Hi Rachel
I had my TRAM using 2 flaps on 5 November, so like you am still at a very early stage. I had never thought about the size of my breasts before being diagnosed with bc, they always seemed perfect to me, they got bigger or smaller over the years as I put on nor lost weight, but they always seemed in proportion to my shape. After my surgery
I was amazed to see how 'big' my reconstructed breast was compared to my existing one, and like you I do feel this 'bulge' when I move my arm about.
When I first saw the size of my reconstructed breast, it looked and felt enormous!!! However I have been reassured that it will settle and they went for a slight 'overfil' in trying to match the shape and size of the existing breast. This is because it is very difficult to reduce the volume of the reconstructed breast, and it is less stressful and invasive to do a 'lift' on the existing breast. My surgeon did tell me that this would be the case, although I think I had forgotten all about that!! My breast should soften and settle over the next 6 months and then they can work out how much of a lift my existing breast will need and use some fat from either my bottom or thighs to get both breasts as evenly matched as possible.
i do think that even though it has only been a few weeks my breast has gone down a bit and the bulge is not quite so noticeable, or may be I'm just getting used to it, lol. I think we are both at very early stages for us to have a good idea of how are breasts are going to look in 6 months time. I think it would be good to discuss how you feel with your ps when you next see them, maybe they could put in touch with a few women who have already had the surgery. They may be willing to let you see how theirs turned out and share their experiences.
in the meantime, as Saffronseed says hang on in there. X
