Reconstruction Surgery
Note: I’m writing this on April 3, 2022 – I had my reconstruction on March 31, 2022 – so I’m still just a few days post-reconstruction. I’ll come back and update this if any big things happen from here on out.
Everyone told me this surgery would be so easy compared to the mastectomy surgery, but for whatever reason, this one hurt me in the immediate aftermath way more. I think part of it was because I didn’t have the “nerve block” (it wasn’t an option!) that I had after the mastectomy. Nevertheless, this surgery is still no joke, as they’re opening you up, putting implants in you, seeing which looks best, then doing any other ‘editing work’ they want – including potentially taking more skin, and then sewing you back up. So it’s still a big deal. I think I downplayed how big it was going into it.
On my end, I didn’t end up needing drains – my surgeon said rarely do patients need drains after this surgery. Instead, he recommended I rest for a few days, and again don’t lift anything more than five pounds for 6 weeks. I spent the day after surgery just laying in bed, but was able to walk several blocks the following day, and even farther the next.
I’m actually writing this on my 3rd day after surgery, so I can’t yet share how many days it was until I was fully ‘back to feeling like normal’ (my guess based on my recovery thus far will be 1 week), but what I can say is: my chest doesn’t look great yet. I’m black and blue all over the chest, and the ‘foobs’ aren’t the size I was hoping for – however, I’ve heard this is the norm, and it takes a full month for everything to “settle” into place. Right now, things are swollen – including my tummy area. Why? Well, that’s where ‘fat grafting’ comes in.
Fat grafting is something no one brought up to me until a nurse mentioned it at my 2nd to last appointment, but it’s definitely important. Essentially, if the plastic surgeon feels like your implants will look like balls awkwardly sitting on your chest, they’ll want to do some ‘fat grafting’, which is where they take some fat from either your tummy, your thighs, or your back, and they inject it at the top of your breast to make your breasts look more sloped / natural. It’s kind of like liposuction, but they don’t take a lot, so you don’t actually notice a difference (for example, your jean size doesn’t change), but you do get all the black and blues / pain / swelling from the site they take fat from. Annoying, I know. (Yes, I asked if he could take more fat while he was at it, but he politely smiled and said no.)
For what it’s worth, I was told that fat grafting would be super painful, but aside from my stomach being sore and swollen for the first 2 days, I don’t feel much pain there. It’s just annoying I have to wear Spanx for several weeks to keep the swelling down, but that’s about it.
Anyway, I have to go back to the Plastic Surgeon 1 week after my surgery (in 3 days from when I write this), and then after that, I’m supposed to go back a few months later to check in. But overall, this is where my prophylactic mastectomy journey comes to an end. And I’m so grateful for that!
Update from 6 days post surgery (April 6, 2022): I’m totally fine and A-OK! Pain in the chest is 95% gone and my chest is all kinds of colors (blue, grey, purple, yellow) which is exactly what the doctor wants to see to show healing. So I couldn’t be happier — I am DONE! I have to look out for infections for another 3 weeks before I’m officially “in the clear” but let’s just hope this officially marks the end of my journey. They said to come back 3-4 months from now for a post-op, and then after that, I just come back for MRI’s every few years to make sure of no ruptures in the implants. Wahoo!!!!
