Well, it's been a long but fun past week or so since my last post. My computer for some odd reason didn't have my username saved like it usually does and I couldn't remember it for the life of me and had a lot of problems recovering it through Google. BUT, I got it and am back on here finally! I had my second post-op appointment back on Monday, February 13th and my surgeon gave me the dreaded strap to wear. It's basically this elastic band that goes across my back and around the front and I have to keep it positioned really high on the twins, and then low on my back to create downward pressure on the twins to help them drop faster. He told me that I'd be wearing it, just about 24/7 other than in the shower, for 2-3 weeks. Ugh! It's annoying and uncomfortable. It digs into my armpit and causes this upper, middle back pain that hurts! The first couple days after he gave it to me, I didn't wear it as often as I should, but I have been now, day and night, for the last week. So I am hoping that come my next appointment with him on Friday, March 2nd, he will give me the okay to throw this thing away! He did mention at my appointment, however, that they were surprised at how quickly and great the twins were already coming along and dropping, so that's good! While I was at the appointment, he also gave me a paper that gives these different massages/displacement exercises to do 3 times a day. It's basically pushing really hard upwards, then downwards, then inwards, and then down-and-inwards on each twin and holding it for a minute on each side. So in all, it takes about 10 minutes to do each exercise, then I have to do it 3 times a day. So 30 minutes a day isn't that bad. He did tell me that it will probably hurt because I have to push down really hard in order to make the pocket inside loosen and open up more, but it isn't all that bad. I think the first day or two was the most uncomfortable but wasn't really painful though. I even had my hubster help me and push on them, and even with his strength, it wasn't any more than uncomfortable. But I have noticed a BIG difference since doing the exercises. The twins have become SO much softer and squishier! I will keep doing them 3 times a day for the first month after surgery, then I'll do them twice a day for the second month after surgery, then I will only do them once every other day for, well, the rest of my life. The point of it is to keep the pocket inside the breast (where the implants are situated) open and not constricted. By doing so, it helps keep scar tissue from forming around the implant. If that were to happen, then something called capsular contracture could occur. It's basically where scar tissue form along the lining of the pocket the implants sit in, hardens, and ultimately begins to shrink and constrict around the implant(s), which causes really hard/rock-like areas, pain, and can even squeeze on the implants so bad that it could rupture them. Thankfully, since I got under the muscle implants, I have a MUCH lower risk of that already, plus with my exercises I do (religiously lol), it would be very unlikely for this to happen to me, thank goodness! But the appointment went great and it looks that everything is right where it should be (actually better than expected) and I am happy to say that I am mostly pain free now. I have the occasional aches here and there (which ironically usually happen if I DON'T wear my stupid strap), but it's nothing even bad enough to take anything for, not even a Tylenol. Oh and I also, got to start sleeping on my side again! YAY! No more sleeping on my back and sitting upright! It was a little awkward and slightly uncomfortable the first night or two, but now it's soooo much better and I feel like I can actually sleep normally again! That's about it...gotta go get back to studying now!
Ashley
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