Making Mountains Out Of Molehills
This morning I had my pre-op appointment for my exchange surgery. I think the real purpose of the appointment was to have me sign 42 pieces of paper saying I accept the risk of surgery and won't sue if they accidentally amputate my foot. I did all of that, got some prescriptions to fill before surgery and talked to the doctor about what I want to look like.
I've decided to go with silicone implants. To me, they feel softer and more like a real breast than saline. I have saline expanders, and I'm tired of how hard they are. The concerns that lead the FDA to pull them from the market years ago are no longer an issue and there is no evidence linking silicone implants to any disease. The new silicone implants are what they call "cohesive gel." This means that if there is a rupture in the implant, the silicone will stay together and not leak out in to the body. Think about biting the head off of a gummy bear -- his guts don't come out. That is the same quality/texture used in these implants.
I'm also going to have round implants instead of the tear drop shaped, or anatomical, ones. My plastic surgeon says she has had better luck with these. Sometimes the tear drop ones move, and if they rotate, you could wind up with a funny looking reconstruction. Mine will be what they call "moderate profile" and will be either the same size or smaller than the expanders I currently have. She will take multiple sets of implants into the operating room and decide what looks and fits best on the table. I've been very impressed with my plastic surgeon so far and have complete confidence that she'll do a good job.
This procedure will be done outpatient and should be less painful than the last surgery. I wonder how much less painful, though, since I left with a prescription for painkillers. I had heard from many people that I wouldn't have a drain this time and the doctor said they don't normally use them for this procedure, but since I had such a problem with seromas after the last surgery, I will most likely wake up with a drain on each side. I'm not thrilled by this, but I also don't want to go through all of the drama that followed the last surgery. I have two sets of scars from drains on each side, each set looking like I was bit by a three-toothed vampire.
The only other cancer news is hardly even note-worthy. My latest tumor marker scores came back in the normal range. Woohoo! I never really worry about this test until the day I have it, then I spend the next week waiting for the results to come back and obsessing over the what-ifs. The few hours between when I call for the results and when the nurse calls back are always the worst. Yesterday was no exception; after the first person I spoke to told me she couldn't give me that information over the phone, my imagination went crazy for a few hours until I got the normal score.
With that piece of good news, I'm off to the beach. Back in just over a week!
I've decided to go with silicone implants. To me, they feel softer and more like a real breast than saline. I have saline expanders, and I'm tired of how hard they are. The concerns that lead the FDA to pull them from the market years ago are no longer an issue and there is no evidence linking silicone implants to any disease. The new silicone implants are what they call "cohesive gel." This means that if there is a rupture in the implant, the silicone will stay together and not leak out in to the body. Think about biting the head off of a gummy bear -- his guts don't come out. That is the same quality/texture used in these implants.
I'm also going to have round implants instead of the tear drop shaped, or anatomical, ones. My plastic surgeon says she has had better luck with these. Sometimes the tear drop ones move, and if they rotate, you could wind up with a funny looking reconstruction. Mine will be what they call "moderate profile" and will be either the same size or smaller than the expanders I currently have. She will take multiple sets of implants into the operating room and decide what looks and fits best on the table. I've been very impressed with my plastic surgeon so far and have complete confidence that she'll do a good job.
This procedure will be done outpatient and should be less painful than the last surgery. I wonder how much less painful, though, since I left with a prescription for painkillers. I had heard from many people that I wouldn't have a drain this time and the doctor said they don't normally use them for this procedure, but since I had such a problem with seromas after the last surgery, I will most likely wake up with a drain on each side. I'm not thrilled by this, but I also don't want to go through all of the drama that followed the last surgery. I have two sets of scars from drains on each side, each set looking like I was bit by a three-toothed vampire.
The only other cancer news is hardly even note-worthy. My latest tumor marker scores came back in the normal range. Woohoo! I never really worry about this test until the day I have it, then I spend the next week waiting for the results to come back and obsessing over the what-ifs. The few hours between when I call for the results and when the nurse calls back are always the worst. Yesterday was no exception; after the first person I spoke to told me she couldn't give me that information over the phone, my imagination went crazy for a few hours until I got the normal score.
With that piece of good news, I'm off to the beach. Back in just over a week!
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