First Fill a Week after Surgery

So, for three days after my surgery I couldn't remove the compression bra.  When Dan helped me to bathe and wash my hair, we were freaked out about what we would see under that bra.  We slowly removed the bandages...and... it wasn't as bad as we thought it would be.   I thought the drain tubes would be inserted and sewed into the scar, but they were actually inserted into my skin through a hole under my arms about 2 inches from the end of my scars. The scars looked like they hurt, but they looked fine.  My boobies looked like sad little deflated balloons that were smooshed flat onto my chest.  But I wasn't worried about that, because I knew they would be filled with saline over time.  Really easier to observe than I had anticipated. 

Dan has been a dear washing and blowdrying my hair and taking care of me.  He's been vacuuming, making meals and driving the kids around.  That's another thing I didn't think about...I can't drive for a while after the surgery.

I'm not supposed to move my arms at the shoulder, just at the elbow.  The scar and my muscle should be allowed to heal and we don't want a lot of movement.

I went in on Friday for my first FILL.  First, Dr. Ferguson used a little magnet on a pivot.  It swung sideways until it was over the metal port in my expander.  Then the magnet was perfectly vertical.  The spot was marked and then a needle with 30ccs of saline was injected through that site.  The huge needle didn't hurt as much as I thought it would.  The top part of my breast is pretty numb and feels weird when it's touched.  Then the expander in my other breast was filled after they marked the spot with the magenet's help.  Dr. Ferguson said it was a good sign that both of the expander ports were level where they had been marked.

(My expanders have the metal port inside the expander)

Travis, the Physician Assistant, then snipped the stitches that
attached the tubes of the drains to my skin.  There was actually a little "o" circle that surrounded the tube of the drain in one spot where it was taped to the tube.  That "o" was sewed to my skin with a stitch or two.

Then he had me take a deep breath and let it out as he pulled out the drain tube.  That tube had been coiled all around my breast expander under my skin and it looked like a tapeworm was making it's way free.  Again, I had anticipated a lot of pain, but really, it didn't hurt much when the tubes were being removed. 

I was to put a little dab of antibiotic ointment on the drain tube holes and change my dressings daily.  I'm just using a LARGE adhesive bandaid on top of them.  A little bandaid might move around too easily under the compression bra.

I can tell a little that there is a little more saline in my expanders.  The boobies still look a little flat smooshed.

The nurse said that I will return every week for FILLS for anywhere from 4 to 8 weeks. Then I will wait 3 months until they will do the expander swap for actual implants.

I still feel a little pain from various things...the compression bra has me feeling  like I can't stand up straight, so there's some strain on my back...I feel a constant, low pain in my chest area and it seems that this pain is more apparent as I try to sleep.

Sleep is another issue...it's tough to get a good night's sleep when you are propped up on pillows on your back with your hands down at your side.  One little warm flash and it takes a bit to calm my mind to settle down to sleep again. 

I really can't complain.  I have no signs of infection so far and I have wonderful family and friends who care for me and show their love with kind acts of service so often.