Exchange Surgery:

I survived surgery! Details:

Checked in at 6:30 AM - Rose Medical Center for those in Denver.

First BP 207 over 94! Do ya think I was nervous?
30 mins later: 146 over 80 still high but a little closer to my normal 110/70

Surgery started at 8:30. They kept me conscious until I positioned my arms on the iron cross; they were so nice and accommodating. No complications.

Round gel implants 500ccs. Same size as my expanders. Expanders felt huge. Implants feel smaller and much softer! PS says sitting up I have good symmetry

with my nipples. I have not peaked. (My PS is Dr.Bateman for Denverites)

Moved to recovery at 10:45. Long recovery: oxygen levels were low. Pain level between 5 & 7. Higher than I expected. Dilaudid in IV. It gave me a headache.

Good nausea meds.

Released at 4:25. About. 3 hours longer than expected.

Drive: I was concerned about post-surgery nausea, so I had Ginger Ale and saltines for drive home, but I didn't need it. But I drank for thirst! Rush hour

traffic, so drive was long and I fell asleep. I had a down pillow placed vertically in my lap with seat belt around it.

Home at 5:25: Soup and sandwich for dinner. I setup wedge pillow w/ more pillows, but too low; so I will sleep in my recliner. Little kitty loves the down

comforter. Big cat, Tigger (17 lbs) keeps trying to jump into my lap; he likes to knead, no breast exam tonight!

Pain level higher than expected. Vicodin and valium.

It took me 1 1/2 hours to type this post w/ my stylus on my Kindle! But this is the day of surgery--so I must be doing okay! I hope I got all the details!

Post Exchange Surgery Day One:

Pain levels: 6 w/ meds. Very woozy and somewhat nauseous. I used compazine suppository--not fun, but necessary. Chest feels tight...could be surgical bra.

Breast area around sternum feels very bruised. Basically my chest feels like it was run over by a truck. If I stay immobile,then I'm okay. Taking all pain

meds: Celebrex. Valium and vicodin. No hunger. Glad I don't have to go out.

Recovery is not as easy as expected. More pain than I anticipated.

Thanks for posts on my page and hugs and support. Be back later.

Post Exchange Surgery Day One-Later:

Yeah, Day One I do feel like I've been hit by a truck. It's not a walk in the park as everyone has said about this surgery. So far it is not a faster gentler

recovery everyone claims it is. But I'm posting the truth, so we are all adequately prepared. Some people handle pain and recovery differently.

In the meantime, I've got decent pain meds.

Baseline pain med is Celebrex. It is used for acute pain too. I love it, but it's expensive and not covered by my insurance. It's an NSAID w/o blood thinner

properties. It works great to keep the pain edge down.

Valium is a muscle relaxer relaxes those pect muscles w/o a narcotic side effect.

Vicodin is the add-on and I'll go off that first, because I hate the side effects. It also contains acetaminophen, so I can't add Tylenol. I can't take

Percocet; it makes me more nauseous that Vicodon.

Tylenol does squat for me and I have to limit acetaminophen < 4000 mg and there's acetaminophen in Vicodin, so it's not worth taking.

I like Ibuprofen, but it has blood thinner properties, so it's a no-no, pre and post op.

But I'm surviving. Sleeping a lot and the pain is the worse when I first get out of bed...something about the changing gravity and blood flow....similar to

when I first got expanders. And the surgical bra is very tight, so that's part of the discomfort.

The worst is behind me, so I'm sure everyday will get better. And I'll keep you posted.

Post Exchange Surgery Six Weeks Update:

All-in-all everything is good. I love the new implants. My PS did an awesome job. They look and feel like real breasts. I like getting a bigger size and filling out a sweater, and I feel almost back to a "new normal".

For the most part, I feel good. In the morning I do not even notice the implants--just like waking up before BC and surgery. :-) The implants are comfortable and the pects are "loose". I notice as the day wears on and I am active, the pects tighten up. It's not painful, but feels like wearing too tight shoes. Overnight, the pects relax.

I'm still trying to figure out if this is a forever "new normal" or if this will subside or I should do exercises. I queried on this topic and answers were mixed: It does subside to it remains tight and others do exercises to stretch them out. So it's one of those "everyone is different" issues, but something to be aware of.

When I get cold, the pect muscles will fibrillate. Again it's just a nuisance and my PS says it's "normal"...probably forever.

I'm still wearing stretchy bras 24/7. The implants feel heavy and I'm more comfortable with the support. I went from an A to a D, so I don't know if that's "normal" for bigger breasts or normal for implants. I'm trying at night to remove the bra and get comfortable without it. My PS advises wearing a bra during the day--no underwire.

I flew for the first time wearing two compression sleeves (I had bilateral BC with nodes removed from both sides). The sleeves felt fine the first hour then I noticed the compression and they were a little uncomfortable. I got used to them, but by the end of the day, I was ready for them to come off. Just like a girdle--relief! I noticed while I was wearing them, I needed to use the bathroom more frequently and output was excessive for my fluid intake: Like drinking a lot of water, coffee or tea, which I hadn't. So I wonder if the compression caused more fluid to be released to the kidneys.

