Wednesday, March 16 – Day 36 Post-Op
Welp. I planned to stop making daily updates about my recovery after week 5 since I was feeling better, for the most part, but I guess I’ll stop once I completely get over this…allergic reaction.
Had our women’s program all morning till lunchtime. One of our participants/instructors taught the ladies how to make giant paper flowers! They looked so awesome! I’m going to make some for the girls’ room 😀 .
I went to eat lunch with EZ and Michelle afterwards. My love is out of town working so I didn’t get to see him for lunch, of course. Got back to the office and hauled butt trying to whittle my to-do list down. I had to leave by 3:45pm to get to my follow-up PS appointment.
Got there and disrobed.
My doc came in and sat on his rolling stool and checked my bewbs. He said, “That reaction just won’t go away, will it?” I said, “Well, it had mostly gone away, then Sunday morning I woke up with these 2 new patches of irritation. I was wearing a cotton bra Saturday into Sunday, so maybe that did it?” He said, “Yes, it could be…so this is new?”
He shone a spot light on me and starts scraping/pinching at my skin. He literally scratched at the little clear suture-knot right on the edge of my nip, but he didn’t remove it. Then he proceeded to squeeze each boob and focused on the vertical incision. He asked, “What are you putting on it?” I said, “I hadn’t been putting anything since the rash was getting better. But the last two nights I was so desperate and itchy I had to put hydrocortisone again.” He said, “I don’t want you to put anything on it. Unless you really, really can’t stand the itch, then that’s okay, put some, but try not to. I’m going to prescribe an antibiotic again, just to be on the safe side. I also want you to stop wearing your sports bras. I don’t want anything rubbing or irritating.” I said, “Ok. But–I work! What do I do??” He looks thoughtful and says, “Well, yeah, only during work. I’ll see you in 1 week.” I said, “Oh, one more thing…when can I work out??” He smirks and pats my shoulder, “How about we wait a week or 2?” Ugh.
So I got home and saw the kiddos off. We made some Jiffy Pop popcorn and talked about their day and the boys joked around like always.
It’s the other parents’ turn with the kids starting today for the rest of Spring Break. The house is so quiet, I miss them already 🙁 .
I picked up my Rx, stopped at the bank and deposited some money I’d been holding onto and then came home and changed into a comfy Tee. Made myself some dinner (stuffed crabs and edamame) while I watched a movie and now I think I’m ready for bed. I hope I can sleep tonight! The last time Jorge was out of town, a couple of weeks ago, it was easy to sleep through the night because I had the assistance of Benadryl. Now I don’t!
I think Brudder’s home. I need him to get some stuff out of the washer for me 😆 .
Thursday, March 17 – Day 37, Post-Op
I called it. Had the worst night of sleep, ever. WORST.
I don’t know what the deal was, whether I ate bad crab, a sinus infection, something having to do with my boobs, but I was up from 1:30am-3:30am with terrible chills, violent ones, like I got the 2nd and 3rd week of recovery. Nothing I did made me feel better. I didn’t even have wet hair or the ceiling fan on and I just felt awful. Then my calves would spasm. I got up to pee and freaked out at my reflection when I passed the mirror! I had the most insane, bloodshot eyes I’ve ever seen! My face was all blotchy and red, too.
I got up to go to work anyway, even though now added to my despair was aching bones and I felt feverish, and a POUNDING headache.
My boss took one look at me and said, “Go to the doctor,” as did Michelle and Jorge and Ivan. I answered a few emails and then left work for the doc’s office. I get there, and both docs are out today and tomorrow! So Laura calls Dr. Avila’s office and they told me to go in at 2pm. I hope they have good news!
11:59
So I have a sinus infection, which I was mostly right about. My doc saw me and told me to stay on the antibiotic and to take Sudafed. He also checked my rash/incisions again and he said, “Wow, you see, you look so much better since yesterday. Did you wear a bra?” I said, “For about 3-4 hours while I was at work.” I can see an improvement, too. He then commenced squeezing, pushing on and scratching away at my boobs. It hurt. He warned me he was going to squeeze hard at the “T” intersection so to brace myself. I asked why and he said because he’s going to check if any fluid seeps out. But he squeezed and nothing came out so that’s good. I’m to go back Monday instead of Wednesday to determine whether everything is ok or if I need to be drained for some reason 😕 .
Spent all day either sleeping or on the couch watching Flip or Flop. I was lonely since the kids aren’t here and my love is still working out of town 🙁 . I had the worst headache still, and nausea and my eyes were still bloodshot. John got home around 9pm and was going to bring me something to eat but I told him not to; just reading the food options he texted me made me feel nauseated. So he brought me ginger ale and made me drink it. After passing out for 20 minutes I felt better from the nausea. Still have the headache and stuffed nose but at least my eyes aren’t bloodshot! Let’s see if I can sleep tonight.
Friday. March 18 – Day 38 Post-Op
Spoke too soon last night; woke up at 3:30am and my eyes were once again bloodshot. I couldn’t sleep due to the throbbing behind my eyes, so I Googled home remedies. A humidifier would have been ideal but i couldnt find it, grr. So I did the alternative: microwaved a fully-dampened wash cloth for 20 seconds and placed it over my face, only slightly covering my nose. I felt SO much better after that and finally fell asleep around 4am. I went in to work an hour late since I was so exhausted. And my eyes were bloodshot again and I still had a headache.
