Recovering from Breast Reconstruction Surgery

The surgery lasted four hours, that was the best case scenario.  I didn't realize that I would not be able to eat or drink for another 24 hours after the surgery.  This is a precaution in case I needed to head back into surgery.  I am tired and not interested in the pain medications they are offering.  I don't notice much difference in my pain, which is little, but I am hypersensitive to everything.  With the morphine, I am regularly startled by the things going on around me.

Day 2 
I am allowed a liquid only diet.  I still feel quite nauseous from the anesthesia.  It comes and goes though.  I have a local anesthetic pain pump for my leg incision which I guess is working ok.  My breast area is numb and pretty comfortable.  I feel some discomfort in the muscle at times.  One of the sore spots I keep noticing is at my sternum.  The doctor needed to cut a bit of my rib at the sternum in order to connect the blood vessel.  I have a broken rib and it feels broken.  I don't like the narcotics and have requested only Tylenol.  I am able to walk around and get to the bathroom ok.  

Day 3 

Finally some food!  I still feel bits of nausea, but food helps.  I have been ok'd to add Ibuprofen alternating with Tylenol.  Passing the 48 hour window of recovery means the flap is probably going to be just fine.  The doppler checks are spaced out and it looks like I will be leaving tomorrow on schedule.

Day 15 post op

Day 4-10
I am healing and walking around the block and feeling well.  From time to time I feel exhausted and need to rest.  My surgical areas are healing well, though I still need the three drains though.  On day 10, it's time for Herceptin again and it goes well.

Day 16
Had my "2 week follow-up" at the plastic surgeon's office.  It is still recommended that I restrict my lifting another week or so.  I can move from no bra to wearing a stretchy bra with no cup.  They still recommend keeping the donor area of my thigh wrapped in an ace bandage for compression for another one to two weeks.  There are more sensations coming back to the breast area and I have a hard spot above.  Physical Therapy would be a good idea down the road.  At home I walk twice around my neighborhood totaling 1.2 miles.  My gait is normal, the pace is getting faster, almost normal.  My daily schedule is getting more normal as well.  I can go to my appointment, the library, visit a friend and no longer need an afternoon nap.

Surgery #2 - TUG Flap Reconstruction

My surgery will entail a mastectomy. While my general surgeon is doing that, the plastic surgeon (ps) will be removing skin, tissue, fat and the gracilis muscle from my inner thigh. He will cut the blood supply and prepare it to become a breast mound - that is what they call it. After the mastectomy (removing all breast tissue, nipple, and areola), my general surgeon will leave. The mastectomy will take about an hour. The plastic surgeon takes over now. He will spend the next 3 hours doing microsurgery to reattach the blood vessels, create the illusion of a breast and sew/glue everything back together. The total surgery should take about 4 hours.

After surgery I will be in the ICU or a step down from the ICU. This is only because the new breast needs to be monitored every 1-2 hours for two days. The temperature, pulse, and color will be carefully observed. I have been told that the minimum hospital stay for this procedure is three nights. I will be having a pump of local anesthetic pumped into my thigh for pain relief. I will also have IV pain medication. Though many people do not report as much pain in the breast area because all the nerves have been cut.

At my pre-op appointment today I learned more about anesthesia and what drugs are used for that. I will be fully asleep, my muscles will be realaxed and I will have a ventilator for breathing and bringing in gas anesthesia. As always, I feel more comfortable and confident with more information.

I feel confident in my two surgeons and will allow my body to be changed by them. I will also make a conscious decision to allow the medications to come into my body and do what they are supposed to do.