I think I misspoke. Turns out, I found a bit more to say...sorry! There are some things I realized I didn't address; not things of great importance but things that tend to cross my mind from time to time. Funny, when I think I've said it all other things pop into my head and then when I try to put the words to paper they seem to fall apart as though I'm trying to catch a soap bubble. I don't know that there's anything left to say about the initial diagnosis and the surgery. Having the expander inside my chest was interesting and made dressing fun. Flat chested on one side and not on the other...lots of baggy sweaters are a good idea for that. Like I said, the support bra helped a lot; it really did feel comfortable and secure....I had to force myself to give it up, odd huh? The expander is like a deflated balloon under the skin. Because of having the breast removed, there is a lot of skin loss. The expander goes under the skin and has a port the plastic surgeon would inject saline into. This forces the skin to stretch in preparation for the implant. At this point I should mention, I had several options open to me for reconstruction. One option was not to have reconstruction and wear a prosthetic...not an option for me. I have watched my mom struggle with those things for years and I knew I would not want to go that route. Believe it or not, she has to fight tooth and nail to get it replaced, and I know someone else who has to hold hers together with duct tape.....absurd to me...but you can get all the Viagra or Cialis you want. Sad when you think about it. Since I had the option of reconstruction, it was a matter of choosing which type of reconstruction I wanted. The one I really wanted involved taking skin from the stomach, like a tummy tuck, and reconstructing a breast with that. That is, and will be, the only time in my life I've heard the words, "you don't have enough skin to do that". Also when taking skin from one part of the body and transplanting it to another, there is the risk of the skin dying. I did not want to take that chance. Turns out, that happened to me later, but that's another story for another day. Those are my reasons for choosing the tissue expander. Having the saline injected did not hurt at all...the syringe was huge, the needle not so much. Plus he used a little device that he would run over my skin and locate the port, just under the skin so the needle went right into the port...never hurt. It was a series of injections over about 2 months...trying to get the sizing just right. Once it was, off to have the implant..implanted.
There are 2 types of implants...saline and silicone...I chose silicone. I researched, which anyone should do, seriously and decided silicone was best for me. If I have regrets about my choice it is in the fact, that I did not have both breasts reconstructed. As I've mentioned in previous posts, things were in a blur, and I really did not choose wisely in only having one implant. The shape of my breasts are different, bras do not fit well, and my clothes hang differently. Please, I can't stress enough, SLOW DOWN!!! Think through your options.
Ta, ta for now
