Top Surgery Recovery Updates (a place for all members to update after surgery)

[Bimmer Guy]

MrAction,

Your chest looks really great.     I am so glad you posted, it is nice to see a variety of surgeons' work.  He really did a nice job with his incisions, nice and straight.  Please keep us updated with pictures.

[Jak]

I'll post more, and with photos, when I'm home and not typing on my phone. But, I wanted to make a starter post to say that my surgery was Monday, with Dr. McLean in Mississauga, Ontario. It went great and I'm only needing half a Tylenol 3 every two hours. I 've actually had more pain and bruising from the binder which I think was originally a bit too tight. I came out of surgery around 11:30 and was quite nauseous at first, vomiting several times. That diminished and I was pretty loopy all day. Those two side effects were worse than any pain. I couldn't stand the loopiness! But, fortunately I was able to just lie in bed and doze in and out while every cheesy Christmas movie made ran in a cable marathon. Once the nausea from the anesthesia subsided I've been fine and haven't needed any of the anti-nausea meds with the pain meds.

Two quick notes - I'm 59, not on T and don't plan to be. I particularly want to share my experience because of these factors as well as my size. Although I've not worn a traditional bra for years, I was about a 44D. They removed about 5 pounds via the lipo. He went pretty far back to try to avoid dog ears. I don't care about the scarring, but really don't want dog ears.

Second, Dr. McLean and his staff were phenomenal. Some have described him as 'odd,' but I thought he was great. Maybe that's an age thing. It was a bit disconcerting to have Christian holiday music playing while I was in the waiting room, but then I remembered that in Canada there isn't the same, um, correlation between religion and intolerance. Everyone - from office staff to OR to recovery - was just fantastic! Oh, and while I paid in Canadian funds that I still had in the bank here, the current exchange makes this ideal for those in the US. At today's rate, a price of $7910 CAD is about $5945 USD. His rate may have risen, but that's what I booked at.

That's it for now. We fly back to the US late this afternoon. Wish me luck!

[FTMax]

Good luck on your return trip Jak! Glad to hear everything went well and you're feeling pretty good. Just remember to take it easy when you get home!

[Jak]

Thanks, FTMax! I got home last night. Today I am exhausted and just lazing about. I think yesterday's schlepping through the airport, etc. took their toll.

I'm having very little pain, except for my right nipple graft - which makes me a tad nervous. I've had almost no pain at all on the left, more on the right, and most of that at the graft. I can already notice increased mobility in my arms, but am not overdoing it. Let's just say that some of the basics of personal hygiene are already a bit easier.

When I'm up to it and have the binder off I'll share a photo.

[hardyboy]

Had top surgery with Garramone ten days ago; the picture was from about a week out, shortly after unwrapping the bandage for the first time. So far no real pain, and no swelling at all. Incredibly happy with the results.

[FTMax]

Looks good man, congrats! Glad to hear you're healing well.

[Jak]

As promised. Before and six days out. The cushions come off on the 23rd. Lots of bruising, but then he had to do a lot of liposuction, as you might imagine!





McLean, Mississauga, 14 Dec 15.

[Jak]

Sorry for posting this here, but - is there any way to edit one's post. I am thoroughly stumped. Thanks!

And, #FAIL to Photobucket for censoring a photo that had already had the "offending" nips obscured. Sheesh.

[FTMax]

Sorry for posting this here, but - is there any way to edit one's post. I am thoroughly stumped. Thanks!

And, #FAIL to Photobucket for censoring a photo that had already had the "offending" nips obscured. Sheesh.

You can edit a post within the same day of posting it. Otherwise, a mod can do it for you. Since I'm here, what would you like changed?

[hardyboy]

Hey, so I'm around two weeks post op with no real visible swelling here, but one of my incisions seems to have some blood trapped behind it? It makes the incision line look like a flat blood blister for about two inches. When the last of the tape fell off, it made a tiny hole in the blood blister part, and there's been some drainage (old blood, looks like) from that area for the last couple days. The discoloration has been fading, so I've just been keeping a gauze pad over the bleeding bit and changing it every day. I haven't been able to reach Garramone due to the season--should I be concerned, or is this within the realm of things-I-can-handle-at-home?

[FTMax]

I had a section that looked like that. I was bad and punched a little hole in it to help it drain. Just a pocket of blood. It healed over in a day or so, no lasting damage done.

[hardyboy]

Oh man, that's really reassuring, thank you! I was getting a little concerned that it was serious--I don't recall ever seeing anyone's incisions looking like that, so I was worried I messed something up by moving wrong in my sleep or something.

[Jak]

FTMax - Thanks, but no worries. I was just going to remove the image from where the "offending photo" was removed. Not to worry. And, while I'm here...

So, tomorrow is two weeks from my surgery. I had the bolsters off on 12/23, nine days after. That felt good. I can gauge a little improvement each day just in terms of little things. E.g., fastening my seat belt is no problem where the first time was, whoa! Since I had traveled for surgery, I saw a local surgeon for the removal. He was fabulous! I still have all the tape on the incisions. Tape tends to stick to me. He said that was great and to leave it on as long as it will stay; citing some study about the length of time with tape and impact on scars. I'm still pretty nervous about losing a nip, but have convinced myself, "Whatevs..." and think about tattoo options.

