Hi Sue
I see you've been getting great advice from women here (Louie is like a guardian angel). I started immediate reconstuction when I had the bilateral mastectomy. They put 150ml in each side during the op. After three weeks I had my first "fill" of 60ml each side and a week later had my 2nd fill. It is was very puffy and tender under my arms for the first couple of weeks after the op but that has settled. The first few weeks it was hard to sleep because you can't roll on your side and I find sleeping on my back for hours on end difficult. Generally, I now feel like I am wearing a tight strapless bra. It is annoying but all part of the process.
The 24hr period after the fill is more sore and I take medication, especially to sleep. During the day I don't notice it all so much. I should be finished my fills in about 4 more weeks then should be able to have my silicon implant exchange surgery at the end of Sep. So that is my light at the end of the tunnel and I know I won't always feel uncomfortable. I was really pleased to be able to have immediate reconstuction.
Being a distance from the hospital, if you go the silcon implant reconstruction path you'll need to consider whether you want to have more put in at each fill so that you don't have to go so often. I imagine this would be more painful. Something to discuss with your doctor of course. It also depends on how big you want to go. I was orginally 450ml each side (they told me this after the op), a 12B/C, so I thought I'd go to that but now that I'm quite used to being flat chested I'm not sure I'll go that far. Might stop at 400ml. Will see how I feel when I get to that. I am 270ml now. Love not wearing a bra (gave all of my underwire bras to my teenage daugthers). Just wear singlet tops under my clothes instead. Tried wearing a bra (with padding) but it is sore under the arms.
When I read your posts, Sue, it made me a bit emotional because it is such recent history for me that I was going through that same onslaught of emotional and physcial pain (those endless core biopsies are no fun are they?) - telling the children, making decisions, wondering what the bloody hell the pathology results woudl reveal after surgery. I know how you are feeling. It's awful. Hang in there. One step at a time. It sounds like you're doing all the right things and it is great that you are asking questions and getting informed.
Sonya
