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Happy 2011! I can’t believe how difficult but rewarding 2010 turned out to be. One year ago I was getting ready for my bilateral mastectomy surgery, preparing to be finished with reconstruction by June. I never would have guessed that one year later I would be in bed, recovering from additional surgeries, still at least 6 months from the finish of my reconstruction.
I know I’m fortunate, though, because I have met and found so many wonderful people during the last year. And it is so wonderful that we are all a support system for each other.
I’ve had other wonderful things happen, like my involvement with NORRA and becoming a part of the NORRA family. NORRA and Team Courage have been 2 of the main things that keep me going, after of course my family and BFFs.
Today is my last day of ‘recovery’, I’m able to go back to work tomorrow. Although if you’ve gone through breast surgery you know that recovery tends to go on and on and on. I had my second post-op appointment today and the doctor said everything looks good for now, but we just have to hope the stitches hold. Wearing a bra 24 hours a day helps keep gravity from putting pressure on the stitches, and will hopefully be enough to allow everything to grow together properly. It will take several months for everything to heal and for the muscles to attach properly. Until then I can have ‘life as normal’ except no bouncing under any circumstances. That makes me giggle. As if reconstructed breasts could bounce! I get the idea, though, no horseback riding, off roading, jumping, or jogging.
My last surgery was one week ago tomorrow, and I’m feeling better today. I still look washed out and not so great, but I feel better. Today is the first day I can stand and sit without hurting. The places where the Alloderm was stitched to my ribs is the worst. Today is the first day that those stitches don’t burn and hurt constantly. That’s really where the feeling of being stabbed by a rusty screwdriver was the worst. The spot on my breast bone where the muscle was cut away to relieve pressure is still very swollen and tender. For the last week I’ve heard a very disturbing gurggling noise when I move certain ways, I guess it’s the blood and fluid that would normally come out through a drain. It’s loud enough to hear standing next to me, it sounds like a loud tummy growl, but it’s from my chest. That really grosses me out. I haven’t heard it today, so maybe most of the fluid has been absorbed. I won’t miss that at all.
My last implants were silicone, my new ones are memory gel. I’m still too swollen and painful to really tell a difference, but they feel softer and more real at this point. The difference between the 400 cc silicone and 550 cc gel implants is not drastic. After the swelling is down I may still wear the same size bra as before. But I can tell the biggest difference on the top and the sides of my breasts. The most disappointing aspect of my last implants was that when looking at me in a bathing suit or tank top, the sides of my ribs under my arms were wider than my breasts, which made my breast look like they were just stuck on. My last plastic surgeon called that area of the breast along the side and under my arms the tail of the breast, and had wanted to fill it in with fat transfers. My new surgeon said it could be filled in with a larger implant. Agian, I’m not sure how it will be after the swelling goes down, but for now I look much more natural. I am very happy with my results so far, and I’m thrilled that I’m not also recovering from lippo because the pain from the repair of the torn muscle and fallen implant was awful. Much worse than the implant swap. It was very similar to the pain following the mastectomy, at least on the damaged side.
My dog, Cesar, and my cat, Callie, have been by my side non-stop. And sometimes closer, if possible. I spent the last week sleeping, with an afgahan made by my great aunt and a quilt made by my grandmother before I was born. This is how Cesar tries to make things better.
As for results so far, this was a photo taken 5 days post op from my first implants….
Implants 5 Days Post Op
This is a photo 5 days after my repair and new implants…
5 days post op 2nd implant swap
So, there you go! Hopefully I will manage to take it easy over the next 3-6 months and that this repair will hold. I don’t know what will happen if it doesn’t, if that means I won’t be able to have another reconstruction. I did find out that I will eventually be able to off road again, and I will be able to do things like kite board like I dream of doing. So that’s great news. I just have to keep my body parts from falling off for the next 6 months. Keeping all fingers crossed!
I hope that 2011 is a wonderful year for you all, and that you are all as happy and healthy as you can be.
Jealousy and Smelly People
Happily on my way to LA for the NORRA party celebrating the Mexican 1000 event. It’s been one of those trips. Thanks to wonderful Aunt Joy I am flying stand-by, and of course when you fly stand-by you have to make some sacrifices. For my best chance at a seat I had to start trying to leave Denver at 6am this morning. Since we live 3+ hours from the airport I decided to get to the airport last night. I arrived at the Denver airport around 10pm last night, watched Dexter for awhile and then slept on the floor at my gate for about an hour. I woke up at 4am and have been kind of roaming around ever since.
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