I've been surprised at how well I've been sleeping. I was really concerned about having to sleep on my back. But, using one of those back pillows they sell for dorms and three more pillows I've been quite comfy. My biggest complaint is that between recovery, no exercise, and the holidays, I think I've gained back the 5 pounds I lost in the surgery! Damn! Oh, well. New year and all that. I can't wait until February when I can get back to the gym. I constantly have to remind myself not to reach up or lift more than five pounds - because I feel like I can.

For those who - like me - scoured the web, reading everything you could get your eyes on, I'll say this. It is absolutely, 100% true that the process is different for everyone. Pain levels, range of motion, doctor's guidance, everything. Soak up all the info you can, but know that your experience is unlikely to mimic anyone else's in all ways. On some things I feel like I'm 'behind' some in recovery; yet in other ways I seem 'ahead' of others. I had, as you can see in the photo posted earlier, lots of bruising, probably due to the volume removed. Others, at the same date, had none. Some have considerable pain; I had pretty minimal pain. There's just no one path. Be prepared, but keep that in mind.

[hardyboy]

That open spot is still a problem, but it's healing. My scar line will be gnarly, but that's okay! My nipples are almost (not quite) all the way healed, and I'm nearly out of xeroform. I'm hoping that it'll last!

[Jak]

I need some insight! These photos were taken on 12/31 - two weeks and three days post-surgery. My surgeon's guidelines are to use an antibiotic ointment and dressings. I've emailed him to ask how long as I'm now unclear on that. Comparing to the many, many images I've seen, I think my healing might be a tad slow. And, given all I've read about goopy grafts, redness, etc. I'm not really concerned. But, I did wonder if folks thought there was anything about which I should be concerned.





Also - and this is the only way I can describe it - the only discomfort I have at this point is that my "skin hurts." I don't know if this is just the "things reconnecting" that I've read about or if it's a reaction to the tape. I didn't switch to sensitive skin tape because I have no real redness, rash, etc. where I've used tape for the dressings. Thoughts?

Lastly, unlike many of the photos I've seen, most of the surgical tape remains firmly in place. The surgeon I'm seeing for follow-up here at home said "the longer, the better" so I've left it in place. I've emailed the surgeon who did the work to ask these questions, but wondered what folks here might think.

Your insight is very much appreciated.

[FTMax]

Hi Jak,

I kept my nips covered with ointment for around two weeks. Once the scabs had totally come off, I switched over to bandaids and ointment for another few days. After a certain point (once it was clear that they weren't going anywhere, or as sensitive), it seemed better to just let them breathe as much as possible.

Could you describe more of what you mean by the skin hurting? I had some tenderness, very little swelling, but I did react poorly to all of the tapes/adhesives. They dried my skin out and I did have a little bit of a reaction to it (some redness/bumps). Your surgeon is right about the tape - it should stay on as long as possible. Mine came off very quickly, likely because it was warm in my house and I sweat a lot by default.

[Jak]

Thanks for your note! Sensitive to touch, kind of all across the chest - which is why I was inclined to think it was more about what was happening underneath. But, it's not soreness like bruising and it feels no different if I press on it. Even just a light glance with fingertips and it's just, well, sensitive. As I write this it occurs to me that it's how my lips feel when the novocaine wears off so maybe it's just residual to the lidocaine, or whatever they used? Thanks, again!

[FTMax]

Hey Jak,

Yes. Definitely experienced that. I think it is mostly related to the nerves reconnecting and getting active again post-pain killer. You're a little under 1 month post-op right? It may take some time for everything to feel close to normal again. I still have some weird twinges of pain every now and then at close to 9 months. If it is pain-pain and not just soreness, contact your surgeon's office. Otherwise, consider trying a low dose of Benadryl. That should help you figure out if it's nerve related or if it's skin-related.

[Jak]

Thanks, again! Since the last post I'm down to no tape, using ScarAway, and I heard back from the nurse who thought things looked fine. She said a couple of more days with ointment and I should be good to go. I tried some Benadryl and it didn't make a difference. Good idea to test, though! Of course, it wouldn't affect contact irritation as opposed to an actual allergic response. But, glad to rule that out. I'm going to go with it just being nerve stuff and some residual swelling. I switched to a compression tank that is as "compressing" as the binder, not at all scratchy/irritating, and covers more area. So far, so good. Thanks, again, for your input.

Aside from all that. Today is the first day I was able to see everything without any tape, etc. and I am very pleased. While I know the scars will likely stretch, right now they are very thin and pretty symmetrical except on the side just under my pits - and I don't care about that. I've got some "wrinkling" in the very middle; chalking that up to age. Not much I can do about that! We'll see what happens when I get back to working out, lose the swelling, etc.

Take care! 

[palexander]

has anyone had small pockets with blood and a small amount of pus (with no smell) form around their nips? i get this from time to time, but it's completely odorless and the substance is a lot thicker than actual blood. i typically just apply antibiotic ointment and it's fine within a day or so. didn't know if this was normal or not...