7 Weeks Later....
March 24, 2006
Jen and I have been watching, “The L Word” since this series began. In a recent episode, Dana the tennis pro died of breast cancer alone in the hospital. When her past lover Alice went out for a short break after staying in Dana’s room for the past few days, she found her dead upon her return. Alice was emotionally devastated. I was emotionally shocked and tearful after watching this. I felt this was the loss of a friend. What a way to present the realities of dealing with Breast Cancer. Dr. Susan Love made a cameo appearance during one episode of, “ The L Word”. She is well know for, “The Breast Book” which contains a lot of information of breast and women’s health. Dr. Love is a well known authority on the treatment of breast cancer and breast health. She is also lesbian and has a long term partner. They were involved with setting a legal standing of same sex partners who adopt children being legitimate and legal. Yes, this is a TV series, but over the years, this group of women has become a group of friends that we have come to know and shared part of their lives with. What I enjoy most about this series is how they are willing to deal with the realities of what it’s like to be a sexual minority. Max who is the female to male trans man in this series is a nice change from the way most media has portrayed trans folks in the past. We get to watch Max develop emotionally and physically. I wonder about Max’s partner Jenny and how she is going to deal with his journey.
The day after we returned home from Scottsdale was spent with Mia. It’s been a while and I missed spending time with her. It was back to work on Monday and trying to do catch up on all that was waiting for my attention.
About two weeks post-op I developed an infection on the right side of my labia minora. It cleared up after a week by keeping the area as clean as possible, changing panty liners every time after using the bathroom, keeping that area covered with Bacitracin and no underwear when possible. It is very important to keep the post LP area clean as it is easy to get an infection post op. I know of several friends who got infections post LP and needed a course of antibiotics to clear the infection. It is still swollen and numb / tender in places. The right side of my labia is more swollen than the left, I’m confident it will even out as more time passes. I have been dilating once a week with #2-3 for now. There are no problems with doing this, it’s just a chore that needs to get done. I do believe waiting longer for LP does have its advantages during the recovery process and final results. The urine stream has been pretty much problem free since March of 2005 when I was post VAG.
The post-op tape is still well attached to the bottom part of my areola. We decided to leave this on as long as possible to help reduce the possibility of a raised scar which I’m prone to develop. The implants are still pretty high, very firm and nipples are hypersensitive. I discovered that covering them with a modified pad of 3M Medipore tape makes a world of difference in reducing the hypersensitivity. I used the nipple covers from the Nordies lingerie department at first. They worked fine, but at a dollar a pair and being not reusable, they were not economical for my needs. I discovered what my BA friends described as “Morning Boob”. This is when the muscles are tight against the implant when waking in the morning. The muscle does relax once my daily activities begin.
I was able to get back on the bike at 3.5 weeks post op with sports bra on top. Even at this point of the recovery process, I really need a bra when cycling for a host of reasons. There were a few sutures near the bottom of my VAG that kept me from bicycling earlier. That area hurt from the sutures partly sticking out and when they finally came out and I was able to gently remove them. I was able to get back in the saddle after that got better. The first time back on the bike is never easy. This is pretty much what happened post VAG one year ago. One of the first rides we went on was 1.5 hours long, about 20 miles. I felt really slow, fat and out of shape pedaling the bike again. The good side of this, I can work at getting back in shape and lose the few pounds I gained over the last few weeks. My body weight is usually pretty consistent and depends on my fitness level. If there is any significant deviation from my physical activities or extra calories, my weight changes pretty fast. It is so easy to gain weight with a female endocrine system and age.
The sutures are popping and falling out at an amazing rate. It is surprising to discover how many sutures were used for LP. I have been told LP is 10% cut and trim, but 90% sewing. Each suture that appears and comes out leaves a small hole. I have been very gently removing the ones that are willing and leaving the ones that are not ready. Each one of these holes are kept as clean as possible and covered with Bacitracin. No infections from this so far. Many of my friends including Jen who had LP were surprised at the difficulty and problems with the LP recovery process. While it is not as intensive as VAG, it is still surgery and should be taken seriously with care during the recovery process. I started dilating with #3-4 again with few problems. I’m pretty much back to where I was pre-op with my plastic boyfriends.
At 5 weeks, the tape covering my areola finally started to roll and was removed. This is the first time I was able to see what my incision looked like post BA. The left side is pretty faint and not easy to find since it blended well into the edge of the areola. There is a tiny bit of redness when the incision was made, I’m hoping this will improve with time. The right side is more clearly visible where the incision was made. It has a tiny depression on the incision line. Dr. Meltzer’s office sent me some samples of Spectragel silicone anti keloid gel. I’m going to start using this and watch the healing process. This gel requires time to dry and could stain clothes. I discovered it does transfer to my cami that I have been wearing since Dr. Meltzer’s post BA instructions are no bra for 3 months. This gel does not wash out easily either, so better for me to wear a cami that is OK to have these stains for now. The hypersensitivity has improved very significantly and no longer requires my areola’s being covered with modified 3M Medipore tape. Sensitivity wise, they are pretty similar to pre-BA. Yes, I’m still breast / nipple orgasmic. The rest of my boobies feel pretty much as they were pre-BA. The implants continue to drop and soften as time passes.
