I'm back (again)!!!

Have you missed me? I know I’ve been MIA for the past few weeks, but I have a good excuse. At the very beginning of the month, the hubs and I went on our first “vacation” in about two years—if you can call Nashville and two Phish shows a vacation. I, personally, came home needing a spa- or beach-based getaway after four days of honky tonk, urban living (i.e. pretty much walking everywhere all damn day) and local cuisine that does not align with my dietary restrictions.

We got home late that Thursday night and I was wheeled into the O.R. early Monday morning for part two of my breast reconstruction—so I spent most of my last kid-less week of summer off my feet. In case you’re wondering what that entailed, you’re in luck…

As a refresher, I had surgery #1 back in April, which involved a double mastectomy to remove my cancer and virtually guarantee that I never have another breast cancer ever again. Once my breast surgeon finished her job, my plastic surgeon stepped in to insert expanders, which are basically temporary implants that get filled with saline over the following weeks and months until they reach the desired size.

After almost four months with the expanders (which are far from fun, BTW), surgery #2 involved getting my “real” implants. The last thing I remember before going under was the nurse showing me an entire cart of implants so my plastic surgeon had many, many options to find the best "fit” for my body and desired size.

I’m a card-carrying member of the Implant Club.

Now, my body is now the proud home of 505cc smooth, round, high-profile, cohesive silicone (“gummy bear”) Sientras. If you’re at all familiar with breast augmentation you’re probably thinking those are HUGE—but remember that I was starting with zero breast tissue—and my goal was to be a full B-cup.

My second reconstruction procedure also included liposuction on my stomach, which is basically like the post-cancer consolation prize—but there was a reason for it beyond vanity. See, the fat that was sucked out was processed to filter out the non-fat and then re-injected over the implants in the upper portion of my breasts to help them look more natural. Because no one wants to look like “tits on a stick” (or at least I don’t).

This surgical add-on comes along with its own recovery in the form of major swelling and bruising on my abdomen that extends down to my upper thighs, as well as small incisions on my hipbones. I have to wear a girdle-like compression garment for at least three weeks, which honestly might be the most uncomfortable part (at least now that I’m off the Percoset). Oh, and my surgeon also did a little lipo around my armpit and on the sides of my chest to make the final outcome even better.

Here I am one week after surgery—obviously working and running at about 95% although I can’t exercise, lift anything heavy or over-exert myself. Appearance-wise, my boobs feel ginormous, but my surgeon reassured me that I’m still very swollen when I saw him this morning. The first time around it took about 2 months for the swelling to go down, so I’m not freaking out about the fact that I can literally rest my chin on my boob like a pillow.

And with that, this should (hopefully) be the last of the surgery for quite some time. (I’ll likely need to have my implants replaced at some point down the line because they are not lifetime “devices.”) Yes, they’ll also have to be monitored (this protocol is on my list of questions for when I see my plastic surgeon again in two weeks), but nowhere near the level of screening I was doing before I was diagnosed with cancer.

It’s certainly been a journey to say the least, and at the end of it all I have new boobs, a flatter stomach and most importantly, MY HEALTH—along with a new outlook on life.

I’ll ask again… Are you due for a mammogram??? If so, don’t put it off because early detection is essential for a happy ending like mine.