70 days later.. (Pics)

 

It has been quite a while since my last post.  I think it has taken me so long because the Dr. appointments have ceased and it feels like life is getting back to normal.  I feel normal, or what I remember as normal.  I can do almost everything that I could before, I have even started playing softball again!!!!! (Still need to get used to these big boobs though!) 

There are a few things that I found as troubling, though, and that is finding bras!!!  Thus far I have only worn sports bras, as instructed from my Dr.  She said I needed to wear one for 6 weeks and have padding in them.  I am a 40DD and it was so difficult to find something that felt good.  My Dr. suggested it not be too tight.  From my understanding, sports bras are supposed to be a little tight to keep the girls in but I searched for even bigger bras!  After many department stores and seeing the cost, I flipped out.. I am NOT spending $50 on a sports bra because I need a large one!  I honestly found front zip up sports bras, with padding (also suggested by the Dr.) at Walmart.  Score!!!  Even trying on the expensive ones, they felt so uncomfortable.  I am not a petite person, I am big boned with broad shoulders and I was coming up short.

I think I could start wearing actual bras but it makes me nervous.  It sounds funny but its true.  I wanted to find a sexy bra so I went into Victoria's Secret and was so overwhelmed with it I just went to their lotion section instead. lol 

I have also started working out.  The restriction that my Dr. gave me is do not work out my pectoral muscles ...  no prob, didn't plan on it anyway.  You would be surprised, though, of how many exercises requires your chest muscles to constrict.  Especially ab exercises.  So I have been trying different types of exercises to find which one is going to work for me without working out my chest.  This too makes me nervous.  I am not sure if I am experiencing pain or if it is a weird feeling when those muscles tense but I try not to do it. 

My foobies feel real ... well, they feel like real fake ones.  Someone told me that they wouldn't feel the same because I didn't have any breast tissue, but I've done side by side comparisons and mine feel pretty normal!  AND they're not hard as rocks anymore!!!!!

I feel great!  I am surprised how quick this recovery is from the first surgery.  At this point, I have to get used to everything again.  I was so used to not doing certain things but now it is different.  I am still taking it easy, I am know the pain that I can experience if I don't and I do not want to feel that again!

My next step are my nipples!!!!  Sadly, I have to wait for those.  My skin in so thin, my Dr. doesn't think it is a good idea to get my nipple tattoos for 1 year from the last surgery.  It would be nice to be 100% complete, but I am still on cloud 9 that the surgeries are over and I feel quite normal!!! 

Time for pictures:

 

 

Healing (Pics)

It has been 2 weeks since my surgery.  The staples are still in; the top ones look a little bit red still but I think that is normal.  I am still having pain especially when my son forgets I am healing and jumps on or head butts me.  I don't know if I mentioned this previously but my foobies are a few degrees cooler than the rest of my body.  Left side cooler than the right; so weird! lol 

Even though I have pain, I think that I would have more pain if I wasn't numb where the staples are.  When I reach, even a little, I feel the pulling.  I don't push it because I don't want to tear something because I have a high threshold for pain and don't realize it.  Still no driving, tried but it hurts right away. 

I have been wearing sports bras with the front clasps I can wear a 40D but a 40DD is a bit more comfortable.  I went bra shopping yesterday and it was difficult!  I didn't try anything on, but finding something that I am looking for was hard; finding a front closure sports bra and because of the size.  (1st world problems, huh) 

Now some pics:

You can still see bruising.

 

 

  See the top two staples, a little red.  :(

Looks like the top and bottom ones are red here too. 

 

With this picture, I just noticed how bad the swelling still is.  My left side (right side on picture) is pretty bad .. compared to the other one. 

 

Finally - they're mine! (Pics)

I just had my post op yesterday and the Dr. was very happy with her work!  I am happy with her work too.  I definitely had a blonde moment .. well two. lol First my appointment was Thursday instead of Friday, like I thought.  Second being where my stitches/staples were.  I had sterry strips on the sides and under my foobs so I figured that is where the stitches/staples were.  When I first saw my chest I though, wow, that was a big incision but I didn't second guess my Dr. and went with it.  She took the sterry strips off (ouch) and said that the strips were underneath for support.  lmao I felt so dumb but glad it was a small incision.  My Dr. said she wouldn't have made me look like Frankenstein.  (I thought more than I already look.)  I will show you the pics before my appointment and then after I cleaned up my wounds and finally took a nice warm shower!