I was also careful about carrying luggage and hanging a bag on my shoulder. I used a wheeled-backpack as a carry-on and had a tote/purse with a sleeve that fit over the handle, so I wheeled everything around with minimal lifting and did not carry anything on my shoulder. So no signs of lymphedema.

I'm still doing PT. All arm restrictions were lifted two weeks ago. I had done a lot of PT from the BMX/TE surgery, so my ROM for my left arm was about 90% BEFORE and 80% AFTER the exchange. I continue to do exercises and stretching to increase it. I'm back to 90%, but I need to continue PT on the left to increase ROM and get muscles feeling back to normal.

My right arm ROM is a different story. I developed pinched nerves in my neck three months ago, so there's pain and another challenge for another day and post.

Post Exchange Surgery Week FIVE Day 1: I'm DONE! The boobies are "baked" and yesterday, I was given the release by my PS to go back to PT to finish therapy with no restrictions.

It was a hectic day at the PS office with unscheduled emergencies, so I wasn't sure if I would see him--ironically the only man on my medical team rebuilt my boobs! He came in at the end, when I was dressing.

I asked him if he wanted to see "them". He gave me a funny look-like "of course, I want to see my handiwork". He stood there--as I undid my blouse--no modesty here or "I'll leave the room while you change into a gown" routine. I don't think I disrobed so quickly for a man that I didn't know intimately! In hindsight it was funny, but the new reality of BC, you show the boobs to anyone and everyone. So many friends have seen them and "felt me up", that would have never even seen me in a dressing room before BC. You just don't care about modesty anymore. And now it's almost like showing off the new outfit I just bought!

I unbuttoned my blouse, and he said, "Wow, you look great in a bra!" I don't think a man ever told me that before.

I just undid the bra, and gave him a look-see. He thought I looked great; I know he's a perfectionist, so that made me feel good. He said "come back in two months and we'll check them again after the swelling goes down and they settle in a little more".

I am very pleased with the results! My implants are "new and improved" and I fill out a sweater so much better than I ever did. Yet given a choice, I would have kept the "funky little irregulars" Mother Nature gave me. It hasn't been an easy journey, and I will never be the same since BC. But also in so many good ways finding some hidden jewels along the way.

It's been a long journey and now it's winding down. There's still scar-healing, physical therapy, but I'm DONE with cancer and the treatments to put me back together. I consider my physical therapy like working with my personal trainer and include it with returning to the gym and finding a new exercise routine. No more mammograms! And no more push-ups!

Post Exchange Surgery Week Two Day 2:

Pain meds: I ran out of my expensive Celebrex yesterday, and I was beyond the PS' "no blood thinner meds 2-week restriction", so I switched back to Ibuprofen. Okay, but not enough. So last night I switched to Aleve with 1/2 5mg valium. My pecs still "act up" at night, especially when I do any activities during the day that uses my arms. I slept okay, because I take 2 Xanax. But this morning the Aleve is just not doing it for me. I'm not miserable, but the pain level is probably a 4--the incision area is just "acting up". I can't explain the pain except to say my body/boobs feel like I'm wearing a new pair shoes that don't quite fit. So I'm going to pay another $66 for 10 pills (5 days) My insurance won't cover Celebrex!

Arm Restrictions: I've received a lot of comments about the excessive arm restrictions my PS gave me. The first two weeks post surgery, my arms were "pinned" to my sides with movement to 5 or 7:00 with my head at 12:00 and my feet at 6:00. The second two weeks (now) I'm allowed to go 90 degrees--imagine a Sesame Street 'T'. I "tested" the extension beyond the 90 degrees, yesterday. I reached to the 2nd shelf in my kitchen twice in about 5 minutes, and started feeling a sharp pain in my pec muscle, so I understand the restriction. I'm not going to do anything to damage or impede my results.

Exercise: I am doing arm exercises: raising my left arm 90 degrees-shoulder height. 10 reps x 3 times a day. 10 to the front and 10 to the sides. The right arm is still not cooperating and still giving me a lot of pain. I can man 90 degrees in front but only about 30 degrees or 4:00 to the side. This is my chronic problem that started in October and is getting worse not better. I can walk 2 miles on the treadmill 3.2 mph. I'm choosing not to go to the gym today, because an Arctic Freeze has attacked Denver. It's -10 outside. These are not exercises prescribed by my PT, but I'm just moving my arms so I don't lose ROM and to help me get back what I had pre-exchange surgery.

MRI/Insurance: I've been waiting to have an MRI on my right arm until after the surgery. My insurance is denying the MRI! So my PCP is fighting to get it approved--hopefully before the end of the year and I start a new deductible!

Activity levels: Keeping my arms below 90 degrees. Yesterday I cleaned two bathrooms. I do the shower and tubs with my feet and a wash cloth. I don't do mirrors, wall tile (except to spray) or the shower door. I also cooked dinner--an easy one-pot chili recipe. My pecs were a little tired (they get tight or start to fibrillate) last night, so I took 1/2 5 mg valium to calm them down.

Other than having to go out in this blasted cold weather and needing a Celebrex, I feel okay. I'm only going out today to get my Celebrex prescription and to visit the PS for a post-op appt. I think I get the surgical tape off today. I will report on that later.