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Post-Surgery Struggles

 


I am sure it goes without saying that the first week after my surgery, Oct. 5th - 12th, was the most trying and painful. Even with pain medications, I still experienced stinging where the incisions were made and a pulling/bruised feeling when I moved in certain ways. My fiance James and I decided on the day of my surgery that I would station myself in the pull-out bed in the living room until I felt capable of moving around reliably on my own.

Lots of Things That Were Easy Before Were Difficult After Surgery

There were things I was prepared to struggle with after surgery. I knew there would be some pain, but the pain was a price I knew I would be willing to pay for a smaller chest, so I did not consider the reality that it would hurt as much as it did. Rest assured, the pain has never been bad enough that I regretted getting the surgery. 

That being said, before I received my surgery, my surgeon (Dr. Pamela Antoniuk) informed me that I would have the following limitations as a result of the reduction:

  1. I would not be able to lift anything that weighed 10 pounds or more.
  2. I would have limited arm movement; no lifting arms greater than 90 degrees, no moving my elbows back behind my waist. Dr. Pamela Antoniuk called it "T-Rex arms."
  3. I could not shower for 48 hours after surgery. 
  4. I had to wear my surgical bra 24/7 and change the dressing once daily to check for proper healing. (If my nipples began turning black it meant that there was not proper blood flow to the nipple and the nipple could fall off. It is rare, but it can happen.)
  5. I could not drive a car for a week.

So many things I would do without thinking were suddenly so painful, such as:

  1. Turning around [my torso] to adjust a pillow.
  2. Wiping after going to the bathroom.
  3. Properly cleansing during a shower - I could not reach behind myself or below my belly-button.
  4. Hugging people in a comforting way.
  5. Reaching  above or below for ANYTHING. 
  6. Managing my cat, Edwin, who weighs more than my 10 pound lifting limit.
  7. Getting out of bed. It requires more chest usage than you might think!
  8. Arranging blankets and pillows for rest.
  9. Changing clothing.
  10. Changing my dressing/bandaging.

There were, of course, people and tools that assisted me during this struggle. I am confident that I would not have felt capable of getting this surgery if it were not for living with and receiving support from my life-partner and fiance, James William Broxterman, who I plan to marry on August 7th, 2021. On top of offering to help with any physical limitations I had post-surgery, James also offered to help pay for my surgery if I could not afford it on my own. This surgery and the recovery would not have been possible without him!

When I became open about plans for a top surgery on social media, a friend of mine named Kieran Flynn Viseth who had received one himself recommended that I get a clamp to pick things up from the ground. He told me that bending over hurt a lot and he would have really benefited from one after his surgery. This practical advice ended up helping me a lot! I actually am beginning to wonder how I got along without a clamp before. Being short, it has become super handy for me to grab things from up high, as well! 

Other things I would recommend doing if you are planning on having a chest surgery would be making sure all the food and objects you need access to are as close to chest-level as possible to avoid reaching or bending to get them. A step stool is helpful tool to aid in this endeavor. 

I guarantee you will get an itch that is hard to reach. Purchase a back-scratcher. I recommend getting one with a curve to it so you do not have to lift your arms to use it. 

Get something with similar reach and a loofah or scrubbie at the end to assist with showering. My doctor also recommended using a hair dryer to ensure the scarred area would be completely dry before applying dressing and wearing a bra. Where is the scarring, you may wonder? Dr. Antoniuk made incisions under each breast, and then up and around the nipple on each side. Think of an underlined, lowercase "i". 

Load up on dressing that has lots of padding to help compress the area. I used ABD (abdominal) dressing in the largest size available.

And never underestimate the help of a friend! Let your friends know about your surgery ahead of time and as needs arise, let them know what they can help with. There is a boat-load of people out there who want the best for you and would be willing to help if you asked, so don't be fearful of requesting aid from friends!

And, despite the pain, you might even feel confident enough to have your friend take photos of you in your shirt that fits so differently now! A huge shout out and thank you to Elias James Anderson for the rad photos taken on the balcony during my first week of recovery. Even sporting the surgical bra, I felt so good about how I looked. 

The first week of recovery was difficult, but it went by in a wink due to the medications I took and the amount of sleep I got as a result of the healing process. It turns out getting your chest cut open and reassembled is quite exhausting. The road to recovery had just begun, and I could not be more proud and excited!


 




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