My 5th expansion was a little different than all of the other times. The PA was still out sick, but they scheduled me with a nurse at the hospital. I've been doing them at the cosmetic center with the same PA every time. She is super nice and talkative, which helps calm my nerves. They have each room decorated like a spa, and that creates a comfortable atmosphere. Nothing like the hospital room haha It was a tiny, crowded, grey, and cold. The nurse that did my expansion didn't really talk much...which made things awkward...and he looked really nervous like he didn't know what he was doing. It took him forever to find my port with the little magnetic tool. Me and Sameer kept looking at each other like, "What the heck is going on?!" I felt like we could have done my expansion more comfortably than the nurse! He pushed the saline in faster than usual, so I felt a lot more pain/pressure. He had me lie down almost completely flat...which that hurts to do when I'm just at home in bed...so being that low for the expansion was very uncomfortable. But I survived and I'll see my regular PA for the next one. Thank goodness.
Each expansion is such a small difference since I'm only doing 25 cc at a time. I still want to post the before and after photos of each one. These pictures and information are things I wish I had before my surgery, so I'm going to continue to show each step.
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| So the other night I was putting on a necklace to see if I wanted to wear one...and the clasp to it was magnetic so it was clinging to my tissue expander! Then I thought to myself, "duh...at my expansions the PA uses the magnetic tool to find my port" Soooo I went around the house trying to find stuff to stick to myself haha This is a fridge magnet. I was pretty entertained. It's not everyday you can stick fridge magnets to yourself! |
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| This photo was from 01-31-11 when I went to the cosmetic center for the appointment with my surgeon. This kind of shows how nice the rooms are there. It doesn't make me feel so bummed like a hospital. |
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| Just before my 5th expansion on 02-03-11 |
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| Right side view before my 5th expansion |
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| Left side view before my 5th expansion |
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| The nurse finding my port before expanding. I can't believe how much my scars have smoothed out and faded!! |
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| After my 5th expansion going from 225 cc to 250 cc. |
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| Right side view after 5th expansion |
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| Left side view after 5th expansion |
4 comments:
Wow, looks great! Seems like you're just about there. You'll be ready for the next step soon. What a trooper you are!
I'm sure being in an unfamiliar place with someone who doesn't seem to know what he is doing was a bit stressful but you made it thru. Woo Hoo!
April, we're so proud of you. God has blessed you with such strength! And we are so grateful that God has given you Sameer. Y'all are both amazing. Thanks for being so open with everything to help us know how to pray and to help others who are going through the same thing. We love you lots!--Donna & Bert
Donna & Bert,
Thank you so much for your prayers! Your comment definitely lifted my spirits : )
Love you both!
-April
Hi April i have had the same surgery as yourself. I had a bilateral double mastectomy on the 14th september 2011, i am 28 years old. I had my final expansion on the 29th december, i am at 280 cc at the moment, still very sore. It would be lovely to talk further with you. This is my blog http://double-mastectomy.blogspot.com/ please take a look. janine xx
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