So Happy With My Surgery...

A week ago at this time I was in Recovery coming out of the anesthesia after my breast reduction surgery.  I was filled with anxiety about this surgery because I had unexpected complications after my gastric bypass, but everything has gone perfectly so far and I am filled with gratitude for the simplicity this time around.  

One big difference between this surgery and my last is the incisions.  With the bypass I had six small (approx. 1 inch wide) incisions through which surgery had been done laparoscopically and each site was stapled with one staple.  The breast reduction, though, has some serious incisions that are closed with many sutures, and because I also had a lift (basically putting my girls back where they originally started out), the hardest part for me to grasp was the repositioning of a certain anatomical part.  I won't go into the details, but if you're interested about what the surgery consists of, you can read more here.  

Because of the extent of trauma on the body, it takes several months to completely heal.  Most patients notice a difference immediately, and I definitely did.  When I sat up for the first time I already noticed I felt lighter, that my posture was better and my neck didn't feel like it had an anchor tied to it.  And my belly stuck out further than my chest for the first time in a long time.  When I jokingly mentioned that to the surgeon he said, "We'll save that for another time!"  No, thanks, doc!  But anyways, it was exciting to notice improvement so quickly.  


I went in for my first follow up on Tuesday this week.  This was to get the drains out and see how everything was healing.  I asked the doc what amount had been removed.  His answer shocked me - just over a kilo (2.2 pounds) on each side.  So I lost almost 5 pounds of breast tissue and fat in just under 3 hours.  No wonder I felt relief so soon!  That is the equivalent of carrying a sack of sugar on my chest!


Today I went through my closet and tried on a few sweaters and shirts to see how differently clothing fits now.  Sweaters fit much better, and all the cute jackets I have that I could never come close to buttoning fit great.  It's so exciting to have a better fitting wardrobe.


Tomorrow I get the stitches out, which I am looking forward to.  They are made of something that looks like fishing line, and sometimes it sticks through my bra and shirt like a spike.  I am doing great without pain meds except I did take some at bedtime last night.  Laying flat makes them swell a bit, so sometimes sleep is a little painful, but the added meds helped a bunch, and I'm able to sleep on my right side which is the only way I ever sleep.  


I have to remember to be careful even though I feel pretty good.  There are some very strange sensations that occur.  Nerve endings are recovering, rewiring and renetworking, so there's buzzing sensations and tiny jolts of pain here and there.  But I'm so willing to pay that price for all the benefits of this surgery.  I would do it again in a heart beat, and I'm not even close to healed yet!