Tummy Tuck

Surgery and First Week Post Op……..

louiseissy

I am finally on the other side of my surgery and all went according to plan. I was due to be admitted at 12pm and ended being late due to the city centre being closed because of a car accident. It’s typical me to not be anxious about an impending major surgery but to have a near panic attack about being ten minutes late.

Once in my room I was told to immediately change into a gown as I was the only person on the list for the afternoon. I barely had time to change before my surgeon came in and marked me up with a sharpie! Literally thirty seconds later the anaesthetist came in and introduced herself. A mere twenty five minutes after admission I was being led down to theatre.

There was no anaesthetic room so I went straight into the theatre and led down on the operating table. Due to my scientific background in biology I was really interested in the different drugs being used for the anaesthetic and had this surreal experience of discussing all of this with the anaesthetist while being prepared for surgery. She gave me a shot of midazolam into the cannula which was rather pleasant. I don’t remember anything after that until I came round in recovery.

My first thought was annoyance that I couldn’t remember being given the actual anaesthetic. I then noticed that I couldn’t stop shivering. Due to most of my body being exposed for over 4 hours my core body temperature had dropped. I was under a heated blanket so I was soon back to normal. The pain from the surgery was there and could be felt as a burning, stinging sensation which got worse when I moved; it wasn’t unmanageable though. I went under at about 1pm and was back in my room by 7pm.

I spent the first night having to get up to use the bathroom every two hours as they’d pumped me full of fluids during the surgery. I hated having to alert the nurse every time I wanted to get up but I had to be disconnected from these mechanised pressure socks to help mitigate the risk of DVT. Moving around wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be pain-wise but negotiating going to the bathroom with four surgical drains and a compression garment wasn’t fun.

My surgeon came to check on me the next morning and instructed me to get up and walk as much as possible. I was able to have the drains removed from my arms that morning which just left the two in the abdomen. I did as I was told and got up every hour and walked up and down the corridor twice. To be honest I had quite a nice day, the nurses were lovely and the food was good. I’d been saving the production of the musical ‘Hamilton’ to watch until after my surgery and I’m so glad I did as it was wonderful.

The following morning I had my remaining two drains removed (a rather painful experience) and the nurse was amazed I didn’t make a fuss, all I was concerned about was getting them out! I was then discharged at 11am and home by lunchtime.

I have spent the last week taking it easy. The best think I ever did was buy the wedge cushion to raise my legs up; it has made getting comfortable so easy. I have been struggling with the compression garments. I really hate wearing anything tight and obviously by design these garments are extremely tight. They are also not designed for tall people and I’ve had to make a few adjustments to make them bearable.

So was it worth it? Undoubtedly yes!! I am amazed about how I look already despite the swelling. I still have the dressings on my abdomen but the change is stark. The dressings on my arms fell off this morning so the incision line can be seen; it looks a lot worse than it is. A lot of excess skin has been removed but it only weighed 4lbs. 

Due to the swelling I won’t show a true weight on the scales for a couple of months and I’m trying not to get too obsessed. I’m sticking to my healthy eating so I know I’m not in any danger of gaining weight. I’m looking forward to getting back to normal and going on a shopping spree for some new clothes asap!

Tummy Tuck

Pre-op Appointment and Preparation……..

louiseissy

I’ve now had my pre-op appointment for my surgery. I had filled in a health questionnaire beforehand but still had to answer umpteen questions about my health. Some of them were really obscure e.g. had I ever had a CPE infection? I’d never heard of it but apparently it’s a nasty infection of the gut that has become resistant to many antibiotics and can be very serious.

