The Time I Was Awake For A 2 Hour Breast Surgery

Hiiiiiiiii.

BE FOREWARNED: I am being completely honest in this post, so read at your own risk. I have not and will not disclose where I had my surgery and who did it.

This has always been, and always will be the only way I journal. I write this blog for myself and because of that, I want to be able to remember things! I do have a lot of draft posts that won't ever be published, but I have gotten enough inquiries about if my breast reduction was worth it, how it went, etc. that I feel like this also might help other people.

SO, you guys may remember when I got a breast reduction? Well there were a few things my surgeon wanted to fix (will keep them off the internets to appease my mother, but if you want to know because you are considering one, just shoot me an email). I kept going back and forth on whether or not to get the surgery. I mean on one hand I wanted the things fixed, but on the other hand they are just boobs??? Like it's not like it's my face or something that everyone in the world can see.

So, finally I decided to just flip a coin, because that's how all good decisions are made. Heads was yes, and tails was no. Anddddddd, it landed on heads! So it was a go! (Don't even ask J how he feels about me flipping coins to make decisions lol.) (Also per coin flipping: I only do this when I feel comfortable with either outcome, so idk. I feel like it is a valid way to make a decision.)

Surgery day: 
So, I was really hoping I would be asleep for the surgery and unable to feel anything. I had like, three different prescriptions I had picked up. We got there a little early, so we went to Taco Bell where J got 3 tacos. We then went into the appointment where they gave me 3 pills with the intention of reducing my anxiety and making me veryyyyyy sleepy. They said that amount should knock me out, but apparently my nerves put up too good of a fight, because...

Ten minutes later: I am wide awake (although I will admit, less anxious) and J is sleeping off his 3 tacos. If you need any indication how our marriage goes, here you are.

So, like I said before, I was expecting to be totally numb and to sleep through everything. Actually, the thought of being numb and sleeping through everything is a big reason why I decided it would be ok to get the revision surgery. It just sounded like a breeze.

(This next part is a description of the surgery, so skip if you are queasy.)

So, they started with putting in local anesthesia. You know when you go to the dentist and they put topical numbing on your gums, and then take the long needle and put it in there and numb everything? Well, imagine that without the topical numbing. NOT GOOD. Like, honestly the local anesthesia going in was arguably the worst part and seemed to last forever! It felt like stinging and they had to do it all across my chest. So they stuck it in like 10 different spots and had to move the needle around in there. Like I said, NOT GOOD.

After they put the local anesthesia in, they told me to tell them when I felt sharp. If I did I said "ow" and they would put more local anesthesia in. This whole time it was weird, because inside I didn't have butterflies or anything. Like I felt calm inside, but it hurt and I was clenching my fists. The only thing I can think to compare it to is when you're at the dentist and they're drilling and grinding and you know it can only last so long, so you just clench your hands and try to wait it out.

After I was all numb and had been tested with whatever the "sharp" was, they cut my scars open with.... something. I didn't open my eyes the whole time, but it felt like a laser or something? Maybe someone can shed more light on this in the comments. I couldn't really smell anything, so that was good. But I could hear it and it sounded... different. I could sometimes feel it on my skin, and it felt hot mixed with pressure? Like when you splash hot water on your skin or something, except it wasn't a burning hot, just really hot. That makes no sense, but I am SURE I won't be forgetting the sensation haha. This part wasn't good either. There was only one time where I could feel something and they added more local anesthesia (yay...) but for the rest I only felt liquid or hot. So, it wasn't bad as the local, but still not a walk in the park like I thought it would be.

(Oh yeah, and this whole time? WIDE AWAKE. The whole surgery was about two hours and we chatted the whole time. The conversation was fine or whatever but I was like WHY GOD WHY AM I NOT SLEEPING. Literally when I got my wisdom teeth out they had to wheel me out in a wheel chair because I was so out of it I couldn't walk. So I've always thought substances are really potent for me (speaking as someone who uses 0 substances, even ibuprofen when I have a headache). But, after this experience I guess they aren't as potent as I would have thought!)

After that, they stitched me up. I could feel tugging, but nothing too bad. It was actually the best part, if I had to pick one. It's like it was progressively more bearable as things went on. One thing I did like about being awake, was that I was able to communicate with them. From the beginning I told them to combine my scars in the middle because they were already so close, but they didn't want to. So, at the end of the surgery, they saw it would look better if they did, so they were able to confirm verbally that I was ok with it and stitch it up. So, I did like that part.

