Scar-y stuff

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Today as I browsing through some of the older discussion topics on the ANA forum, I stumbled upon some pictures kindly posted by fellow AN-ers. Post-op pictures. Pictures of shaved heads and stapled incisions and bruised stomachs with 3 inch long scars. Honestly, it was a bit like flipping through Frankenstein's photo album. Now, I know I shouldn't be surprised. Or slightly horrified. I know with any major surgery comes scarring and that I'm not going to get out of this situation without a few physical reminders of what went down in the OR. But I have purposefully avoided looking at pictures of what the post-op incision sites look like. Mainly because they kind of gross me out. And make the situation entirely too real for my liking. This is another area where I'm fine with just having a vague, foggy idea of what my head will look like after getting drilled into. 

     Scared (Or perhaps scarred? For life!)
Or at least I was. I guess my curiosity finally got the best of me today and I just had to take a look. And kept looking. And now I'm not at all pleased with where my curiosity has gotten me. All I can say is, I'm so thankful that the scar on my head will be behind my ear and well out of sight. As for the scar on my stomach, I read some disturbing news on the forum today. Apparently, the less stomach fat you have the longer the scar! (Now I'm really going to start on those hamburgers with a vengeance!)

Still, in spite of the jarring images, I am mostly glad I finally had a look. The more I know beforehand, the less surprised I'll be at the hospital. It's best to know exactly what to expect so you can prepare for it. Especially now that I only have 20 days left, it's best to take my head out of the clouds and be completely realistic about what's going to happen. (And, yes, in spite of me going on about how gross it all is, I will post my incision pics as well.)

I'm continuing with my pre-surgery planning and am right in the middle of creating a checklist for what I'll need for the hospital stay. I'm doing a bit of information gathering at the moment to get an idea of what other people have taken and then will compile my own list. Keep an eye out for it as it'll probably be included in my next entry. :)


Comments

  1. AnonymousApril 28, 2012 at 7:16 PM

    Just wondering how you are about 2 weeks before your surgery. I hope this comment finds you with some peace of mind. You will be surprised how well you manage this difficult event as it both approaches and then takes place. When it is over you will likely have a justified pride in yourself and your own resources, resources you may not now know you possess. I know this from personal experience with my AN surgery and from my brother's open heart surgery. Our surgeries were 3 months apart last year, his in June and mine in October. Good luck.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Amanda ElisabethApril 29, 2012 at 10:39 AM

    Thank you! At the moment, I'm actually feeling pretty good. Mainly because I've been distracted with the show and haven't really had much time to dwell on the surgery. The show does close today though and I have a feeling that might change a bit. lol My game plan for the next 11 days is just to keep up my daily routine just as I normally would and take each day as it comes. Before I know it, it'll be the 11th and I'll be well on my way to "the other side." I'm planning to write up a new entry here in a day or so--so definitely keep an eye for that as I'll go into a bit more detail. :)

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