BA and TT in 22 days! What do I need? Started by: Lisa

If you can make your top pillows memory foam as they are firmer and more supportive without being hard, I swear by them, you can also get a v-pillow made with it.
Front fastening tops as you don’t want to lift your arms to get dressed, get some cotton shirts even plain looking pyjama tops as long as they are button/zip front.
Wash hair the very last minute.
Do all your washing/house work the night before.
Make things in your cupboards accessible, waist level on kitchen work tops as you don’t want to be having to reach up and stretch for things. xxx

yes good idea x

Just gone back through your posts to see what you are having… You will probs stay two night in hospital ..I did and it was great. You wont need much in hospital. I took books but slept most of the time. I couldnt even text anyone without falling asleep mid text. You will need a dressing gown as they make you walk up and down the hall to work your legs. If offered then take sleeping pills at night whilst in hospital.. they help… Take prune juice a few days before your op so you are erm……. well you know.. You will not be able to push afterwards at all!! You will not be able to cry, blow your nose or sniff up or sneeze or laugh..lol

CUT YOUR TOENAILS JUST BEFORE YOUR OP!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Things you can not live without…

Prune juice.. take ONE or TWO glasses a day.. believe me after a TT you will need it! Californian sunsweet is the best and its natural. you can have it every day. I still have it now and I am 3 months po but i had muscle tightening too so still struggle with lots of things.

Pineapple juice.. It helps with healing

A memory foam wedge pillow.. these are far better than anything and you can turn them round to be lower as you heal.

9 more normal pillows.. i needed all of these. (I didnt use my v pillow and i thought it was a waste of money but loads swear by it)

Baby wipes.

Baggy joggers and zip up top for leaving the hospital and for when you see the nurse. ( you just wont want to wear anything else as you will feel so shitty. lol) They will not hurt your tummy.. It doesnt really hurt like that and your binder is tight and you just cant feel anything as you will be numb.

You will stay in bed mostly if you feel like what i did so you wont need clothes to sit around the house. (sitting on the sofa was a no no for me.. i couldnt get comfy, it made me cry and then i just couldnt get up)

Slip on shoes as you wont be able to bend.

cycling water bottle for beside your bed as you wont be able to sit to drink and a straw just doesn’t do it!

Macom bra .. ( I also bought a Marks n Spencer zip up one too but it hurt around my ribs and I swelled up and it wouldn’t fit.. Fits fine now though)

lots of films to watch (I bought mags and had books but just didnt feel like reading any of them.

Box of tissues beside your bed for when you cry!!!!!!!!

Moisturizer.

Lots of pain killers

I had a rope tied to the bottom of my bed post and it came up the bed to my hand. i slept with it between my legs so i could pull on it to get me out of bed to go to the toilet as I didnt want to pester my hubby everytime i needed to pee or to stretch my legs.. I used this after 10 days but I did struggle with it even after 10 days..

A hubby or someone to look after you 24/7 for at least 2 weeks! I couldn’t even brush my teeth without help!

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These things are non esentials but would really help you.

A plastic chair for when you are allowed to shower.. I fainted big style after my second shower and hubby caught me as he was watching me to make sure I was OK. A chair wont stop you fainting but it will really make the shower more comfy as you cant stand straight and will get bad back ache and start to shake.

A recliner to sleep in… I didn’t have one and wasn’t told till after my tt that it would of helped..

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Dont do stairs! I went up to bed after the hospital and the burning sensation between my legs was unbearable and I didnt think I would make it.. (Of course everyone is different and i do suffer from bad anxiety.. That bad that when hubby took me home i felt so bad and he had to stop to get a plastic bag from shop incase I was sick. i kept asking him to turn around as i wanted to go back to the hospital and felt ill, as though i was going to faint.. actually i felt like that a lot, even when the nurse was taking my strapping off.. hubby had to dab my face with cold water to stop me.. god Im a wus)

Hi Lisa. Can I add you to follow your journey. xx

I should add…….. some people go back to work after 2 weeks… not sure how they manage it but they do.. i wouldn’t of been able to.

I started cycling again at 7 weeks po but just on my mountain bike as I could sit up straighter on that. I know someone who didn’t start exercising till she was 9 months po.

By about 2 weeks you will start to feel better with every day that passes.. You will of course have bad days and good days but on the whole you will notice things becoming easier with each day. I can look back at it all now and i think the time just flew by… but at the time it was dragging on and on.

Any questions then please feel to message me and ask..

Hope i haven’t put anyone off.. As I said i am a wus and suffer from anxiety. but I do know that i wouldn’t of been able to get through it all with out someone by my side, cooking for me and washing me and looking after me.

happy healings and pert boobies

Sian xx

You don’t really get pain Lisa. I did get a sharp pain the first time I got out of bed at the hospital. I could feel where he had cut me right across but its not what you would expect. You are on strong pain killers and wake up with a binder on that keeps everything where it should be plus you will be numb so don’t really feel that much.. When I first got out of bed to pee I had a panic attack and the nurse had to bring me oxygen. Another nurse came in with a chair with a potty thing in it and I had to sit on that. It took me 45 mins till I said.. I cant go with you sitting right next to me please can I use the toilet.. I then went within 15 mins lol.. still wearing my oxygen mask lol

Hubby was amazed how well I was straight after. Really really nothing to worry about
You might get a really bad burning feeling between your legs.. like someone has lit 20 matches onto your skin, every now and again, when you get out or into bed..That wasn’t nice and when you get home you might notice really bad bruising between your legs.. well you wont lol but when your hubby washes you he then will.. but its normal and will go. (YOU CANT FEEL IT)

The only real pain I got that made me cry was my boobs swelling up after the nurse took the strapping off.. mine was so bad I couldn’t bear it and pain in my ribs. I don’t know if everyone gets this but I did and my bra hurt me so bad around my ribs. So glad I had my stretchy macom on.

But really Lisa, don’t worry about the pain. I had stopped taking pain killers by 2 weeks. I only took them coz I was scared of getting pain.

One tip though. … if you want to cough, try to get out of bed and walk around breathing deeply. Have a drink and go and walk down the hall. I did this and sometimes it took all my willpower and made me sweat but I didnt cough once in 5 wks. It hurts more than you can imagine !!!!

The dizziness comes from when you take your tight binder off. The blood rushes to where ever (im not an expert, it rushes somewhere lol) I felt dizzy often and nearly fainted a few times, so it was in and out of the shower as fast as possible with a towel already placed on the bed so i could just go and lie down and dry that way.. (well i towel dried myself first but air dried my scars) I do know someone who fainted in the bathroom and then her hubby helped her to bed where she fainted again and peed herself.. That didn’t happen to me thankfully lol

Really really there is hardly any pain.. well there wasn’t for me! everyone is different.. Buy a bigger sized band for your bra though .that’s what i should of done as my ribs killed me. My tummy pain was a breeze, really. My boobs didn’t hurt much either except when they swelled up… OMG that was painful but then my bra was really tight and i think i should of bought the next size up..

And yes its the movement that’s a killer…you just cant move. it depresses you and makes you feel useless. Oh and the back ache from stooping all the time. Buy a wedge pillow it was firm and supportive. you wont be able to lift your pillows and puff them up so a wedge pillow under all the other pillows doesn’t need puffing and it was great.