Tag Archives: Silicone implants

6 week post-op recap

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So here is the 6 week post-op recap….

Looks like everything is going very smoothly.  The areas around my nipple grafts where I am having some drainage is completely normal.  He said these areas are where the stitches under the surface are trying to poke through the surface.  I should expect to have that happen until my scars settle down.

I talked to him about the difference between my breasts.  He said it could be due to a variety of things, but all in all he thinks things are progressing well and he wants me to wait another 2 months to allow them to fully settle.  We will re-evaluate then.  So I have to go back in 2 months.  My nipple scaring will have settled by then, my implants will be more settled, so we can talk about nipple reconstruction providing everything is to my liking.

He took a look at the scars on my back and thought they were looking a little bit better and didn’t want to do the steroid injections yet, if at all.  Another thing we will re-evaluate in 2 months.

As for the muscle spasms, he said he expected them to increase because of the increase in my activity.  For now, he wants to me to continue to do PT (yippee) .  He thinks it will help with the spasms and take the Valium when I need it, hopefully getting to the point where I don’t need it at all.

Speaking of PT, I was supposed to see Richard per his request today, not sure what for, but at my last appointment he asked me to come early to meet with him.  I ended up seeing Dr. Greaney first, then waited for an hour and twenty minutes to see Richard, but when they finally got his attention, he said he didn’t really need to see me, he wanted to see me in 2 months. Lol.

All in all a pretty good appointment.

After my appointment, I met up with Pinder and saw Noah.  It was a very interesting interpretation of the biblical story, but entertaining none the less.  We had heard the reviews before we went so we knew what we were up for.  Apparently a lady that was in the theatre with us didn’t know that it wasn’t a direct representation of the biblical story and she let us know that she wasn’t happy about it while we were in the bathroom after the movie.

Cleared

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I had my appointment today with Dr. Greaney.   I set out pretty early because the last few times I have traveled to Philly the traffic has been horrible.  Not today.  Sweet, point #1 for thetracinator.  Yes, I just referred myself as thetracinator.  It’s just that kind of day.  I was 45 minutes early.  I walked into the office and thought maybe they had closed it because there was not one other patient in the waiting room.  GREAT!!!!! This day is starting off well!  Tack up #2 for me.  The receptionist yelled “Hey Trace, I’ll let him know you are here!” When I walked in.  I love that they take the time to learn my name.  I sat down for maybe 2.5 seconds and Lisa, my favorite nurse calls me back.  Point #3 for this day.  She talked to me for a while, it has been nice getting to know these people over the past few months.  It really makes me feel that they care.  I get changed and put on my crop top paper gown open in the front, but this time it’s blue.  MUCH better than that ugly mauve color they had before.  As if this matters,  apparently it did to me.  Score point #4 for me.  Dr. Greaney walks in and asks how I have been doing, and I tell him about how my back scars have been bothering me, he takes a look and agrees with the physical therapists opinion.  He explained that right now  (month 3-5 after surgery) is when your scars have the most inflammation and can really be uncomfortable.  He thinks that I may benefit from some steroid injections into the scars, but it’s too early in the healing process for that.  I have a follow up appointment in 6 weeks (my sister Annie’s birthday) and he will do them then if they are still bothering me so much.  He took a look at my breasts and was pleased.  I am now allowed to put lotion on them which was good, cues those suckers were dry.  He went over the implant massaging that I have to do daily.  Then I whipped out my handy dandy iPhone and went down my questions. (Q is me, A is Dr. Greaney)

Q:  You expanded me further in my right side, I would have thought that you would have used a different size implant.  Why didn’t you?

A:  On your left side I only cut into your nipple on the bottom half.  It was very difficult to get the expander out and put the implant in.  That’s why you see more redness on your left side.  This side had more time to settle, and didn’t need any pocket work.  Because we took off your right nipple graft and moved it, I was able to get in their and do more pocket work on that side.  I was able to form almost a perfect pocket where I could give you the same size implants and you will have symmetry on both sides once they settle which can take months.  That’s why the implant massage is so important.  We don’t want the pockets scar tissue to freeze the implant in one place.

Q:  When will they stop aching when I wake up?

A:  Sleeping keeps your body in a position for a while, and they are sore because when you get up and move around so does the implant.  This can take months to go away.  Remember, you are only 2 weeks post-op.  (I forget this all the time)

Q:  How long do I have to wear a bra?

A:  I would like you to wear a compression bra 24/7 for at least another 2 weeks.  It’s going to be more comfortable for you at work if you wear your compression bra.

