Day 2 - Post Op

Yesterday, I had my pannus removed, and I am feeling great. I have slight discomfort in my abdomen area, and there is a little pinching if I move too fast, but overall, I couldn't be better. My aftercare instructions read to remove the bandaging when it gets dirty, but the curiosity is killing me. I can't wait to see what my new abdomen looks like and how my stitches and scar look so far. I measured yesterday and the length of the incision is about 20 inches, so it should be a pretty extreme cut.

This is not a picture of me, but this is what it should look like. I will post pictures of my scar as soon as my bandages get replaced.

I have two Jackson Pratt drainage tubes coming out of my lower stomach, and it helps the excess fluids drain out of my body that would otherwise be draining into my body and could cause infection. I think that out of all of the pain and discomfort associated with the surgery, the pinching of where the drains come out is probably the most uncomfortable. I am supposed to empty them two to three times daily and mark down the amount of liquid that I am draining. The drains might be able to be removed on Thursday during my post-operation visit with the surgeon depending on how much is still coming out of them.

On the left, you can see where my drainage tubes come out and on the right you can see the containers they drain into

Last night, I decided I wanted to get an abdominal binder. An abdominal binder pulls the abdomen together and ensures that the incision does not move too much or begin to separate. My mom, my sister, and I went to drive down Candy Cane Lane down the street and then we went to Walgreens. I ended up buying two binders because they were buy one get one half off, but I still spent about $50 on the two binders and some sugar free cough drops. During my surgery, the surgeons put an endotracheal tube down my throat to help with breathing while I was under anesthesia. After surgery, the most pain that I am having is my sore throat. Weird right? Oh well, I am not complaining.

Abdominal Binder

The hospital prescribed me an antibiotic and pain killers to help with the pain as needed. Although I am not in extreme pain, I took a pain killer last night before I went to bed (with my antibiotic) just in case the pain kicked in last night or this morning. I also took another pill this morning when I woke up to get me through the morning. I am sure the pain medicine, anesthesia and everything else from the hospital has worn off by now, so I am pretty happy about my pain results so far. I think this recovery is going to be a lot easier than I anticipated. I will still be taking it easy and not pushing it too hard, but I am FAR better than I thought I would be.