I've been strapped!

Well the first 2 weeks weren't horribly slow, but I truly haven't missed having to plan my wardrobe around sports bras!

At my 3 week check, Dr. Vanek and I noticed a little tension area at the bottom of my right breast, which is what I saw before my capsulectomy, so Dr. Vanek recommended that I wear this strap thing for 6-8 hours a day to help the implant move in and down. At first the strap didn't seem so bad, but within a few hours I was already sick of it! It sort of rubbed right under my arm, in the armpit area, and made it difficult to wear anything but baggy shirts to hide it. I've gotten to the point where I make sure it's on by 7:30 in the morning so I can have it off at 3:30 in the afternoon when my kids get home and I have to start working on dinner. It's a huge sigh of relief every day when I can reach into my shirt and release the Velcro....ahhhhhhhh!

Dr. Vanek informed me that I would probably wear the strap for a month or 2, and warned me that it would annoy me but not to get so nuts with wearing it all day and driving myself crazy. Unfortunately, it's been almost 3 weeks since I started wearing it, and I swear, my left side is bottoming out because of it. It's like since my left side was already perfect and fine, the damn strap caused the implant to shift too far down. I am hoping and praying that I am imagining things, but I did call the doc today and he told me to stop wearing the strap. I already have an appt. with him for a check next week, so I'm going to stay calm until then. I was planning on actually running at the gym tonight, my first time since my capsulectomy, but he advised me against it. I guess I'll stick to walking for now, maybe the stationary bike even. I really hope that I am just crazy and there's nothing wrong with my left breast. Keep your fingers crossed for me please!

Recovery

When I woke up from surgery, there was a nurse taking my vitals, and asking me how I felt. I was surprised, but I had some pretty decent pain, like maybe a 6 on a scale of 1-10, so I asked for some pain meds. My vitals were stable, and after a second dose of pain medicine thru my IV, they transferred me back to the little cubby I was in while waiting for surgery.

I was shocked, but the nurses had me stand and transfer back into that recliner chair. Now, I don't know about everyone else, but after surgery, I'm still a little groggy and sleepy from the anesthesia. Imagine how tough it was to try to get comfortable and rest while sitting up in a chair, without the legs reclined or anything. At this point, not having a tv or even a small radio was more than a small annoyance for me. I was too groggy to try to read anything, too uncomfortable to sleep, and there was nothing else to do. Now I realize it was my fault that I didn't have my hubby there to keep my company, but quite frankly, I didn't want to talk, I wanted to rest.

I continued to have like this burning pain in my right breast, and at one point I did hit the call button and ask a nurse about it. She checked the incision, said it was oozing a little bit, which was normal, and then left. After Dr. Vanek came in to check on me, he did ask them to give me 2 Percocet for the pain, which is twice the amount ordered for me to take once I get home. Anyway, the nurse gives me the meds, and 10 minutes later comes back to let me know that my husband is outside waiting to pick me up. One of my little ones fell asleep, so he just stayed in the car. She hands me the bag with my personal belongings in it, tells me to get dressed, walks out and closes the curtain. I'm sitting there thinking, " Well, this should be fun. All drugged up and I get to get dressed without any help!" Anyway, I got myself dressed, coat and shoes on, and I opened the curtain up to let them know I was ready to go. The nurse comes back after a few minutes, and has me walk out of the recovery area and out to the waiting room to meet my husband. Seriously, women have babies and fricken get a wheelchair to take them to the car. But I guess since it was an elective surgery for my boob, I get to walk. Add some Percocet and the whole thing becomes a lot more fun for everyone.

I did make it to the car, just about the time I thought I was going to vomit all over the place. Fortunately, I got the seat to recline back a bit, and I closed my eyes while my hubby drove us to get some Boston Market. I had only eaten some Lorna Doone cookies and that was after surgery and not nearly enough to combat the nausea that Percocet can cause. We also had to stop at the drugstore to fill some antibiotic prescriptions for the little ones, who had been at the pediatrician while I was in surgery and diagnosed with ear infections and colds.

By the time we made it home, I really didn't think I could eat anything. I tried several times to eat small bites of vegetables and some turkey, but each time I felt like it would be jumping back out of my mouth before I could get it swallowed. I was very upset with the care I received, and called my mom to have a good cry about the whole thing and just to get some reassurance that the pain and nausea would go away and that I would be fine. Talk about being a baby!

I got thru the night with the help of Percocet. Sleeping in the Lazy Boy isn't nearly as comfortable when you know you have to be there instead of your bed. Fortunately, HSN and QVC seem to run the best darn stuff in the middle of the night, so I had a whole list of things to buy by the time my hubby woke up in the morning. ( I was with phone but without credit card during the night! ) It's funny, but after just a few days, even my kids knew to put the TV on Home Shopping Network before they went to bed hehe!

The pain was more of a burning feeling, and I definately felt yuckier than I did with my initial BA and lift. I met with Dr. Vanek the day after surgery and was transferred into my sports bra. God, how I didn't miss having to wear those 24/7. The next 2 weeks are going to drive me insane!

Surgery time again!

