Surgery on Friday took about 3 1/2 hours. I was very shaky after the surgery, and there were some issues with my BP. My BP is on the low side of normal, usually between 106 – 110 over 68 to 70. My BP was coming in between 95 to 98 over 58 to 60. I slept through most of this monitoring and the upping of my saline drip.
The pain from this surgery is different. The incision in my armpit for the removal of the sentinel nodes last week was very sensitive. I awoke with this wonderful surgical bra on that holds everything in place while my boobs heal.
I do have a drain from my right breast. Dr. Goldberg said it can be removed when I have less than 30ml of fluid collect in a 24 hour period. There were big absorbent pads over each breast in the surgical bra with me. I did not feel strong enough to get up on my own until after 9 PM Friday night. Much later than the previous week.
Dr. Goldberg did not come in until after 2pm on Saturday to check on my and authorize discharge. I was glad to get out of there. Not that the hospital or my nurses and CNA’s were bad, they are/were wonderful, and most remembered me from the previous week and made a point of stopping by my room to check on me even if I was not their assigned patient. All asked how my pathology report came out and were so excited for me when I told them it was all clear. There is just something about being home surrounded by your own stuff.
When Dr. Goldberg came in, she undid the straps (Velcro) of the surgical bra and pulled it down to check on all the incisions. I had a grand view of my new breasts from the top. They looked like my 14 year old breasts. Hubby was surprised at how high up my nipples are now located. Dr. Goldberg liked the way everything looked and didn’t see any signs of nipple necrosis, so that is a good thing.
She also told me I could shower. My nursed brought in my discharge paperwork, and once I was dressed away we went. We ordered GrubHub for dinner – had some Italian food delivered. I had Lasagna and Hubby had Spaghetti and Meatballs. Both came with a small salad. The Toothless Wonder Cat helped Hubby eat his meatballs.
My discharge paperwork stated I can only sleep on my back for the next 4 to 6 weeks. We went through all our pillows to provide me a comfortable nest to sleep on my back without having my arms fall asleep.
Today I took my time brushing my teeth and eating breakfast working up the nerve to remove the surgical bra to take a much needed shower.
I finally got myself naked and could see there is a lot of surgical tape over all the incisions on my breasts. And I still have the drain to deal with. That was interesting trying to shower while holding the drain or propping it on our shower caddy. I didn’t have the stamina to keep scrubbing at all the purple ink lines over my chest that Dr. Goldberg used to direct what was cut and how much was taken during the surgery.
Even after seeing a full frontal view of my breasts, I am still not sure I like them. They are very young and perky. I guess I wasn’t expecting so much perkiness. I liked my older breasts. They had a great shape, and yeah, they sagged some, but not too bad for my age.
I’ve had a nap today, and feel ready for another one, but want to be sure I can sleep tonight. I was awake every few hours last night, and a few times resorted to reading for a bit to help me get back to sleep.
I didn’t put the big absorbent pads back into my bra once I was dried off from my shower. I noticed I still have a little bleeding from my right nipple. I now have a blood spot on my bra. I sure hope the new bra that Dr. Goldberg’s office was having shipped to me arrives soon so I can wash this bra.
I also noted when I was getting ready for my shower that all the steri-strips on my underarm incision and the incision for the removal of my port had been replaced.
I have a follow up appointment with Dr. Goldberg tomorrow morning, and I go back to see Dr. Ali-Jones on Wednesday. My insurance requires me to have a post surgical follow up with my PCP as well, so I need to get that scheduled.
I need to get some dinner before we invite the Toothless Wonder Cat in for the night.
Life is coming to terms with my much younger boobs
I’m sure you will get used to your perky boobies. At some point they may relax a little and so will you. Can’t wait for I see you tomorrow. LYTTMAB!