11:15pm
So my boobs were ok today. I only felt small twinges of pain on my right boob late in the day, which is the one the doctor squeezed hard yesterday 😕 . I think that small, clear knot of suture came off, too! Only a tiny piece of plastic is poking through (and snags on my shirt sometimes).
I was more concerned today with my sinus infection, bloodshot eyes, and the HIVES that I managed to pick up for some reason. I have never gotten hives in my LIFE. I’m itchy all over and was splotchy and red. My scalp all the way down to my legs itch.
I shall spend the weekend trying to get over whatever I have now. Who knows what these hives are from. The crabs I ate 2 days ago? The ginger ale John brought me last night for the nausea? My medications? Ugh. Who knows.
Saturday, March 19 – Day 39 Post-Op
I woke up feeling so much better! My head only slightly hurts, my eyes aren’t bloodshot and I think my appetite is back.
I did, however, lay in bed last night before I passed out and felt twinges on each breast. I started feeling each breast and noticed my right is “softer” than my left. I actually felt a hard spot near my nip on the left towards the top. Kind of alarmed me and I’m wondering if that’s what the doc is talking about draining? That is, after all, the nip that had been draining on it’s own where the doc assumed I had a seroma that let itself out. I’m kind of nervous, to be honest 🙁 .
The “new” rash itself looks like it’s drying up; there are even some scabby spots, which freaks me out a little, but at least it looks like it’s going away and not oozing like it had been *aherk*. I’ve been listening to my doc’s advice and going bra-less so it’s easy for me to pop open my shirt and look at my bewbs and obsess about my scars, and scabs and everything. Ahhh!
Sunday, March 20 – 40 Days Post-Op
Slept a pretty good amount overnight and I seem to be mostly over my sinus infection. My legs, however, still feel like I had an insane workout, but I think that’s due to how badly my muscles were spasming and contracting on Wednesday night. And as for my boobahs, my right one is still slightly getting twinges of pain since my doc squeezed the incision at my appointment on Thursday.
My poor boobs have mostly gotten a bad rap since the beginning due to the unforseen allergic reaction to the steri-strips. I haven’t been able to fully enjoy them because of the initial pain, the crazy, swollen, bruised way they looked when they were let free from the surgery bandages, and from the painful redness the allergic reaction gave me. Then the small seroma that caused my 2nd round of antibiotics. Then the 3rd round of antibiotics due to the 3rd bout of rashy irritation 😥 .
I don’t think I’ve come out and said that I’m happy about doing the procedure, but I truly am. A few delightful things I’ve noticed so far:
I can walk around braless with only a t-shirt and not feel gross or embarrassed. I could NEVER do that before with DD’s (and after 4 kids and breast-feeding!). I only ever took my bra off when I knew it was time to sleep, and even then, that’s only been in the last 5 years. Previously, I slept with either an underwire bra or sports bra!
Also, I can sit any way I want and not feel that ickyness of the bottom of my big boobies touching the top of my stomach. Hated that!
I shaved my legs for the first time since the surgery yesterday since I could finally hike my leg up and it doesn’t hurt my incisions to stretch my arm. (Don’t hate; I’ve worn lots of sweatpants at home and I have a lovely, patient husband 😆 .) I didn’t have to fight with my knockers to shave my legs nor did they drag over my thigh when I was trying to reach the back of my legs and get them covered in shaving cream. It was double work!
I can finally, after many, many years, wash my face with both hands at the same time! They were too big to be able to do that before, not kidding! I used to have to use one hand to wash my face and the other to keep my boobs from getting wet 🙄 .
Those are the small changes I’ve noticed so far! They may not seem like a big deal, but they were things that would really bother me before the surgery. I spend a lot of time staring at my boobies now 😆 .
Tuesday, March 22 – 42 Days Post-Op
Didn’t have a chance to update yesterday as I had 2 appointments, worked all day and then got home to make dinner (spaghetti squash), which took forever.
I got a mouthful of bleach at my first appointment at my dentist’s office 😡 ! I don’t know HOW they managed to fuck up like that, but they did. And I got a referral to go to an oral surgeon to remove my bottom Wisdom teeth. It had been a while since they’d mentioned doing that; like 2 years? More maybe.
My appointment with my plastic surgeon was at 1pm. They took me in really quickly, thank goodness. My doc looked me over and was pleased with the progress. Told me to continue on my antibiotic till I finish them and not put anything on my boobs; no ointments, creams, etc. I didn’t have to be drained from anywhere, so that’s good news! He said the “T” intersection scabs will heal and he’d see me in 3 weeks. Woo!
All day yesterday and today have been pretty pain-free. Even driving is better; hitting potholes or dips doesn’t hurt anymore but the seatbelt still bothers me so I drive with my pillow. Walked around in an old tank top today and was astonished at the difference. I couldn’t wear this tank out with my big boobs because people would STARE. Now, I look tiny!
Ok, need to sleep. G’night!
