Almost ONE MONTH!

It has been almost ONE MONTH since my surgery. I have been trying to adjust to being at home and not being able to do much. This has been the hardest part. I have gotten out of the house a few times. But I'm not quite recovered and I've still been in some pain. I can't lift my arms about my head yet and I'm nervous about picking Haiden up for the first time. I see the doctor for a follow up appointment on October 9th (the day before my birthday) to discuss everything with him.

AFTER

BEFORE 

AFTER

BEFORE

Adjusting/Recovery 

I think the hardest part about recovery is the pain and the nausea, and both go along with this surgery. Even with pain medicine my chest still hurts. It gets better day by day, and some days are worse than others. Nights are difficult too because I can't sleep on my sides. I lay on my back with plenty of pillows under my upper back and head. 

I have been able to get out of the house a few times this past week. I did end up getting sick in the car on one of those trips. GROSS. Throwing up with a metal bar in your chest is painful and I started crying. 

Thanks mom for the lovely photo ;)

I was sure to take a lot of pictures while I was out and about! :) My first outing was to get yarn from Hobby Lobby. I am making infant hats for babies at the Boston Hospital! 

I also went to Lowe's with Christopher and afterwards we took Haiden to Halloween City! Chris kept asking why I was taking so many photos. I told him, "It's my first time out of the house since surgery! I have to capture everything!" 

The next day I went to pick out baby pumpkins for Haiden. And yes it was after this trip I got sick in the car. I'm looking a little green in this photo! 

After getting sick,  I went home to change and then visited my sister Logan at her new job! 

Relaxation is KEY

I have found that I have been very tense after surgery. Being in pain in my chest area scares me, which causes tension. I have had to tell myself it won't hurt forever and relax. I use a handmade lavender scented heating pad. I just pop it in the microwave for a few minutes before I go to sleep. During the day I try to keep busy and keep my mind occupied. I have bought books and I have been working on my crochet projects. 

Handmade lavender heating pad and my most recent book purchase

REGRETS? 

I have no regrets at all after this surgery. Yes, it has been painful and the hospital stay was rough. But God was with me and still is. I am so thankful I came out of surgery fine and I am still doing well. I could not have asked for a better outcome. I feel so much better about my chest. I can look down and I no longer see a dent! My posture also looks amazing. I am very pleased with how everything looks! 

THANK YOU 

Thank you everyone for the kind words, your support, and the gifts. I have wonderful friends and family. I am looking forward to my 21st birthday on the 10th and being "BOOBIE DENT FREE"! 

Sera's Surgery

My week at MUSC was an adventure to say the least. I was told going into the surgery this was the one of most painful operations performed at MUSC by Dr. Hebra, my Pectus surgeon. No one can prepare you for the pain you endure after this procedure. I was lucky to have the support of my family during this time. I also had many people praying for me and I did much praying myself. The night before surgery I got ZERO sleep. I was so nervous about the procedure. I had to check into the surgery waiting room at 5:30am Monday, September 9th. The thing I was most afraid of was being put to sleep. Everyone reassured me this would be the least of my worries.

BEFORE SURGERY
I was trying to stay calm. I had my family by my side. My Pastor came and prayed with me and my parents. This helped me so much and I felt so much more relaxed. I relied on God for my comfort and the fact my family was with me. I was warned about the risks involved and the pain associated with the procedure. I remained positive and talked myself through the last few minutes before surgery. I went to the operating room at 6:55 AM.

AFTER SURGERY

After finally coming to my senses after being under the knife, I was in rough shape. I looked like the living dead. I was doing okay, and I was dealing with the pain. I had an epidural, but the pain was still there. I also was given IV pain medicines as well. My chest felt really tight when I would breathe in and out. I was most tender under my right arm, which is where the "stabilizer" is. Dr. Hebra told me this would be the most painful spot. The stabilizer is expanding my ribs which is causing the most pain. The stabilizer keeps the metal bar in my chest in place. 

DAY TWO 

Tuesday was my WORST day. My epidural quit working around 7 PM. My day time Pain Management team was AMAZING, but that night there was some miscommunication among the hospital staff. I did not get any pain relief until 2AM. My mom was with my that night and stayed by me. I had to talk myself through the excruciating pain. I felt like I could not breathe, my "pain level" was at a 10, and I was in a panic. I had never been in that much pain, even during child birth. I had to talk myself through the situation. My mom had to talk to me as well. I did not quit praying. I tried not to cry, because it made my chest hurt worse. I could not hold back the tears. I eventually got some sleep and my day time Pain Management Team came in at 7AM and my epidural was working shortly after. 

DAY THREE 

By Wednesday I was sitting and standing. I was fighting pain, feeling nauseous, and the urge to faint. I got through it and being in a chair was much better than being in the hospital bed! 

DAY FOUR 

I got to walk down the hall! I was beyond excited to be out of my room. It was a huge accomplishment, considering I could not even lift my head on Monday. 

DAY FIVE 

NO MORE EPIDURAL! I finally could be epidural free. I will explain really fast how this worked. The epidural was placed higher up than when I had Haiden. It was in between my shoulder blades to numb my chest and arms. This is known as the "T3 and T4" regions. I was so glad to be able to feel my fingers, but this meant I had to adjust to the pain as well. I was given oral pain medication along with the IV medications. 

DAY SIX 

By this day I was moved to another room. The doctors revealed to me I would be returning home the next day. They were preparing me for leaving the hospital and what to expect. I had to work on taking deep breaths and reach a certain number on this little device before I was given the okay to leave the hospital. 

DAY SEVEN 

I was discharged from MUSC. When I got in the car with my mom I started bawling. When she asked me why I was crying I replied "I'm just so happy to be going home".  I had a room full of flowers given to me at the hospital and a brand new Coach purse on my bed. I won the Coach purse thanks to a wonderful woman involved with the Children's Hospital in Boston. She entered my name in the drawing and I won! 

