Friday came, I still had no pain from the surgery, but my head was itching unbearably, so I took a bath and tried to wash my face while leaving the bra in place. I was unsuccessful at keeping it dry, but I did feel better that I was able to wash my face. It had been marked up with blue pen prior to commencement of the lipo for the surgeon's guidelines, and I was able to pull up the bra and wash underneath. I had drunk all the soft drinks and fruit juices that were in the room's mini bar the night before. I went to the vending area, and all that was there was an ice machine, so I had to decide to get over my fear of being laughed at with my bra on, and walk to the convenience store 3 blocks away. Why couldn't I have a neck brace so I'd not look so different? I suppose that looking different should be something I need to get used to. I found several places to eat within that 3 block area, and I bring this up because when I ordered room service for lunch the day before, a warm spinach salad, chicken quesadilla, Swiss cheeseburger, and a coke, and I spent $41.96. Rather pricey I thought.
I felt some stiffness under my chin now, and a little soreness along my jaw line, I could feel that the area was slightly swollen. I hadn't taken my bra off to see how black and blue it was under there for fear of not being able to put it back on. And I thought regular bras were difficult to figure out. I had seen some bruising sticking out by my ears. Later that afternoon, the clinic called to ask if I felt like coming over to see the doc for a post op evaluation, which I did. He said that he was very encouraged with the results, and that I will also be happy with the results. He said recovery was moving along nicely, he said that it will take 3 to 4 months before everything that was touched will be finished healing, and that I will look better every month. That's a wonderful premise to think about.
Saturday finally arrived, and I decided that I'd waited long enough, the bra was coming off and I was going to really was my face and hair, and take a peek at what has happened since I last examined my friendly face. I would worry about putting the bra back on later, I'd have to learn how to do it sometime, and it might as well be now. At first glance I only saw the blue lines left that I wanted to wash off, them I discovered that I had only one chin! Upon further examination, I noticed that I had a lot more of loose skin under my chin, which I've been told will firm up as it heals and reattaches to the muscles there, but there were no black and blue places that were visible. My profile didn't look familiar to me but it looked better than I had imagined after listening to the docs conservative evaluation.
I am now in my last full day of wearing my chin bra, and I look forward to life without it. If I had to do this all over again, I'd do it in a minute. It was a very pleasant experience, and I recommend it to any who might be contemplating this procedure! I can't wait to get this bra off; I'll probably burn it!
Yours,
Allison
