Reconstruction two weeks ago - need your help!!!

Hi everyone!
I have had the surgery two weeks ago:left breast gone and reconstructed.

But the feeling of the new breast is really awful!
It is heavy, much bigger than my natural right one, and also it is hard on the edges. I feel like I am wearing a heavy padded, very tight bra on my left side, which causes me constant pain.
Also I feel like they took off too much of my skin on my tummy, so that now I can’t straighten up and I have to be bent when I am walking.
Otherwise my tummy will be torn.

Please, tell me that this is a temporary feeling…
Or not?
Is it only me or there are other people who is dissatified with the reconstruction surgery results?

I did not ask for a n ideal tummy or breast. All I wanted to feel adequate after the mastectomy.

Thank you in advance for all your discussions.

Kind regards,

Julia

Hi,
Well I had an LD flap reconn 18 months ago, I am happy with results now, but at first it felt like I was carrying a bag of clay around on my chest,I was told that reconns take about a year to settle down nd become part of you. Mine now feels part of me, it is soft like a boob , was hard at first and no longer feels like a lump of clay

good luck ,sure yours will settle to

Hi Julia
Please don’t despair. Your experience sounds all too familiar. I had mastectomy in May 2007 and a delayed DIEP reconstruction back in April this year. I must admit that for the first few weeks I was very emotional and was very disappointed in the results and regretted having the reconstruction. However, 6 months down the line I can honestly say it’s the best thing. My breast is now much softer and I actually prefer the shape to my other breast. The feeling in your tummy will also get easier. I felt like I was permanently hunched for a couple of months at least and found it difficult/uncomfortable to stand up straight. Please keep looking forward and just remember that over time you will feel better.
Take care, Sarah x

Hi
I had a mastectomy with immediate ld flap reconstruction in July this year and i have experienced exactly the same feelings as you. It felt really heavy and swollen and not part of me at all but this does get better with time and begins to feel more normal. I have an expander in which i am having inflated every three weeks to stretch the skin. I mentioned to my bc nurse the other day how tight it felt and pulled when i move my arm around and that it felt a bit hard and she reassured me that this will get better over the months and it will soften and feel more like a normal breast. I was relieved to hear that this tightness won’t last forever. I am sure you will begin to feel better as the weeks go on. I find that the exercises that i got off the Physio help ease the stiffness so its good to keep doing them. I wish you a speedy recovery and hope it gets easier.
Lots of love
Julie xxx

Hi Robbenn, sjc131068 and truffle shuffle,

Thanks to all of you for your comments.
I think dispair is exactly what I am feeling at the moment.

But if you are saying that this feeling will go away and I will be able to straighten up again and about the boob, it will feel as my own, this is the only things I wish.

I don’t want an ideal body. Of course if naturally I had one I would not say no.
But I would never ever go for a plastic surgery if I did not think it was necessary for my confidence.
I did not care fro my flabby tummy. Now it is flat, but I can’t straighten up. I do hope that what you said will come true for me too.

Thanks again and I wish you all everything you wished for!!!

Yours sincerely,
Julia xxx