Four days ago, I was under anesthesia, under the knife for the first time in my life. I left my house at 5:15 that morning on an intense adrenaline rush. I was eager to start a new chapter in my life and beyond ready to leave my large-chested days behind. My parents and I had prayer before leaving, praying that God would heal my body as well as guide the surgeon safely through the surgery. Once at the hospital, I was placed in Room 14, where I was told to take off everything except for a surgical gown. We had arrived around 6:30, and I was scheduled to go back at 9. The nurse came in and scrubbed my chest before the anesthesiologist started my IV and increasing the medicine. The surgeon marked me and asked what size I wanted to be before giving me a final few minutes with my mom. Squeezing my hand until I was out of reach, my mom fought tears as she told me she loved me while I was being wheeled away from her. This was at 8:45, earlier than we had ever imagined.
I remember them asking me questions about what I want to do. I was knocked out once the oxygen was applied. Once I woke up, my shoulders and neck felt the immediate relief. I was feeling fine, and I was released around 2:00 from the hospital. I drank some Diet Coke and Sprite and nibbled on some crackers. They wheeled me out to my mom's car, and I had a pillow between my chest and the seatbelt to ease the pain of bumps on the drive home. I immediately went to sleep and felt incredible. Little did we know that the Percocet is what made me sick and nauseous. I was changed over to Loritab.
The recovery has been worse than I could imagine. I've been constipated off and on, had meltdowns, ran a fever one night, nearly blacked out my first shower, have been unable to vomit and cannot do much without being exhausted. I rode around yesterday but did not get out of the car. Other people were fine a few days post-surgery, but I believe it has a lot to do with the amount removed. I had five pounds/half of my tissue taken out of me. Others go down a few sizes - I went from an H to a C. I'm loving my chest and being able to sit up right, but the nausea and illness affiliated has been all but glamorous.
