Getting Rid of Back Pain - now post-op! - Anchorage, AK

A year has gone by, and I'm still so happy I got this surgery done. All of my back pain is gone - I haven't seen a chiropractor since the procedure, and pain meds and muscle relaxers are a thing of the past.

The scarring is still pretty apparent, especially on my left breast where the incision split open and healing was delayed. But I don't really care. They look amazing in clothes - I can finally display cleavage and feel happy and sexy, instead of feeling ridiculous. I usually wear a 36D - common store brands fit fine. A normal sports bra is plenty of support for exercise. And the scars will fade in time, I'm sure - it might be a couple more years before they get really unnoticeable, but I'm not in a hurry. The benefits by far outweigh the costs.

So I thought I'd write a one month update and post some photos. I've had some wound healing issues - separation in both t-junctions. The one side isn't too bad, but the other side ended up opening all the way up to my areole, so the whole vertical incision on that side is gaping a bit. My surgeon says she doesn't usually see one that bad unless the patient is a smoker (I'm not), but it may have something to do with me being hypothyroid - that slows all the metabolic processes in the body, including wound healing. Or it may just be one of those freak occurrences. Whatever.

Nothing is infected, and while it does look a bit gross, it is definitely healing. My surgeon says that usually this sort of thing heals very well with minimal scarring, but even if the scars end up unsightly, there are things she can do to help that later. In the meantime, I have to apply silvadene and rebandage myself twice a day, and I have weekly appointments to check on my progress. At this last one they removed some of that white tissue you can see in the wound, which all has to get out so that good healthy blood-supplied tissue can move in.

None of this is painful at all, and it's not really much more gross than having a skinned knee or being on your period. I've pretty much just been tending the wounds when they need it, and otherwise forgetting about it. I feel very well overall - certain spots are still tender and I obviously can't wear a normal bra yet, but other than that I've gone back to almost all of my regular activities. No high impact exercise, but I can pick up and carry heavy stuff around just fine. I can even sleep on my side now, which is a huge relief.

That's pretty much all of my current news - I'll update again in a month or two and let you guys see how things are getting on.