Okay, so here is the big thing. I totally screwed up with the dates of my recovery. My PS told me NOT to do any lifting, heavy exercise, or bike riding for 6-8 weeks. So, I miscalculated. I got on my bike at one day under 4 weeks. I had promised my friends that I would not do this. I am not sure how I miscalculated, but I did. I fear this may have aggravated things. It is so important to take it easy after the surgery. It is a major surgery, there is a lot of healing that needs to take place. So, where it gets even more ridiculous, after I had discovered my mistake, I keep riding my bike. I believe this has contributed to my illness now. I have been living fully again, riding a lot, carrying heavy back-packs around, basically aggravating my wounds. My body feels as if it wants to shut down. I am so drained all the time.
I am also rather worried about being out in public, but mostly just about being around drunk people. I went to see a friend perform the other evening and felt very protective of my chest. This makes sense, as there could still be complications.
I am still extremely happy about having this surgery. I have this really strong desire to ask women what size cup they wear, and have only recently stopped walking around holding my new boobs. My clothes look and feel so much better. The swelling is going down enough now that I am starting to look normal again.
So, doctor's orders. I have been reading so many different after-care instructions. These were my PS' suggestions to me. The no heavy lifting thing for 6-8 weeks. I wore a splint for the first week (pictured below), I could not get my incisions wet for two weeks. My final stitches came out at around 2 weeks. I still had the dissolving stitches, that may just poke out. He stated very clearly, DO NOT pull on these, as you may do damage. Makes sense. I have to wear my sports bra day and night for 3 months. At first this seemed ridiculous, but I am rather thankful for the support now. When I take my bra off to wash it, I start to feel the scars/incisions strecthing slightly and am not comfortable with this.
And on another note all together, many have asked me if I am transitioning. Well, the answer is yes and no. I am not doing a full transition, as I do not feel as if I belong to either side entirely. This surgery has put me closer in the middle, which is where I am most comfortable. So, in a sense, without taking away from what folks go thorough to transition, I have gone through a half-top surgery. It is hard to express this.
Splint worn for one week.
