Mark it on the calendar! I had a normal post-op appointment! Yea!!! Everything looks great and I am fully released to go back to work. It's amazing how quickly the incisions are healing and how the scar is already showing signs of fading on the left side. The right was more puckered but it's getting much better. No need to see my plastic surgeon for three months. Then we can talk about possible nipple reconstruction and tattooing. At this point in time I have no interest in any of that.
My doctor explained that he won't even consider reconstructing the nipple for at least three months. That allows the incisions time to heal and for any shifting that may occur. Should the nipple be reconstructed now the tissue may pull tighter as it heals or may loosen in some areas. He is a perfectionist and said that may then cause a nipple placed too early to be off center or to be too high or too low. That all made perfect sense.
I have had many questions about the tissue expanders. It's difficult to picture what it is without actually seeing one. Above is an expander. It is very thick, almost like a vinyl consistency. The gray area is the access port. This is where the physician injects saline for a fill. He uses a small magnetic object which he moves over the chest that locates the port. Then he presses on the skin just to make a small indentation. Next he swabs the skin with alcohol and injects the determined amount of saline. The port is self sealing and I had no bleeding whatsoever from my fills.
This is a picture of an expander that has been inflated. You can see they are flat on the back side where they sit next to the chest wall. It's hard to imagine that they look fairly natural because this looks rather oddly shaped. They actually did look relatively normal but they sure didn't feel it. They were hard as rocks! OK, not quite that hard but it seemed like it.
This is a photo of the actual silicone implant that I have. It is very soft and pliable. When the integrity of it's surface is broken it is like a gummy bear and the silicone doesn't actually ooze out like in the implants of years ago. The saline implants looked just like this but are much more giggly for lack of a better word. Mine are very natural feeling and very soft once implanted. I don't even know they aren't mine unless I touch them.
I have a card that I will carry that says I have an implantable device. Every three years I will need a breast MRI to check the condition of the implants as suggested by the FDA.
Since I'm already healed so well I went ahead and shopped for bras. Most of the time I haven't even worn one-there just isn't a need. When I have it's been sports bras. I was professionally measured as I had no idea what size I would need now. Because the implants are a much different shape than my own breasts were I figured it would make a difference. Sure enough, a whole cup size larger. I was a B cup for years. As I got older, gained some weight, and of course started to experience gravity, I was a C most of the time. Today I measured a D. I tried on some Cs in various brands just because different bras fit differently. It was clear I am no longer a C! I'm thinking I will probably wear a bra most of the time until it gets hot. Then I plan on taking full advantage of the fact I don't HAVE to wear one!
I will go back to work tomorrow night. It just happens that they only have a half shift available and in the Alzheimers building so that will be perfect-a short shift and no lifting. I'm looking forward to getting back to my normal routine! Now my entire goal is to go a VERY VERY LONG time with absolutely NO surgeries!
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