Saw my surgeon today. Everything is healing nicely. I have a lot of swelling in my left breast, which is the one they reduced and lifted, so it probably will stay swollen for about 3 months.
I don't have to go back for 3 months and they will let me know if I am ready to get my nipples tattooed on, or if I need to wait another 3 months. But he said definitely by 6 months I should be good to go.
So.... Looks like my birthday in 2013 I'll go get tattooed. Who wants to come along and get one also????
Tiffany
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Post op is 'constricting'
Ok, so surgery was good. It was over quickly and it hasn't been too painful. However......
I am supposed to wear this nice little spanx type girdle for the next 3 weeks 24/7. Now, I really have not complained much during this whole entire journey... Let me start by clarifying that.... But for those of you who have had to ever squeeze your ass into one of those, hideous uncomfortable things... You can empathize with me. It frikkin SUCKS!!! Every time I go to the bathroom I have to peel it down, then afterwards I have to squeeze, hop, jiggle and roll that thing back up all the while holding bandages over my incisions on the side of my waistline on both sides.
So.. I have one hand on each of the bandages.. One on each side.... How do I pull it back up when I'm out of hands?? I can't. Chris has to do it. Yep!! My awesome, loving, husband has to accompany me to the restroom each time so he can pull up my "sausage casing" or "underwear that go up to my bra" while I hold the bandages in place.
We've tried it the other way around but he doesn't realize how hard he is pressing to hold the bandages on and he ends up hurting me.
Why can't we tape the bandages on? Because then it pulls on my skin to remove the tape and hurts even worse. Plus the 'spandies' (spandex panties) get hung on the bandages when pulling it back up because these stupid things have a mind of their own when it comes to pulling them up. We tried that too. We tried 2 different kinds of medical tape and they both hurt and/or irritate my skin.
TMI ALERT... although I know you'll still keep reading... My doctor advised me to slit a hole in the crotch rather than pulling it down each time...
Uummm... Hello!!! I'm a girl!! I can't just whip my pee pee part through a hole... I would have to pull it to one side and every woman out there knows that it is nearly impossible for us to pee through a hole or slit.... Can you imagine the odor after just a few trips to the potty... And then it would be off even longer to be washed daily. At least pulling it up and down each time gives me a day or two in between washings...
Aside from this little situation... I can't really complain. You hear all these stories about liposuction and bruising and how it hurts and I don't really think its that bad. It's very tender in the area but its not very bruised and it only hurts if its touched or if I sit or turn wrong.
My boob that was revised doesn't hurt much at all because I don't have any feeling or sensations in that area anyways. So it's only got a little bit of tenderness where they did lipo on one side to take out some of the side fullness.
Maybe I have a high threshold for pain... Or maybe I'm just elated about how good my boobs and incisions look that I convince myself that its not that bad. Don't get me wrong... My boobs are not gorgeous or anything near what "enhanced breasts" look like.... But for 'cancer boobs' they aren't too shabby. Sure... I look like a patchwork quilt when naked, but no one but the husband and a few doctors will ever see that.
So... Not that I would ever glorify plastic surgery because I believe natural beauty is found from within... But given my circumstances, I don't regret it and I'm very glad I did it so I can feel halfway normal again.
Two more weeks in this stupid girdle thingy and I VOW to never wear one again if I can help it. In fact, I'm pretty sure I will burn it. Ok... Probably not but I will at least throw it away.
Thanks for all the prayers and good wishes!!!
Tiffany
I am supposed to wear this nice little spanx type girdle for the next 3 weeks 24/7. Now, I really have not complained much during this whole entire journey... Let me start by clarifying that.... But for those of you who have had to ever squeeze your ass into one of those, hideous uncomfortable things... You can empathize with me. It frikkin SUCKS!!! Every time I go to the bathroom I have to peel it down, then afterwards I have to squeeze, hop, jiggle and roll that thing back up all the while holding bandages over my incisions on the side of my waistline on both sides.
So.. I have one hand on each of the bandages.. One on each side.... How do I pull it back up when I'm out of hands?? I can't. Chris has to do it. Yep!! My awesome, loving, husband has to accompany me to the restroom each time so he can pull up my "sausage casing" or "underwear that go up to my bra" while I hold the bandages in place.
We've tried it the other way around but he doesn't realize how hard he is pressing to hold the bandages on and he ends up hurting me.
Why can't we tape the bandages on? Because then it pulls on my skin to remove the tape and hurts even worse. Plus the 'spandies' (spandex panties) get hung on the bandages when pulling it back up because these stupid things have a mind of their own when it comes to pulling them up. We tried that too. We tried 2 different kinds of medical tape and they both hurt and/or irritate my skin.
