Preventive Mastectomy: Revision Surgery Pre Op Appointments

Posted October 21, 2024 by Prairie Wife - 14 comments

It has been a long time since I’ve had to share anything other than an annual update about my Preventive Mastectomy. But, as you can see from the title of this post I am headed into the operating room yet again. This time, it’s for a revision surgery, and today, I’ll be sharing with you what we covered in my revision surgery pre-op appointments.

Almost 9 years ago, I decided to undergo a Preventive Mastectomy because of my high hereditary risk of Breast Cancer. You can read more about my decision in this post.

At the time, the Cowkids were between the ages of 9 years and 9 months old, and it was an incredibly difficult decision to make. I couldn’t find any information online about how to navigate this intense and lengthy process as a mom with young children. So, I decided to share my journey from start to finish (pictures and all) with readers. I hoped that being able to see my journey would help women make the right decisions for themselves and their families. And I also prayed that it would offer them the support and comfort I didn’t have but desperately needed.

When we first talked with my doctor about having a preventive mastectomy, they let us know that revision surgery at around the 10-year mark was common. At the time, that seemed so far away, we just nodded and smiled…and now here I am. Almost 10 years later and ready to have surgery again.

You may recall that while I am pleased with my results, I do get incredibly uncomfortable when I shiver and experience pain when I challenge myself physically. Adding more miles to my distance runs, trying a new sport, or taking my weightlifting to the next level leaves me in pain for days. There has also been some change in the shape of my implants, but again, nothing that bothers me. I still think I look great in clothes and a swimsuit!

When I met with my plastic surgeon for my annual checkup last year, he mentioned that technology had significantly advanced since my surgery, and he said he wanted to perform a revision surgery on me.

He felt confident it would help me feel more comfortable and fix some of the aesthetic issues we noticed as time went on.

I told him no.

It was Cowboy J’s Senior year, and I was already missing enough of his big moments with work. I didn’t want to add surgery to the mix.

But, when I went for this year’s annual checkup in April, things had continued to change (and not for the better), and we decided that this year I needed to make time for the surgery.

So I did.

I’ll be undergoing my first of two revision surgeries on November 13.

Today, during my Revision Surgery pre-op appointments, we discussed what the surgery would look like and what I could expect during recovery.

We will be taking out my textured under the muscle implants and exchanging them for smooth them over the muscle implants.

I will have wound drains for two weeks and t-rex arms for three weeks.  I will be unable to drive for three weeks, and I need to keep my heart rate low and avoid any exercise for four weeks.

No running or any hard core working out for eight weeks.

In some ways, this is easier than the first surgeries.

I know what to expect.

The Cowkids are WAY older, and I know that I can handle the pain and lengthy recovery process.

That being said, I KNOW what to expect.

I know the mental load of not being able to care for my family.

I understand how hard it is to get up and going and start over.

How frustrating it is to go from being strong, healthy, and physically fit to not being able to walk down the dirt road without being tired.

But I’m up for the challenge, and I trust my doctors and believe this will improve my quality of life.

Two surgeries, a few months of recovery, a little bit of pain for 10 -15 years of uninterrupted adventures, and making memories seems like a good deal to me. 

Prairie Wife Pictures: Amanda Jo Photography

Family Pictures: Erin Potter Photography

Categories: Preventive Mastectomy, Revision Surgery

Tags: , breast cancer, breast cancer support, exchanging implants, mastectomy, preventive mastectomy, revision surgery, smooth implants, support, textured implants