A Retrospective, Too Soon For That?

I never did post before pictures like I said that I would, but this is the post for that. I think that I've been averse to doing so because I really don't like how I look in them. But, therein lies the reason for surgery. I like to have a hand in controlling all images of myself that wind up online.

The first images were taken before I left work the Friday before surgery:

The next images were taken between 2 am and 4:30 am on January 13, 2013 which was the day of my surgery. In a previous entry, I had said that I wanted to wear makeup into surgery because it had to do with my self esteem and how I felt about the whole thing. I will say that doing my makeup, at the very least, made me feel gorgeous and I was complimented by almost everyone I came in contact with that morning.

The photos that follow are those that were taken of my shortly after sedation on January 13, 2014 ( I didn't take these, which is why they aren't flattering and have not been taken at a slimming angle.)

Annnnnnnnd the next day:

The following are two days post-op on January 15, 2014, which is the 106th anniversary of my sorority's founding (January 15, 1908.) Knowing that I would be in the hospital on my Founders' Day, I packed plenty of pink and green for my inpatient stay:

Finally, I was READY to go because I felt that I wasn't receiving the best care. There were lots of things that weren't right with my hospital stay, like the fact that I was left to my own devices most of time time. I took the initiative to move around in bed, sit up on my own, walk around the room, or go to the bathroom. No one helped me. And with the exception of my first walk, I was left to take walks unattended while taking a medication that was clearly marked, "May cause dizziness." On day 1 post-op, I was left soiled until I called the nurse to ask for help cleaning myself, while sobbing because I was so hopelessly embarrassed. My IV kept getting kinked and no less than 5 different people failed find a suitable vein UNTIL I called the nurse and told her that I FOUND MY OWN VEIN and that I would like my IV restarted as an alternative to actual injections of morphine or Demerol. It wasn't until my last day in the hospital that they finally called someone from phlebotomy up to do an ultrasound and find a vein substantial enough to cathetertize. The cherry on top was the fact that my IV was removed by a nurse who was not wearing gloves.