Author: cbrinson12

May 11

First day back at work (last surgery was a week ago Tuesday). I have a home office set up with a desk and chair. Let me tell you sitting in the chair is evil (last surgery was thighs). You definitely want a chair that the seat goes all the way to the back of the knees (mine comes close). I can feel my feet swelling (and they haven’t been swollen all along). When I do stand to stretch it’s pretty sore/tight. Those first few steps are treacherous. If I only had that cushy bench that was in my hotel room, I think I would be much better! Frequent walking is key… hard for me since I have over 300 work e-mails, long phone calls, and 2 reports to write… I’m actually looking forward to teaching on Friday so at least I can stand for 3 hours!!!

Mentally going back to work today was great. I didn’t get tired like I had been and no nap today. My feet swelling is totally the result of sitting in an office chair. I’m just shy of 2 weeks out from lower leg surgery and today is first day they swelled.

On the shower front, I did the best today than I have done to date. Granted, I was freezing going into the shower so I’m sure that helped and no hair washing today. I’ll take it!

May 9

I’m home now and felt nice to sleep sans plastic. I did sleep on a towel “just in case.” The hardest parts for me post surgery are the insane number of times I get up to pee in the night (although last night was the least at 4), the intense soreness, the tiredness (although I blame the peeing for disrupting my sleep), and the sticky tape on my skin that won’t go away (and I have stuck to a toilet seat now!) All of this is manageable but I like to keep it real!

First day home had some successes and failures. Still can’t wash my hair without getting light headed. So my new strategy is showers are at night… Wash body first then wash hair. All of this is backwards for me! I’m a morning shower girl and I wash my hair first.

I napped today and felt so much rested after that nap. And today marks the day of no more leaking = no more bandages (fancy word for maxi pads). Walking around without the bandages on my bottom is so much easier! Many of my incisions are starting to itch which means they are healing. Trying like the dickens to not pick at them.

I’m still rather bruised (hey I bruise for a week when I get my blood drawn, why didn’t I think this would be different?!) Still incredibly sore. Walking is awkward. Getting into a sitting, standing or lying position is really sore at first but then falls into place. It’s the first movements that are the worst.

Tonight I’m going go sleep on bare sheets. And I’m excited!

May 8

Headed to the airport now! Can’t believe it’s been 11 days since I arrived. What a whirlwind! So happy for the great care and attention I received from Dr. Jason Joel Emer and his amazing team! Thrilled to have met so many other ladies with lipedema here and got to attend the So Cal Lippy Ladies Brunch! I also got to see an old high school buddy and had dinner with a colleague I hadn’t met in person. This trip was a success on so many fronts. Now I get to go home and sleep on sheets and not plastic! But first, the four hour flight! And yes, I was able to upgrade to first class (thanks to my boyfriends’ airline discount!!!!!) Just praying my seat mate isn’t a frequent bathroom goer. The initial standing up is still very sore.

Be careful at the airports ladies! The man behind me (who had no business being so close) dropped his suitcase on the side of my calf. I immediately buckled over and tears welled up in my eyes as I swear this hurt worse than surgery…. I haven’t looked at it yet but my foot immediately swelled. It HURTS! I have a few minutes and I’m in the United Club with my foot elevated. Damn him! And he barely said sorry….

May 7

Thanks to the amazing, talented and truly compassionate Dr. Jason Joel Emer for ridding me of all the pesky lipedema fat! I feel a hundred times better already and I’m still healing! Can’t wait for the next few weeks and months to see my body truly transform. I have knees again and they don’t rub together! Here is my final visit with Dr. Emer in my compression garments!

May 6

Todays tip… (depending on you and your doctors orders) Plan on taking 1.5 – 2 hours to get ready for your post-op visit. Taking off the compression garment day 1 can cause many to get light headed. It did me today. Steps to getting ready… Drink water, Take off compression… Take off bandages (eww), feel light headed, lie down for a bit, drink water, muster up energy to take lukewarm shower, drink water while in shower, stop and start a few times, drink more water, lie down after shower, crank down a/c, bandage leaky areas, find mystery leaky area (that’s a new one today). Luckily I’m across the street and don’t have to put on compression garments. Get dressed. Drink more water. This message sent while lying down after shower. Been working at this process for over an hour!

May 5 – I am done! Third surgery today with the amazing and awesome Dr. Jason Joel Emer! Today was circumferential thighs, hips and lower butt. For me, this was the most painful of surgeries but if I remember correctly he said I had some pretty tough nodules in there. 8 hrs after surgery I was off the pain meds and am barely taking Tylenol. I am leaking like crazy but leaking is good.

