One month POST OP visit.

I saw Dr. Capizzi today for my One Month post-op visit. So here are some things I have learned so far about having breast reconstruction surgery. Things that aren’t so medical, that you may not hear from your plastic surgeon…

1.) It’s a BIG deal. You need rest. Listen to the advice of your surgeon, he really knows what
he’s talking about.
2.) You won’t lose sensation in your nipples, ALWAYS. I put this surgery off for a long time
because of that. My nipples are super sensitive right now and I think I have a good chance
that they will remain this way.
3.) Your hair lines will move with this surgery. I have armpit hair on the side of my breast. I
hadn’t thought about this even though it WAS mentioned to me prior to surgery. (They do
offer laser hair removal at Stillwater!)
4.) The feelings or lack thereof are weird to deal with in the whole upper body, like shaving
under your arm for instance. I am very scared to shave under my arm because I can’t really
feel under there (that’s how I noticed the few hairs on the side of my breast, not many.) and
also how I noticed how FULL my armpits were. Forgot to ask about that.
5.) There’s a lot of freakin’ fluid! This is how your body heals, and it can be scary! I work in the
medical field and I have had other surgeries and I did not know that it took this much fluid
to heal your body when it had this type of incision.
6.) “arnica montana” is some kind of miracle supplement that Dr. Capizzi’s office offers and it is
a miracle! I have never experienced a bump that I did not bruise from and this was much
more then a bruise and that stuff rocked the house to make it possible for me not to bruise.
7.) I should’ve taken more time off of work to rest. I don’t know if that has anything to do with
my fluid build up, but so far I wish I would have rested more.
8.) Don’t freak out and think that what you see right then or right now is “what you get,”
because my breasts are changing everyday and I am thrilled every single day.

The staff at Stillwater have been amazing and patient with a difficult patient like myself. I am paranoid about ever scrap and odd looking thing I can find and they have been a very easy going staff.

Have a good night y’all.

Steff