Difference between Swelling and Fat - Post Op

[wiz]

Hi Guys,

I am now 3.5 weeks post-op and and i still have some swelling left. Some of my pics are in the a thread under User Photos. Can any of you please tell me how can we differentiate between swelling and fat? i can still feel a lil bit of numbness in my breasts and lil tightness when i overstretch my arms. That may be due to scar tissue. I am just a lil worried if enuf fay hasnt been taken out. Please advise.

Thanks

[man-chest-r]

Wiz, have exactly the same question. Saw my surgeon today - see my post in the UK section - am interested to read others responses.

[flex1appeal]

It depends on what kind of swelling it is. If it is swelling with fluid build up in the sof tissues you can usually tell if you put one finger on one side of your chest and then touch another side with another finger and push down while keeping the first finger still in place. If you can feel a waive like movement touch the still finger when pushing down then it is fluid swelling the area. If you do not have fluid swelling the area there are various other signs that indicate swelling still. Usually you can still see a jaundice colored skin tone on the swelled area until it goes away. It is not to be confused with bruising though it may look like left over bruising. At 3.5 weeks post op, it more than likely is residual swelling and not fat. I am 7 weeks post op and still have swelling of the soft tissue. I still have a little fluid build up under my nipple but it is going down. Try and take pictures frequently and look at them next to each other. A picture is very objective and shows the truth. The mirror does not.

[nukem2k5]

My swelling lasted several months.  What looks to you like fat is more than likely the same thing I had.  It will take at least six months for your chest to completely recover, possibly longer.  Even though it's not all bruised, the tissue under there is scarred and swollen for a long time.