I wish I could say that my capsulectomy surgery was as good of an experience as my initial BA and lift, but I was at a different facility this time and they really didn't do much to make me feel comfortable. When I arrived for my surgery, there was only a very short 5 min wait before the nurse came out and got me. We shared some small talk as she showed me to a small cubicle with one of those hospital "recliner" chairs in it. After verifying my name etc, she took my vitals and asked me a few questions about when and what I had eaten last. She then left me with a bag to place my belongings into and had me get changed into that lovely hospital gown and footies. I was glad to be told I could wear my undies this time around! Must have to do with the fact this surgery was shorter, so no need to be catheterized.

Anyway, the nurse came back and started hunting down my veins so she could begin my IV. Now in the past, I have had issues with giving blood and getting IV's and the such, because my veins are crappy. So this part always worries me, since I am not a big fan of getting stuck a bajillion times with a needle. The nurse was good, and got the stick on the first try so I was a happy camper. After she got me all taped up, she put on my hospital ID bracelet, propped my legs up, and gave me some magazines to read while I waited. Now, I don't mind reading but it was odd to not have a small tv there for some background noise. No big deal, I was still feeling pretty calm about everything.

The anesthesiologist came in and introduced himself, asked me some questions about my past history with general anesthesia and intubations, had me sign a consent, and off he went! Dr. Vanek came in, made his marks around my right breast, and then he took off to scrub up for surgery. The nurse came back in, and helped me to walk to the surgical suite, and at this point I really started getting nervous. I mean, this is it...going back under the knife and wondering if this is all really worth it. Plus, there's a ton of nurses in surgical gowns buzzing about the room and it's freakin cold in there and my nerves are shot!

So my nurse helps me climb onto the operating table, making sure I don't bump into any of the blue sterile fields, and helps me get all situated with my gown and stuffs. Then a nurse starts putting those inflating TENS units on my legs, so I don't get blood clots, while at the same time a nurse on each side is strapping down my arms to the little arm tray thingies. So yeah, even though they are talking to me, and joking that now is about the time my nose will itch ( since I'm strapped down at this time ) I was lying there thinking how horrible all this feels. All these people doing all this stuff all at once, and then, all the sudden I feel a burning in my left arm and I look up and realize that the anesthesiologist has just put the medicine into my IV without saying boo to me about it first. Just as a side note, it's pretty much standard practice to tell your patients what your going to do BEFORE you do it. That was just awful to have him putting me under without warning me first. And I was lying there thinking that they didn't do it this way at the hospital where I had my first surgery done. I then hear that Dr. Vanek is going to hold my hand, and I did feel a hand and I did squeeze it as hard as I could as I watched the oxygen mask come down over my face. I vaguely remember saying " Take good care of me" as tears began to form and then I was out.

Next up.....Recovery!

Planning another surgery!

Sheesh, less than 24 hours after scheduling my capsulectomy, I realized I had a conflict with my schedule. Fortunately, Dr. Vanek's office is completely wonderful and they were able to easily move my surgery around. I am going in on the 19th of this month, just two weeks away! I wanted to make sure to go in before Easter so that my kids are all on Spring break and I don't have to worry about driving during that first week. Supposedly this is going to be a much easier surgery than my first, although even that one seems like it was almost too easy!

So I am starting to notice more funky kinds of pain with my right breast, just goofy random little shoots of pain every once in a while. Nothing horrible, just odd. I am so nervous about the next surgery, but more because I am worried the damn implant won't go down where it is supposed to! Stupid thing is driving me crazy!

It will be nice having both breasts being pretty much the same size. Even though my implants were filled to the exact same amount, the right one just has her own issues and isn't as full as the leftie. I hate how it looks in a bra. I truly hope this surgery fixes it! I want to be done hating my right side.

I am trying so hard to get everything in order prior to surgery, but I have a lot on my plate right now and with Easter right around the corner there's a lot of family obligations. I haven't told many people about the surgery, because I don't want to deal with the questions and the hassle. Hell, I might even take a cab to and from the surgery center so that my hubby can get the kids to school and take care of the little one. We shall see!

Here we go again!

Well, I saw Dr. Vanek again yesterday for my 6 month post op. We've scheduled a capsulectomy for the right breast, and he assured me he can go in and release the tension or torque in there and hopefully get that implant down where it belongs. Maybe he can have a chat with the muscles in there and get them to release their grip on the implant as well, since this right side appears to be more smooshed than my left =) Aside from that, of course everything else is perfect!

We've scheduled surgery for March 28. This seems so fast to me hehe, but they could have done it this Friday if I wanted them to! Hubby and I have already decided that I will wait at least 4-5 weeks before heading back into the gym and running/lifting. There's no proof that waiting the recommended 3 weeks wasn't enough, but we're just really trying not to take any chances this time. However, I am signed up for the Cleveland Breast Cancer 3 day, where participants walk 60 miles over 3 days, so I am relieved that I will be able to immediately return to gentle walking the day after surgery. My training schedule begins in April so I want to make sure I'm in good shape to begin!

That's about it for now, hopefully this surgery will go as smoothly as the last and my breast will finally go where she should and I won't have to go under the knife again for a very long time!