How to read my Blog...

Hi there! This is my diary of Breast Reduction surgery. The blog is run in chronological order so what you see first is the latest post. To read from the beginning (before I had surgery), scroll down the page or click on the archive links to the right.

NOTE for anyone who knows me and may have strayed here from my other blog- This blog does have graphic photos of me before/after surgery... so if you dont want to see that then please don't scroll down. The reason I have posted these photos is that I found it hard to research the surgery myself with the lack of photos available, but more importantly information about what to expect after surgery etc. Hence I have tried to give as much information as possible for other ladies who might be looking into the same thing.

This photo attached shows me and a cast I took of one side before surgery. Quite a difference! All the best, any queries about the surgery or my experience feel free to email rr35@waikato.ac.nz

Scar Healing after 5 Months

5 months on, here is a close up of how my scars have healed. Pretty tidy! They've started to fade now from a brighter red to a pink colour. They don't seem to be raised either, apart from a small portion in the crease (at the outside/armpit edge) where my stretch marks from pre-op are a bit bumpy. The vertical scar was never raised and is mostly barely visable (I had just had a shower before taking this photo and the hot water brought out the colour). The areola scars have flattened out a lot in the last month too, now a lot smoother.

20/20 Follow Up Story

20/20 did a follow up story on my surgery which aired on the 23rd February 2006, (it showed parts of the surgery). There is a video you can watch on the tvnz website at

http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/488124/661235

3 1/2 Months Post Op

Here I am, over 3 months after surgery and feeling really good. Taking a nice shape now and forgetting what it was like to be big! Vertical scars from underneath to the areola are pretty much unnoticeable already, the rest will fade with time. Now there's no excuse for a flabby tummy!

2 Months Post Op!!!

Well, over 2 months since surgery now and things are fabulous. I'm now able to wear underwires and all things normal. I went and had a proper fitting and am a perfect 12DD. Very happy as im not a petite person and I think things are perfectly proportionate. Plus it leaves room for me to lose a little weight and not end up flat chested. Perfect.

Kept micropore tape over the incisions for 2months, so have now graduated to massaging oil onto incisions every now and then, and thats it! Incisions looking great, smooth and red and will fade.

Things I can do now;
*Hug people, bear hugs
*Run, skip, jump, dance (well, in a month ill be unstoppable)
*BREATHE PROPERLY*
*See my stomach when looking down
*Fit into any item of clothing in any store
*Sleep on my back or side without having deadweights roll over the side
*Move my arms freely
*No more skin infections / sweaty bad skin
*Stand up straight!
*Wear a v-neck without showing everything
*Exercise on a gym ball
*Not as hot or clammy in summer coz I can wear summer tops!

3 Weeks Post Op

A photo of me before surgery, being very uncomfortable, and a photo of me 3 weeks afterwards. Words cannot describe how much better I feel.

The healing process

I'm going to be completely honest and blunt about my experiences because I think its important to have realistic expectations of what you will and wont be able to do after surgery. For the first few days I was quite weak and can't remember much due to the effects of anaesthesia. I think my greatest concern was feeling vulnerable (to being bumped or knocked), and I was lucky enough to have family around to do things for me, so I was able to just rest and that made me feel safer. I was very sleepy but didnt really feel like sleeping, infact I dreaded sleeping because I can't stand sleeping on my back. I did try to practice this before surgery, but alas, always woke up on my tummy. Anyway the unconcious mind is a wonderful thing and so far I have remained asleep on my back all night, just not getting a lot of sleep and waking up a bit sore (muscles in back and neck are adjusting). So, to counteract this I have a sleep during the day, which is a bit of a luxury by any standard ;)

When the District Nurse comes to check my 'wounds' (as she calls them), I get a good look at the incisions, and believe me it is taking some getting used to the new, smaller me. I guess its a bit of a radical change in body image! While the steri-strips were still on and there was lots of bruising and caked blood and things, I did get a little woozy when trying to have a shower or get dressed, but once I moved onto micropore tape and the incisions started to close over properly, I felt much more secure. Once I got to that stage, (of being comfortable) the hardest thing was to keep from doing too much, eg lifting, pulling, all the little things around the house you take for granted. So, I did a lot of reading, watching tv and dvds... taking time out every couple of hours to take a walk outside or a wee nap. The District Nurse gave me some exercises to do, gently wiggling my fingers while raising my arms slightly, and im still doing some breathing exercises to make sure I get enough oxygen into the tissues etc.