I’m much better prepared this go round. Shower curtain liner, waterproof pillowcases (the first ones I bought weren’t) a few protector pads, black towels and a black floor mat for the bathroom. Also wearing all black (you can’t see the leakage!). Feeling really good and looking forward to tomorrow getting out and about. The hardest part for me so far have been showers. I get light headed easily pre- surgery. My advice is to take the most lukewarm shower possible, keep the door open (my bathroom doesn’t have a fan) and a bottle of water nearby. It’s worse on the days I wash my hair… Otherwise, I’m just a bit sore. Funny after having my thighs done today, my calves miraculously feel pretty back to normal.. Arms by far the easiest to heal.

I am truly honored and humbled that Dr. Jason Emer featured my experience in this video.

May 1

Day 1 post-op from Surgery # 2… The torso and upper buttock surgery made me fairly sore. Using the bathroom is a challenge! I have to lean back and lower myself onto the toilet.  Think really sore after squats.  The only downside right now is that the surgeries make me tired.

After my post-op visit, we went for a late breakfast. Came back and took a nap. Met another lady with lipedema briefly in the hotel lobby. It’s so nice to put names and faces together!  Came back and took *another* nap. Then, went out to dinner with a high school friend. Getting in and out of a car isn’t fun. Sitting makes me sore. But to catch up with an old friend… priceless! Not too shabby for day 1 after 2 surgeries in one week!

April 30 – day 2 post-op/Surgery # 2. I got up at 3:45 at the urging of my always on time boyfriend. My arrival time was 5 am. I didn’t think I needed that much time but once again he was right. Taking off the compression garment the first day felt like peeling skin. It was better today. But showering made me hot and light headed. Tip: Take the least lukewarm shower you can tolerate, have a bottle of water handy and keep the door open. The hotel we stayed at is a boutique hotel that’s an old carriage house. Read: Petite room with a tiny shower. I found myself turning the water on and off to lather up in the hibeclens. My ankle started leaking while getting ready so I had to wrap them with maxi pads. Yep. You wrap your incision points with maxi pads. Actually you tape maxi pads to the incision points that leak. But first you put aquephor and biocornuem (a scar cream) on the incisions. The incisions are small and look more like mosquito bites. So, it took me awhile to get ready and walk over to the surgery center. Thanks Richard for making me get up earlier than I would on my own… Although we did beat the surgery center staff. Walking without the compression feels weird. I am wearing head to toe compression….

Second surgery was circumferential torso and upper buttock. I have lipedema in my stomach and butt. I did have the back fat rolls removed (they were regular fat, but hey, when in Rome!). This surgery was much harder than the first. More so my back and butt/hips but followed the same trigger points as my fibromyalgia pain. These are places I ouch and squirm during a massage. They did give me some more meds during the surgery itself. But still very uncomfortable. Uncomfortable but not intolerable. No screaming or crying. Just more ouch, OMG, squirming and lalalalalalas.

I leaked immediately after this surgery. And was slightly more uncomfortable than the first surgery. But still a smile on my face when I left. The surgery center staff are great and wonderful and try to make me as comfortable as possible. I walked back to the hotel after surgery, took a pain pill and went to sleep. Woke up about 4 hrs later to pee, took another pain pill and back to sleep for about 5 more hours. Woke up with no need for pain meds and feeling pretty good. Just really sore.

Using the bathroom was a bit of challenge since my tummy and upper butt were so sore. But not impossible. TMI – the garment is crotchless for easy bathroom duty.

Less than 12 hours after surgery and I felt really good the rest of the day… Was upright… Paced the room a few times, answered emails, texts, FB messages. For the gross part, I had to change my dressings (maxi pads) as I had leaked a fair amount. Mostly the incision on the lower belly near the pubic area. It’s a tricky one to bandage due to the leg crease. You should “milk” your incision points as much as you can tolerate. (sorry friends for the detail, sharing my story for other ladies who will undergo this procedure).

I am leaking! Barely leaked with my arms and lower legs but my abdomen and upper buttocks do leak. I think it has already gotten better but I am wet and can feel it. Ewwww. I did pace the room and the hall to get some walking in… Lying flat on my back or propped up on pillows is the only comfortable position. On the plus side, lower legs feel pretty normal and arms feel great. I can lie down and bend my knees and lift my butt to relieve some pressure in my butt. Going to the bathroom is slightly uncomfortable as the tummy is sore but I manage with no problems. I can’t wait to see the results. Still VERY happy I have done this.

My first surgery was late and it was after 11 pm before I got back to the hotel room. Took a pain pill and went to sleep. Got up during the night and took another pain pill. After that it was only Tylenol for me. I only leaked a little bit around my ankles. The sensation after surgery is hard to describe. Sore, burning, weird. The first step out of bed I knew there was success. I didn’t have my morning lipedema pain getting out of bed! Instead I had my body adjusting to surgery. The first few movements are the hardest. But otherwise fine.

After my post-op appointment, we stopped at Pharmacy 90210 for supplies and then on for lunch. I walked about a mile but then came back to my room for a little nap. I found myself wearing out easily. And it was really warm… In the upper 80s… Heat has always bothered me! Went to bed early since I had a 5 a.m. arrival for surgery # 2. No pain meds and felt really good.