Feb 21, 2019 - Wanted to let you all know that the extra procedure I had to have on Jan 30 did the trick. I no longer have any inflammation or edema on my left breast. Yay! I saw Dr. Brown on Feb 7 and he removed the 1 drain and the Prevena wound vac. He also did a fill (60cc) on that side to make the left the same size as the right.
I asked Dr. Brown to describe for me in detail exactly what he did. I'm fascinated by what happens in these surgeries. Here's what he did in about 1 hr, 20 min:
Reopened the same scar under my left breast
Deflated and then removed the expander (temporary implant)
Used a Pulsavac "debridement tool" to irrigate the implant pocket (with water + antibiotic) and to vacuum up debris
Inserted a new expander and partially filled it with saline
Sewed up the pocket and the incision and placed the Prevena wound vac over the incision to make it heal faster
Funny story - he didn't tell me the name of the debridement tool during the office visit. I emailed him the next day with a couple of links to ones I had Googled and asked if one of them was what he used. He wrote back, "I have to say I have never had anyone ask about the equipment for this! I used the first one - Pulsavac." I thanked him for putting up with all my questions! I actually watch videos on YouTube of the operations I have. It doesn't gross me out at all. Maybe I should have gone to medical school??
I was supposed to see Dr. Brown for a follow up appointment yesterday, but we had 4" of snow plus an inch of ice and they closed the office. So I have to wait a week. I have scheduled my exchange surgery for May 2. That's when they swap out the expanders for the real implants. That surgery is a pretty minor one. It includes fat grafting, where they harvest fat from somewhere on my body (plenty of options!) and inject it around the implant to make the contours look natural.
In other news, I'm really looking forward to our upcoming trip to St. Petersburg, FL to visit our dear friends Jim and Becky and to celebrate our 30th anniversary. Can't wait for some sunshine and warmth! We also plan to do some canoeing in the Everglades. Should be a fun trip.
Here's what the Pulsavac debridement tool looks like.
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