Once 48 hours passed, it was time to remove the binder and bandages and replace them with more permanent garments. I was counting down the minutes until I could remove them because they were making me so very itchy!
I was prepared for my right breast to appear a bit mangled, but it still weirds me out a bit. Generally, if there’s one thing I can count on to be consistent in my life, it’s the shape of my breasts! 😆 So it’s an odd feeling when one of them suddenly looks different. The doc told us it will sort itself out within the next eight weeks or so.
The next photos are slightly graphic, where you can see the incisions, but they’re not too bad. I just want to warn you to scroll through them without looking if you’re particularly squeamish. And please view at your own risk if you’re at work. I think they’re safe for work, because they’re unappealing and, you know, no nipples, but different companies have different NSFW policies.
The one thing you can’t see is a deep purple bruise on my side, just behind the breast incision. Also, the imprints on my skin are from the gauze padding and binder, because my skin is so sensitive. They’re not injuries from surgery.
I left everything off for a couple hours and supported my right breast with my arm so it wouldn’t hurt more than necessary. That gave my skin time to recover some from the itchy imprints left by the gauze and binder.
After a couple hours, I used two clean, balled up washcloths as padding on top of the incisions and switched to a tight, zip front sports bra to hold everything in place.
I’m deeply relieved to be itching less (and grateful to my husband for applying itch cream for me). I’m also glad I’ve now seen the incisions and the state of my breast so I have a better idea about what’s going on there and don’t have to continue imagining the unknown where that’s concerned.
In other news, I received the results of my cancer genetic test and it was negative, which means I don’t have have genetic mutations known to cause cancer. That’s good for me to know, but it’s also good information for my relatives.
Even though we all have different genetic makeups, to varying degrees, hopefully they can rest a little easier knowing the results of my test. For example, had my test come back positive, one of my brothers would have had a 50% chance of being in the same situation. So, that’s great news for all of us!
And a lip update. It’s still swollen 48 hours later, but continuing to deflate.
Back to resting now. Thanks for reading, sweet friends. ❤️