The day after Surgery

I woke up 10 hours later to Dave standing in front of me. He had a worried look on his face. I didn't know it at the time but I had been under longer than expected. They took me to ICU for the night for observation. I was shaking really badly but I wasn't in any pain. The nurse fed me some soup so I could take my medication. Dave left after that and I went to sleep.

I woke up every 1/2 hour or so after midnight waiting for Dave to come back. The doctor had found some compression pants for me which was awesome.

The doctor came in in the morning and checked my boobs. He said that they were nice and pick which was good as the blood supply was intact. He organised for me to have six visits to the hyperbaric oxygen chamber. It is a big perspex tube that you get wheeled into and it pumps in 100% oxygen for 1 hour at a time. I felt like Michael Jackson as I read once that he had one in his house. The doctor said that he hops in it sometimes as it is good at increasing oxygen saturation.

Surgery Day

Wow, what a day yesterday was. This hospital is amazing. The nurses are gorgeous too.
When we arrived yesterday I had blood tests, ECG and a chest X-ray. We were the first ones here but the waiting room soon filled up.
The doctor called me in around 8am and went through the procedure. I then stripped off down to my undies and the doctor took some before photo's. He then got out his tape measure and texta's and started drawing on me. He measured my chest and because of the shape of my breasts he could not go too big. I had thought 400cc, same as Gin. I tried on 250cc and 300cc and decided on the 300cc. I told the doctor that I still needed to lose another 15kgs and that my breasts would shrink. I asked if we could go up to 350cc. He would see how it fit and would do between 200cc - 350cc, no bigger or smaller than that.
He then asked me if I had compression pants. I told him that I didn't and that I had be reassured that they would supply them. He said that they did stock them but not in my size. He said that they would see what they had and if they didn't have my size he would have to cancel the lipo.

I WAS GUTTED.

When Dave and I sat waiting Dave told me that maybe we should cancel the whole thing and come back another time. I didn't want to do that. I wanted to at least get my breasts lifted.
The doctor called me back in and told me that the biggest pair they found was still too small for me. I said that I still wanted it done and that I had not come all this way not to have it done. I asked if there was somewhere close by I could go and buy some. He laughed and said no. He said that he would still do the surgery and bandage my legs to keep the swelling down. he said that the first 48hours was the most important and that there would be more swelling without the compression pants.
Dave sent Nic a message and asked if she could grab a couple of pairs of spanks for me. Nic got some from K-mart and would bring them with her when she arrived on Monday.
We went back to the waiting room and a nurse came to take me to the accounts department to pay for the procedures. The finance lady tried to put the payment through but it didn't work. So she put half through and it worked. She tried to put through the other half and it would not work. I called the bank and a block had been put on my account. I had been to the bank before our trip and they told me it would all be okay. The guy on the phone said it shouldn't have happened, apologised and said it was all fixed. The cashier tried to put it through again and it didn't work. She tried for about 15minutes and then I rang the bank again. I was using my Visa debit card and it had a daily limit set on it. They increased the limit and the payment went through.
We went back to the waiting room to a worried Dave, we had been gone so long. I no sooner sat down then the nurse came to take me to theatre. I said goodbye to Dave and a 2nd nurse tool him to our room (apparently the best in the hospital).
I walked into the theatre and layed on the operating table. The anaesthetist came in and went through the procedure with me. They put the cannula in and got the room organised.
The anaesthetist then told me she was putting some medicine in. AND I WAS OUT.

The first days of our trip

30^th March 2011

We have just packed our bags. Checklist has been ticked. This is getting REAL now.

1^st April

After months of counting down, we are here on the plane. Time to Singapore: 4hrs 16mins.

CRAZY

All the stress of getting everything organised and now we are quietly sitting on the plane watching TV. 2 days of uneasiness and once you hop aboard the plane and you are cocooned away from everything.

I have just watched Burlesque and an episode of Mike and Molly.

Dave has never flown overseas and was a little anxious. Once we got settled on the plane he couldn’t wait to watch a movie. But then I guess flying is different when you don’t have four kids to control.

So we are in limbo waiting for our holiday to start. It is great flying as it gives you time to relax.

2^nd April

It is 5.40am and we are awake and about to get ready to go to the hospital. The hospital rang last night and are now coming to get us an hour earlier.

I am not worried about the surgery at all. What I am worried about is them telling me I am still too big. I guess most people get surgery once they are at their goal weight. I am still 15kgs off my goal but getting surgery qwill help me get to my goal. My surgery is more reconstructive than cosmetic. Surgery will allow me to get fitter and healthier.

Something that hit me yesterday on our way here was the Western influence. Driving through beautiful countryside with shanty’s then out of nowhere there was a Burger King sign. It really upset me. Dave pointed out that it’s just business. I know that but why do we go to a foreign country? Isn’t it to experience their culture and customs? We passed a big outlet mall like Harbour Town too. I will not be going there out of principal. Are we that alienated that we need to assemilate everywhere we go?

That also got me thinking about Muslims and their Burka’s. We say ‘You in our country now’. But when we go to another country we take what we know and are comfortable with, with us too.

Better stop the rant and have a shower.

(Dave’s email)

Sawadee peeps,

had a great flight over. It went really quickly. When you have a little screen in front of you and a huge selection of movies, tv and games to choose from.

We both are missing the kids already but thinking of the things we need to and getting on with our big break.

Shell is a tower of strength (as usual) I am just a little nervous but am sure this will pass.

Love to Saska, Hudson. Macie and Aspen. (see I remembered all their names :)

Dave and Shell.xoxoxo

Obituary

I have known the SB twins for a number of years and we had become very close.

SB1 I was introduced to as a teenager. We shared boot leg jeans and A-line dresses and got excited when a spare seat came up beside us on long flights. We never shared pencil skirts or wore kaftan's, as no matter how flowing the fabric, we both could not squeeze in. Spanx became our friend in later years and the three of us were joined at the hip and had lots of fun times together.

As for SB2, we were slowly acquainted during the course of breastfeeding four children. We were very close over the Summer months when SB2 headed South, enjoying skin to skin contact. When I layed down, sans bra, SB2 was always playing cheekily under my arm pit.

I will miss the SB twins dearly, even though I was the one who signed the order of their demise.

(SB1 = Saddle Bags) (SB2 = Saggy Boobs)