PREVIVOR: A person who is not diagnosed with cancer, but has survived the predisposition, or higher risk, of cancer due to a genetic mutation and/or strong family history. After being armed with this information, a previvor can make informed choices prior to a cancer diagnosis.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

All Done?

Well it's official. I am done with expanders and on Tuesday I got my nice squishy implants! I would have posted before now, but my arms were so dang sore from the lipo! (Yes my PS graciously did lipo to get rid of the fat pockets that had accumulated under each arm since my PBM). The exchange surgery was definetely easier than any other surgery I'd had related to my foobs.

Mike and I were supposed to get to the outpatient surgery center at 7:30 am..I say supposed to because we didn't arrive until 7:50. Still we didn't wait very long until we were ushered back to the pre-op room. They started the IV and gave Mike some directions. Surgery was supposed to start at 9:00 am and at a little after 9:00, Dr Cooper and the pre-op nurse and anthesia team came back to talk. The nurse anthetist (???) gave me a shot of "happy juice" as we were going back to the OR. Of course, this whole time the pre op nurse is asking questions about me being in nursing school, and I really can't tell you the answers I gave her! Soon after we got in the OR, they do that sneaky move where the nurse gets you to breathe oxygen  and the anthesiologist sneaks behind and shoots the meds into your IV and it's lights out.

When I gradually came to in the recovery room, my underarms HURT. And so did my throat. 2 days later and I still have a scratchy throat..I hope it goes away soon. I was so tired in the recovery room. I kept drifting off to sleep and barely remember Mike coming back to get me. I was even too tired to get embarrassed over the experience of being dressed by the recovery room nurse.

**Sidenote- I did notice later the nurse put my underwear on backwards. LOL**

I think I may have fallen asleep in the car. At least I don't remember half of it! Mike dropped me off in the recliner with jello and some bottled water while he went to Kroger to get my prescriptions and me some soup. I ate three bites and had to take a nap. I swear, the older I get, the more anethesia wears me out!

All in all, the pain wasn't bad. I felt some pain in the incisions but I was the most sore in my underarm area. I didn't even think of trying to touch my new foobs until later that day. When I finally did, they were so squishy! And I know they'll soften even more over the next few months. And they MOVE too. They're not completely immobile like expanders. If I turn, they turn with me. They'll squeeze together and aren't under my armpits. All in all they are a million times better than the dumb expanders!

Now, it finally comes time to decide- nipples or no nipples? And if I decide on nipples, do I get them done now or wait? Am I really ALL DONE??

Only time will tell :)

PS As far as the issue in my last post, still working on it. I'll post the outcome when I get it resolved!

4 comments:

  1. Yay! I so happy for you!! I'm glad to hear it went well. Gives me hope!

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  2. Congrats on being done with the surgery! I'm glad your happy with the results, and I hope you were able to straighten out the insurance company.

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  3. I had fat pockets too. It makes bra shopping quite difficult! I am glad you like your results :)

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  4. So happy for you to finally get this part done! It is so fun reading your comments about pre and post op experiences....it is so weird and only someone who has been thru it understands. I always wonder if i say crazy things before lights out too!
    Best wishes for you!
    Your FORCE friend, Wendy

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