#top surgery progress

Guess who’s one year post op!

I included a few pictures of the me shortly post op (7 days and 4 weeks) because I don’t have any of myself pre-op except for one or two in a binder to compare them to. And because it’s one thing to know that your body and results can change over time and another to see photo evidence of it.

🌟6 weeks post op🌟

(They/them)

Oh hey!!! We’re officially two months post op!

I’ve been back at work for a few weeks and life is pretty rad. I’ve got some muscle pain on my sides, and the jury’s still out if that’s related to the surgery or generalized back pain-- but I think it’s probably the latter since it didn’t start right after I went back to work.

Anyways I am loving my results! I’m hoping that more pigment keeps returning to my right nip especially and that they kind of....settle out? My left is definitely visibly smaller but also more raised than the left. so if they don’t end up matching up better, I’ll probably look into tattoos to help even them up from the front, at least.

We are officially 4 weeks post op!!! 

No big long post today, but I am feeling great! All the scabs are off of my nips and my scars. My left nipple still looks just a little wonky, but the graft has stayed and recovered beautifully considering my struggle earlier in the month. I’ve started doing (very light) scar massage with some cocoa butter and I’m hoping that on my 4-weeks post op appointment on Thursday I’ll be cleared to start up with scar strips too. And hopefully I’ll be cleared to head back to work next week too.

I'm glad I looked at my countdown app today or I would have missed this!

I don't have crazy much to say about my surgery recovery.

I had my final check up w my surgeon and there's no concerns. I've been fully cleared for a while

however I was smoking a lot over the last few weeks and it was making my chest hurt (like the scars, not my lungs) so I've been cutting back a LOT

I keep either Vaseline, lotion, or scar tape on my scars as much as I can. lotion is nice cause it doesn't get on my clothes like Vaseline. the scar tape is kinda expensive (like 10 bucks per roll, a roll lasts me like 5? applications, but I could make it last longer if I didn't put it on my nipples too) so I only put it on if I know I won't need to shower for a day or so

besides that, I'm just so happy to finally be free

I saw the pics I took before surgery and it jump scared me so much!

I feel so hot now, and I take a many more pictures of myself because I like how I look!

I go shirtless around my house most of the time. I love just wearing athletic shorts with nothing else

what else?

my range of motion is still reduced but I really think it's a skin tightness rather than muscles? I'm getting a lot of stretch marks above my nipples because I think my surgeon pulled the skin too tight there (but I'd rather that than having loose skin or dog ears). I try to keep everything moisturized but I'm not sure its helping, or if there's something better to help it. but I'm able to do everything in my daily life, it's just lifting my arms straight up and stretching that's a bit difficult.

Skin has been a little irritated and a little itchy for the past few days. The worst of it is where the grafts/sutures/drain holes are so I’m sure that’s part of the general healing process, but definitely some along my back and abdomen that’s new over the past 36 hours or so. I’m hoping that changing binders will help today since the second one was just washed yesterday. The one I’m changing into is also a better fit, on the oft chance that has anything to do with it

Also giving my chest a little bit of time to breathe, no binder, no gauze or anything like that. It’s been about 15 minutes since my shower and as I’m writing this I am becoming gradually more hyperaware of the places that I don’t have feeling in my chest and it’s kinda freaky feeling. May or may not be due to relative inability to sleep last night? Will definitely monitor though. Numbness and tingling right now is moving down the chest/sides and towards my nipples along the front. Could also be a part of nerve reconnection? Might also just be because this is the longest I’ve gone without a binder since surgery and my body is adjusting. 

Also, also going to try to get on a tank top between my skin and the binder today. It’s loose enough it should go on okay....And the straps are a little bit ratty, so if I have to cut them some to make it easier it’s incredibly doable and won’t hurt my feelings any. I’ve got another 5 weeks in the binder, so it’s important we make this pretty bearable

So far nipples still look good. The left nipple has a small pinkish spot on it where it was a little flaky, but that’s normal and otherwise they both seem good. No unusual oozing or colors that make me concerned about infection, and I’ve been using non-adherent gauze pads instead of the ones the surgeon gave me to minimize additional trauma to the grafts. Nipple care is bactracin ointment on the grafts once daily until Monday (13 days post op), at which point if there are any pinkish/red spots I can continue for another week or stop if they’re looking good.

Scars are also looking good. Some scabby bits have started to flake off, but nothing seems irritated or anything like that. There’s a little bit of puckering/wrinklingish along the scar line, but it’s not bad, and likely only noticeable to me. Surgical results can take up to a year to totally settle, so I’m not actually concerned about it, I just know that in 6 months it’ll be good to reflect more on. The puckering is definitely worse along my sides, under my armpits, and the excellent news is that nobody, including me is going to see that very often, so even if that does linger, I’m not that worried about it.