Anticipation
May 18th, 2009
As surgery draws closer, patients feel a sense of nervous anticipation. For many, the unknown of having cosmetic surgery, makes the days spent waiting quite nerve-racking. I believe it is the fear of pain and possible complications that often weighs heavily on a patient’s mind. Melissa’s anticipation of the positive change in her figure with breast augmentation surgery is a good example of keeping the proper focus. I appreciate her careful attention to the information she has received about her role in all of this.
Over my years of practicing medicine, I have adopted certain philosophies in my office, which include implementing surgical strategies to reduce pain after surgery and thoroughly discussing the procedure with the patient. This stems from my own experience as a child, when I had my tonsils and adenoids removed at 5 years old. To this day I remember the smell of ether (not found in hospitals today) as I was going to sleep. After the surgery I was sick to my stomach, which was typical for this drug at the time. Finally, the pain in my throat was very memorable. The ice cream and Popsicles were of little consolation, as I simply could not eat them. It was too painful! We have given careful consideration to pain control, both during and after surgery in an effort to reduce our patients’ experience with pain after surgery.
There are many things we do to reduce pain after surgery. It starts even before surgery. We pre-medicate the patient in our office just before surgery. This has reduced the need for strong narcotic pain medications by fifty percent. During surgery, care is taken to eliminate all bleeding. Blood collection can cause a significant elevation in pain. Other pain mitigation techniques include a large amount of local anesthetic that is injected to numb the nerves going to the breast, just before I insert the implant. Finally, I have eliminated the use of all dressings after surgery. In my opinion, dressing serve no real purpose and often contribute to increasing pain after surgery. Over half of the patients undergoing breast enlargement surgery in my office take only mild pain medication and acetaminophen after surgery. Women who have delivered a child say they experience a fullness or heaviness during recovery, similar to feeling as if their milk has come in.
So my advice before surgery is to try to relax the best you can. Focus on the preparation outline we have given you. If necessary, call my office to have any last minute questions answered. In most cases, patient concerns are easily addressed. Only on a rare occasion, do I prescribe a sedative or sleeping pill for overly anxious patients. Your personal strength and desire to improve your physical image will get you through this!
Melissa’s Blog: 4 Days and Counting!
May 15th, 2009
Should I be nervous? With only 4 days remaining, I can’t say that I have felt those telltale flutter of butterflies in my tummy, at least not yet. “I wonder why?” I ask myself. Maybe it’s because this procedure takes all of 45 minutes. It would appear to me, to be a walk in the park for Dr. Bashioum, as he has done 1,000’s of these. He sculpts my breasts like an artist sculpts a work of art. And voila! My masterpiece is complete. Or maybe it’s because I have looked beyond my actual surgery and I’m gearing up for the weeks to follow. It is surgery though, and I know it is serious business. Dr. Bashioum has given me a very precise course of action to follow and it goes like this, I am not to lift anything exceeding 5 pounds for the next three weeks. I repeat, “No lifting for three whole weeks!” But I have three small children. Precisely. In an effort to help reduce any complication and to ensure a properly healed chest, it’s critical that I abide by my doctor’s orders. So if that means sitting on the floor to console my child rather than picking them up, then up bet that you’ll find me on the kitchen floor singing, “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” Thankfully this is all tmeporary and the finish line is just around the corner.
As a stay-at-home mother of three, to refrain from lifting for three weeks is like asking my little ones not to use the word “no.” It’s going to be a very challenging task, but I understand how important it is. Fortunately, I’m not walking into this situation with my eyes closed. I have booked my mother-in-law an airline ticket out to our house, so she can help with the kids. My husband, thankfully, will be taking a week off from work. As all mothers know, our children depend on us greatly. And to be out of commission for a few weeks, call for a bit of help from family and friends. I’m so lucky to have that support.
My husband and I also decided to make a few minor changes to help aid in the “no lifting” policy. For example, we thought it would be a good idea to trade cars for the time being. He drives a compact. I drive a SUV, so I’m constantly lifting one, if not two of my children into their car seats multiple times throughout the day. By switching cars, this change will eliminate that problem. My little ducklings will be able to get in/out all by themselves.
I’ve counted down the days, but soon my surgery will simply be hours away. I invite you check back to watch the video clips of my before and after comments in my personal journey to brand new boobs!
Follow Us!
