The LipeDiva

I can confidently say the hardest part of surgery and recovery has been the lack of showers. I'm a 2x a day showerer, and going 3 weeks without a proper shower was a challenge...to say the least. For 3 weeks, I was creative with the XL body wipes, rinse-free scrub pads, portable bidet, baby wipes,… Continue reading Shower thoughts… →

At almost 3 weeks post op, I've hit a strange phase of my surgery recovery. Physically, everything is healing better than expected. My incisions look amazing, even the problematic one that took its sweet time closing up has finally healed. That means a proper shower is on the horizon. Now that I've perfected my bird… Continue reading Surgery recovery limbo… →

The newborn life chose me. I am squarely in the recovery stage where all I do is sleep, eat, hydrate, drink protein shakes, and go for walks. Rest is not easy for me. I like a project. I like a goal. I like a plan. I like to feel productive. I also know that rest… Continue reading I didn’t choose the newborn life… →

My last few days in LA, the week 2 fatigue started to hit. I felt like I'd been tranq darted, and sat down every chance I got. I knew this was coming, but I didn't expect it to hit this hard. I still pushed myself to stay mobile because I knew my legs would swell… Continue reading Week 2 Fatigue is Legit →

My appointment went well, and I got the all clear to come home. I had to push out the flight which means I arrived at home later than expected. However, I made it back safe and sound, and I'm so grateful for how amazing this surgery and recovery has been. I'm going to keep posting… Continue reading Home sweet home… →

The day started out hopeful. The drains had slowed, and it looked like it would be time to remove them. The top two drains had closed up beautifully. I went in ready to have the bottom two removed and be sent on my way. Jason Bateman is my sarcastic, quick-witted soulmate. If you've not seen… Continue reading SO close… →

On Monday, I had 2 of my 4 drains removed. All 4 were supposed to come out because "most patients get them removed after 5 days." Not this one 😂 As we have clearly seen, my body doesn't respond like most patients' bodies. So, I need to come back on Tuesday to (hopefully) get the… Continue reading One step closer… →

Everyone talks about "swell hell" when your body essentially tries to replace every thing that was removed in surgery. I knew it was coming, and I knew it would be bad. Yet, I'm still amazed by the tremendous amount of swelling in my legs. So, I figured a day of walking around would help things… Continue reading Swell hell is no joke… →

I woke up Saturday and felt super uncomfortable. Not in pain per se, but I just didn't feel great. I was either too hot or too cold. I was antsy lying down but ready to sit when I was walking around. I was hungry but nothing sounded good. I wanted to leave the apartment, but… Continue reading Some days are outliers… →

On Friday, I had a check in with my surgeon. He typically likes to see all his weekly surgery patients on Friday to make sure they are in good shape before heading into the weekend. My bruises are healing quite nicely, thanks to the hyperbaric oxygen treatments. The drains are still draining, so we decided… Continue reading Straight A’s on the Surgery Report Card… →