Three Weeks Out

I'm 3 weeks out from my LBL and BL/aug.  I'm still pretty sore in places, and my lower abdomen is swollen, but as a whole I feel ok.  My breasts have dropped and are starting to look more normal.

Will they ever feel like they're a part of my body and not something just stuck on my chest??

I'm getting concerned about our vacation that starts July 20.  I really wanted to be back to "normal" by then.  It feels impossible to me right now.  Julia, send me some of your "healing" mojo!!

I bought a spanx-type garment my surgeon suggested (he didn't have me wear anything special post-op) to see if that will help with the swelling.  I'd really like to wear pants again one day.

I miss exercise but am walking every day.  I go back to see the surgeon next week.

That's about it.

Healing mojo on its way! It's called patience and no, I don't practice it well either. I want to be perfect the minute I wake up from anesthesia and I wake up pretty well.. so yeah. It's not easy. I didn't swell much but still every little bit makes for a bump here and a roll there and it feels icky. You will feel like your breasts are a part of you again. I know some people who are years post implants and they say that they really feel totally normal. So there is hope. As for pants, you may have to get smaller sizes but you will wear pants again. I am all for spanx and tummy/thigh smoothers even at a low weight/size. I am in a size 6 now and I wear the thigh slimmer high waist thingy and it really does not constrict me in any way at all but it does smooth things out so it's great. I remember before when I used to pour myself into those things and tuck the overflow in.. Geeesh... Anyway, Sarah, you are doing great and in a few short weeks you will feel even better. Vacation in 3 weeks should be doable. Just take it easy. Let your family spoil you. Take lots of pictures of yourself now because things will change and you will want to see the progression.

My boobs still physically feel a little strange to me, but they are definitely a part of me :)  I LOVE them.  They are big, but they do look natural and they jiggle and bounce (not as much as my flabby, flat pancakes pre-op, but in a good way).  I had a garment, and I wore it basically 24/7 for 6 weeks per my surgeon's instructions.  I actually hated not wearing it, I felt like I was coming undone or something.  Very weird.  I have been going a couple days without wearing any type of a garment for the past two weeks (I'm over 8 weeks post op).  I swell towards late afternoon, but I'm not surprised by that at all.  It will take awhile before all the swelling resolves for me.  It's not uncomfortable, it's just weird.  I can wear all my pants just fine.  I was able to start wearing them around 4/5 weeks post op?  That was more of discomfort thing than anything.  I have not gone down any sizes, but I was a 4 to start with so I didn't think that was going to happen.  My major problem area was stretched out skin from pregnancy around my belly button, and my hips were bony and my butt is quite small.

I think around 5 weeks is when I really started to feel normal - my energy, feeling comfortable in my body, etc.  You will feel amazing by July 20.  I guarantee it :)

Sarah, I am three weeks out today from LBL and, although I haven't had the BL/BA yet, my surgeon did some pretty extensive booty work that has left me feeling like I have dense cushion foam for buttocks. They don't feel like they are a part of me either and the numbness adds to the weirdness. I even knocked a book off of a table with my butt and had no idea I was the one who did it :-) Sending healing vibes your way!

Oh, and I forgot to ask, which one of the Spanx-type garments did your surgeon recommend? Mine gave me a couple of compression belt-type garments, but said I could switch to a Spanx-type during the daytime. There are so many different kinds it's overwhelming.

He said the ones that go from thighs to under your boobs.  I bought mine at Wal-mart because I was stuck waiting for my car for 4 hours and Wal-mart was the only place in walking distance that had something like spanx.  So far, so good.  I wore it for most of yesterday and was fine.  It actually made trying things on while at the mall a bit easier.  I tried on some shorts but it's just too early for pants.  My usual 4s looked too big but I just couldn't button the 2s.