MORE FROM MY HOSPITAL STAY:

THERAPY DOGS 

I was visited by therapy dogs. It made me feel so much better. We watched the monitors and it IS true what they say about petting dogs lowering your blood pressure! 

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS, NOT YOUR PROBLEMS 

There was a little boy two rooms down from me before I was moved. He had no family and watched TV and ate by himself every night. Chris kept telling me about how he was just sitting on the edge of his bed with his tray. Chris would walk by his room, since his door would always be open. He would tell me he would be playing with toys or watching SpongeBob. So Chris took it upon himself to buy him more toys to make him feel better. We were not allowed to give them to the little boy, due to patient privacy. My nurse took the toys to him and told us he was having a blast after opening them. This made me aware of how blessed I was. I have never been left alone without family at a hospital at any point in my life. I had a family and this little boy who was about 7 years old was alone. He did not have a mom to comfort him after getting a shot. He didn't have family to visit him and tell how much they loved him. I just wanted to take him home. I was told his hospital stay was a long one and it would be awhile before he was discharged. He was the cutest little boy and had the sweetest face. He was always smiling despite his circumstances. 

ALL IN ALL 

I am happy with the end result of my surgery. I will gladly put up "After" pictures when I start to feel better. My chest looks wonderful and I am praying for a speedy recovery! My mom actually got a picture of me blogging. When I wasn't looking! I told her NO PHOTOS TODAY (haha). 

Surgery in the A.M.

          I figured I would blog about my upcoming surgery, instead of trying to put all of this in a Facebook status. I have not announced many details about my surgery due to the fact it is often considered a cosmetic surgery by most insurance companies, and there was a possibility I could be denied by my insurance. I have a chest deformity called Pectus Excavatum. It is something I was born with. The best way I know to describe it to people is a dent in my chest. I often call it my "Boobie Dent" (haha). Not many people know I have this issue. I stay away from triangular bikini tops like in these photos, since it is very noticeable. It is very hard for me to find bras that don't stick off of my chest. You can ALWAYS see down my shirt because of how my chest is shaped. Everything is sunken in and my shoulders go to the front, which created bad posture. All of this will change at 6AM tomorrow morning. I am constantly having to find clothes that do not draw attention to my body shape. I am so glad to be saying goodbye to my "dent" bright and early in the morning. I decided to share my story because not many girls have Pectus. It is more common for boys to have it rather than girls. I am also considering doing a video diary as well, but I haven't made up my mind! I am taking a break from college until January if everything goes as planned. I also won't be able to pick up Haiden for a few months, which is going to be the hardest on me. 

My stomach and ribs jut out as a result of my chest. Everyone with Pectus has the same problem. It's called the "pot belly". My ribs will still stick out after my surgery but it won't be so noticeable.

This is why I stay away from this type of bikini. The spot that looks like a shadow in the middle of my chest is my "dent".

THE PROCEDURE

      The procedure I am having done is called the Nuss Procedure. Basically a metal bar is inserted under my dent after two small incisions are made under each armpit. It will be flipped and PRESTO, the dent is gone. It's almost the same concept as popping a dent out of your car door. I will be in the hospital for about seven days for PAIN MANAGEMENT. I will be on a morphine pump and I will also have an epidural at some point after surgery. I am nervous about the pain, but even more so nervous about being put to sleep. I have never had surgery on anything, so I am worried. The surgery normally takes about 3 to 4 hours which isn't too bad. This procedure is normally done on teenagers, but I was so glad MUSC Children's Hospital in Charleston told me they would gladly perform the surgery even though they are considered pediatric. Since I am an adult, the bar will have to be left in for about 4 years instead of 3. After the 4 years is up, the bar will be removed and my chest will remain NORMAL! This surgery can be watched on YouTube, but I refuse to watch it. The way I have handled going into this surgery is to not think about it. I won't watch it or I will freak out tomorrow. Here is a link about the surgery: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1970203-overview 

Why I have chosen to have surgery: 

         I have noticed as I have gotten older and having to chase Haiden around that I am often short of breath. I suffer from fatigue and feeling like I can't breathe. I am unable to take deep breaths, because it feels like it "catches" under my chest. I had the Pulmonary Lung Test done at MUSC last month and I am only using THIRTY percent of my lung capacity. I was told by the nurse that even Pectus patients can use up to eighty  percent of their lung capacity. She told me the fact I was only using THIRTY percent was not good, and I would feel a lot better after surgery. Having this surgery will give me more room for my lungs and heart to function properly. I also wanted to get the surgery done for personal reasons. Most girls opt for breast implants to hide their Pectus. Being small chested has never bothered me, but the fact I have a dent in between my boobs did bother me. Having breast implants would not fix my dent. Even as a little girl I had the same shape, it just worsened after puberty. I have terrible posture and I curve at the top of my back. I wore tankinis until the summer before 9th grade because I was so self conscious about my chest. Now I wear bandeau bikini tops with ruffles to hide it. I want to be able to fit into a bra NORMALLY. I don't want people to be constantly seeing down my shirts and dresses, since my bra sticks off my chest. I want to be able to exercise and play with my son without being short-winded. 

What I'm looking forward to: 

HAVING A NORMAL CHEST! The first thing I'm doing after I recover is buying all new bras and shirts with empire waists. Maybe I can run a marathon too ;) I am also looking forward to updating the blog with "After Pictures" of my chest. I can't wait to see the difference! I am also looking forward to my first summer at the beach with my new chest as well. I'm hoping my posture will also improve with the surgery! 

                           GOODBYE BOOBIE DENT!