Parting Thoughts on Reconstructive Surgery

March 26, 2010

Since participating in a liquid fast last year through a nearby medical clinic I’ve continued to go to the clinic weekly for a maintenance support group comprised of a half dozen or more women who, like myself, lost their excess weight on the fast and are now learning how to live with food while maintaining a healthy body weight. During the hour long meeting we go around the room and do what people usually do at support meetings. We share. We talk about the mocha chocolate cheesecake we stalked, the calorie differential between a 45 minute spin class and a ham and provolone panini, and waking up from a dream of drowning in a swimming pool full of chocolate mousse.

So. Yesterday when the circle sharing came to me I was asked how the scars from my reconstructive surgeries were doing and as I began to describe how they were all at different stages of fading a new member of the group excitedly interrupted and proceeded to tell the group she’d had breast reduction surgery and that the scars were practically unnoticeable at which point this 65-something woman flung the front of her shirt up and over her shoulder to expose her bare-naked girlie bumps to the entire group for inspection. I dare say somehow I have managed to get to the age of 53 without ever being flashed someone’s grandma. Apparently the leader of our group had failed to inform our newest member that we limited ourselves to sharing and not show-n-tell.

Weird and all the more troubling because it was the highlight of my day.

Anyway, that leads to posting what will probably be a final review and update on the reconstructive surgery I had last summer and don’t let the opening story fool you….there will be NO photographs of any part of my flesh including my girl bumps. All you get is this image (which you can click on for a larger version), where I’ve gone ahead and added in the incision lines from the tummy tuck, mid-back lift, arm and thigh reduction, and breast lift.

The tummy tuck/mid-back lift took place in August 2009 and at this point those are the scars that have faded the most and I suspect both these scars will barely be visible in another year. The only lingering effect from these procedures is a continuing sensation of numbness just below my belly button where the stomach muscles were tightened but the intensity of the numbness flunctuates from day to day and most days it’s hardly noticeable. The only other lasting side-effects from the surgery is that any crunch work at the gym can cause some uncomfortable pressure across my mid-section and eating or drinking just a little too much at one seating causes an exaggerated feeling of fullness. All these lasting issues (numbness, bloating, pressure) are connected to having my stomach muscles surgically tightened which is a part of the tummy tuck procedure but not necessarily required.

The second surgery involved the breast lift and the upper arm and thigh reductions  and took place in September 2009. The breast lift was the easiest of all the procedures, both immediately after surgery and in the recovery time since then. There’s been little pain or tenderness around the incision sites although I’m still holding off for another couple months on my regularly scheduled mammogram. I’ll make the appointment when I can even think about having my new and improved all-eyes-ahead breasts squeezed between two plates of glass without wincing.

The thigh reduction incisions that run right along the bottom of my bum are also fading nicely but there are a few points along the incision line where the scar tissue has developed some hardness around it. This hardened tissue will eventually break up and soften but for the time-being it feels like I have a pocketful of pebbles when I lay my side on a semi-hard surface like the matted gym floor.

The scars that are taking the longest to heal are the most visible scars, those being the ones running down my inner arms just past my elbow and on my inner thighs running down just to above my knees. The thigh scars remain a darker pink/purple color and partially show when I wear shorts or shorter capri pants. Fortunately the incision lines have remained relatively thin and flat and I’ve been assured that given more time these too will heal to be very close to my natural skin color; and by that I mean to say  Pillsbury Dough Boy White. The most concerning of all the scar tissue to me is on my arms. The problem isn’t the coloring of the scars since they’re progressively fading too but the thickness and texture of the scars. In some areas the incision lines stretched to nearly double their original width and have developed a thicker texture that’s raised the scar tissue above the level of my skin. The reason for the damage to the scar tissue was due to being so physically active several weeks after the surgery when my Mom became ill and subsequently passed away. All the getting in and out of cars and planes, trips to the hospital, and multiple changes of clothing was all necessary for what was happening at the time but didn’t create the best case scenario for healing. Now that it’s nearing summer and I’m living in short sleeves and tank tops, the scars are hard not to notice but during a recent follow-up with my plastic surgeon he assured me even with these scars given a few more months of healing they’d take on a much more blended appearance to match the rest of my skin. The only thing that probably won’t change on its own is the width of the scar tissue but I’d rather live with that than have corrective surgery to repair it.

So the question is, after all the surgeries, pain, expense, disruption to my regular life, and the lasting scars, was it all worth it? I’ll answer that honestly.

The mid-back lift and tummy tuck, absolutely yes, they were completely worth it. The first week after surgery following the tummy tuck I experienced an incredible amount of pain related to the muscle tightening but I had pain medication for it and by the second week the pain was completely manageable. The time it took to really start feeling normal again took about four to five weeks but then it took a few more weeks beyond that to get back into my regular routine. And the results are fairly amazing. Before the surgery I had spent all of my adult life with an apron of fat and skin that sagged low over my abdomen and rested on the upper portion of my legs when I was sitting. My back and bum were loose and droopy from all the excess skin. The mid-back lift completely smoothed the surface of my back torso and exposed the natural lines and curves of the female anatomy. My stomach wins the award for “most improved.” My abdomen is completely flat and my belly button has been relocated to front and center.

The breast lift and the arm reduction is another unquestionable yes. I was totally surprised in the days following surgery as to how little pain or even discomfort was involved with either of these and the most discomfort I experienced with my arms came about a month after surgery when the skin around the scar tissue was itching and burning like crazy as a reaction to the natural healing process. There have been sporadic and temporarily painful hot spots on the incisions around my breasts as they’ve healed. The results from both of these procedures are better than I had expected. My arms now have a normal amount of sag for a woman my age and my breasts have less sag than normal for a woman my age. No complaints all the way around.

Had I truly known how painful and complicated the thigh reduction was going to be, I honestly don’t know if I could have gone through with it. It really was miserable in every possible way, beyond what I can and would describe here. At the same time I’m not sure if knowing every little ugly detail would have prevented me from going ahead because my inner thighs have always the thing I liked least/hated most about my body. I didn’t feel comfortable wearing shorts because most shorts weren’t long enough to cover them completely and bathing suits were out of the question! My thighs were so wide that to buy pants wide enough to fit over them meant wearing pants that hung loosely on my waist. And the issues I had with my thighs were far more than about vanity. The added weight put an extra load on my body and forced me to have a wider than normal gait for my size frame and the skin was more often than not irritated and sore from the friction of rubbing against the skin on the other leg. Not pretty. Not fun.

So yes, I’m thrilled and relieved I had the inner thigh work. My gait is natural. i can walk and ride a bike easily. My thighs are in proportion to my waist when buying pants. No rubbing and no chafing. But even so I’d be hesitant to encourage anyone else to have the procedure for themselves unless they were bound and determined. If you are, write me. Let’s talk.

So there you have it.

Posted in Reconstructive Surgery