week one

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I woke up and was not uncomfortable in the least from sleeping in my recliner. We have two matching recliners, and my husband brought one upstairs and left one downstairs, so I was able to sleep in my room even if I was not in my bed.

Saturday was a pretty lazy day, I decided to sit around a lot and just chill out. I felt really good and I called my family and emailed a lot. Sitting at the computer was not hard on my back, so I camped out there most of the day. My Kids and I went outside and it was great being with them, but hard to not want to hug them, and especially to pick up my little 11 month old cuddle bug, but my mom did her best to keep everyone happy. My husband was called away to work pretty much all day and a good part of Sunday as well, so I was extra glad my mother was here to help.

That morning I took a spongebath and I changed my sportsbra. I put fresh gauze over the incisions like the Dr. had, and I noticed a little bit of dark yellow drainage on the gauze from the left breast. The bruising was not horrific, but it was starting to show up. Most of it was yellow, it almost looked like iodine staining, but right around the T-spot I could see dark purple. It really was not painful though, it just looked it.

I decided to try sleeping my my bed that night and it went well until about 4AM when my three year old had a bad dream and wanted to crawl into our bed… so Mommy went to the recliner for the next couple hours. The Bed sleeping was not bad, I am not a back sleeper so that was the hardest, but my bed is so comfortable I was just happy to be in it.

I woke up this morning and I still am feeling good, had a lazy morning, and this afternoon I decided to take a few pictures with my digital camera. I had taken a quick one on Friday when I came home when I was still in the bra, but I wanted a few of my new girls.I took the pictures and I then made some before and after comparison graphics. It is absolutely amazing how proud I am of my new breasts! I sent pictures of my boobs to all my close friends! They were all very supportive and said they looked great. They may be lying but I do not care, I feel so great that I did this. I am getting a little more sore on the sides and especially around the happy face incision, but its not bad, but getting sensitive.

My husband helped me wash my greasy hair in the sink. I really hate having nasty hair, and honestly the bending over the sink was not bad, but I would not make a habit of it, but having a clean scalp felt wonderful!My husband made me some liver and onions, (I really do like liver… I DO lol), so I ate a good meal that was good for me :-)

I slept on my right side tonight, I was so carefull and I doubt I moved at all all night, but I slept well. You can’t keep a side sleeper down… lol

Joy… joy… today I get my period… Well I knew it was coming since I went on birth control pills to hold it off until after the surgery, but I have to say I think the swelling increased with this months cycle, and I know the tenderness did. Maybe this is how it is for most women every month with breast tenderness, I don’t think I ever really noticed before because mine were so big. I am noticing the cramps, and the tylonal I am taking is not doing anything for me… I do not want to take the codeine during the day, and I sure do miss my midol, but I was told not until the Dr says I can take the “no no list” stuff again…

So today at 2 pm I have to go to my post op appointment with my Plastic surgion. I am excited to see what he says, the girls are tender, and a bit swollen, but honestly I think they look great. I have no more of the discharge at all out of the left breast, but that one is more swollen. I think most of that is probably because the right breast drained a lot though the dressings in the hospital, and this one has to reabsorb the extra stuff inside. I am sure this is why may Doctors chose to use drains, but mine did not and its ok with me. The size difference is not much, and there is only a small difference in the discomfort between the two breasts. I am able to move my arms around more without worrying that I will pull something, I have been trying on all my tops that were too tight, and especially a few button shirts that were accidentally shrunk in the laundry… I LOVE MY BREASTS! How is that for liberating. :-)

At the Doctors office this afternoon the Dr checked me out and was pleased. He said everything looks great, and all the bruising and swelling is all normal. He said not to overdue anything, and to come back in a week or so. My next appt is Wednesday the 30^th. He did not take off any of the steri-strips (thank God lol), and said I can take a shower! WOO HOO, although my husbands beauty shop skills rival those of the gals in ‘Steele Magnolias’ I was ready to see what I was able to do. After I left I realized I forgot to ask about the Midol, but decided I can hang in there a couple more days on the Extra Strength Tylenol.

When I came home I took a nice shower, It was not really very long, just long enough to clean the important areas and my hair myself. The water on my breasts was the strangest feeling, since some of the breast on both was still numb, as was my left nipple. I did not feel light headed, but I did not push it either.

I decided to go to bed early and see how I feel in the morning since my three year old has a parent committee meeting for her preschool, and I would like to go. I slept on my right side again, and on my back. Its getting easier to move around in bed, but its still not ‘easy’.

