I had my breast reconstruction surgery and did pretty well. I was much more concerned about this surgery than the mastectomy, because I kept thinking about the “what if’s”.
On the day of the surgery, there were some delays with another patient that caused my surgery to be delayed until 2 p.m. and the waiting made me nervous. The actual surgery took about 21/2 to 3 hours and was followed by a stay in recovery room. I left the hospital at about 7 p.m. Yes, breast reconstruction is an outpatient procedure; in and out all in one day!
The first night, the pain medication from the surgery was still working, so I was OK, except for the bandages feeling really tight and a very uncomfortable feeling in my abdominal area. The next day is when the pain really got bad. The meds I was prescribed were not helping and my neck was killing me; my eyes were shaky; and my entire abdomen felt like it had been used as a punching bag. I saw a scab in my belly button and bruises beginning to form where they had suctioned out fat to use as filler. I knew they were going to take some fat, but I never imagined a liposuction-type procedure or this type of pain. Except for the bandages being uncomfortable, my chest area was actually the least painful part.
The following day, I decided that I needed a hot bath to ease the abdominal pain and, in fact, that did the trick. Unfortunately, my bandages got wetter than I intended. A day later, I was peeling off most of the bandages, but called my surgeon’s nurse first to let her know what was going on. I only left on the ones over the newly reconstructed nipples because I was afraid to see what was under there. I developed a yellow/green leakage from the left nipple for a few days, but that stopped before I saw the nurse the following week. Thank goodness, because it was gross!!!
It’s now two weeks since the surgery and I feel very well, but can no longer sleep on my sides. Just when I was getting used to those pesky tissue expanders, I’m back to square one. I’ll tell you about my reaction to seeing my new nipples in the next blog.
I really thank God for making me strong because I have had two operations in a short period of time and have recovered from both very quickly. I know women who have done their breasts for cosmetic reasons that have been laid up longer than I was. So thank you Lord and thank you friends and family for the prayers that once again helped me through.