Blood was taken for cross match purposes in case I need a transfusion and the usual blood pressure, height and weight checks (my BMI is a healthy 22.1!). I also had an ECG which appeared normal. I was relieved to be told that I don’t need to be completely hairless for the surgery which I was dreading. I was given a dry sponge which was impregnated with a special antibacterial agent which I need to use to wash my body on the day of the surgery. I’m schedule to be admitted at 12pm on May 31st for surgery in the afternoon. Due to COVID restrictions no one can accompany me or visit me while I’m an in-patient. I’m only staying 2 nights so it shouldn’t be too bad. I can FaceTime home and I have got a load of films and TV series stored on my laptop to make the time pass quickly.

Preparations at home have been ongoing over the past few weeks. I’ve invested in a new high quality v-pillow as back ache has been known to be a big issue due to not being able to stand up straight for a couple of weeks. This is caused by the strain on the incision where the skin has been pulled down. For the same reason I’ve also bought a wedge pillow to make it easier to keep my legs elevated this will also reduce the risks of deep vein thrombosis (DVTs). Clothes wise I’ve bought a couple of oversized jogging bottoms and a few button down nightshirts just in case I can’t raise my arms above my head for a while. I belong to a Facebook tummy tuck group and apparently ‘surgery nesting’ is a thing. Compared to a lot of people I think I’ve been quite restrained.

I’ve taken some more before photos as I’ve lost a bit more weight since the last one was taken and it will be good to compare them post surgery.

Tummy Tuck

Initial Consultation……..

louiseissy

I had my initial consultation with my chosen cosmetic surgeon on February 14th about having the loose skin on my stomach and arms removed. Having done a great deal of research, there weren’t any major surprises.

After the usual medical history questions he gave me a very thorough examination. I have a lot of excess skin not only on my abdomen but also my back. While I could have a total body lift it would be a more major surgery with a longer recovery time. I think if I was younger I’d have seriously considered this route but I think it will be enough to just have the skin removed on my stomach. He recommended that I have the fleur-de-lys abdominoplasty with muscle repair as I need to reduce the amount of skin both vertically and horizontally. I will probably still have a little excess skin at the top but that is unavoidable. I have also lost a lot of skin elasticity so there is a chance I may still have a little fold at the bottom. When examining my arms he again said I’d lost skin elasticity and may still have a slight sag after surgery but to be honest a slight sag will be much preferable to the 3-4 inches of skin I have at the moment.

Fleur-de-lys Abdominoplasty showing area of skin removed.

My surgeon said that he was prepared to do both procedures at the same time and that the operating time would be 4.5 hours. I will need to stay in 2 nights and I will have 4 drains which will be removed before I go home. I will need to wear compression garments for about 2 months to aid healing. I’ve bought the recommended garments and they are seriously uncomfortable but I just have to ‘suck it up’ as they say.

Compression Garments

I’d made the decision to go ahead with the surgery before the consultation so when the quote came through a week later I booked the surgery for May 31st 2022. I was hoping it would be sooner as I’m mentally prepared now but the delay means that I can get the house spring cleaned beforehand. 

Recovery time varies from person to person, most are able to resume normal activities by 6 weeks but as I have fibromyalgia and I’m having muscle repair it could be longer. I’m determined to get back to normal as soon as possible and start living my new life.

Weight

Food Addiction Recovery

louiseissy

I finally reached my target weight on the 17th December 2021 and I am managing to keep it there but I am not finding it easy. Once I started eating a bit more my hunger levels increased and so did my cravings for junk food. I’ve literally been fighting every minute of every day not to overeat.

I have written at length about my relationship with food during my childhood. I used food as a comfort and I associated it with happy family times. I’ve realised recently that at some point during my adolescence I became obsessed with sweet refined carbohydrates i.e. chocolate, cake and biscuits. As soon as I was given an allowance I was able to indulge in these foods as much as I liked. This led to me alternating between overeating and panicked dieting when I gained weight. I was able to keep my weight at around 13 stone (182lbs) during this time. When I developed clinical depression my eating deteriorated and I rapidly became morbidly obese.

