(image caption: a computer rendering of the virus known as Covid 19 - a white ball with red protrusions and yellow dots).
Content warning: graphic post-surgery pictures are included within this post.
I'm writing this post on the 13th April, which makes it 5 weeks and 2 days since my breast reduction. After the first 2 weeks, the breast clinic that had been completing my bandage changes advised that they wouldn't be able to see me any more, due to the Covid 19 outbreak. They made up a pack of supplies for me, and told me to handle things myself from there on. To say that I never foresaw a scenario where I would be changing my own bandages after a surgery is an understatement. After all, I'd paid my money to go private, so it was a given that I would receive the very best of aftercare.
Well, it seems that life had other plans!
I know there are a lot of people out there whose surgeries have been put on hold, and my heart goes out to all of you. I feel that if mine had been delayed it would have really shaken me up, and maybe put me off having it done all together. Time to think when it comes to having a surgery is the worst thing.
At this point, I have no idea when anything will get back to normal. Somehow I've managed to get through 3 bandage changes by myself, but it's been rough. I start the process by having a shower. which is the 1 full body shower that I get to have each week. Then, when the bandages are nice and wet, I take the whole lot off at once. The white squares over the top come off quite easily, the inadine patches underneath, which go over any holes or areas that aren't healing so well, are trickier and stiffer.
Below are pictures of my breasts, 5 weeks post-surgery. Slightly censored.
As you can see, there is a fair amount of swelling and discolouration. The skin under the right breast has split open a tiny bit, and the left nipple is surrounded by holes and the surrounding skin looks like it's been through a shredder.
Strangely enough, I feel virtually no pain, just the occasional twinge.
There have been a few benefits in recent weeks. My back, neck and shoulder pain seems to have disappeared for good, and the grooves in my shoulders seem to be correcting themselves. I haven't had any headaches.
The biggest issue of all has been sleeping. 5 weeks sleeping on my back has been awful, and has meant that I have hardly slept at all. The only thing I have found that works for me is to sleep on the sofa sitting up.
I have a catch up scheduled with my surgeon on the 15th April, and fingers crossed that it goes ahead, because I could really use some reassurance that everything is healing as it should be.
I have a catch up scheduled with my surgeon on the 15th April, and fingers crossed that it goes ahead, because I could really use some reassurance that everything is healing as it should be.
So, that's all I have to say right now, and I hope that this blog has been informative or useful to you, dear reader.
