Oct 1, 2019: Back on August 12th, I had a 3-month post-op visit with Dr. Brown, my plastic surgeon. In my last surgery on May 2, he had replaced my expanders (temporary implants) with final implants. He also did fat grafting around my breasts and a tummy tuck. (For more on that surgery, see my last blog post.)
At the August 12th visit, we discussed a possible "revision" surgery in which Dr. Brown could even me up a bit, do more fat grafting, and achieve a better aesthetic result. Apparently, about 40% of patients who have mastectomies with reconstruction end up doing a revision surgery. Surprisingly, this is covered by insurance -- although United Healthcare has fought with my doctor's office over every single surgery, doing their best to pay him the least. Anyway, I decided to go ahead with this short (1.5 hours) outpatient surgery and scheduled it for Sept. 10th.
This surgery involved:
Injection of a saline solution mixed with anesthesia into the areas of fat in my abdomen to be used for fat grafting in my breasts. The solution makes it easier to suction out the fat with less blood loss and pain.
Liposuction from the injected areas (in my case, the part of my abdomen above my belly button as well as around my west) using a thin tube called a cannula which is connected to a vacuum. The extracted fat is then spun to get rid of the liquid they added and to prepare it for being injected.
An incision under my right breast at the fold to remove about a centimeter's width of skin. This was to even out my breasts so that the distance between the fold and the aureola was the same on both sides.
Removal of fat in some areas of my breasts (such as on the side kind of under my armpit) and injection of fat in other areas (such as a place on the inner side of my left breast where there was an indentation). This is done in the layer of fat just below the skin and above the pocket that contains the implant.
All went well! I am still healing, but the results look good and I'm glad I went ahead with this surgery. Dr. Brown gave me the green light to race with my team (Rock Creek Rowing) at the Head of the Potomac in Georgetown, DC only 12 days after my surgery. This is a 4.5k race. I was in a 4. It was very hot and a lot of fun! I didn't feel like I was in top form, but was glad I could participate. There were 14 boats in our race and we finished in 10th place in raw time and 11th in adjusted time. At least we weren't last!!
In other news, we are preparing for a 3-week trip to Vietnam in November! My son Gabe is leaving Oct. 15 for Thailand. Larry, Eli, and I will meet him in Hanoi on Oct 31st and we'll travel together in various parts of the country. I'm really excited as I have never been to Asia! After we leave, Gabe and Eli are going to spend 10 days in Burma (Myanmar). Then Gabe is going to Australia to see some friends and Eli is going to go rock climbing in Thailand and Laos for a few weeks. Gabe plans to travel in Southeast Asia for 4 - 6 months. Eli currently has a ticket to come home in mid-December, but he may decide to extend his trip a bit. I have vagabond children! (Or as my friend Bonnie calls them, "wandering Jews"!) I guess it's not surprising, since Larry and I love adventurous travel and took the kids to Panama, Mexico, Guatemala, and Europe while they were growing up. So it's our own damn fault! To be honest, I'm proud of them that they want to see the world and are brave enough to do it on their own.
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