Having done some research I now realise that I show a many of the symptoms of food addiction and binge eating disorder. These conditions are characterised by the urge to consume large amounts of highly palatable foods i.e those containing sugar, fat and salt. These foods trigger the pleasure centres in the brain and cause the release of dopamine; the happy hormone. From my own experience this really makes a lot of sense. I used to get a rush even planning a binge. The feeling of pleasure following a binge was very short lived as feelings of guilt and shame rapidly ensued.

Understanding the chemical mechanism of my urge to binge is making it easier for me control it. I did have a minor binge two weeks ago (my first in 7 months) and it made me feel sick. I didn’t even get the same pleasure response. Initially I was annoyed that it didn’t make me happy and then I realised that this was a good thing. If I can remember this experience in future weak moments I might stand a chance at a long term recovery. I will never stop trying as I love the way my body feels now at a healthy weight.

As I have been at a healthy weight (BMI below 25) since December 2020 I now qualify for skin removal surgery and I will be seeing my chosen surgeon next week. I think getting the surgery is the right decision for me and with my new understanding of my eating habits, I think I am less likely to regain the weight. I know I will never be able to eat whatever I want but now I’m aiming to maintain my weight I can have the occasional treat. I just need to make sure these treats don’t trigger me to binge; apart from the one slip I’ve been doing ok.

I’m planning on blogging my surgery experience from consultation to post-op check up. I think it’s more appropriate to do it here than on Facebook as some of my friends may not wish to see photos of my post surgery stomach!

Food Addiction Infomation.

Weight

Future Plans……..

louiseissy

I am now so close to reaching my target weight (3-4 lbs away) I am starting to take stock of what my body looks like after losing so much weight. I am not vain in any way but I would like to feel confident enough to wear the clothes I have wanted to for years.

When I reach my target weight I will have lost 10 stone (140lbs) and I have been left with a lot of loose skin on my upper arms, stomach, bottom and inner thighs. I have been aware of this for a while but didn’t realise quite how bad it looked until I saw myself in a full length mirror without any clothes on a few weeks back. Below is a photo of the loose skin on my stomach.

I had already considered having skin removal surgery on my arms but I am now seriously considering having it on my stomach too. I think these two areas will make the biggest difference to my appearance. I recently met up with an old friend who had both of these procedures ten years ago and she still looks great. I’d already found an excellent plastic surgeon and by chance it was the same surgeon that had operated on my friend so I know I have made a good choice.

Being me, I have done a lot of research and have watched countless videos on YouTube. The tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) seems to be the more major of the two procedures and I am certain I will require the full tummy tuck as I have loose skin above the belly button. This will involve extensive muscle repair which some people find to be quite painful afterwards. As a fibromyalgia sufferer this is something I will have to seriously think about. The other major concern for me is the pain relief I may need to take immediately following the surgery. Since coming off my opiate medication in March 2019 (apart from a single dose of dihydrocodeine after my gallbladder surgery) I have not taken anything stronger than paracetamol. I’m not going to be stupid about but I want to keep the stronger painkillers to minimum. I could have NSAID painkillers instead of opiates but there is a risk of bleeding with them. This is one of the many questions I will have to ask my surgeon.

I have decided to wait until after my birthday in February before making an appointment with the surgeon. This is because I usually have a bad patch with my depression after Christmas and I don’t want to compound this low period with major surgery. It will also give to me time to think about whether I’m doing the right thing. At the moment I can’t see me changing my mind and I’m quite excited at the thought of finishing my transformation. It’s been a long time coming!

Music

Understanding Chopin……..

louiseissy

I have always loved classical music. It was hearing Beethoven’s Sonata No. 14 in C# minor (more commonly known as the Moonlight Sonata) at the young age of 4 that first made me interested in piano music in particular. During my childhood and teenage years I listened to more of Beethoven’s music and loved it; other composers barely got a look in. Like many people I recognised a lot of classical music pieces but didn’t know the name or the composer of them. I knew Chopin by name but it wasn’t until the movie ‘The Pianist’ was released that I learned to connect his music to his name.

