BreastFree

My first day at home after my unilateral mastectomy and sentinel node biopsy.

My mastectomy incision after some months of healing (the wide section in the incision is due to an infection after surgery). The photo shows how the dog ear looked when I was seated and relaxed.

This photo illustrates how the dog ear would sneak over the top of my sports bra, which is worn here with a weighted foam form. In addition to the obvious protrusion of the dog ear, I also had a lot of unpleasant nerve sensation in it, especially if it was caught by the side of my bra. I also had a large area of numbness around the dog ear.

Six weeks post-revision surgery. The surgery was performed in my surgeon's office, under local anesthetic. It took about 35 minutes and resulted in a 7cm (3 inch) incision. The incision was quite deep and had two rows of internal stitches, with a single running stitch on top that didn't have to be removed. The area felt quite tender for the first few days, but not enough to require any pain management. The dressing stayed on for a week. The same rules applied as for my mastectomy - no stretching, no lifting, no arm above the head for a minimum of two weeks.

Ten weeks post-revision surgery. The site is now flat and supple. I have massaged it regularly, as I did with my mastectomy scar. I also used silicone strips to help reduce redness and flatten the incision line.

This is me, at home, wearing a silicone prosthesis. Since the revision, though I still have some numbness, I have lost almost all of the unpleasant nerve sensation, and what is left is so minimal that it doesn't cause me any problems.