91. Operation Finale : Phase One = Complete

I'm lounging in bed with lots of pillows, cups of tea, Jurassic Park and moggits.  Two days ago I went in for my (take a deep breath......) bilateral breast reconstruction liposculpture fat grafting, nipple reconstruction and dog ear revision surgery.  Basically, I had my lardy bits pummelled out and pumped, very expertly, into my reconstructed breast tissue, had the ends of my scars snipped off and finished and had some nipples made from my own skin, which all took 4 hours.  I'm still a little swollen so it will take a while to see things settle down and I go back to see comedy surgeon in 2 months time for a review.

I've been hanging onto an extra 8-10lbs I gained over the summer (thank you implant) in anticipation of this surgery.  It doesn't look like much but they are much fuller, about a whole cup size and instead of being empty in the top of the bra cup, they now meet the material and fill the cup - AMAZING!!  From a 35A to a 36B again.  I may lose 50% of the fat injected but that is remedied by one or two more liposuction sessions.  I've never posted photos and I plan to dedicate a whole blog post  from the beginning to the end when I'm complete, like closing the book on things and demonstrating visually just how amazing plastic surgery is these days.

My breast reconstruction was 3 years 7 months ago now and over the last 2 years, after being passed to the Plastic Surgery team, I have developed a really relaxed and jovial relationship with comedy surgeon, an expert in the field of breast reconstruction and correction of breast asymmetry.  He treats me like a person, not a lump of flesh and we have a good laugh.  He knows that I expect his very best work and I know that he gives it.  

I was very impressed with his plastic surgery team, one very handsome surgical assistant and one very handsome anaesthetist - sweet!  The anaesthetist team were excellent, introduced themselves to me individually as I led on the operating table. 

Handsome anaesthetist put a cannula in my hand and joked about stuff whilst everyone else hooked me up with sticky monitor pads and tubes.  Then I had the G 'n' T drowsy stuff which always makes my heart race.  It could make you feel panicky if you let it but you have to breath deeply and relax and go with it, you are in expert hands.  They then give you the proper stuff and you are gone in seconds.  The next thing you know you're in the recovery ward.  I'm not sure if someone sits with you the whole time you are still under, waiting for you to rouse from your induced sleep, but there has always been someone right there when I wake up.  It is so comforting to have someone there.  I talked gibberish but knew where I lived and my name so that was good news.  Then, as if my magic, I am on a ward, so I guess I passed out again and missed the trip through the hospital corridors and lifts.  

Two hours later I was starving and eating cheddar Burts crisps with my husband by my side, then felt nauseous and my nose was mega itchy, so I must have had morphine somewhere down the line.  Anti-sickness and anti-itching pills were administered and 20 minutes later I felt much better.  Hooray for not eating the meatball dinner.  My backup chocolate and jelly worms would came in handy.

I bummed out on the bed lottery, the only one on the ward without a TV and a dodgy bendy light with a broken switch.  It was also closest to the toilets and right next to the nurses desk. The snoring, coughing, painful moans, old man shouting, toilet visitors and general chit chat was never going to let me sleep.  My phone had died just before I'd gone into surgery so I had no music at all.  I was left with my earphones so I stuffed them in my ears anyway, ate chocolate and jelly worms, did puzzles and drank Horlicks at 3am until I finally got to sleep, 4 sweet hours of it.

The pain is minimal unless I move.  I don't visibly bruise much but they are beginning to come out over my hips, outer, inner and backs of my thighs, under my boobs, my belly, and my boobs themselves with some uncomfortable swelling at the ends of my dog ears, but generally things went very well and my boobs are looking fuller and more even.  I can't wait to meet my new nipples next week! It's going to be bizarre!