I arrived in Mississauga at the McLean Clinic at 9AM for check-in. The wait was long because of a patient who was still recovering from early morning surgery but it was about 9:45 when I finally was checked in.

 

I changed into a gown and was given a robe and a comfortable chair in a small examination/prep room. My parents came and sat with me while I waited to be examined by Dr. McLean.

 

I signed some paperwork, read a magazine, and waited. At 10:45 my photos were taken--pre-op. One is included below. Finally at about 11:20 Dr. McLean came in and talked to my parents for a while, answering a few questions. My folks left to go eat breakfast (I was STARVING) and Dr. McLean drew all over my chest with magic markers. It was weird but painless, of course.

 

About 15 minutes later I was led into the operating room where I was given an I.V. and a nice little sleeping medication. The last thing I remember is staring at the ceiling, waiting for the medication to kick in. It apparently did so very quickly.

 

When I awoke from the anesthesia I was groggy and had a little trouble feeling comfortable. I felt like I was on fire. But the nurses were all SO GREAT! I couldn't have asked for anything better. They washed my face with a cool washcloth, helped me to get my bandages/binder on, and gave me plenty of support and comfort. I felt very confident in their ability to care for me.

 

After about an hour and a half my parents were allowed to see me and a short time later I was dressed and ready to go back to the hotel. I was released at about 3:45PM.

 

I was awake much of the night, on a steady dose of codeine, and emptying drains about every 4 hours. It was restless sleep, mostly induced by any left-over anesthesia. I felt groggy the next day but had to return to the clinic for a check up.

 

I wasn't in a lot of pain but when the drugs wore off, I definitely knew it. They only lasted about 4 hours, so I was taking it a lot. It made me a little bound up and I didn't use the bathroom at all on the second day.

 

We went back to the clinic at 2PM--just mom and I. My dad had to return to work the next day and had to leave for home that afternoon. So Mom and I went to the local mall to get out of the hotel room for a while and then went to the clinic for my appointment. Upon my return to the clinic I got my first good look at the outcome of the surgery. I was very pleased.

 

I was still draining about 20ml of fluid every 4 hours from each side so it was decided that one more day with the drains would do the trick. Mom and I left, I had a bath, and we ordered a pizza. I spent the rest of the night trying to rest. Mom hardly slept herself, always worrying about me.

 

I took my first sleeping pill the night before and it helped a little. I still woke up every few hours but only for a minute. I had no trouble falling back to sleep, unlike the night before.

 

I had a 9AM appointment to have the drains removed and have the bandages changed again. Mom and I checked out of the hotel and proceeded over to the clinic for my final appointment of the week.

 

The swelling was still minimal and no bruising had yet to appear. The drain on the right side came out without a hitch. I hardly felt it at all. The left side was not as easy, though. It had been pushed in a little further than the right one and the stitches that held it in were shoved in too far. They had to pull on them to clip them, which was uncomfortable. Then when they pulled the drain it stung pretty badly. That side continued to sting for about half an hour after.

 

The bandages were changed and some final instructions were given--no showers until the nipple grafts are healed (or about ten days--after the removal of stitches), 5 pound lifting limit for the next couple of weeks, no driving for 48 hours.

 

After it was all done Mom and I left for home. It rained the whole way. I slept a little in the car.

 

The first night in my own bed was more restful and I was getting anxious to get back to normal.

 

I spent the day watching myself swell and bruise. I have a lot of bruising on the right side and almost none on the left. The only reason I can come up with for that is that I sleep sort of angled onto my right side and any draining that was still taking place was all settling into the right side, causing bruises. They are purple, black, and red, and hurt quite a lot.

 

The pain I am in is minimal but is mostly from swelling and movement. If I don't over-exert myself I am okay. It's mostly soreness.

 

I lounged around the house and the kids came over. They were upset that I couldn't play--Danny was a little scared of the "owie" Uncle Eric had but he was okay after a few minutes. He cried when I couldn't pick him up.

 

I slept pretty well and was rested when I woke up. I got a bath and felt like going out. I drove over to pick up a friend and we took a little trip to pick up my paycheck. I got tired after a couple of hours so I had to take her home. After I got home I ate dinner and took a nap.

 

I spent the afternoon out of the house and felt okay afterward. I'm swollen and that's the most uncomfortable part. I wish that would go away.

 

I am spending the day updating this site, so all of what you see up to here was put in today. I have to go to my aunt's birthday party today and if I am feeling up to it I want to go out tonight.

 

Still swollen and bruised. Not a lot of pain, just sore. Reduces with each day.

 

It's been nearly eight weeks since my surgery and I feel good. There is a little nerve damage on my right side--I knew this was a possible complication going into it. I have no feeling and there is sometimes sharp pain and stinging associated with it. Because of very bad weather, sick nephews, and my own bout with the flu, I have been unable to go back to the surgeon for a check-up. But I will reschedule with them soon. They said that as long as everything looks normal and is healing well I am surely fine.

 

I have almost no swelling left. My left side was a lot more irritated than the right and some of the swelling is still there. But I don't have that ultra-sensitive feeling to my skin anymore and touching it feels okay now. It's so hard to believe it's been this long.

 

It's been a year since my surgery. The photo below was taken about 3 weeks ago. As you can see, I have little need for revision, although I have gained some weight so there's some fat that I will be trying to make disappear.

 

Once the nipple grafts were healed and the scabs were all gone, I could see the real appearance of my chest. It gave me a good idea of what my chest would look like once everything had healed.

 

As I had been told, it took almost 4 months for all the swelling to go away. It seemed like it would always be there, but once I wasn't swollen, I started to feel like a real person again. I slowly have been able to sleep normally again, not having to baby my chest or to avoid lifting things. I am pretty muscular--something I didn't know since breast tissue covered up any pecs I had. My girlfriend loves my chest contour and I hope to be able to bulk my muscle mass up a little. I don't lift weights, but I am considering starting.

 

Overall, I am very pleased with the outcome of my surgery. Dr. McLean and his staff were all so kind to me, and I would recommend them highly to anyone who can go.