Hi everyone,
Some good experiences- nipple recon/lipo after DIEP/mx, really not painful at all!!
I’ve been meaning to post for ages but haven’t got into the new site. However, I do feel I owe it to others to share my experiences as i go along as the forums were the most vital source for me and must be for other people going through the many hoops of the BC Olympics.
So this thread has prompted me to write now and I hope it helps some of you in making decisions, though we are all different in terms of BC, I’m a pretty standard ol bod in general health matters!
TImewise, had left diep/mx end of Nov 2011, then in March this year i was approved for stage two, ie nipple recon, lipo from recon boob, reduction of the circle which was overlarge, lipo from hips, dog ears removed and reopening of centre of tummy wound where I had an adhesion.
Had to wait until 10 august due to the numbers on the list ahead of me, went in as a day patient. The op, under GA, took about an hour, and I got rid of the drip and was up and about an hour afterwards. I had blue sticky tape over steri strips on my hips and tum, and a dressing( rather like a giant plaster) on my boob. That’s all.
I went home same day, and walked into town and back the next day. The bruising started to come out …and I started arnica pillules and cream. The only discomfort was on the first two nights when it was hard to get comfy for sleep on my back, so I took paracetamol for three days only.
So what else…? My underarm and left side of boob were swollen and red/black, one hip had bruising down low on my buttock, the other nothing. I suppose the bruised bum meant I had to sit down carefully! Gradually this has moved around and changed colour, but after a week I couldnt feel it at all whatever it looked like. The op hasn’t stopped me doing anything except carrying weights but I’ve noticed if I’ve walked around a bit too much I’ve felt tired and a pull from my tummy wound. This Sat, so a week on, I travelled down by train to London for my birthday, light lunched in harrods then walked right across Hyde Park, rested up and went out for dinner…i didn’t row a boat though!
The main inconvenience has been the swelling and need to get back into non sexy underwear!!! The boob and my back expanded to 38DD whereas I’m normally 36c, and after the DIEP I was 36D. But 10 days on, this swelling is going down and my boob bruising has totally gone. I just have a couple of black marks at the side, under my boob. Haven’t felt anything at all from having the dog ears cut off. My hips and tum also swelled, I reckon an inch and a half on each side, and an inch in the middle probably. This is also going down, im trying to drink plenty of water to wash out toxins.
After a week i had the dressings changed, the only tricky bit was the tum wound where the plaster removal gave me a free wax. Everything was good and dry, and I even risked a look at the nipple…wow! Plasters went back on, and Ive been able to have a shower from then on. This Thursday, so two weeks down the road, I’ll have all the dressings taken off.
To continue with recovery I’ve stocked up on some fab M and S White cotton firm support pants and topped up my range of sports bras with a couple of giants from sainsburys@£5 each! It’s a nuisance finding summer things to wear that dont show the heavy duty bras, but a small prove to pay longterm. The ward sister said only had to wear surgical stockings till I was up and about normally, so they came off the next day!
Really, I AM the worlds biggest coward when it comes to surgery and pain but I’ve been so pleasantly surprised, I dont know why I worried. If you’re not having as many bits done as I had,
they can do the nipple and a bit of lipo under local anaesthetic…I wouldnt have looked mind you!!! I never liked the nipple less boob look, especially as it was overstuffed and too big for me, but the fear of surgery was a lot to weigh up. I’m so glad I put it on one side! I took some initial post surgery pics and I’m looking forward to some nicer shots when it’s healed…will keep you posted once the dressings are all off!
Best wishes to all going through the process,
Nonsuch xxxx
