The short story is that I want to know how much and what sort of pain is normal post-BA, for those who are experienced with that sort of thing.
My approach to the recuperative period has always been in the stoic style. Returning to normal activities as soon as one feels able is preferable to lolling about in jammies indefinitely. I haven't done anything ridiculous, like lifting things or exercise, just my normal household chores and such. (Velvet says I'm probably overdoing it though.)
The pain isn't terribly bad; I feel quite able to do most everything I normally would. While it is neither sharp nor debilitating, it IS incessant and nagging. My boobs are painful to the touch and everything is rather sore, as if I had a chestful of nasty bruises. I don't suspect an infection being as they are not red or discolored and they are quite soft and moveable, and the scars are healing rapidly and nicely - I also took my antibiotics faithfully and just finished them a few days ago.
I was thinking that perhaps the pain is from regenerating nerves. Right after surgery and up through the first two weeks-ish, everything except the nipple was damned near numb. Now there is plenty of sensation and none of it good; the bra hurts my skin, my arm bumping the boobs hurts, getting a hug from the kids hurts. Again, it's not sharp or especially bad pain. The mornings are the only time I'm ever, "Oooh, walk careful, ow, ow, ow." Probably because I'm active in my sleep and wound up on my stomach at some point. It's more that the skin hurts to touch and everything aches.
So. Whatcha think? I've been dealing with it fine on my own but a friend who is an RN threw a fit today when she heard that I've nearly finished off a bottle of Tylenol. She insisted that I call the doctor but he's out of the office today (of course). I hadn't bothered earlier because 1) It's surgery. It's going to hurt... duh. 2) It's not so bad that I think it calls for the narcotics I was prescribed for post-op. Tylenol handles it fine.
If it matters, I went under the muscle/through the crease and am 18 days post-op.
To recap, the questions are:
For those who have had a BA, is this in the range of normal? About how much longer until it stops being so sore and the skin can be touched?
Should I follow RN-friend's advice to ask the doctor for a prescription stronger than Tylenol?
Thanks.



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Incisions vary from the belly button to in the arm-pit.


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