The wounds themselves haven't bothered me at all. My nipples did get a bit dry and raw because of tape and gauze rubbing, but other than that I can make no complaints. In fact while I've been so relaxed at home here, I've had no headaches or sore muscles other than waking up in the morning from sleeping on my back. That is FANTASTIC huh?

1 - 2 Weeks Healing

I was quite bruised, but in very little (if any) pain. As you can see the bruising went down significantly after the first week and was barely noticeable by the end of the second week. Many of the photos I have seen on the net dont have bruising for this long, some women apparently dont really bruise at all... I guess I just bruise easily!

After the steri-strips came off (a visit to the surgeon who removes them with tweezers) I had micropore tape put on, which I will keep on the incisions for 3 months. Apparently this takes some of the tension/weight off the scars, so they heal better.

I also seem to have lost quite a bit of weight, either because I havent got my appetite back yet, or just because I havent adjusted to the new me yet! Either way its nice to feel good about my shape / size!

1 Week Post-Op

Well here I am, one week out from the op. Doing GREAT, the first few days were a bit crappy as the anaesthetic etc wore off, but now I am starting to feel normal again. Took some photos today and although Im still bruised and swollen, my boobs are TEN MILLION times better than before! The stress on my back is gone, I can sleep on my back without a huge mass spilling over my arms, and I can breathe that much easier!

I can now do most things, put on shirts that dont open at the front, make a cup of tea, even reach above my head, just not any heavy lifting. Feeling good though, no pain at all and feeling very positive.

Stephen Mills and the surgery team did a fantastic job and even as they are, i have THE perfect set of boobs. Not bad considering I just wanted them smaller! It really is a dream come true, AND I'm only a week out! Kinda puts my flabby tummy to shame hehe, looking forward to getting to the gym.

Over the coming weeks and months they will find their true shape, and i will keep this updated as I go.

Peace,
Renelle :)

The next few days after surgery...

29th November (the day after surgery)
I woke up at 5am after a good few hours sleep. I was able to go to the bathroom by myself, had to hold a drain in each hand on the way lol. The nurse told me that I was having visitors coming in around 7am so that gave me something to look forward to. Stephen also came in to have a look, this was also the first time I got to see the latest additions too. There was some deep red bruising around all the areas i could see, and my boobs were pushed out to the side a little, but still looked fabulous and a gazillion times better than they used to be! At this point I also noticed that I still had full feeling in ALL areas, which is GREAT as a lot of women lose feeling in some areas, or the nipple. Glad to say I still have everything :)

At around 8-9am, the nurses changed my dressings, took out the drains (which felt quite odd, having something pulled out from what feels like your insides). The holes leaked for a little while after that but it was suprisingly painfree and not in the least traumatising. The nurses then put some padding over my steristrips and put on my new 14D bra (bought one size up in cup and band size for post op). I bought 2 seam free wireless bras from the Warehouse for $12.99 each. Bargain!

I put a shirt on, got dressed and everyone (especially me) was excited to see the new me! I had a little bit of breakfast, still not very hungry, and then decided to go home. I was discharged at around 10.30 - 11am. The car ride home from Auckland to Hamilton was no where near as bad as I expected... I rode home with a feather pillow across my chest underneath the seat belt, and leant the seat back so i was lying down. I slept most of the way home and was very comfortable. Even so, I was very tired when I did eventually get home. Still feeling slightly nauseous but didnt throw up or anything, and I had a prescription for an anti-nausea drug Buccastem or something anyway. I had a restless first night at home as I didnt have a nice reclining bed like at the Hospital, nor the comfy underlay they have. Plus my pet hate is sleeping on my back. I got a few hours sleep and was up in the morning bright and early to sit in the arm chair for a change in posture position. I watched TV mostly, trying to breathe deeply every now and then as the nurse suggested, to look after my lungs.

30th November
After a restless night mum came to visit in the morning and bought lots of nice treats for me. Not very sore at all today but feeling very vulnerable, and unconsciously walk around and sit down hunched over, i guess to protect my chest. Too chicken to have a shower but the District Nurse is coming in 2 days so I will try and have a shower then.

1st December
District Nurse came today and had a look at the wounds. She said everything looked good, there was no oozing at all from the incisions. She was most concerned with regularly checking the nipple and areola area to ensure that the blood supply was still in tact. Thankfully everything is nice and rosey pink. Taking things very easy, Dad came to visit so he helped out by making cups of tea for me and filling up drink bottles, making lunch and all the things I cant yet lift.

All in all feeling pretty good, ready for the long journey of healing which can take 6months for final shape, and up to a year to get back to normal-ish. Still not hungry but maybe thats a good thing, maybe now I need a tummy reduction to keep up with the fabulous new boobs! hehe.