1 week ago...

Just 1 VERY short week ago I left my purse and my cell in the waiting room after giving my husband one of the tightest hugs ever and walked to the back of the surgical center at Esthetica Institute.

I got naked; Dr. Delange drew marks with what I think was a black sharpie on my tummy; got my vitals taken by a nurse named Ashley; had an IV inserted into my arm by a very kind and friendly anesthesiologist named Jennifer and then walked myself across the hall into the operating room.

I remember getting on the table and having warm blankets placed over me and feeling the warmth of the heated table under me. I remember someone saying they were going to strap my arms down on each side of me. Then Jennifer put a mask over my mouth loosely and said she was just giving me some fresh air...

3 hours later I'm walking hunched over like an 80 yr old woman across the hall into a recovery room with a very uncomfortable recliner.

I remember being soooooooo soooooo incredibly HOT. I heard them tell Dr. Delange as he passed the room that my temp was fine but I was "sweating profusely". Then I felt the most incredible tightness in my midsection. It was almost unbearable at that point. Ashley got me a cold towel for my forehead and tried to cool me off and "bring me around". I could not keep my eyes open, I just felt sooooo tired. But that gave me the "spins" and I started to feel sooo completely nauseous, like I have never felt before, and I knew I had to throw up but was sooo afraid of hurting my newly tightened stomach muscles. Ashley kept encouraging me to keep my eyes open and focus on something to help with the queasiness but I just couldn't. And then it came - the first round of vomiting - just bile and dry heaving but ever so painful nonetheless. Then I heard them say, "let's get her husband" and then he was there. Mike was sitting beside me rubbing my arm and holding my hand. I still felt nauseous but was able to have a few sips of water. I started to feel better so I drank more water. After about 20 mins of feeling better and thinking we were going to get ready to be discharged, all of a sudden, I felt another huge wave of nausea and ended up throwing up a second time - all that water I had and it was officially the worst experience ever. I felt the wave come and was alone and remember yelling to Mike and Ashley, "I'm going to throw up AGAIN!!!!" It was horrible. Ashley ended up giving me a shot to help with the queasiness AND then I felt soooo much better pretty quickly after that.

Ashley cleaned me up and helped me get dressed and then she had to head back into another surgery and had a second girl who was wearing a black sparkly Esthetica tshirt and black jeans and a pair of the highest healed shoes I've ever seen, took my IV out and helped me get into our van to head home.