TMI ALERT... although I know you'll still keep reading... My doctor advised me to slit a hole in the crotch rather than pulling it down each time...
Uummm... Hello!!! I'm a girl!! I can't just whip my pee pee part through a hole... I would have to pull it to one side and every woman out there knows that it is nearly impossible for us to pee through a hole or slit.... Can you imagine the odor after just a few trips to the potty... And then it would be off even longer to be washed daily. At least pulling it up and down each time gives me a day or two in between washings...
Aside from this little situation... I can't really complain. You hear all these stories about liposuction and bruising and how it hurts and I don't really think its that bad. It's very tender in the area but its not very bruised and it only hurts if its touched or if I sit or turn wrong.
My boob that was revised doesn't hurt much at all because I don't have any feeling or sensations in that area anyways. So it's only got a little bit of tenderness where they did lipo on one side to take out some of the side fullness.
Maybe I have a high threshold for pain... Or maybe I'm just elated about how good my boobs and incisions look that I convince myself that its not that bad. Don't get me wrong... My boobs are not gorgeous or anything near what "enhanced breasts" look like.... But for 'cancer boobs' they aren't too shabby. Sure... I look like a patchwork quilt when naked, but no one but the husband and a few doctors will ever see that.
So... Not that I would ever glorify plastic surgery because I believe natural beauty is found from within... But given my circumstances, I don't regret it and I'm very glad I did it so I can feel halfway normal again.
Two more weeks in this stupid girdle thingy and I VOW to never wear one again if I can help it. In fact, I'm pretty sure I will burn it. Ok... Probably not but I will at least throw it away.
Thanks for all the prayers and good wishes!!!
Tiffany
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Reconstruct the reconstruction
Tomorrow is my next surgery. I don't know if I posted it on here or not. I may have forgotten in all my hustle and bustle of back to school.
They are going to do a little liposuction on the puckered ends of my abdomen scar. Basically, if you take a square piece of fabric and cut an almond shape out of the middle, and then sew it into a straight line, it will pucker up at the ends. Well, that's what my waistline did. It almost always happens in this type of reconstruction.
The next part is a small reduction/lift on the left side. Because it used more of my natural breast skin, it still droops a little bit and its a tad bit bigger. I say tad bit... But its pretty noticeable in a lot of shirts. This is the side that had the nasty skin necrosis so it will remove the scar left from that also. The final part is to inject some fat into the right breast... You remember the buttcrack part I mentioned before and posted a picture of... It should be gone tomorrow.
Dr Skoracki feels like this should be my last surgery. I'm really hoping so for 2 reasons.
1. So I can finally close the door for now on this crazy chapter in my book called life.
2. Because you have to allow 6 months between surgeries means another surgery would fall into 2013 which means another $6000 copay. This one is covered 100% because I met my deductible with my April reconstruction. So I pray its my last one.
So, I have to call tonight to get my surgery time. All I know right now is they have me booked for 2.5 hours and its outpatient.
Chris will update my twitter, which shows on my sidebar to the left.. and he will also update my Facebook for my friends and family on that list.
Love to all,
Tiffany
They are going to do a little liposuction on the puckered ends of my abdomen scar. Basically, if you take a square piece of fabric and cut an almond shape out of the middle, and then sew it into a straight line, it will pucker up at the ends. Well, that's what my waistline did. It almost always happens in this type of reconstruction.
The next part is a small reduction/lift on the left side. Because it used more of my natural breast skin, it still droops a little bit and its a tad bit bigger. I say tad bit... But its pretty noticeable in a lot of shirts. This is the side that had the nasty skin necrosis so it will remove the scar left from that also. The final part is to inject some fat into the right breast... You remember the buttcrack part I mentioned before and posted a picture of... It should be gone tomorrow.
Dr Skoracki feels like this should be my last surgery. I'm really hoping so for 2 reasons.
1. So I can finally close the door for now on this crazy chapter in my book called life.
2. Because you have to allow 6 months between surgeries means another surgery would fall into 2013 which means another $6000 copay. This one is covered 100% because I met my deductible with my April reconstruction. So I pray its my last one.
So, I have to call tonight to get my surgery time. All I know right now is they have me booked for 2.5 hours and its outpatient.
Chris will update my twitter, which shows on my sidebar to the left.. and he will also update my Facebook for my friends and family on that list.
Love to all,
Tiffany
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