Chopin predominantly wrote for the piano which makes him unique among composers such as Beethoven and Mozart. Chopin composed his music during the Romantic period. During this time the range of the piano was increased and its tonal power improved. As a result the piano became the most popular solo instrument. There is something very freeing about Chopin’s music. No longer confined to the strict phrasing and a consistent tempo that were popular in the Classical period, Chopin was able to express his music exactly how he felt it. Often his inspiration came from Polish folk tunes and these can be found in Polonaises. For me though it is the beauty of the Nocturnes that move me the most. As I’m a miserable so and so, the Nocturnes in the minor keys really touch my heart with their melancholia.

It wasn’t until I read a very long biography about Chopin that I feel I now understand the man behind the music. I’ve decided to share a very brief overview of his life in the hope that anyone reading this will feel the same.

The Life of Chopin 

Fryderyk Chopin was born in 1810 in Żelazowa Wola, Poland. Chopin was a sickly child and is thought to have had many food intolerances. As an adult he reached the height of 5 foot 7 inches but weighed less that 99lbs. His incredible gift for music was evident at a very early age and although he had a couple of piano teachers his prodigious talent for the instrument meant that they were rendered unnecessary. In 1826 he attended a three year course at the Warsaw Conservatory under the composer Józef Elsner. He continued to compose during this time and performed in local salons and concerts. In 1826 Chopin fell very ill for 6 months and later in 1830 a chronic cold led to him having cancel several concerts. It is likely that Chopin already had tuberculosis at this time.

Fryderyk Chopin

In 1830 he left Poland and although he didn’t know it at the time, he would never return. He settled in Paris in late 1831. It is not known exactly when Chopin met the fellow composer Franz Lizst but it is known that he was in attendance at Chopin’s Parisian debut on 26th February 1832 at the Salle Pleyel. Lizst said after the performance that “The most vigorous applause seemed not to suffice to our enthusiasm in the presence of this talented musician, who revealed a new phase of poetic sentiment combined with such happy innovation in the form of his art.” Chopin and Lizst had great respect and admiration for each other but it is known that their was a fierce love-hate relationship between the pair.

Due to Chopin’s delicate health it was often said that Chopin’s piano playing lacked the strength and vigour necessary for concert hall performances. However no one was in any doubt of his virtuosity and unique talent.

From 1842 onwards Chopin’s health deteriorated to the point that he had to spend many hours a day laying in bed and was in a lot of pain for most of the time. His mood would lift when he was able to play the piano but as time went on this became more difficult. A seven month visit to Great Britain 1848 under the care of his friend Jane Stirling where he had to perform to many of his friend’s acquaintances led to a very rapid decline in his health. He returned to Paris in the November of 1848. It was obvious by now that his tuberculosis had entered its terminal phase. In June 1849 his sister Ludwika came to Paris to look after him. Due to not being able to teach or perform he was now penniless. It is known that Jane Stirling supported Chopin during this time with a loan. Only his sister, his physician and a handful of friends remained with Chopin to the end. On 17th October after midnight his physician asked him if he was suffering greatly and Chopin replied ‘No longer’. Fryderyk Chopin died at a couple of minutes to two in the morning.

At Chopin’s request his heart was removed prior to his burial in Paris and was returned home to Poland where it was interred in a pillar at the Holy Cross Church in Warsaw.

Fryderyk Chopin requested that all of his unpublished manuscripts be collected together and burned. He didn’t want any of his music that he hadn’t completely perfected to be released to the public. Fortunately his sister, Ludwika thought differently. All of his manuscripts were collected into a suitcase and were entrusted to Chopin’s friend Julian Fontana. Chopin’s family gave Julian Fontana permission to publish any music he felt of sufficient quality. Among these pieces were two Nocturnes. The first was the Nocturne in C# minor that features heavily in the film score of ‘The Pianist’. The second was the Nocturne in E minor which, for me is perhaps the most beautiful piece of all. I can only hope to do it justice in the future.

