Tag: Plastic surgery

47 days post BPM, 6 days pre reconstruction

I hate that my entire life continues to revolve around surgery.  For the last several months, everything I do is either to make sure it is taken care of  before a surgery or the evaluation of whether I can do it because of the surgery.  With this pending procedure  much later than I would have liked, and the first day of school right around the corner, I can only pray that I will be up and around to attend meet the teacher and get the girls to the school bus.

I have no idea what to expect from the nipple reconstruction and revision in the way of pain.  Initially ,I would have said it was to be minor when it was just the nips but now that we are actually cutting to remove the “side air bags”, I assume the level of pain may be significantly somewhat higher.  The thought of pain on so many levels is dreaded.  At this point I rarely even take Motrin or Tylenol.  The thought of narcotics again makes me shudder just a bit.  I am feeling so close to normal, the thoughts of going backward, starting over again, no wonder I continue to struggle to sleep.

I received a comment on my blog last night telling me to “rest a little before the next surgery”.  Funny, sometimes it takes someone on the outside to point that out..thank you!  My husband and I actually were able to sit for a few minutes this morning quietly before the girls woke up.  We will take tomorrow as a family day…activity to be named later.

I have included a picture that does not relate at all to the post today but the face just demands to be posted.  Madison lost a second tooth in just a handful of days.  Not sure how the poor kid can eat at this point.  It is one heck of a mug!

Insurance

So with the surgery, we have reached our out-of-pocket maximum on our health insurance.  Because of this I have become a crazy person about everyone getting to any doctor needed before the end of the year.  Anything that we had been putting off, not in a rush to take care of needs to be dealt with this year!  I made an appointment for Megan’s yearly for late September and Madison will be November.  I need to call both my primary for a physical (which I have not done in 3-4 years so I guess it is time) as well as the OB/GYN.  I was actually due to go there in June but with the Mastectomy in July I just could not get myself to go there. With all appointments covered at 100%..now it the time!  Blood work, physical etc.  We have put out enough cash, need to try to squeeze as much out of it a we can.

I really can’t wait for the nipple reconstruction and revision to be completed.  Now that I am back to mostly normal activity I have been wearing a sport bra when I go out.  Uncomfortable does not even cover the feeling wearing a bra.  I walk into the house and make it as far as the kitchen and have it half way off.  Very classy but who cares!

Tick tick..almost there!

 

 

 

I did a sit-up….kind of

So after roughly 2 weeks of  exercise, I really am getting stronger.  I am up to 20 minutes 4 times a week on the elliptical with no issues.  The other days we are trying to walk the neighborhood. I would like to work on my punching bag but the girls have destroyed it pretending they were in the olympics, that is another story but punching is out.

I decided to attempt to start abdominal work.  We have this old “ab rock it” . This picture is not ours but pretty close. You hold the handles and push forward to assist the sit up.  There is no way I could do them on my own but with the rocker I was able to do several.   I only did a few, may try more a little later.  I wanted to make sure I did not hurt anything.  I have no pain from my abdomen anymore but it remains extremely tight.  This is not really a bad thing, actually one of the reasons I think it is important to get working on the muscles around it so it remains tightened.

I have finally reached a point where when I look in the mirror I am seeing something positive.  The boobs, well they are a mess but there is a light at the end of the tunnel .  The rest though, not too bad.  Now that the swelling is basically gone, the DIEP flap is really like a tummy tuck.  After 2 kids it is the tightest my abdomen has been in years.  I have taken the opportunity to really focus on my diet and have exercised pretty consistently for 2 weeks.  For the first time in a long time looking in the mirror is not depressing, (not like seeing fireworks either) but I see positive movement.

Continued focus, completion of the nest surgery, the future looks bright!