Overall, this is how I feel about the second surgery: It was not a pleasant experience and it has taken me a long time to think about it without feeling cringe-y. Like watching my sister's c-sections? 0/10 cringe. Googling and watching breast reduction surgeries? 0/10. But this experience??? Cringe-level off the charts. Like I had to use my *MiNdFuLlNeSs SkIlLs* to stop myself from thinking about it and feeling cringe-y.

I would never in my life get it done again without being completely put under general anesthesia. I think they wanted to avoid putting me under again thinking it would be an easier recovery, but *insert all swear words here* it would have been 100% better if I would have been unconscious. It's just like, one of those things you probably shouldn't be conscious for, ya know?

So, needless to say, I am done with any and all surgeries boob-related. At this point, my boobs are the way they are going to be for the rest of my life. I am not touching them again!

This whole experience really got me thinking about childbirth because people are always saying childbirth is the worst thing, etc., etc. I am like, iffy about children as it is (in general, not referring to having my own) so going through this I was like, "J WE ARE ADOPTING."

When I was telling my mom about the surgery she said what I did was really extreme, and childbirth wouldn't be as bad. Being completely honest with you all, if a fairy gnome from the future was to come down and tell me my childbirths would be equal to or worse than my surgery, I straight up would not birth a single child. 0 CHILDREN. Like, that is how hellish it was. Luckily, my mom (who is a nurse and also had babes with and without epidurals) told me that what I did was an extreme thing and childbirth is not as bad. So, that's kind of like, my hope I am holding on to right now. Like probably nothing will ever be as bad as that, so it's all uphill from here. (Except for the ladies, of course... get it?? Tee hee. #momjokes) So, yeah, I will still birth children, I guess. (Not pregnant and will not be for 20 years.)

ALL OF THAT BEING SAID: If I could go back in time, I would still get the first reduction because it is SO NICE to have smaller boobs. Per the things that needed fixin' I think some of them happened because that's the way my body is and it would have happened with any surgeon. I think others could have been avoided if I would have gone to someone else. But who knows. AND it doesn't matter. It's over now and I can focus on the positives!

Overall, I am glad to be where I'm at. My boobs before all this were a no-go for sure and also my nemesis (although I joke with J that that is where my power came from lol). My back pain was crazy, I had constant cleavage (in an environment that condemns cleavage as "immodest"), and like 0 clothing fit me! So, even though the second surgery was annoying and very hellish, I'm glad I'm at where I'm at, and I would trade back for those pre-surgery boobs for the life of me!

Now that it's all over, it makes a good story! And now I have the things that were bothering me fixed and I won't ever wonder what would have happened if I would have gotten the surgery done. Which, for me, counts for a lot. I'll do a lot of things just to know ya know? I don't like having to wonder what would have happened.

So, if you were just coming here to read the surgery story, that's it. We went home after that and I was like, "My incisions don't even hurt!" Because they were still numb and I am an idiot. J set me up gooooood in our bedroom, got me a happy meal, and tucked me in. I ate, watched TV, took an oxy, feel asleep at 7:00pm, and woke up at 1:00 am with my incisions hurting. Which brings us to...

Day 2:

I could get up and stuff by myself, which is a faster recovery than the full reduction so #yay. I took more oxy this time around than I did with the first surgery. But, I really don't like taking strong pain meds AND oxy has some errr, unpleasant side effects. So, later in the day I switched to Advil which was actually fine because I was ALSO on my period during this time. Great timing to me!! J continued to be very sweet. He worked from home so he could take care of El Diablo (what we are calling Tucker these days) and feed me. V good husband award. Especially when you hear what happened later in the week!



Day 3:

We went to a John Butler Trio concert, which you can read about here.

Day 4:

UGH! So Tucker wakes up at like 5:50 every morning (like that exact time, it's weird). J takes him out (once again, best husband), feeds him breakfast and then goes back to bed. So, this day, he forgot to close the closet door all the way and Tucker got into his food! Boy can EAT. We have no idea how much he ate because the bag is like 50 pounds, but he was walking and moving around after so that was good.