Q:  When can I begin high impact exercising?

A:  3 weeks after your last surgery, so next Thursday.  You can go running and things like that, wear a very supportive bra.  I don’t suggest lifting heavy weights.  (I guess I wasn’t supposed to shovel the driveway.  Oops!)

Q:  When can I wear a normal bra?

A:  For you, I think it’s going to be a question of when your back scars will feel well enough to wear a normal bra.  You can wear one in 2 weeks if you want and it’s comfortable, but I think you will find that a regular bra is going to cut across your scars. (Looks like I’ll be letting them wild and free more often because I can, score point #5)

Q:  How about nipple reconstruction.  I will be having this done and I know you said at least 3 months, do I have to wait longer for settling? Will this be a problem when I have my implants exchanged out later in life (they don’t last forever)

A:  We can go ahead with nipple reconstruction in 3 or so months, we can talk more about the specifics of that at your next appointment, but no, you don’t have to wait.  It will not be a problem when we go to exchange out your implants in 10 or so years.  (Point #6)

Q:  I can flex my pecs like a dude.  Also, you can really see my breasts clench when I do something like open a bottle.  Will it always be like this?  (I showed him my technique and he thought it was hilarious.  I need to find some sort of competition)

A:  No.  A muscle must have 2 attachment points to function.  When surgeons do this surgery, they can split the nerve in your lat or keep it in one piece.  I keep it in one piece because if you split the nerve you can tend to see the implant more and see more rippling.  Over time this all dies down, and because your muscle does not have two connection points (only one in my shoulders), the muscle will atrophy and you will no longer experience this sensation.

I expressed to him my concerns about the possibility of my back hurting the first few weeks of work and he told me that will be likely until those muscles are built up. Take tylenol.  I was too chicken shit to ask him for pain medicine.  Being a nurse, this hinders me.  I don’t wanna seem like a drug seeker.  So I didn’t ask.  If it gets too bad I guess I can call and see if they can give me something.  Who knows,  maybe I won’t need it.  He signed my form for me to go back to work And that was that.

It was crazy to walk to the receptionist and tell her that I didn’t need an appointment for 6 weeks.  Good feeling, but strange.  I have come to know these people and they, whether they knew it or not, had become a big part of my support system throughout this interesting journey.  (score#7) May God bless them for all of the kindness they have shown.  Thank you Dr. Greaney, Lisa, Amy, Lydia, Richard, Anna, and Josephine.

I do know one thing, if I can show my patient’s one ounce of kindness they have showed me during this process I’m doing something right.  Maybe a plastic surgeon will want me to work with them to help with their breast surgeries from a recovery and emotional level.  A girl can hope!

thetracinator 7, everyone else 0

Get ready PACU people, you better prepare because as of Monday, giggles is back.

Physical therapy way better with silicone

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I had PT yesterday.  Thank goodness it was yesterday and not today.  We are getting POUNDED by snow and sleet.  I am also glad that my surgery was last week this time, not today. We never would have made it.  My dad came to take me because I wasn’t sure how I would feel afterwards.  PT feels so much better with nice squishy silicone than it did with hard expanders.  My appointment lasted 2.5 hrs.  I didn’t think I would ever get out of there.  Sure I was sore after, but nothing like when those expanders were in.  Instead of pain, it’s a soreness.  I will take sore over pain any day.  I got some isometric exercises that I have to do along with some stretching.  No problem.  I have one more PT appointment next Wednesday, and see Dr. Greaney next Friday then I should be cleared to go back to work on Monday the 24th.  I am looking forward to it.  I have been feeling pretty lonely lately and am excited to be around people again.  I feel as if my life is just standing still.  I’m ready for it to move.

I saw the nurse at my appointment as well, and she was able to tell me that it looked like I got 550cc moderate profile plus implants on both sides.  That surprised me a little because I had figured that my right implant would have been bigger than my left because of the need for added expansion.  They were originally thinking of using 700’s.  I can’t imagine how big that would be, because they are almost exactly the size I was before but much higher.  It can take up to six months for the implants to settle into the pocket so my breasts will change a little over the next couple of weeks.  She thought they looked great and that in a few weeks they will look even better.

The next step will be nipple reconstruction.  Dr. Greaney said he doesn’t like to do that until at least 3 months after the exchange surgery.  I’m ok with that.  No hurry here.

For anyone out there who is having tissue expanders/in the process of having therm or is considering going this route,  trust me when I say you are so much more comfortable when you get your final implants.  It’s like night and day.  Hang in there.  There is light at the end of the tunnel.