After careful planning and preparation, it was time to take that leap and actually go through with it…SURGERY DAY! In the last few weeks, I’ve openly discussed my past surgery experience and my recent experiences with Dr. Frank Stile in Las Vegas. I created this “Mommy Makeover” journal as a way for my readers to see firsthand what I’ve experienced (the good and the bad) so you can make informed choices. Many of you have never had plastic surgery and don’t know what to expect or the differences between good, bad, right, and wrong…but I’ve seen BOTH sides of the coin and I can tell you there’s a HUGE difference. Not all plastic surgeons are trained equally! If you’d like to catch up on on my recent stories, be sure to go HERE.
As much as I’d love to say that I was calm and collected, I wasn’t. No matter how much planning and preparation took place up to the point of THIS day, I had a ball of emotions that were difficult to contain. The doctor prescribed me some Xanax to take the night before just in case I needed it, and YES, I needed it! I slept SO good and woke up refreshed and ready to go. My surgery wasn’t scheduled until 1:00pm so it was business as usual the morning of surgery. I only took my hypertension medication very early (5:00am) with a sip of water and my last meal was at midnight the night before surgery day. I then dropped my Kindergartner off to school and came back home to tie up all loose ends. I kept myself busy by catching up on my blog, doing a few tasks, and making sure all the plans were confirmed with my husband and family helping out with the kids.
Everything was ready to go: prescriptions, electric recliner, comfortable clothing, freshly showered using Dial Anti-Bacterial Soap, took off all my makeup/moisturizers/nail polish, and took all my jewelry off (including my engagement ring) and stored it in my safe. My checklist was all checked off! I left the house at 11:00am to pick up my husband from work during his lunch break so that I could check-in for my surgery at 12:00pm. He then dropped me off at the Premium Surgical Services Center located at the side of Esthetique Plastique and it was indeed very discreet. I can’t brag enough about how spoiled I felt about not having to go through surgery at a hospital or openly to the public. It’s such a huge difference and you should really make that a part of your consideration process when selecting the right plastic surgeon for you!
Before I went up to the door, my husband and I prayed in the car (I, of course, had been praying everyday since I chose Dr. Stile and haven’t stopped since). We prayed for a successful surgery, speedy recovery with minimal discomfort and pain, and amazing results, and I was able to walk in there confident that God would be with me!
George walked me to the door, and I rang the doorbell. The nurse answered the door and told George that she would call him once I was ready to go home, and George kissed my forehead and hugged me tight then returned to work and finished the rest of his day at the office until it was time to pick me up. He admitted he was very nervous for me, but he trusted Dr. Stile.
I hung out with the nurse for a few minutes as she went down a list of questions she needed to ask me and I reviewed and signed more paperwork. I then had to take a pregnancy test to make sure I wasn’t pregnant (it was negative, trust me haha). I then went into one of the private rooms and changed into my gown and sockies they provided to keep my feet warm. The nurse hooked me up to all my monitors and checked my vitals. My blood pressure was super high! It took about twenty minutes, quiet and relaxation time, and a few re-checks to finally confirm my blood pressure was normal. I guess I was still really nervous, but the experience with the staff was so great and they really did make me feel very comfortable. They put my I.V. in and because my last surgery experience was nauseating, the nurse put a dose of nausea type medication in my I.V. in hopes that it would prevent me from getting nauseated and vomiting again (which is very painful right after surgery).
The board certified anesthesiologist came in and discussed what I should expect right before they put me to sleep, during surgery, and right after. He assured me that he will be with me at every moment during surgery to make sure I am safe and the equipment they have is so high-tech that if there were any problems, he would know right away. Super nice, and again, very comforting. 10-minutes later, Dr. Stile came in dressed and ready to go. He was so excited for me and it made me even more excited. He calmed me down and put my mind at ease and told me he would take really good care of me. He marked my body and that was it! No red dye by strangers soaking all over my body or cold, creepy staff. This really was a complete 180 degree difference from my last plastic surgery experience (with another doctor at a hospital). This was the photo we took right before surgery! My smile was genuine and sincere, because he really is such a great doctor! Seriously love him!
Ten minutes later, the nurse came back into my private room and said they’re ready and it’s time to go! So I get up and walk with the nurse to the operating room. This operating room didn’t feel dark, cold, or gloomy at all. It felt warm, inviting, bright, and cheery! It totally helped that I knew ALL of the staff that was there and their names and they all looked very excited for me. One of the nurses helped me up on the operating room table and the anesthesiologist explained that he was getting everything ready and the mask was coming on to put me to sleep. Right before he put the mask on, he was telling me a joke and I laughed and instantly fell asleep.
After the surgery was over, I could hear the nurses talking to me and letting me know that they’ve contacted my husband and he was on his way with a smoothie for me to drink during my car ride home so I don’t get nauseated. I couldn’t open my eyes, but I could hear everything they were saying and I was following directions okay. To my surprise, I felt zero pain! YAY!!! It was totally unexpected but I was happy that the excruciating pain wasn’t there! As soon as my husband arrived, they brought me out to the car in a wheelchair and it was already dark outside. The surgery took a total of about 3.5 hours (my last surgery took over 6 hours, by the way – that’s a big difference, and being in surgery that long only means higher risks for the patient) and it took about 2-hours for me to wake up. I didn’t get out of the Premium Surgical Services Center until 7:00pm. Now that I think about it, my husband was a nervous wreck! He was so worried that I would bleed all over myself and the car so he asked the nurses for LOTS and LOTS of pads to protect the car. Haha! He said I came out looking super swollen and round, and I couldn’t open my eyes because I was so tired and dizzy. And during the 20-minute car ride home, he made sure I was drinking my smoothie every few minutes to prevent me from getting nauseated during the drive. You’ll be happy to know that I made it home safely and onto my electric recliner (which I spent close to 2-weeks sleeping and sitting in) with zero pain. Once the car stopped and we were inside our home, I did start to feel nauseated. Thank God Dr. Stile already saw that coming and had a prescription for me that worked right away so the nausea went away! You’ll have to read my next post on what happened after surgery!
I honestly had THE BEST experience ever. I feel like Dr. Stile‘s quality with his patients are far more superior than the rest, and I wouldn’t have had my surgery experience any other way. It was comforting, exciting, and cheerful all the way through. His team weren’t just “employees”, they’re like family and I can sense that between them and it makes patients like me have peace of mind.
Again, I can’t thank you enough for all the positive vibes you’ve been sending my way. My readers, friends and family have been such a wonderful support system, and equally thrilled for me during this process. And I think that’s important when you’re going through such a big step in your life.
Have you ever had a surgical procedure before? Whether it was plastic surgery or not, we’d love to hear how your experience was, so be sure to leave us a comment! Until next time, take care!
Leave a Reply