POSTED UNDER Breast Reduction Reviews
Midlife Crisis Reduction. Columbus, OH
UPDATED FROM terrimj45
2 months post
6 weeks post-op
WORTH IT$8,500
Hard to believe it's been 6 weeks since surgery. In some ways it seems like the time has just flown and in others it seems like I've had these new boobs forever. LOL.
The Silvadene is working; 2 of my 4 open spots have healed and the other 2 should be healed in a couple more weeks. I see the PS on Monday so she can see the healing and that will probably be the last time I see her until I have more surgery done. (I have a scar from a surgery at 6 months old around my left upper arm that I want revised, plus the eventual tummy tuck when I lose some of this weight around the middle)
I'm so happy I did this. My back and shoulders feel better, my posture is better...and not having to constantly adjust the straps on my shoulder or pull down the back of the bra where it was riding up is wonderful. It stays put!!
I'm looking forward to getting these last two spots totally healed so I can work on the scars. I saw articles last week about Ariel Winter (from the TV show Modern Family) wearing a strapless dress to some awards ceremony. She had BR surgery last summer. Anyway, the articles were all about how scandalous it was that her dress showed her side scars. I wanted to punch these people--her scars look great. If mine can look half that good at 6 months out, I'll be ecstatic.
The Silvadene is working; 2 of my 4 open spots have healed and the other 2 should be healed in a couple more weeks. I see the PS on Monday so she can see the healing and that will probably be the last time I see her until I have more surgery done. (I have a scar from a surgery at 6 months old around my left upper arm that I want revised, plus the eventual tummy tuck when I lose some of this weight around the middle)
I'm so happy I did this. My back and shoulders feel better, my posture is better...and not having to constantly adjust the straps on my shoulder or pull down the back of the bra where it was riding up is wonderful. It stays put!!
I'm looking forward to getting these last two spots totally healed so I can work on the scars. I saw articles last week about Ariel Winter (from the TV show Modern Family) wearing a strapless dress to some awards ceremony. She had BR surgery last summer. Anyway, the articles were all about how scandalous it was that her dress showed her side scars. I wanted to punch these people--her scars look great. If mine can look half that good at 6 months out, I'll be ecstatic.
terrimj45's provider
UPDATED FROM terrimj45
2 months post
Followup #2...
Second followup today with the PS. They went ahead and took post-op pictures for the website, even though I've still got open wounds underneath both breasts. I've been put on a regimen of Silvadene twice a day on the open spots, to try to encourage better/faster healing. The nurse told me it's not unusual to have spots open up as far as 3 months post-op...yikes!!
The awesome news is that I've been cleared for ALL activities, to whatever extent I'm comfortable with as far as the open wounds go. I've been ordered not to have a mammogram for a year (yay!), which is great news because last summer my annual one turned up calcifications that had to be biopsied and were luckily negative. So getting rid of all this breast tissue has cut my risk of breast cancer roughly in half--my mom is a survivor, so I have family history, and to cut that risk was another good reason to have the surgery done.
I don't *have* to go back for any more followups, but I am going to go back in 2 weeks so she can check on the healing of these spots. I wish they'd just heal, I'm tired of subsidizing the Band-aid corporation and the company that makes Always maxipads--I'm using those at night because the wounds seep so much.
Still, though, the best decision I've ever made and I would do it again.
The awesome news is that I've been cleared for ALL activities, to whatever extent I'm comfortable with as far as the open wounds go. I've been ordered not to have a mammogram for a year (yay!), which is great news because last summer my annual one turned up calcifications that had to be biopsied and were luckily negative. So getting rid of all this breast tissue has cut my risk of breast cancer roughly in half--my mom is a survivor, so I have family history, and to cut that risk was another good reason to have the surgery done.
I don't *have* to go back for any more followups, but I am going to go back in 2 weeks so she can check on the healing of these spots. I wish they'd just heal, I'm tired of subsidizing the Band-aid corporation and the company that makes Always maxipads--I'm using those at night because the wounds seep so much.
Still, though, the best decision I've ever made and I would do it again.
Replies (0)
UPDATED FROM terrimj45
20 days post
Still healing...
I'll be 3 weeks post-op tomorrow, and I still can't get these damned T-junctions to heal. The one under the left breast is looking a lot better, almost closed up. The one under the right breast...I really wish the PS had put a stitch or two in there last week. Because of the stress on that area, it's spread open vertically so that the opening looks wider than it did before. I tried putting steri-strips on it to hold it more closed, but there was just too much stress on it. So I just keep packing it with Neosporin and watching it to make sure it doesn't get infected. I can feel a suture poking out up at the top of one incision, on the inside side of my right breast, but I can't see it yet to trim it off.