I can't get over how different it feels from the expanders to the implants.  These awkwardly, hard shaped things in my chest versus soft, round silicon implants.  They move now!  I can cross my arms across my chest!  It hurt when I did it, but it won't hurt forever!!  I want to touch them but that hurts too so I only touch softly sometimes. lol  I put a sports bra on too!!  The Dr. said that I always need to wear a sports bra for 4-6 weeks.  I must say, I don't miss wearing one but at some level its comfortable too.  For those who are curious - I am wearing a 40DD.  I don't know if I am really that big since I am swollen but I am definitely a D!!  I will try on actual bras when my staples are out and I am fully healed! 

I still have no regrets.


Before the appointment, I took a lot of pictures lol

 

I JUST realized that the makes underneath the strips are marker!  I thought they were stitches. haha I feel so stupid but its really funny too!  Also on both sides there are little bumps where my first incision is.  Those will go away.  Part of the yellow you see is bruising and part is iodine that wasn't washed off, yet. 

 

 One thing I hate about surgery is tape and the tape adhesive.  Sometimes taking that stuff off hurts worse!  And its ugly!  The yellow on my fooby is a bruise; that wouldn't wash off.

More bruising... I had a little more bruises a few days after surgery, but these are taken 1 week after.  So a lot of purple, yellow, and pink/red going on.

My view .. looks like I decided to take these pictures in the midst of my daughters mess. haha.  You can see more bruising on the left side.  The Dr. said that was side needed the most attention putting back together.

After!!!!  You see bruising, of coarse.  My left side (your right) looks larger which the Dr. attributed to the fact that it needed the extra attention.  The red underneath is what happens to my skin when tape is removed, takes a small layer of skin off. :(

 6 staples on the right

 

4 staples on the left.

 

And on a non-related note ... I graduated UNLV on Tuesday, 12/17!!!!  It was a long tiring day since it was only 4 days post surgery but I did it!!!!!  :)

Inflation pics - 650!

It is so bizarre to see these pictures after my inflation because they do not look like this to me in the mirror.  I guess I have a distorted view when I have the full picture.  I downloaded them to my computer and I said to myself, 'woah, they DO look like tiny bowling balls!' (My daughter said that earlier today) lol 

After much thought, I have decided to wait until December for my exchange surgery; hoping Dec. 20th.  (I feel that I have already blogged about this .. oh well, here it is again.)  I will be ready for my exchange surgery Oct/Nov but because of my school schedule and the fact that I have to attend class rather than online, I should wait.  Fall semester is my last semester before I graduate and I don't want to juggle surgery, healing, and classwork .. again!  My graduation is set for Dec 17th, I believe, then a few days later, going under the knife!  I decided to do this before the beginning of the year for insurance purposes.  All of my deductibles will have to be met again.  I will end up paying them, eventually, but I don't want to deal with that before surgery and have to come up with a chunk of change right after Christmas.  Yes, this means on Christmas I won't be out throwing snowballs around .. haha .. like there is snow in Las Vegas, ever!  Either way, I think it is the best time to do it and my Dr. should still be available at that time too.  Fingers crossed! 

One last thing, I cleaned out my underwear drawer of all my bras.  I can't believe I had so many!  I think because I would buy some without getting rid of any, I'm sure I am not the only one that happens to.  I haven't officially gotten rid of them, but they're out of my drawer!  I think its part of mourning my old breasts??

And now on to the pictures..



 

I LOVE this quote.  When deciding to have my PBM I just kept telling myself, I have to get this done because I don't want cancer in my life story!  And I just found this; thought it was perfect for this posts cover photo!

 



^^ (Sigh) One is still different than the other.  I know the Dr. said it was normal but I'm just ready for symmetry!  This appointment, the Dr. also said that mine look really good considering the expander's aren't meant to look good, just serve the purpose of expanding the skin and muscle.  I should be thankful for that...

 

 

Right ^^

 

 

Left

 

 

 My view .. and not a bad view either!  lol

 

I don't have another inflation until 8/15, my Dr. wants to give my skin some healing time before another inflation.  The inflation process is starting to slow down and I am nearing the results I want to end up with!  Exciting!!!