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

[groudon18]

5 weeks post op today, feeling amazing

[Jacqueline]

Hey first post here! I am 10 days post-op and worried about the amount of tissue or swelling that I have on the top part of my chest, close to my armpit but on the front of my chest mainly.. There was a fair amount of swelling on both sides that popped up above my ace wrap in the first week or so.. It has gone done considerably on the right side. But the left side their is a marked difference (it stands out more than a finger width beyond the rest of my chest below. Both sides are tender to the touch but unlike the lower part of my chest (near nipples) the feel is not as mushy. So I don't know if it is just normal swelling that escaped compression or excess tissue (breast or adipose) that got pushed up to this area or was not removed enough.... Any similar experiences or thoughts on what this could be or what to do about it? I've tried to wear my ace bandage higher,, but there's only so far it can go especially when I'm a lil active and it slides down

Chive

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With warmth,

Joanna

[lionheart]

Looks great, Groudon. It really is amazing how quickly the body is able to heal. Comparing my chest now with pictures from less than a week ago, I just can't even believe how much better it already looks.

[RomeoEcho]

Had my surgery yesterday. Feeling surprisingly good so far. Won't be able to look until tomorrow. But pain is manageable and am up and walking around already.

[lionheart]

I'm officially one month post-op. Time really flies.



One thing I've been starting to notice is that the placement/curvature of the incisions seems kind of weird? You can tell a lot more in this picture, but I don't really know how to describe it. You can kinda see (especially on the left side) there's still some (what I believe to be) fat left under the incision that looks kind of weird. I don't know that it's breast tissue but I don't know exactly what it could be, maybe just swelling, maybe chest muscle. I'm hoping that it'll just flatten out with time, but it's hard to tell because I haven't really seen anyone else like this.

[devention]

I'd shoot your surgeon an email to err on the side of caution, but given you're just a month out, it's probably just swelling. It can take several months for it to fully flatten out, so I'd give it a bit of time before starting to worry too much.
If you ever want to talk, my inbox is open. I don't post much on the forums anymore, but I do try to reply to every pm I get. Sometimes just getting things off your chest (no pun intended) can help you feel better.

[dylanjakoby]

1 week post op


1 year and 2 months

Dr. Rumer

[tjack77]

Here is my 3 months post-op



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[groudon18]

3 months post op by Dr Sajan in Seattle

[JulianWS]

Looks great dude 

[veniamviam]

6 months and one week post-op from dr medalie (cleveland, ohio)





i think my last update was about two months ago, and since then my scars have been under more regular care. i got scaraway gel, because the scar strips were kinda a pain to deal with (mostly a pain to wash, really. i'm lazy) and i put it on........ on mornings when i remember to. so usually 3-4 times a week. overall, still thrilled as heck with how everything looks, the placement of the incisions is really good, the nipple placement is really good, there's no dog-earing at my armpit on either side.

there's some dog-earing at the sternum on both sides, though, which i'm hoping flattens out on its own. it's not enough that i'd actively seek out revisions (especially because, y'know, money and travel and all that), and it's not as pronounced as it appears in the pictures, but it does bug me a little when i notice it.

my left nipple still looks wonky as heck, and it definitely wasn't two-toned prior to surgery so i have no idea what's happened to it. it's not as sensitive as the right side, but it looks healthy enough to me. it does make me kind of really embarrassed, though, because who's got one two-toned nipple? i'm not sure if it's worth emailing medalie over, because it does look healthy enough, but. if anyone has any suggestions as to what might be up / how i might help it get to the same colour as the areola and other side, that'd be fantastic.

[FTMax]

Looks great man! You might have just sold me on the scar gel. I might buy a tube just to see how it goes. I don't really care about the aesthetics of my scars at all, but I'd be interested to see if it can lighten them at all.

As far as the center of your chest - you may be able to reduce the appearance of that by building your pecs? That's my first thought anyway.

Looking at the pics you posted, I actually didn't notice the coloration in the two individual pics. I noticed it in the full frontal pic only because I was specifically looking for what you were talking about if that makes you feel better. It's such a small detail that I'm sure most people are not going to notice it. And I'm sure they'd be much more interested in your scars than the color of your nips

[veniamviam]

i'm glad it's less noticeable if you're not me and awkwardly aware of it ^__^ thanks for saying so. i Think the brown is slowly starting to fade upward onto the nipple proper anyway, it might just be a matter of keeping it well-hydrated (like, a glob of cocoa butter on it or something) and let it take its time.

as for the gel, at the very least, it's not gonna hurt them. i'm a habitually good scar-er, but the huge difference between my last two posts has me pretty sold on the gel actually working. i'm not sure if it's making much change in whether they're flattening or not (there's some ripples) but i'm not bothered about that one way or the other. the scar strips were good, but the gel is so much more convenient.

[RaptorChops]

Your scars look good for the amount of time. Mine around 6 months were still very reddish purple. Mine are now in a whitish pink stage (about a year and 4 months now). I was using the scar away gel but I got too lazy and only use it once in awhile. Now it's all about trying to gain muscle in them but that hasn't worked out very well for me so far ;p.

[bootsradical]

i had di top surgery on september 22nd, and the first week post op was so incredibly boring.  it has gotten less boring now that i am driving again and i have done a couple of nice chill outings.  my wonderful & supportive friends have gathered in my home a couple times however not drinking and smoking with them rn sux, it's weird being the sober friend.  i have another week off work and time is a Void but i got a library card.
i've been healing pretty well, i have had no bruising and not much swelling.  apparently the nipple grafts are supposed to scab?  they have not done that, but are turning pink color, and seem to be healing?  the surgical tape is gross and i want it gone.  i bought some googly eyes to put on the nipple bandaids.
when can i smoke?

[FTMax]

18 months post-op. I had DI with free nipple grafts done by Dr. Fischer in April 2015. Started a chest piece yesterday for scar cover up.

[lionheart]

Looking good, Max. Can't wait to see how the finished tattoo looks. How was the pain over your scars compared to other areas?

[FTMax]

Looking good, Max. Can't wait to see how the finished tattoo looks. How was the pain over your scars compared to other areas?

No feeling whatsoever in the scars. I could feel them being pressed on, but nothing beyond that. Everything else hurt way worse. Definitely my most painful tattoo.

[Bimmer Guy]

WOW, max!  That is awesome looking!  When will you start getting it filled in?

As an aside to our conversation, you do not have fat on the sides like I have.  Quite the opposite.  Mine is right where the incision lines end and yours actually looks like there is less fat there than I would expect on a cis guy. 

Did she do some lipo on you there?

[FTMax]

WOW, max!  That is awesome looking!  When will you start getting it filled in?

As an aside to our conversation, you do not have fat on the sides like I have.  Quite the opposite.  Mine is right where the incision lines end and yours actually looks like there is less fat there than I would expect on a cis guy. 

Did she do some lipo on you there?

We haven't set a date for the shading yet. My tattoo artist said scar tissue sometimes takes a little longer to heal than regular skin, so we're playing it by ear. He said it would probably be fine to do in 2 weeks. I will probably wait until after Thanksgiving just to be on the safe side.

Send me a pic! I'm trying to imagine how this looks. I feel like she did some lipo on me, but I have no documentation saying she did, so not 100% sure.