What I find interesting is they look so much like a bigger version of what I had pre-BA. The shape is growing closer to what I had before as more time passes. Out of curiosity, I measured the half diameter of my boobies; they are just over 9” which makes me a full C cup. I tried on a few 36C bras that I have from my “play dress up days” and my boobies easily fill both cups and the center of some bras where the under wires meet lift slightly which means a bigger cup is recommended. I might end up a small D. It’s amazing that 275cc implants would make me this big. I started out a small B, it seems that my new girls are 50% my breast tissue and 50% implant. What is more surprising is they really don’t look that big under most tops I wear. I still generally fit a women’s size M top, but some are definitely more than snug around the girls. If my boobies were any bigger, finding clothes that fit well would be more of a problem. During the two other BA consultations I had, both surgeons wanted to use 400cc+ with me and knowing what I know now, they would be a lot bigger than my preference and out of proportion with my body shape. What I have now is pretty darn well proportioned. There are no regrets when I told Dr. Meltzer to do what ever he felt was the correct implant size for me. If I push my boobies together, there is significant cleavage. One of my mom friends who had BA done over 10 years ago told me not to worry about the surgery, everything should be fine and I would really enjoy having them. She is so right; I really do like my new girls in so many ways.
At 7 weeks, Jen and I are cycling well together again; I’m still not at my pre surgery fitness level. More time on the bike will get me there. The sutures have pretty much stopped popping out and the swelling appears to resolve faster once I got back to cycling. My LP looks very different from the first week post-op. The asymmetry has resolved significantly and overall, my labia minoria looks good. I was looking at my vulva one day with a mirror and was amazed at how all this turned out. I was told by our previous doc to wait 6 months to know what your final results look like. Not only does it feel right, it looks like I was born this way. Fact is, I really don’t think about my VAG much these days. It has just become part of me. This is becoming the same for my BA. I don’t think much about it these days either. Yes, there is still some post-op care, but nothing that is really time consuming.
I’m looking forward to shopping for new undies in the near future. Life is good again :)
Jen and I have been watching, “The L Word” since this series began. In a recent episode, Dana the tennis pro died of breast cancer alone in the hospital. When her past lover Alice went out for a short break after staying in Dana’s room for the past few days, she found her dead upon her return. Alice was emotionally devastated. I was emotionally shocked and tearful after watching this. I felt this was the loss of a friend. What a way to present the realities of dealing with Breast Cancer. Dr. Susan Love made a cameo appearance during one episode of, “ The L Word”. She is well know for, “The Breast Book” which contains a lot of information of breast and women’s health. Dr. Love is a well known authority on the treatment of breast cancer and breast health. She is also lesbian and has a long term partner. They were involved with setting a legal standing of same sex partners who adopt children being legitimate and legal. Yes, this is a TV series, but over the years, this group of women has become a group of friends that we have come to know and shared part of their lives with. What I enjoy most about this series is how they are willing to deal with the realities of what it’s like to be a sexual minority. Max who is the female to male trans man in this series is a nice change from the way most media has portrayed trans folks in the past. We get to watch Max develop emotionally and physically. I wonder about Max’s partner Jenny and how she is going to deal with his journey.
The day after we returned home from Scottsdale was spent with Mia. It’s been a while and I missed spending time with her. It was back to work on Monday and trying to do catch up on all that was waiting for my attention.
About two weeks post-op I developed an infection on the right side of my labia minora. It cleared up after a week by keeping the area as clean as possible, changing panty liners every time after using the bathroom, keeping that area covered with Bacitracin and no underwear when possible. It is very important to keep the post LP area clean as it is easy to get an infection post op. I know of several friends who got infections post LP and needed a course of antibiotics to clear the infection. It is still swollen and numb / tender in places. The right side of my labia is more swollen than the left, I’m confident it will even out as more time passes. I have been dilating once a week with #2-3 for now. There are no problems with doing this, it’s just a chore that needs to get done. I do believe waiting longer for LP does have its advantages during the recovery process and final results. The urine stream has been pretty much problem free since March of 2005 when I was post VAG.
The post-op tape is still well attached to the bottom part of my areola. We decided to leave this on as long as possible to help reduce the possibility of a raised scar which I’m prone to develop. The implants are still pretty high, very firm and nipples are hypersensitive. I discovered that covering them with a modified pad of 3M Medipore tape makes a world of difference in reducing the hypersensitivity. I used the nipple covers from the Nordies lingerie department at first. They worked fine, but at a dollar a pair and being not reusable, they were not economical for my needs. I discovered what my BA friends described as “Morning Boob”. This is when the muscles are tight against the implant when waking in the morning. The muscle does relax once my daily activities begin.
