) but I just thought I’d share my experience as there’s been a bit of negativity on this forum and I know how off-putting that can be for people waiting for or considering booking their surgery.

While I was researching and up until a few weeks before my op I was looking on this forum everyday… it was pretty much an addiction.
The fortnight before my op was an emotional rollercoaster. I started second guessing my decision and after reading some of the negative posts on the forum, was genuinely considering cancelling because I’d managed to scare myself so much.
I had my surgery on the 20th of December at the Preston First Trust, all the staff were super friendly and efficient, it was clean and I can’t fault the hospital at all.
My admission time was 8am and I was supposed to be first having surgery and was scheduled for 9am. I did a pregnancy test, had my blood pressure checked and went over my medical history and was (almost) good to go.
Due to a slight miscommunication on my part regarding allergies (I said I was allergic to plasters when the nurse asked me about allergies instead of specifically saying Elastoplast because I was a little too stressed about the situation to think straight!) it was delayed until later in the day because they wanted to check whether I would have a reaction to the plasters and tapes that they use.

Fast forward 6 hours and no reactions. Mr Mounir came to go over everything again, draw on me; then my Anaesthetist came to double check, discuss everything and walk me down the surgery.

As someone who is absolutely petrified of hospitals and needles, I can honestly say that it’s nothing to worry about. The last time I had general was when I was about 10 so I had no idea what to expect. Everyone was chatty and trying to take my mind off how anxious I was – it worked!
I was lying on the bed chatting to the anaesthetist about my hobbies and I actually felt really calm. I only felt a scratch when they put the needle into my hand. They asked whether I was feeling sleepy and within a few seconds I was out.
I woke up in the recovery room and was moved back to my own room again where the nurse put my post op bra on for me. They clearly gave me enough morphine and other pain killers during the procedure that I didn’t really feel any major pain, just more of a tightness and pressure which was to be expected. I couldn’t really move my arms much and my blood pressure was super low so even getting up and going to the toilet was a bit of a struggle but manageable.
I didn’t feel any sickness when I woke up until I tried to eat something, but I asked for anti-sickness in my cannula and returned to a slightly less offensive shade of green. Pick your sandwich choice wisely… no one wants to see tuna twice!
After what felt like a few hours of recovery time and the nurses checking in on me, I was fit to leave and by that point I couldn’t wait to leave the room I’d spent an entire day in.
The drive home was tense because every corner or speed bump felt like my boob was going to fall out and 45 minutes in a car felt like a lifetime. A hotel close by might have been a better idea but getting home, putting icepacks on my boobs and eating pizza was probably the most amazing thing ever.
I’m not going to pretend that the recovery so far has been completely pain free, I had unders so I was expecting it to be quite painful but it was nowhere near as bad as I thought. My first two days were pretty good but day 3 and 4 were by far the worst because I’d over done it on the previous days. It’s been pretty emotional at times too.
It’s completely normal to be worried and scared about the anaesthetic, the surgery and the recovery because it’s the unknown and it is a big deal, you’re having surgery! No one can expect to wake up with amazing boobs and no discomfort; I don’t think anyone one here is pretending it’s easy. If this is something that you’ve been considering, wanting for a long time and you’ve done all of the research, it is worth the initial discomfort.
Everyone is completely different and you might get lucky, or you might not but that’s what the pain relief is for. It’s definitely a risk I’d be willing to take again 🙂