How sore should I be on day 2?

[i_dont_know]

I had my procedure done yesterday and the doc said everything went nicely, etc... but as soon as I got home and the numbness wore off, I was EXTREMELY sore. I figured that'd be normal.. which is fine. I even took 2 painkillers and I was STILL very sore.

I just woke up on day 2 and now the CENTER of my chest, my left armpit and up near my collarbones are ridiculously sore. It's extremely hard for me to sit up and get in/out of bed... and it's very uncomfortable when I stand and try to walk.

I'm kind of nervous because from what I've read on here, most people seem to feel much less sore by the 2nd day and I don't really feel any less sore whatsoever.. even with the tylenol.

[dondante]

Did your doctor give you Tylenol 3 or just regular Tylenol? I remember that on my 2nd day I was extremely sore, and I was taking percoset. Even with the very strong painkiller it was very painful for me to sit up and get in and out of bed. Don't worry about it, some of us will have stronger reactions post-op than others. I didn't feel a dramatic improvement until the end of the 4th day post-op.

[i_dont_know]

He gave me Tylenol 3, I was taking those initially but I didn't want to rely on them. I think I'm going to have to take them again, though. Almost every part of me that is under the binder is SO sore.

I guess I was just confused because most times they say by the 2nd 24 hours post-op, you should be good enough to get out of bed, go see a movie, etc..  but I literally can't walk around without feeling extremely uncomfortable. I know staying in bed isn't what I'm supposed to do, but I can't really do much else without strong discomfort.

I guess I can deal with it as long as I know that it's somewhat normal, I just wanted to make sure nothing weird was going on. Hopefully I'm fine.

[dondante]

I know staying in bed isn't what I'm supposed to do, but I can't really do much else without strong discomfort.

Staying in bed is EXACTLY what you should be doing. Your body just went through a trauma, you should be resting.

[i_dont_know]

Thanks, don... I feel a little more relieved now. I can't wait to take the binder off for a few minutes tomorrow in order to shower..  breathing is not easy with this thing on. Really not too thrilled about having to wear it for 3 weeks, but it's part of the process. I'll certainly trade in 3 weeks of discomfort for the rest of my life with a flat chest after 10 years of suffering.

I'll probably be back tomorrow with more questions. Hopefully you & others who have had the surgery will be here to help. I've got a follow up appt with the doc next week to check up on things and see how I'm healing so thankfully I'll be able to ask him questions too. In the meantime, it's nice to hear from other guys who have had the surgery what their healing experiences have been like.

[i_dont_know]

I'm getting a really sharp shooting pain under my left side (a lot more was taken out there)... even the Tylenol 3 doesn't really make it go away. Any advice for how to get rid of it? It's like a sharp throbbing pain.. kind of feels like I'm getting sliced there with something really sharp.

[Brownboy]

Hey..i had my surgery last week .. i had a similar pain like that like the day after surgery.The doc determined i had some hemorrhage and he put a drain it feels lot better now.. do u have a drain inserted on u?

[i_dont_know]

Nope, no drains. Hopefully that isn't the problem.

I actually feel a little better now pain-wise.

I took the binder and compression shirt off to take a shower and the area was very bruised. Made me a little nauseous to be honest.. heh. It wasn't terrible it was just a lot to handle. Hopefully I'll be less bruised and less sore as the days go by. I can't wait to heal up. This part of it sucks.

[prodigy]

Everyone heals differently. You should start to feel the pain subside by day 4-5.... hang in there.

[i_dont_know]

Thanks, guys... I'm hanging in there.

Took my binder off again today to put new band-aids and ointment on the incision sites.

Going into surgery, my left side had much more gland underneath it than the right.. but there was still enough under the right for it to be operated on as well. Looking at it now, the right side looks outstanding..  COMPLETELY flat. After the surgery, the doctor told me they got both sides nice and flat, so I don't doubt it... but for right now, my left side looks almost exactly like it did before the surgery with the exception of the nipple which looks flatter now and not puffy. I'm guessing this is completely normal, yes? Since so much more work was done on that side I'd assume it normal for there to be a lot of swelling and bruising there?

As long as the end result is both sides looking like the right side does right now, I'll be ecstatic.. I just wanted to hear from you guys who have had the surgery and are further along than I am.. did you go through something similar? How long did it take for the swelling to start subsiding? I know it's going to fluctuate a TON over the next few weeks, but will the swelling go down a little bit over that span of time? I'm only 4 days post-op so I know it's really early and I'm not freaking out. Like I said, if I know the end result is both sides looking like my right does now.. I'll be very happy and I'll have to be patient.