I was able to get back on the bike at 3.5 weeks post op with sports bra on top. Even at this point of the recovery process, I really need a bra when cycling for a host of reasons. There were a few sutures near the bottom of my VAG that kept me from bicycling earlier. That area hurt from the sutures partly sticking out and when they finally came out and I was able to gently remove them. I was able to get back in the saddle after that got better. The first time back on the bike is never easy. This is pretty much what happened post VAG one year ago. One of the first rides we went on was 1.5 hours long, about 20 miles. I felt really slow, fat and out of shape pedaling the bike again. The good side of this, I can work at getting back in shape and lose the few pounds I gained over the last few weeks. My body weight is usually pretty consistent and depends on my fitness level. If there is any significant deviation from my physical activities or extra calories, my weight changes pretty fast. It is so easy to gain weight with a female endocrine system and age.
The sutures are popping and falling out at an amazing rate. It is surprising to discover how many sutures were used for LP. I have been told LP is 10% cut and trim, but 90% sewing. Each suture that appears and comes out leaves a small hole. I have been very gently removing the ones that are willing and leaving the ones that are not ready. Each one of these holes are kept as clean as possible and covered with Bacitracin. No infections from this so far. Many of my friends including Jen who had LP were surprised at the difficulty and problems with the LP recovery process. While it is not as intensive as VAG, it is still surgery and should be taken seriously with care during the recovery process. I started dilating with #3-4 again with few problems. I’m pretty much back to where I was pre-op with my plastic boyfriends.
At 5 weeks, the tape covering my areola finally started to roll and was removed. This is the first time I was able to see what my incision looked like post BA. The left side is pretty faint and not easy to find since it blended well into the edge of the areola. There is a tiny bit of redness when the incision was made, I’m hoping this will improve with time. The right side is more clearly visible where the incision was made. It has a tiny depression on the incision line. Dr. Meltzer’s office sent me some samples of Spectragel silicone anti keloid gel. I’m going to start using this and watch the healing process. This gel requires time to dry and could stain clothes. I discovered it does transfer to my cami that I have been wearing since Dr. Meltzer’s post BA instructions are no bra for 3 months. This gel does not wash out easily either, so better for me to wear a cami that is OK to have these stains for now. The hypersensitivity has improved very significantly and no longer requires my areola’s being covered with modified 3M Medipore tape. Sensitivity wise, they are pretty similar to pre-BA. Yes, I’m still breast / nipple orgasmic. The rest of my boobies feel pretty much as they were pre-BA. The implants continue to drop and soften as time passes.
What I find interesting is they look so much like a bigger version of what I had pre-BA. The shape is growing closer to what I had before as more time passes. Out of curiosity, I measured the half diameter of my boobies; they are just over 9” which makes me a full C cup. I tried on a few 36C bras that I have from my “play dress up days” and my boobies easily fill both cups and the center of some bras where the under wires meet lift slightly which means a bigger cup is recommended. I might end up a small D. It’s amazing that 275cc implants would make me this big. I started out a small B, it seems that my new girls are 50% my breast tissue and 50% implant. What is more surprising is they really don’t look that big under most tops I wear. I still generally fit a women’s size M top, but some are definitely more than snug around the girls. If my boobies were any bigger, finding clothes that fit well would be more of a problem. During the two other BA consultations I had, both surgeons wanted to use 400cc+ with me and knowing what I know now, they would be a lot bigger than my preference and out of proportion with my body shape. What I have now is pretty darn well proportioned. There are no regrets when I told Dr. Meltzer to do what ever he felt was the correct implant size for me. If I push my boobies together, there is significant cleavage. One of my mom friends who had BA done over 10 years ago told me not to worry about the surgery, everything should be fine and I would really enjoy having them. She is so right; I really do like my new girls in so many ways.
At 7 weeks, Jen and I are cycling well together again; I’m still not at my pre surgery fitness level. More time on the bike will get me there. The sutures have pretty much stopped popping out and the swelling appears to resolve faster once I got back to cycling. My LP looks very different from the first week post-op. The asymmetry has resolved significantly and overall, my labia minoria looks good. I was looking at my vulva one day with a mirror and was amazed at how all this turned out. I was told by our previous doc to wait 6 months to know what your final results look like. Not only does it feel right, it looks like I was born this way. Fact is, I really don’t think about my VAG much these days. It has just become part of me. This is becoming the same for my BA. I don’t think much about it these days either. Yes, there is still some post-op care, but nothing that is really time consuming.
I’m looking forward to shopping for new undies in the near future. Life is good again :)
posted by Rupunzell | 10:24 AM
1 Comments:
Nothing like shopping for underwear to make you feel good. Your description of the L-plasty ordeal is right... it is much harder than one might expect.
Sis
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