Healing well

I met with my plastic surgeon this Wednesday and my healing is coming along well. I am now allowed to exercise, yahoo! but unfortunately, not on a bike. I am allowed to walk and ride an exercise bike but I still need to limit anything that involves my arms. I was told that I have disintegrating stitches (i could be using the wrong wording) but they don't need to be pulled out. I have one strip of steri-tape across each breast and when it starts peeling back, well, I'm just supposed to let it come off on its own and we're done.

I have to continue to wear a sports bra for a while as I heal and unfortunately, yesterday I experimented with a different one than my usual and it was a bad mistake. It wasn't firm enough and my chest ached a bit yesterday. I wear the sports bra 24/7. I sleep in it and am getting so bored of sleeping on my back. Not sure when I can start sleeping on my side but I'll have to ask the next time I see the doc.

I'd like to share more on my blog but I hate the fact that because it involves the breast and not say, my arm or leg, that I feel awkward doing that. But, if you've been following my blog for a while, you will know that I have been pretty open about things. I don't want to hold back info because I have so many friends who are following along on my blog and I want them to know the details, just as I would if they were blogging. So warning, but the next few paragraphs may make some people uncomfortable.

What has got me fairly upset since the surgery is the finding that the implants that I received are bigger than I wanted. They are 500cc each. I know this because you receive warranty-like cards with the implants. I wanted to be small and athletic-looking. Unfortunately, I am back to being the same size I was before. I guess I can be relieved that I'm not bigger and the doctor did do a good job in terms of shape, etc. but I can't help but think that with everything I have been through... to not come out the size I wanted is a bit upsetting. But it's been a week and a half now and I'm doing my best to move on.

The next step in the breast reconstruction is to tatoo on areolas as these were removed along with nipples in the double mastectomies. I don't see the point of doing nipple reconstruction but the areolas are important to me and will probably be done at the end of the year or early next year. I still feel a bit mutant-like with these breasts and uncomfortable when I change in a public change room, like at the gym. I'm hoping with the tatoos, I'll look more normal.

Lastly, I'm back at work, started back on Wednesday and doing fine. My weight loss is still going well, surprisingly, with Halloween candy eating (in moderation) and loafing around at home with no activity! I am now down 13.5 lbs and will decide soon what my long term goal will be. I may continue to slim down a bit beyond that though, so that I am not dragging excess weight up the hills as I train for my King of the Mountain biking series next spring. Weight watchers has been really working well for me.

Time to get outside....Have a great weekend everyone!
Maureen