Journal entry by Jessica Smith —
Hello Hello!
It's been quite the journey and I am happy to announce that I feel as though I have crossed the finish line.
After 5 long and somewhat miserable months living with uncomfortable expanders and traveling back and forth to Stanford I FINALLY had my exchange surgery on March 3rd. The surgery went perfectly, my surgeon told Jon on the phone that it went exactly as planned and that he was very happy with how the procedure went. When I woke up from surgery I actually was able to dress myself and walked to the bathroom by myself a few minutes after waking up. I was released from the recovery room about 30 minutes after waking up, which shocked the nurses. However after driving 4 hours to get home, the pain killers had worn off and I wasn't able to walk into my house without help... so there's that.
My recovery is going extremely well, a completely different experience than my mastectomy. I have minimal pain in my chest, however my legs (they harvested fat from my legs to fill in around the implants) are SO sore and will be sore for 6ish weeks. I actually have to wear compression garments to help with healing. I am very happy with the results so far. I am still very swollen and not completely healed up just yet, but I am feeling more like myself and I'm so much more comfortable than I was with the expanders.
I'll have another appointment with Roni (my super amazing Nurse Practitioner) when I get to the 6 week mark then another appointment with the surgeon at the 3 month mark then I wont see them again until March of 2023!
I want to thank all of you for your support throughout this process. We could not have gotten through this challenging journey without all of your prayers and well wishes.
It's been quite the journey and I am happy to announce that I feel as though I have crossed the finish line.
After 5 long and somewhat miserable months living with uncomfortable expanders and traveling back and forth to Stanford I FINALLY had my exchange surgery on March 3rd. The surgery went perfectly, my surgeon told Jon on the phone that it went exactly as planned and that he was very happy with how the procedure went. When I woke up from surgery I actually was able to dress myself and walked to the bathroom by myself a few minutes after waking up. I was released from the recovery room about 30 minutes after waking up, which shocked the nurses. However after driving 4 hours to get home, the pain killers had worn off and I wasn't able to walk into my house without help... so there's that.
My recovery is going extremely well, a completely different experience than my mastectomy. I have minimal pain in my chest, however my legs (they harvested fat from my legs to fill in around the implants) are SO sore and will be sore for 6ish weeks. I actually have to wear compression garments to help with healing. I am very happy with the results so far. I am still very swollen and not completely healed up just yet, but I am feeling more like myself and I'm so much more comfortable than I was with the expanders.
I'll have another appointment with Roni (my super amazing Nurse Practitioner) when I get to the 6 week mark then another appointment with the surgeon at the 3 month mark then I wont see them again until March of 2023!
I want to thank all of you for your support throughout this process. We could not have gotten through this challenging journey without all of your prayers and well wishes.
Patients and caregivers love hearing from you; add a comment to show your support.
Help Jessica Stay Connected to Family and Friends
A $30 donation to CaringBridge powers a site like Jessica's site for one month. Will you make a gift to help ensure that this site stays online for them and for you?