Weight

The Binge Monster……..

louiseissy

I have spent considerable time in my life worrying about my eating and weight. I’ve always used food as a comfort during times of stress, ill health and sadness. When I was very ill with major depressive disorder in the late 90s and early 2000s this led to me becoming morbidly obese. At my heaviest I was 300lbs/136kg (21stone 6lbs). I reached this weight by consistently overeating every day rather than binging.

As previously mentioned I made the decision to deal with my weight problem once and for all in the summer of 2017 and I have successfully reached a healthy weight. However I know the old me is still there in my head and it would be very easy to regain every pound I’ve lost. What’s really weird though is this version of me has become an internal voice that I have to fight against. I’ve nicknamed it ‘The Binge Monster’. This is an example of a conversation I had with it last week:

The Binge Monster: You could really do with some chocolate.

Me: I don’t need any chocolate and I don’t want to gain any weight 

The Binge Monster: But you could have a small bar and build it into your allowance.

Me: Yes I could but I’d want more.

The Binge Monster: So you do want some chocolate. Just have it and get back track afterwards.

Me: I really shouldn’t

The Binge Monster: Go on it will taste so good and make sure you get a big bar.

Me: …..

The Binge Monster: You’re not weighing in at Slimming World this week so you’ve got a whole week to make up for it.

At this point I gave in and had a 110g bar of Cadbury’s Dairy Milk. It tasted great but I beat myself up afterwards for being so weak. This slip led to me having a couple days of eating a bit extra. I’m now back in control and have been for 4 days. The Binge Monster is still there grumbling in the background dropping hints that the biscuits in the cupboard look tempting but I’m able to ignore it at the moment. This is the way it has been for the past 4 years and the fact that I am still a healthy weight means that I am winning this war.

For anyone who is thinking I’m showing signs of schizophrenia; I’m really not. I have total control and know deep down that The Binge Monster is really just me arguing with myself. I just find it helpful to give that part of me a persona. It makes it easier for me to recognise the times when I’m fighting against the urge to eat unhealthily.

The Binge Monster
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What have I been trying to prove to myself all these years?……..

louiseissy

For as long as I can remember I have always sought achievement over everything else. In my early years at school I judged myself by comparing which colour books of the reading scheme I was on compared to my peers. When I was a Brownie I constantly planned on which badges I was going to work on next. I set myself impossible goals and then berated myself when I couldn’t achieve them. Setting these goals would often lead me to procrastinate in starting new tasks for fear of failure.

Academically I have been very successful. I have a 2:1 Bachelor of Science honours degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology and a Master of Science degree with distinction in Computer Science. This should be enough to prove to myself that I’m what – worthwhile? I honestly don’t know what it is. What I do know is that I’ve been trying to prove ‘whatever it is’ to myself my whole life and it has become detrimental to my wellbeing and it has to stop.

In July 2020 I set myself the goal of taking my ABRSM Grade 5 piano exam. I worked really hard, did all the preparation and really enjoyed the challenge. However it took over my life and I haven’t thought of anything else for six months. I took the exam yesterday and the stress caused me to have a memory block in the middle of one of my pieces. Fortunately the examiner was very kind and encouraging and I managed to complete the piece. The rest of the exam went reasonably ok and I’m fairly sure I’ve passed. For a couple of hours after the exam I was beating myself up as my goal was to get a distinction. Once I’d calmed down and really started to think about it, one thought kept coming back to me over and over again, “What the f@*k am I doing to myself?”. 

I’m sure that striving for achievement was one of the factors that led to me developing fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. Over the last few years I have made great strides in regaining some function and if I don’t stop putting myself in these stressful situations I could jeopardise this. 