WHAT WAS NOT GOOD THOUGH WAS HIM PEEING ALL OVER THE HOUSE. Like literally J took him out hourly, and then he would just pee inside the house. At one point, he started peeing and I grabbed him and took him in our apartment hallway to run outside, and the pee just kept coming out?! So we thought he had a bladder infection and paid $50 to get it tested. Turns out, he did not. We now think it was correlated with him eating all that food.

This was also my first day driving on my own and I was 100% fine. I went to Subway and was so sad. So, this subway is where I have had my best sandwich, and now... my worst. :(. #WHY. I swear to you the kids there were high. They were moving SO SLOW and had to ask me multiple times what I wanted on my sandwich. Then, at the end the girl was like, "Can I get you anything else?" And I was like, "Yeah, a sugar cookie and chips." And she FORGOT THE COOKIE. Like I'm sorry?? I told you two things??

So yeah, it was a tough day. Also J had never seen Notting Hill so we watched it and LOL-ed so hard. We really don't laugh out loud at that many movies, but we were rollin' with this. I love Spike so much. Does anyone know a real life Spike I can incorporate into my life? Taking applications.

Day 5-7:

Straight up can not remember what happened these days. Everything has kind of been stable since then. I have been getting shooting pains this time around that I was fortunate enough to not get last time. They are not fun and make me curse and hit walls, which is weird. Maybe each shooting pain turns me into like a teenage boy? TBA.

Something sad is that I went to put on a new bra and the strap broke :( RIP

Another sad thing I that I thought I had 2 weeks off of school/internship. (Side note: I was supposed to have ONE MONTH off, but my last internship went over a week and my new one started early.) But it turns out I only had last week off :( ADDITIONAL SAD THING!  I thought I only had trainings on 3 days this week, so I was like, "Oh, even though it isn't a free week, I have free days!" But it turns out I have trainings every day this week. And then next week I have more trainings and school starts. My really only possible last free day could be Friday. I was going to go into the city for fashion week, but I think I would rather stay home and binge watch TV. We will see.

ANYWAY! If you have made it to the end of this post, congratulations! I always like when I can just sit down and write a bunch of stuff on the interwebs. It's quite freeing. I also like coming back to my interweb writings years later and face palming so hard.

So, that's all I really have to say about all this. If you are considering have a breast reduction and want someone to talk to, I am an open book offline. So please, ask me all your questions and I will answer! I will say that I think my situation was unique. I have talked to a lot of ladies who have gotten breast reductions and all of theirs were just the one surgery with little to none complications. So don't let this scare you from getting something you want! Rather, I just urge anyone considering a reduction to think about all the possible side effects and outcomes! I am a pretty body positive person, so having imperfections really doesn't bother me that much. (Hence the coin flip to decide lol.) But, you have poor body image, consider what could happen and how it would make you feel! Surgeons do their best, but sometimes the things that happen are out of their control and just plain weird.

I can't think of a eloquent way to end this and I got some Bachelor in Paradise waiting for me so thank you all for reading! And breast of luck on your future endeavors... (See what I did there?? Lol.)

XOXO
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E

The Time I Went To A Concert 2 Days After My Entire Chest Was Sliced Open

HELLO EVERYONE. I AM ALIVE AND WELL. So, here's what happened.

November of last year I got a breast reduction (read about that here). There were some things my plastic surgeon wanted to fix but I was like, they are just boobs?? And decided not to.

Then, over the summer I started thinking about how I would be moving and not have the chance to fix them if I wanted to. Also my surgeon offered to do it for free (because I picked the best surgeon in the world) so I figured what the heck, why not! And decided to get the surgery. I have like a two week break (actually, one week because my next internship has trainings.... yayayyyyy) before school and internship start up again, so this was the only time I could do it. 

HOWEVER this was the same week as the John Butler Trio tickets I got J for his birthday. He was like, "We don't have to go!" And I was like, "I'll be fine!" 

So actually my incisions sting a lot. Sometimes they are fine, mostly when I am not moving. But when I am moving they sting. BUT GUYS, IT'S JOHN BUTLER TRIO.

So I went and literally cradled my boobs the whole time lol. Applying a lot of pressure to the bottom helps the incisions not hurt, so I basically looked like some jerk the whole concert who refused to unfold their arms to clap lol. 

Also I am aware I look like a ghost in this photo. You may think it's because of the surgery I got earlier, but it's actually just because I am really white lol. 

