Plastic Surgeon Visit - 1 Week After Surgery

Today we visited the plastic surgeon. We discussed where we go from here in the reconstruction phase.

Right now, the immediate goal is to get the drain tubes out. It has been a week now since the surgery. In order for the drain tubes to come out, the doctor wants to see fluid levels of less than 30 cc’s for at least 3 days. At that point, a drain tube can be removed. Dawn Ann is not to that point yet. She is still having more than 30 cc’s per day of drainage in both drain tubes. This is important because the drain tubes cause a significant amount of discomfort.

We asked about when she could take a shower. The doctor told us that Dawn Ann could shower, as long as the water didn’t directly spray directly on the incision or drain tube sites.

We asked about how much she should be doing with her right arm. He said that Dawn Ann shouldn’t be doing much with that arm. No lifting of anything more than 3-5 pounds at this point. He reminded us that a full gallon jug of milk weights 8 pounds. So she is going to have to do things left-handed for awhile. After the drain tubes come out, then we can re-visit restrictions on activity.

We asked about driving. He said that driving would be fine, as long as she is not under the influence of narcotic pain killers. Right now, Dawn Ann is able to get through most of the day on over-the-counter pain relieves (Tylenol, and Ibuprofen). However, she still is taking a Lortab at night to help her sleep. So if she has not taken a Lortab during the day, she can drive Bryan to his ceramics class, which is at about noon time.

We asked about how much volume the tissue expander can hold. The doctor said that it could hold up to 800 cc’s. After Dawn Ann has had a chance to heal, the plastic surgeon will start injecting it with saline, through a little port that is along her rib cage. He said he typically would inject about 100 cc’s at a time. This would be repeated in two week intervals, until the tissue expander is just a little larger than the size of the eventual implant. Then he would let it rest for a few weeks, before removing the tissue expander, and inserting a silicone implant. The body would then close in around the silicone implant.

This process will take several months to complete. We will just need to take it one step at a time.

For now – let’s get those tubes out!