I’m now less than two weeks away from surgery day and, despite being convinced I’d be a nervous wreck by now, I’m actually just incredibly excited!
As I mentioned previously, my BMI is slightly higher than the hospital would ideally like, so they insisted on an additional in-person pre-op assessment to make sure everything was safe for surgery.
The appointment involved swabs, blood tests, height and weight measurements, an ECG, and what felt like a million questions. While it was a little frustrating, it was reassuring to know they were being so thorough and putting my safety first.
I should probably mention at this point that I have what nurses lovingly refer to as "difficult veins." It’s incredibly rare for anyone to get blood from me on the first attempt thanks to my weak and wriggly veins. Because of my arthritis and the various medications I’ve been on over the years, I need blood tests every six months, so it’s become a bit of a running joke to challenge nurses to get it first time.
Well, this nurse managed it, which I was genuinely impressed by!
The only downside was that my blood tests needed to be taken within 28 days of surgery, and this appointment happened around 35 days beforehand. That meant I had to come back again for another set.
Thankfully, I already had a pre-op appointment booked with my surgeon, so they kindly arranged for the blood tests to be done on the same day.
The lovely nurse also talked me through what to expect on surgery day, including what time to arrive, what to bring, and when I needed to stop eating and drinking.
Fast forward a couple of weeks and I was back again to see Mr T.
After my bloods (which took 3 attempts, 2 nurses and ended with it being taken from my hand) Mr T went through the procedure once more to make sure I fully understood everything and gave me a clearer picture of what recovery would look like.
Some of the key points were:
- The most painful period is likely to be the first 24–48 hours.
- My breasts will probably look smaller at first until everything settles over the following months (which is the opposite of what I expected!).
- I’ll have drains coming from my tummy area to prevent fluid building up beneath the wound. These will be removed once the drainage decreases, and he’ll explain this in more detail before I’m discharged.
- The hospital will provide one compression garment, but I needed to buy a second one myself. The picture is below. It cost me £85! I honestly think it’s the most money I’ve ever spent on a piece of underwear, and it’s absolutely hideous.
- Most importantly, I need to wear old pyjamas and underwear because they will get stained. Eeek!
At the time of writing, I have just 11 days left to go.
I’m also pleased to report that I still haven’t had a cigarette. I’ve even made it through a few social gatherings without giving in, which I’m quite proud of. More than anything, it shows just how much I want this surgery and how determined I am not to jeopardise my recovery. Nicotine can seriously affect healing and increase the risk of complications and infection, so giving up was non-negotiable.
There’s just one final hurdle before the big day: my husband is having his gallbladder removed tomorrow. He’ll need looking after while he recovers, which should be a great distraction from my own countdown and hopefully make the next week and a half pass a little faster!
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