But the concert was really good! There were a lot of granola bars (granola people... hippies...) there and it made me hype af to move to Portland or Seattle. I feel like we've had 9 months left on the east coast for months? Like I remember my mom being here in May and telling her we had 9 months left?? So I'm like WHEN WILL THESE 9 MONTHS START SHORTENING! Lol.

Anyway, I am back at home now and doing fine! This recovery should be easier than my last, but gosh dang I just wish the stinging would stop because it puts me in the WORST mood!! It's like, random shooting pains too. I'll write more about everything on Tuesday. So be forewarned.

XOXO

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E

P.S. I just had the WORST experience at Subway! I swear the kid making my sandwich was high and had to ask me like three times what I wanted on it. Then, I ordered a cookie and they didn't give it to me, but charged me for it anyway :( I am bummed because this is the same Subway that made the BEST sandwich I have ever had in my life. (And I eat a lot of Subway so that's saying something!!!) Anyway, I will be going back for the cookie because I am that type of person. 

The Time I Stopped Showering

I have had my fair share of days without showering (camping trips when I was a teenager, ok?!) but after my breast reduction it reach a WHOLE new level. It probably doesn't help that I have to wear the same surgical bra every day UGH! I don't think I can go back to a regular bra until it's been 6 weeks. This means that in Tokyo I will be wearing it, but it's chill cause it's mostly sweater weather there in December, right?!

Here's the thing: After a breast reduction, your incisions like, leak fluid. Nothing super gross, but just a lil' bit. ALSO, you have to be careful because you can get an infection while your incisions are still healing. 

So, from the time I got my reduction I had 6 weeks until we were leaving for Tokyo. I REALLY didn't want to get an infection because it could maybe mean we couldn't go to Tokyo, or it wouldn't be as enjoyable. I don't know how infections work, but I was just scared, ok?!?!?!

So I didn't shower... for like 3 days at one point. (Zomg.) In my defense, it felt SO WEIRD to have my boobs like, exposed to the world. Like they heal pretty boxy and they're not like, blubbery for a while. So it was just a weird experience and one I avoided. It got to a point where I lifted my arm and was like "NOPE." So then I showered and realized my incisions weren't as bad as they had been before, and from there on out it was smooth sailing in the smell department.

Anyway, while I was in my non-showering phase I got these little bb perfumes by Commodity Goods in the mail. They are so beautiful and cute. Now that I am showering again and I have been using mimosa and it smells sooooo good. I always forget to put on perfume, but srsly have you ever stood near someone who smells good? It's like, the biggest... I don't know the word I'm looking for. Not turn on, cuz gross, but just like it makes that person more attractive? Do you know what I mean?

Anyway, I hope you all are keeping better hygiene practices than me! Judge me if you want but it was a traumatic thing and I care not about the judgment! 

XOXO

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E

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Boob-date: Weeks 2 and 3 (Breast Reduction Journey)

Friday (one week post op):

I drove for the first time today! It wasn't too bad, although underneath my armpit got achey? Strange.

I went to my follow up appointment and my plastic surgeon said that everything looks great! I'll go back in 2 weeks.

- - - - -

Saturday:

I busted open a scab and bled through my surgical bra and onto my sheets! Yikes! This freaking stain remover works just as well as everyone says it does, though.

Monday:

I put on one of my spandex-y crop tops and almost cried at how good it looked! I wasn't wearing a bra and it looked fine. It wasn't boob-city or anything. #smallvictories #punintended #isthatapun

Tuesday:

I did full makeup for the first time since the surgery! It felt good to get ready again.

Wednesday:

I burst another scab and bled a little. UGH I NEED TO CHILL.

Thursday (about 2 weeks post op):

I wore a form fitting dress to our Thanksgiving dinner and it was a BIG mistake. So uncomfortable :(. I need to stay in really comfortable, loose fitting clothing for a while I guess!

- - - - -

Tuesday:
Most of my incisions are just scars now! A few are still scabby.

Thursday:
I am gross and have picked off most of my scabs lol.

Friday (about 3 weeks post op):

UGH YOU GUYS. This day has been sooooo freaking weird.

