by Terrye Tebbetts
Question !
So now that I have actually booked my surgery date I am fully into the “holy crap what have I done” phase. Wondering about how you would describe the level of pain PO. For example, I have had two c-sections and am wondering how this will be in comparison to that, since that is my only previous surgical experience. After the C’s I took tylenol 3 and motrin 600 for the pain and found that to be manageable. I have an aversion to strong narcotics and am just thinking about my options….
Answer ~
What you feel post op is totally related to how the operation is performed. With traditional methods of dissection, determining size with sizers while you are asleep, etc – - some BA’s take up to 2 1/2 hours. The longer you are under anesthesia, the harder it is to shake it off and avoid nausea etc post op.
I would ask your ps what to expect in your recovery. Ask to see the post op instructions ahead of time so you can feel more prepared (and so can whoever is going to drive you home and take care of you).
We have two chapters on recovery in The Best Breast 2. Changing our surgical techniques has allowed us to dramatically shorten OR times and overall breast augmentation recovery times – that is where 24 Hour Recovery came from – better surgical techniques and NO use of sizers intraop. Generally, our patients go home and nap for 2 hours, wake up and eat a real meal, take their 800 mg Ibuprofen and then begin moving their arms above their heads in a jumping jack motion – a set of 10 every 30 minutes – they shower, do their hair and go out and run errands or shop or go to dinner – they get busy! The only thing they cannot do that day is drive. What they find is that the more they move, the better they feel – its like working through a sore/pulled muscle.
Every surgeon is different in their surgical methods so be sure you thoroughly double check and follow their instructions. But in the end, its not so much about a patient’s pain tolerance – its about what happens in that operating room that sets the final stage for how you will feel and recover.
About the Author: Terrye Tebbetts is one of the most knowledgeable women in the world about breast implants, with 27 years of experience educating patients and 11 years as a patient herself. For more information about breast implants or breast augmentation Dallas surgeons, please visit www.thebestbreast.com.