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!!!!!  :)

Waiting for my IV drip to stop

Its late here and I am very tired but I have to sit here and give myself these antibiotics.  I have only been doing this for a week and I am frustrated with it.  I had my infectious disease appointment today, my culture and CT scan came back normal (YAY), my white blood cells are good, there are a few others that are normal but my blood work shows there is still infection.  My Vancomycin levels were low so the Dr. increased my daily intake.  I will give myself 3 IVs of that and 2 of my other meds.  That is 4 hours being strapped to a tubes!  There is no way I can return to work with having to take this med in the middle of the day.  I guess that is the bittersweet part of the deal lol . 

I also had my physical therapy appointment today, it went really well!  I feel stronger and able to move more.  I think part of my lack of movement is fear; fear that it will hurt or tear something.  I can definitely feel the expander under my skin when my muscles flex, its more awkward that painful.  I just need to get in my head that this is the new, temporary, normal.  I even walked over a mile today!  I can walk more than a mile but with the lack of energy I have because of the meds, I am just too tired to really push it.. but not today! 

Yes, I have an infection, but I have the means to get the medicine.  The medicine is time consuming, but it isn't chemo therapy.  Yes, I have the BRCA 1 mutation, but I have the support and opportunity to fight for my life before any cancer could grow.  I do not have breasts, but I think my little foobies are too cute!  I have humor in my life and I do not have cancer in my life... I do not and will not get breast cancer.