So I was going to be late to my check up appointment. I called. A guy answered (I have only heard women answer the phone). I told him I would be 10 minutes late. He said he would let them know. I get there. The door is locked. I call again and tell them I am here for my appointment but the door is locked. He says he will call the surgeon and tell them to unlock the door for me. The surgeon comes and tries to unlock the door but it takes them like 45 seconds because it's jammed. They let me in and apologize. They go to check me in and are like, "I don't see you scheduled for today?" I'm like, "Oh really?" Then I check my phone and see it's on Monday ughhhh. But I was in too deep so I was just like, "I have it down for today? Maybe I wrote it down wrong?" And then they were like, "Oh well! You're already here so let's just go back." *The actual check up takes literally less than a minute so it wasn't too much trouble, but I felt dumb lol.*

OK THEN THE NEXT TWILIGHT ZONE THING HAPPENS.

So, I posted this on my snapchat (@emmycoletti) so go watch it because it's the full story there. But basically, I applied to this graduate school and I am convinced it's a cover and actually a government conspiracy. They closed my program, kept my application fee, and I can't get a hold of anyone there. I actually went in there one time and there wasn't anyone on the entire social work floor. I had to walk around and peek in offices before I found 1 woman to ask a question to. So I guess I am just going to lose my application fee because 0 people work there.


Anyway! Aside from the weird Twilight Zone things...


My incisions are healing well. I got the ok to stop wearing this surgical bra, which is good because it smells bad and I somehow managed to get chocolate all over it lol.


I think this is my last boob-date! They probably won't change much! I should be able to start wearing underwire again in January and I'm guessing they will be at the size they'll be at forever around February? Idk. But I don't feel like any of that deserves it's own post! So goodbye, boob-dates!

And thank you to everyone who has cared. I have to tell you, I LOL (literally) on a weekly basis to the older generations reaction to my opacity about this hahahah. It is SO FUNNY. So, thank you to the older generation for having the greatest reactions.

XOXO
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E

Boob-date: Week 1 (Breast Reduction Journey)

Thursday/The Day Of:

We woke up really early and drove to the surgical center. We got there at 6:30 am. I was so nervous and couldn't hold still. I peed before we left, but I peed again when we got to the waiting room because I HATE waiting. Then literally like 2 minutes after I came out of the bathroom the nurse came to get me and made me do a urine sample lol. I was freaking out that I wouldn't be able to pee because I had JUST went like minutes before, but strangely I was able to get a few drops lol. Then I brought the cup out with me like an idiot and she was like, "Oh you can leave it in there."

Then I went into the prep room where they hooked me up to an IV, gave me little cloths to wash myself down, had me change into their clothes, and brought me a warm blanket. I was OBSESSED with that warm blanket. It was so comforting haha.

When I am nervous I get real chatty. Like, REAL chatty. I am chatty anyway because I am uncomfortable with silence, but in nerve-wracking situations I just chat up anyone who is there. So naturally I met like 5 different people while in prep and I chatted all of them up lol. One lady was like, "I love when people ask questions!" But I'm not so sure she meant it lol.

Finally my surgeon showed up at 7:30am. They started marking where they would make their incisions and I started chatting. I found out they were going to take me to a B, because they wanted to make sure the insurance would cover the procedure. (Sometimes, if not enough tissue is removed insurance will come back and say they won't cover it anymore.) But I told them I wanted to be at a C or a D. I said I would rather have them come back and say they wouldn't cover it, but have the boobs I want than vice versa. 

Then I kissed Jake goodbye and went into the operating room. I started blabbing about how cold it was in there which somehow lead to me telling them I was from Utah? No idea how it got there, but it turned out there was a nurse from Utah who worked there and they said they would have her come meet me later. They had me lay down on this table that had arms lol. They covered me with a really heavy, warm blanket and strapped my legs into the table. It was SO comforting. Like being hugged by the world kind of. Then the anesthesiologist came in and asked if I was ready. He was holding a syringe and I asked if it was the medicine and that was the last thing I remember! 

I woke up in a little recovery tent. There were two nurses fussing about and I started asking them questions. "Is it over?" "How did it go?" "Where is Jake?" "Did he text my mom and tell her it went ok?" They said everything went fine and that they would get Jake when I was a little more awake. I blacked out and then woke up again later. I was told that the total "out" time was like 20 minutes. While I was waking up, the plastic surgeon went to visit Jake and told him that everything went great. They said they thought I would love my new boobs lol.

