***Photos of Skin-Sparing Mastectomy Below Post-Surgery***
It is true. I bruise easy, and they tend to last a long time. In fact, it is fairly normal to keep a bruise for 4-5 weeks. Remember the bruising from the gross 5-day post-op pictures? (Visual reminder below…)
When my plastic surgeon saw the bruising he told me about this wonderful herb called Arnica Montana (AM). He encouraged me to take it. Skeptical, I trudged to GNC, plopped down $8.59 for a box and chewed the first tablet in the parking lot.
I put the AM on the kitchen counter, took one whenever I passed or thought about it. (Though if I took it according to directions I probably would have healed sooner.)
Holy cow!! 9 days later well, here are the photos, you tell me.
5 Days POST OP GROSSNESS ............. 14 DAYS POST OP/ SEMI- GROSSNESS (9 Days on AM)
I also went in for my first fill….which I talked about in the last article. http://lifehappens.joeuser.com/article/400366/Truthful_Self-Delusion
I snapped a photo of my first day back exercising (the day after my fill, 3 weeks post op…I started working out a week sooner than the PS permitted, and guess he was right about waiting, my entire breast turned bright red for two days!! So I backed off until Weds this week; the official 4 week mark.)
If someone told me a year ago, I’d be happy to “look even” in a sports bra, well….crazy much?,
I know it’s hard to see, (I had to use a mirror, one hand holding the mirror the other taking the pic…WHAT? I’m not the most coordinated person on the planet….despite the blurry, I almost look even!! RIGHT!?!?! Two more fills and they’ll be equal.)
I never believed boobs mattered. I mean, I almost didn’t have reconstruction. What’s the big deal? I asked myself. But luckily for me I have a cancer team that all but dragged me into reconstruction. All men of course 
. But, they said in their experience no woman had ever regretted reconstruction, but many regretted NOT having it. So I went with their recommendation.
However, when this cancer comes back (I have the Energizer Bunny Type Cancer otherwise known as HER2+++), I may just go breast-less. Reconstruction is painful, expensive, and time consuming. I don’t know about doing it AGAIN. But for now, I’m documenting progress….!!