In short, I’m done with trying to prove whatever it is to myself. No more practical music exams, no more impossible goals, no more strict deadlines and most of all no more self-imposed stress. It’s time for me to enjoy what I have achieved in my life and be content with that. I’m going to learn piano pieces that I love rather than what’s on a syllabus. I have a very happy marriage and two gorgeous, well-adjusted grown-up children of whom I’m extremely proud. It will take some time to adjust my thinking but once done my life will be all the richer for it!

Edit: Exam passed!

Autism

Keeping an Open Mind……..

louiseissy

One of the features of autism is rigid thinking and I have certainly had issues with this over the course of my life. Recently I have been obsessed with reaching a set target weight in my weight loss endeavours. I was told by a doctor when I was in my teens that this weight was my ‘perfect’ weight. It also had the appeal of knowing that I’d be able to say that I’d lost a total of 10 stone. What I found myself doing was deliberately sabotaging my eating as I sought what I saw as perfection. I have to accept that I’m older now and have a lot of loose skin from being morbidly obese, it’s just not a realistic goal anymore. I have adjusted my target weight and now only have another 6.5lbs to lose to attain it. I may find myself losing a bit more but I’ve taken the pressure off and I no longer feel the need to self sabotage.

My daughter, who also has autism is very set on the age of films she will watch. She thinks that any film made before the year 2000 isn’t worth watching. I keep telling her that she is missing out on some wonderful films but she is adamant that anything before this date is ‘rubbish’. 

A couple of months ago I found myself doing something similar. I tended to dismiss animated films/TV shows as not worth watching. I think years of watch Disney/Pixar when the girls were younger had taken it’s toll. My husband has been interested in Japanese anime for a while now and suggested watching a series called Attack on Titan. I really wasn’t keen to try it – after all it was a ‘childish cartoon’ but unusually for me I decided to give a few episodes a go.

After two episodes I was hooked. Attack on Titan was very definitely not for children, in fact some scenes were traumatising for me. What struck me was how deep the story and characterisations were. The writing was phenomenal and completely different from anything I’d seen or heard of before. I hadn’t experienced much of Japanese culture before this and I was fascinated. The storylines were also very different from anything read before. I have often thought that films reuse ideas from previous films far to often. For me anime was a something entirely new and exciting.

Anime has fast become a new special interest for me. I’ve just started watching my fourth new series last night. It’s great to have a new interest that I can share with my husband. This has definitely been a learning experience for me and I intend to try other things that hitherto I’ve dismissed.

Attack on Titan

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An update……..

louiseissy

I haven’t posted in while as I was dealing with my usual post Christmas depression. This lasted all of January and most of February. I have now flipped the other way and I’m feeling really motivated and happy so it’s difficult to write about anything relevant to the theme of this blog.

The Associated Board of Royal School of Music deferred all of their practical exams until the summer so I was unable to take my piano exam this term. It was a real blow and threw me for a while. My pieces were ready for performing and I had to put them to one side to avoid them getting stale. I’ve been working on a few more challenging pieces and have discovered that I absolutely love Frederic Chopin’s piano works, especially the nocturnes. I tend to prefer pieces in minor keys as I’m a miserable so and so and I cannot learn a piece of music unless I can feel it. My practice is limited by my fibromyalgia. I can only practise for 45 mins to an hour before my back starts burning and I try to do two sessions a day.

I’m still not quite there with my weight loss. When the UK locked down in early January, Slimming World had to switch to virtual meetings over zoom. While it’s great to still be in contact with everyone it just isn’t the same. I had a couple of slips and regained a little. I have lost all but a couple of pounds of it. The good news is that the face to face groups restart in mid April so hopefully I can finally shift the last ten pounds.

I hope I can continue feeling this happy. As long as I keep up my healthy eating and piano practice I should be alright. I know from past experience that I am an all or nothing kind of person. If one area of life slips then it all slips. I wish I could work out why. I’ve done a lot of introspection over the years and have overcome a lot of my hangups but this one remains and I don’t how to move forward. I guess my brain is still faulty.