They brought Jake in and I immediately had him text my mom to tell her everything went ok. (My mom was real nervous about this surgery lol.) The nurses brought me ginger ale and some saltines. I tried to wake myself up more and more and eventually they moved me to a chair to see how that felt. The nurse said I was recovering really well! I asked like, in comparison to most surgeries how mine went and how I was doing. The nurse said that I was doing excellent! I was a "model patient" lol. I was mainly asking so I could have some ammo to say, "I told you so!" to my mom but it was nice for my own knowledge too. 

I finished off my crackers and chatted with the nurse from Utah. Utah Nurse was really nice and ended up giving me her phone number because her and her husband host these monthly activities for young couples. Her and the other nurse walked me out to the car. The other nurse gave me a hug lol. She was so nice! I got in the car and buckled myself in and we were off to home!

On the way home I got really emotional and I have no idea why haha. I started crying and was just having like, overwhelming feelings of happiness lol. I was just so excited and I just wanted to get home and start healing. I'll post the video later!

We got home around 11:00am. I was nervous about the pain so I started taking the Percocets they gave me. I took them on 3 different occasions, but ultimately stopped because I hated the way they made me feel. I took my last at 2:00 am on Day 2, aka my first night after the surgery. 

I honestly can't remember what we did for the rest of this day? I was too nervous to look at my boobs or anything, so we just laid in bed and watched T.V. Oh!!! We watched the 10th Kingdom, that's what it was. Jake fell asleep and I think I did too at some point.

MAIN DAY 1 THINGS: I took Percocet. I didn't feel too much pain. I had trouble sitting up or moving my arms. My incisions were draining. I didn't look.

Day 1 (Friday): 

Jake had to go back to work. I had been texting his mom the night before about how I was kind of nervous to be left alone. So, being the nice person that she is, booked a redeye flight ASAP and got in on Friday!!! Can you believe it? She is seriously such a gem. #blessed

So, she arrived at 11:00 am and helped me while Jake was at work. We mainly watched a lot of T.V. and chatted :).

I felt a little bit better this day. I could get up on my own, although it was still very sore/uncomfortable feeling. My incisions were sore. My nipples were very sensitive, and actually have been the whole time.

When Jake got home, I took my first shower! It was NOT a good experience. The whole time I had been avoiding looking at my boobs because I just knew it would make me woozy. My surgical bra was so tight and comforting, but taking it off just made me feel like my incisions were going to split open and I was going to get an infection. UGH.

So, I got in there thinking it would be bad but not knowing how bad it would be. I FREAKED out at the feeling of having my boobs exposed. They used this tape from hell to get my surgical padding to stay and it was THE WORST PART OF THE WHOLE SURGERY EXPERIENCE. The tape hurt soooo bad to peel off my skin. Also, the thought of my skin stretching with my stitches because of the tape was just TOO MUCH. I freaked out and got out of the shower.

I had him and his mom take a look and tell me if I wanted to look. They didn't really say yes or no, but I decided it would be ok. I took a look and was pleasantly surprised! I had 0 bruising. My nipples were their regular color too. Mainly there were just like incisions that were red, but that was it. It really wasn't too bad! Although I was scared of getting an infection so I immediately had them cover them up again. 

Day 2 (Saturday):

I took my first real shower! The main point of this shower was for Jake to wash my hair so it sucked because I had to like, stay in there until he was done! I didn't even wash my boobs or touch them with water or anything. I literally got in, started freaking out, Jake washed my hair really fast, and then I got out and put my padding and surgical bra back on.

I was getting really bored of being inside, so we went on a little drive around Milford and found some beautiful, big houses along the beach! (You can see how all my color was gone in the beginning.) I am excited to go back and see them during Christmas time. We went to a movie as well! We saw Arrivals and I thought it was really good. I got a little bit tired standing and waiting for Jake's mozzarella sticks, but other than that I was fine walking and going out, etc. 

During the movie I got really sweaty because I was wearing one of Jake's hoodies, but the sweat on my underboob kept feeling like blood and freaking me out lol. 

Saturday night I slept really well! All through the night without waking up once.

Day 3 (Sunday): 

I took a better shower this day. I used a washcloth and soap to kind of clean my chest, but I never put it in the water directly. I forgot to wash my armpits and I smelled BAD haha.