I woke up and I feel like going to the committee meeting, my husband takes me to the place (half mile from my house), and drops me off. Sitting was fine although the chairs were the children’s chairs, and were even a bit short for short little me lol. :-)

I was elected the vice chairperson for the parents teacher meetings (probably because I was one of the shorter people there and looked good in those tiny chairs lol), and then we were released. I felt really great emotionally and physically so I did something that was DUMB…. I walked home…

Ok, I will admit this was a BAD idea!!! I felt fine walking, I even thought about walking more than I did, but by some miracle enough blood got to my brain and I decided to just go home. I went inside and sat down and woooosh I felt so tired. I mean I felt like I had been up 4 days! It was crazy!

I ate some lunch and I decided to take a nap for an hour… well three hours later I woke up and remembered I needed to get more gauze. Even though I was not draining anything I wanted to keep some gauze over the steri-strips… so I had my mom grab the kids and we went to Wal-mart… and yes I drove….

Now keep in mind I have not had any codeine since the night before to help me go to sleep, so I had nothing funky in my system. We went to Wal-mart, about 10 miles away, and an easy drive. I picked up the gauze and a couple of the $6.97 ‘Bestform’ sports bras. While getting the bras I decided to do something I have not done for about 4 years, look at the bras that were hanging up. All the cute lacy frilly things with the matching panties! I actually felt like a normal person looking at the size 36B bras, and not this person who is over in the 42DD bras in a box trying to find something… anything… to keep those gals held in. :-) No one stared at me like I should be over in the other section this time. I actually was giddy as I walked though the bra section at wal-mart! I picked up a 36B push up bra and I almost bought it just ‘because’ LOL.

About the time I caught up with my mom and the kids I was feeling tired again, so we went on home and by the time I got home, I was almost physically sick I was so tired. I ate some supper and went to bed. I do not recommend a half of a mile walk 5 days post op to anyone. I think the driving was ok for me, but I hate driving when I am tired like that so I have decided unless its an emergency I think I will sit the driving thing out for a while. Regardless of how much I walk earlier in the day .

Well I learned my lesson yesterday and I have decided to do nothing today… I totally received a well deserved butt chewing from my husband and was on the borderline of getting a serios one from my mother, so today I made no plans. No matter how old you get or how independent you become a butt chewing from your mother who is a retired nurse is a serious butt chewing…not something I recommend…lol

By this evening I was stir crazy and after I helped a couple internet breast reduction buddies by making cute graphics of their surgical pictures, I decided to put my mother to work cleaning my carpet… when that was done we sat down and watched the ‘Survivor’ finally. It was a pretty boring day.

I am noticing that my smiley incisions are getting a little more tender, nothing that is unbearable without pain medicine, but they are pretty sore. My breasts are more swollen under the arms today, probably were yesterday as well, might just be from my period, or it might just be normal swelling. I can understand why I have to have a 38 band sports bra because of the swelling. My bruising is going away and I still feel pretty good.

Wow! A week already! For the momentous occasion I took some more pictures of my breasts… I think my mom thinks I am crazy. My husband has no clue I am taking pictures of self I think he would just shake his head at me LOL

Today was my three year olds first day of School… well Pre-school, but its still a big deal darn it LOL. My husband took her since I thought I might get stuck there talking to the other parents, and it was only a two hour first day and the thought of sitting in a room of excited three year olds made me tired even thinking about it. After my husband picked up my daughter, he and my mom took both kids for a couple scheduled Dr. appointments. I had about 90 minutes of peace and quiet for my picture taking. It was great LOL

I still feel good, but I think the codeine at night is getting to me. I think its making me feel bad during the day, so I am not going to take anymore to help me rest, I will just take a benedryl capsule with some regular Tylenol. I have a bad headache today, so I am drinking lots of water, and trying to stay down. I did cook supper tonight though, it was pretty easy, and I have lots of stamina, just no energy. In other words I can sit and color with my three year old for a couple hours even if I was tired, but don’t ask me to do anything that requires energy. I do not want to rest all day, I want to be busy, but a slow busy. So I decided to start typing this today.

I have found though that the zippered front sports bras are not as comfortable as the eyehook ones. I have found that the bottom of the zipper in the cheaper bras, (difference of under $10 to $35), sort of dig in to your rib cage. I have a ‘Rawlings’ and a ‘Bestform’ zip style and both did this. They are ok if you can tuck a piece of gauze or something under the bottom of the zipper, but the ‘Bestform’ eyehook bras are great, and the ‘Champion’ zip up bra is ok. My only problem with the ‘Champion’ is that its VERY supportive, and the arm holes come very close to the edge of my smiley incisions. This pressure close to those incisions caused a little more discomfort. I think it’s a great bra though and in a week or so I plan on wearing it a lot more. Today I even tried to go braless for a while. I think it lasted about 5 minutes. I just started being very sore and tender without the support.

I have to say the first week is going pretty well, I am getting a bit of a scratchy throat, so I am taking some extra Vitamin C. I will probably just write a weekly update from now on since things are healing well.