The septoplasty complications made this reconstruction, a medication reaction on my face that made recovery very difficult. It took weeks to get it completely under control, but thankfully that part is behind me. Then I am having significant internal swelling that is not resolving on its own and has made that recovery even harder -should I have waited? Maybe. But dragging it out another 6 months would’ve wrecked my mental health. So I made the call. This has been brutal on my body, but at this point, peace of mind matters just as much. On May 5, I had what I hope to be my last breast reconstruction (except for the left nipple). It was intense—liposuction from thighs and abdomen to graft fat into my breasts. I’m black and blue from collarbones to knees. Recovery has been slow and painful – but no complications at home! My surgeon used DMSO for tissue perfusion during surgery -also known for its cancer-killing properties, so I’m hopeful this internal application helps from the inside out to kill the cancer in my breast skin. I won’t know for 6-8 weeks what the likely outcome will be and then 12 weeks for the final result. It appears however that my PS nailed it! But the scariest moment of this surgery? I woke up in recovery with my left arm completely paralyzed, and the right one halfway there. I’d asked for a chest block, I’ve had 5 before with no issues. I was praying this was was a nerve issue from that and not permanent damage. The feeling slowly returned by 3 a.m.—but until then, I was terrified. Now I wait three months for inflammation to subside before my next MRI. I’ll be going to a top breast imaging specialist in San Diego, because post–fat grafting scans are notoriously tricky—easy to miss cancer or mistake fat necrosis for it. I’ll also have fresh bloodwork and finally, left nipple reconstruction in August. Big month ahead. More to share soon.
Beautiful Breasts Again!
