I had my 2-week post-operation appointment with Dr. Paige this afternoon. He was very pleased with how well I’ve healed and how symmetrical my new breasts are. He explained to me that the one area of “thin” skin at the bottom of my left breast appears to be holding up well, so he anticipates no further complications. That area is slightly discolored (there us a small patch of blood vessels visible close to the surface of the skin), and Dr. Paige explained that this discoloration may not fade entirely. But I don’t care. My body is well on its way to looking “normal” and I am very pleased.
Again I am reminded of how quickly the body heals. After meeting with Dr. Paige, Nurse Dawn took the stitches out, revealing an amazing rate of healing at my incision sites. “You are going to look just amazing!” Dawn exclaimed after taking out the last stitch. Before leaving the clinic, I took a moment to examine my breasts in the mirror, with the stitches and some of the dermabond and scabbing now removed. It was awesome to see breasts that look real – not balloons under my skin, but real breasts that hang. Dawn earlier shared with me that women undergoing a reconstruction really start to feel close to 100% once nipple reconstruction begins. It’s at that point, Dawn explained, that these mounds of “flesh” really start to take on the life of real breasts.
Dr. Paige told me that he wants to see me back in four months to schedule nipple reconstruction, which will be done under local anesthetic. As I think I explained earlier, Dr. Paige will pull up a small circle of skin to form a nub, which then scars over and becomes the nipple. He warned me that with reconstructed breasts like mine there isn’t a lot of skin to work with, so the reconstructed nipples may not be as projected as fully erect nipples would otherwise be. Although having fully erect nipples all the time may have its perks (yes, shameless pun intended), I’m pleased with the thought of being a bit more discreet. Since my breasts are so naturally (or unnaturally, depending on how you look at it) supported, I would like to be able to wear form-fitting tops without a bra. To say the least, having large pencil eraser nipples all the time would complicate my fashion choices.
Areola tattooing will follow after nipple reconstruction is complete and I have healed from that procedure. At the end of the day, my reconstruction will have taken a little less than a year. When I first met with Dr. Paige and he told me that the reconstruction process takes about a year, I didn’t think he was entirely serious. I mean, it took less than a year for me to go through fertility preservation treatments, go through chemo, and have my mastectomies. The thought of my reconstruction taking longer than that hell of a process was beyond my comprehension. And although I recognize there are tons of different ways of doing these procedures, some of which are faster, I am really appreciating the level of thought and care that Dr. Paige has about this process. There are reasons why he does things the way he does, and I trust in the decisions he has made and continues to make about my reconstruction. For example, today he reminded me that he would like me to continue to refrain from all heavy lifting and strenuous activity for at least another two weeks. Although other doctors may have given me clearance to return to normal activity today, Dr. Paige explained to me that strenuous activity (like cardio) increases blood flow, which increases swelling, and keeping swelling to a minimum facilitates the best cosmetic result. So I intend to take it easy, hang with my new boobs for another two weeks (ha ha another pun!), and enjoy the healing process. When I return to my exercise regimen, it will feel good to know that I am fully healed. It will also feel weird to wear a sports bra while running for the first time in over a year-and-a-half! I’m feeling like I’ve made good progress on this path and that the light at the end of the tunnel is a bit brighter.
Given how literal I have been in this post with my punny attempts at humor, I leave you with this for today’s soundtrack: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHLC-EimdAc.