I also wanted to get out of the house this day so we went and got acai bowls! They were good, but still nothing compared to Ivie Juice Bar! I was feeling really sick before we went, but I think it was just a lack of food because I felt better after.

We went on a little drive and showed Jake's mom where he works.

By this day I was just a little sore. I could get up on my own. I could take peeks at my boobs without feeling like I was going to throw up. Also! If your nipple is going to die, it usually is within like 24-48 hours after the surgery. So I decided on this day that I was officially past the risky part of my nipple dying. Yay for non-dead nipples!

I had a little bit of yellow bruising appear around my left nipple, but that was it.

Day 4 (Monday):

In the morning, I went with Jake's mom to get some surgical padding for my bra. I didn't like the feeling of the fabric along my incisions. I then took a shower by myself and finally washed those dang armpits lol. I had to have Jake's mom come in and help me put the padding in and the bra on.

I went back to my online job. Typing and having a computer on my lap was 100% fine. The nurse said I wouldn't be able to but yeah, I was totally fine. 

My nice mother-in-law cleaned my whole apartment!! <3 She even cleaned my tub which made me want to take a bath SO BAD but I can't soak until 2 weeks after :(

When Jake got home from work we went to the mall. Bath and Body Works had a $6 sale on those Aromatherapy products which I LOVE. So Jake got me some stuff for Christmas. We stopped in at Lush and got a bath bomb, DUH.

By now, I was feeling pretty ok. I still was a little bit sore, but really not bad at all. Mainly the only things bothering me at this point was just the feeling of not having padding in my surgical bra and my side incisions. Other than that, golden!

Day 5 (Tuesday):

My mother-in-law left! I still can't get over how nice it was for her to come out on such short notice and will be forever grateful! Now you guys can see where Jake gets his niceness from!

She prepped all my food before she left so I was set for the day. I mainly just worked and chilled.

When Jake got home he made me chicken and waffles (BAE) and chatted with me while I showered like a true bb. He helped me put my padding in my surgical bra and then we started back in on Harry Potter. We started them while his mom was here, but have been continuing since she left. Jake is like obsessed with them right now.

Day 6 (Wednesday):

I had a good night's sleep because I finally found a way to be on my side! Yay! I usually sleep on my stomach so this was progress.

I took a shower and put my surgical padding in by myself. 

I worked and did all those little things I had been meaning to do for a while. Like organizing my Photos library, yay!

Jake made me veggie pot stickers and we finished the 5th Harry Potter. (Which, by the way, is my least favorite of all the Harry Potters.) We started the 6th and I fell asleep on the couch. I woke up to the sound of Jake building a computer lol and it motivated me to move rooms. 

Day 7 (Thursday/today!):

I slept really good last night! Still doing my weird side sleeping but what can ya do.

I can open and close the blinds by myself. I am not supposed to lift more than 5 pounds, but I poured my own milk in my cereal this morning and it was probably 3 pounds. It was totally fine.

My boobs are looking really great! The yellow bruising on my left boob is still there, but it's not bad. I feel like the scabbing/incisions are clearing up really great. They are looking less and less icky and more just like a small scratch. (Note: They do not look like a small scratch, they are just looking more like one than they were before.)

The pain in my side incisions is gone. I can lay in the fetal position if I do it just right. I still have sensation in my nipples, which I'm hoping is a good sign for breast feeding in the future. My lower boob and around my nipples is numb. Some parts of my boobs are hard. 

I have just been working and eating! A sweet woman from my LDS church ward brought me dinner like a true champion.

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All in all, it really hasn't been that bad of a surgery! I think mainly having someone around the first 2 days is good, but also you could hack it and make it work on your own, although it would be a little difficult. The risk of nipple necrosis is real and scary, but if you can make it 2 days I think you're good! (Fact check that, though.) The fear of infection is also very real, but I think I am out of the clear for that as well!

If I had to rate this surgery on a scale of 1-10 on hardness/pain it would be like a 3 lol. I think having the flu is worse! Well, maybe not, but you get the idea! It really isn't a bad surgery AT ALL. 

XOXO

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E

P.S. Should I post photos of my boobs with the nipple part blacked out? Is it too graphic, or just interesting? I have 0 qualms with people seeing these photos of my boobs because they are 100% not sexual and also they will change a lot. Anyway, tell me what to do!