Pains are back?!

[jamie10]

Hi everyone,

I had surgery done in the UK with Dr Levick on September 26th, so about 3 weeks ago.

The past couple of days I have been getting pains around the nipple area and sides of the chest. I feel really numb there as well. I am not sure why I feel worse right now than last week. I feel similar to how I did just after surgery!

I can't think what would have caused this. Anyone have any advice or reassurances? I am concerned I may have affected the tissue that is healing underneath and I have screwed up the healing...

Thanks!

[thetodd]

3 weeks is nothing as far as post op recovery goes, dont worry you will be feeling uncomfortable for a fair bit yet. I didn't get sensation back in my nipples for months on end.

Ive wrote loads about post op recovery before and i can never find the last one ive wrote, here's one from a year ago.

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Unless you've had surgery, you just wont understand what the recovery process is like. Its a mixture of emotions.

The day after surgery is the most flat your going to see your chest, depending how the surgery has been performed when you take off the bandages youl be left with a smooth chest. This is down to a few things but it comes out un-naturally flat and its a huge change. Its sort of euphoric and you go to bed thinking "well thats sorted then".

A few days pass, you look in the mirror and see some swelling. This is where i first had my doubts

"have i wasted my money?"
"Is it reoccuring?"

Few weeks pass, you're losing sleep due to the vest and the swelling goes and now you can feel scar tissue when you are massaging. That initial euphoria has long gone and your feeling worse than before the surgery. All i can say is there is just a point where your emotions balance out and you accept your chest, and then all of a sudden you notice your chest is now "Normal" and you can carry on living your life. I mean if you look at my thread surgery threads youl see my have doubts and then just realise that im actually gyne free.

Its not a case of personal loss, or how hard your life is. When a part of your body changes overnight your brain just doesnt adjust to it that quickly. Ive seen lads who have been whipping there tops off in three months some take a yaer or so. But you will get there

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Everyone goes through this phase, unless you are on the floor in pain dont worry about it.

[ScaredGuy]

thanks for the post todd. I was totally FREAKED when I saw my chest for the first time, I felt sick, felt like I was in someone else's body.

Jamie just want to let you know, I'm 15 days in, and my nipples in particular are feeling really painful right now, much more than they were a couple of days ago. I really don't know what's wrong but I don't think I'll worry until about 6 weeks in.

[jamie10]

Hey guys thanks for responding with this support.

Two days ago was really bad. I touched an area next to my left nipple and I got a massive shock which must have been a nerve running through my body. Immediately after I felt the area throbbing and a sick feeling in my stomach.

I have had nerve pain before, for example, when you you stub your toe. You get this shock running through your sensory nerves and you feel a bit woozy. Not sure anyone else has had this pain post-op?

I suppose I am just annoyed that the pain/sensitivity is much worse than I anticipated. I have heard of people massaging the area and I can hardly touch it!

However, I understand this is very early days. I can't say I'm really happy yet because of the pain and affect this is having on me but I look forward to getting better.

I spoke to Dr Levick yesterday who assured me everything was fine. He suggested nurofen for the pain. I have been taking ibuprofen and it has helped somewhat. Pain still there though and I am very stiff still.

Maybe I should get back on the arnica and pineapple juice as I stopped that a couple weeks back...

[thetodd]

What your describing sounds like it could be a a form of hypersensitivity, and certain parts of your chest will be sensitive google "hypersensitivity after breast surgery". Massaging is a HORRIBLE experience, when you hear massage you picture spa treatments but its far from it. I remember when i first used bio oil i wanted to cry because i could just feel loads of hard tissue and it was sensitive to the touch.That does go eventually, but yeah its not nice at first.

On the topic of massage, there is no clear view on what you should do about this so id consult Levick. When i started on the board i was told to "use your knuckles, and break up the scar tissue with vigrous massage". When i told my surgeon he gave me a look, and said this would just damage the muscle on my chest and create more scar tissue inbetween the muscle fibre's. So what i say is use two finger's preferably with bio oil and just gently but firmly massage your whole chest in circular motions.

Arnica is a homeopathic remedy so it probably doesn't do anything in reality and pineapple is more to stop the swelling because it contains bromelain which can help reduce swelling. So as far as pain relief you are going to have to stick to the ibuprofen.

If anyones reading this thinking, fucking hell sounds like torture i don't want the surgery anymore. Its manageable its just a crap few months, but its well worth it the end. And the same to you guys it does get better and when it does youl be happy.

[jamie10]

Thanks for your reply thetodd, it's good to hear from people who have been through all this.

I must admit I am only getting pain on one side, the other feels quite good! The left hand side is causing me a lot of pain and discomfort. The ibuprofen takes the edge off but it's still present. Hoping things will ease off soon because it's hard doing a day job with this kind of pain!

To all those reading and concerned, rest assured everyone has different experiences and my pain doesn't have me on the floor. I am walking differently because of it and it does hurt but with it being temporary I suppose it's a small price to pay. I am jealous of those who have jumped into exercising at the gym though, I don't feel in a state to do that...

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Just found this written by a doctor online, about breast augmentation surgery - we are likely to have similar issues with gyno surgery:

Patients who undergo breast augmentation often complain of pain, swelling, and nipple hypersensitivity. These are normal findings immediately following surgery, and usually resolve with time.

The hypersensitivity that you describe is known as a dysesthesia. It’s very similar to what happens when your leg falls asleep. This phenomena occurs when nerves are compressed or stretched. During and after breast augmentation surgery, the breast implant actually simultaneously stretches and compresses the nerves. In many cases, this is made worse by swelling.

Patients typically describe a tingling, burning sensation that can be very uncomfortable. In many cases, clothing rubbing against the nipple areola can elicit a pins and needles sensation.

These symptoms usually resolve in about 6 to 8 weeks without intervention. In some cases, aggressive massage can desensitize the area and minimize the pain and discomfort associated with this condition.

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Also, here is a relevant, useful thread from this forum:

http://www.gynecomastia.org/smf/38/how-soon-after-surgery-is-it-safe-to-flex-chest-muscles/

[ScaredGuy]

Hi Jamie,17 days in now and am I absolutely no-where NEAR massaging. When were you told to start massaging? I can't even think about touching my chest right now, I would cry I'm sure. I can still feel a lot of pain and soreness and occasionally out of the blue my nipples feel like they are burning. Also I accidentally used my chest muscle in a way I shouldn't have the other night getting out of bed, that hurt like stink.

That being said, as I type this I'm drinking a coffee and getting ready for my first session at the gym. I don't know what I'm going to do there. I generally train hard with a mixture of cardio, weights and bodyweight exercises. Today I don't know what I'm going to do I'll just see when I get there. I'm taking my phone with me and I'm just gonna watch youtube or a movie or something while I plod along on a spinner or a stepper or maybe just walking uphill on a treadmill.

I can't sit at home and let myself get fat anymore, I've put on a truckload of fat because I've been doing nothing except sitting, and eating whatever I want. Obviously I can't jog yet because of the "bounce" would be too painful, but I'm tempted to try the crosstrainer. I'll see how it goes and if it's painful in the slightest I'm going to stop.

I wouldn't worry yet mate, what we've got in return for a few weeks of pain is definitely worth it. I'm walking around with t-shirts on I never thought I'd wear