After my Pre-op appointment I scheduled all my medical tests and went online to look for other things that I would need to make me feel comfortable during my recovery. The online site Make Me Heal www.makemeheal.com has lots of goodies for post cosmetic surgery.  I bought a memory foam slanted pillow that would elevate my head while resting and sleeping.  I was going to buy a compression garment for my face and neck, however decided not to, mainly because I was not sure what I really needed.

As the weeks went by, I became increasingly anxious, yet excited about my pending surgery.

Two Weeks Before:

I scheduled a pre-op phone consult with my surgeon ZPL, in his  New York office.  His wife Lorraine, works in the office and she is always very responsive to my needs, whether it be on the phone or through emails. I was not overly concerned about the long distance consulting.

He looked at my photos.. and assured me that this was going to be great. We talked about rejuvenation vs overdone and I was happy to hear his philosophy on facelifts.  A natural refreshed look, not too pulled. Being an East Coast person, I felt very comfortable and confident to have an East Coast surgeon doing my FL.  I asked  Dr. ZPL iif he felt there was any other procedure I should undergo since I was already under anesthesia.  He recommended that I could get a few more years out of having an upper bleph.. upper eyelid surgery.  Although I thought my eyes were fine, I did start to notice a little excess skin, particularly on my right side. I agreed to have this extra work done. I appreciated the fact that my PS, did not tell me that I needed work that I did not need. His evaluation of my face was  right on.

He made me feel very at ease, with a sense of humor and personal touch.

A week before my surgery , I went out with my shopping list to make sure that I have every that I needed. Since I would be on a liquid diet at first I purchased;- jello, pudding, Gatorade, soups with low sodium and bottled  water. Straws, 3 boxes of gauge pads, and  magazines.  I would fill up a little Playmate with ice for my face and keep cold beverages in it near my bed.

I made an appointment for my hair to be colored since I knew that I would have to wait at least 6 weeks for it to be colored again.

The day before my surgery.

I had a manicure and a pedicure but without polish. Though, I later found out that it was not necessary to remove polish before surgery anymore.

Then WAM… my friend who was suppose to stay with me the second night at the hotel after my nurse left had a family emergency.  Oh no… this meant that my husband was going to have to be my nurse for post-op day 2. Not what I was planning. I really wanted to keep him out of the post-op stuff at least for the first 48 hours.

That night I sprung the news on him.. His was not a happy camper…Since he had been against the surgery from the beginning, he was not happy that he had to take care of me the second night. It was not that he does not care.. quite the contrary. But he does not do well with surgery, blood, pain, sickness. It is not his comfort zone.  Needless to say the night before my procedure was somewhat stressful.

I tried keeping  busy, tiding up  so that my space for recovery felt inviting.. Picked up my meds.. ate pizza and tried  to relax.