Other than that, I'm in good shape. I can now sleep on my stomach (yay!) and don't feel like I need to be propped up anymore. The swelling under my arms has gone down considerably, and the bruising from the lipo is finally almost all faded away. And I went out a couple of days ago and bought a couple of cute teenage-like cotton bras--they actually fit!! There's this feeling of almost, I don't know, having a secret or something, being able to wear cute bras instead of breastplates. I bought some bra extenders so that I can buy bras in a 38C and still wear them, since 40B isn't exactly a common size. :)
Other than that, I'm in good shape. I can now sleep on my stomach (yay!) and don't feel like I need to be propped up anymore. The swelling under my arms has gone down considerably, and the bruising from the lipo is finally almost all faded away. And I went out a couple of days ago and bought a couple of cute teenage-like cotton bras--they actually fit!! There's this feeling of almost, I don't know, having a secret or something, being able to wear cute bras instead of breastplates. I bought some bra extenders so that I can buy bras in a 38C and still wear them, since 40B isn't exactly a common size. :)
Replies (3)
A
January 21, 2016
Make sure you get the suture trimmed off- if you can't do it, ask your doctor. Your holes will not be able to heal up completely until it's removed - I speak from lots and lots of experience!!!! If you attempt to remove it yourself (I don't recommend if this is your first one), make sure you sterilize everything.
T
January 21, 2016
Thanks for the advice! I go back to the PS in 2 weeks for another follow-up and maybe it will have worked its way out a little further by then. Right now it's just the tip of it that I can feel.
A
January 21, 2016
If you can feel just a sharp tip now, you'll likely be able to feel and see more of it within the next few days. With both of my reductions, I had the following pattern occur too many times to count: first I would notice some new reddening in an area. Then it would look raised. Then I would be able to feel something sharpish if I ran my finger over it. And then finally, I would see a clear suture poking out a bit.
I had wound healing issues with my first reduction and I am 100% convinced that it was because I had the clear sutures poking through and my dr. never said that that could be why. She only clipped off one or two for me because I said they were hurting because they would rub against my bra. Only when I started clipping them all off myself did my holes close up. So with my second reduction, I was proactive and clipped as soon as I could see the sutures. I'm happy to say I had no holes whatsoever with my revision surgery and my scars look way nicer because of it :)
Oh and also, not all of the ones that poked through had to be clipped - some of them came right out with a small tug of sterilized tweezers. My method for seeing if I needed to pull vs clip was I would give a small tug first and if it didn't start coming out, I would clip. You absolutely don't want to pull too hard but at the same time, most of the ones I had to pull were the knots so it was kind of instinctive for me.
I had wound healing issues with my first reduction and I am 100% convinced that it was because I had the clear sutures poking through and my dr. never said that that could be why. She only clipped off one or two for me because I said they were hurting because they would rub against my bra. Only when I started clipping them all off myself did my holes close up. So with my second reduction, I was proactive and clipped as soon as I could see the sutures. I'm happy to say I had no holes whatsoever with my revision surgery and my scars look way nicer because of it :)
Oh and also, not all of the ones that poked through had to be clipped - some of them came right out with a small tug of sterilized tweezers. My method for seeing if I needed to pull vs clip was I would give a small tug first and if it didn't start coming out, I would clip. You absolutely don't want to pull too hard but at the same time, most of the ones I had to pull were the knots so it was kind of instinctive for me.
T
January 21, 2016
I'll keep that in mind--thanks for the tip!! I'm hoping this is the only one, but...I also know that likely won't be the case. ;)
A
January 21, 2016
I hope for your sake it's the only one but if not, don't worry, it's really not too bad.
L
January 22, 2016
That's too cute! So many people know I'm having it done because I have slot of clients(hairdresser) that I'll feel like people are checking to see if I look any different! I told them I'll probably look the same to them cause I've been squshing them down for so long!
T
January 22, 2016
The people in my church choir knew I was out for a couple of weeks for some kind of surgery, but I never told them what I was having done. I've been back for two weeks now and either nobody's noticed or they're too embarrassed to say anything. LOL.
B
January 22, 2016
I had an opening as well at my t junction and just kept them covered in neosporin and gauze. I also used tape to try and reduce the tension on the suture area, it seemed to work as they healed up within 6 weeks. That's awesome you got down to a b!!!
Replies (1)