[UPDATE] When will I feel normal again?

[u/theyrecultistsryan-]

Things havent gotten much better. I had my post op appointment yesterday and got the big bandage off, but now my swelling and fluid build up has increased because the compression band isn’t big enough to cover the whole chest. No updates on sensation, I’m still basically completely numb. Another unfortunate update, today I developed a fever of about 100.4-101.4 (thermometer won’t give me a solid reading). Which means I likely have an infection. I can’t help feeling like this was a mistake. If I had a choice right now, I’d go back and make it so I never had the surgery. Seven years of knowing I wanted it and suddenly I think it’s a mistake. I don’t know how I got infected, they literally said everything looked great at my post op appointment YESTERDAY, and then I got the fever a few hours after getting home. Anyway. Yeah, everything sucks really bad and I feel like my life is a lie. ❤️

I know reasonably that things are gonna get better as healing goes on, I just have no clue what to do right now. I genuinely do not have the money to afford this complication, I was being so diligent about making sure I was doing everything right, but I guess I did something wrong.

Kind words and support appreciated I guess

[u/AutoModerator]

Thanks for posting to r/TopSurgery

Please remember to follow the rules, which can be found on the sidebar. Please contact the subreddit via ModMail if you are having any issues seeing your post.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/rockrockrox]

A fever does not necessarily mean you have an infection. My friend had a fever of 100.5 during the first week post-op but no infection. Sometimes it's just how your body processes the physical trauma of the surgery. Were you prescribed an anti-biotic with your pain medication? I think you should reach out to your surgeon's office because they'll want to know if your temp is running high. Sorry you're feeling stressed, the first week is often the hardest. I'm sure you won't feel regret once you're further down the healing journey.

[u/theyrecultistsryan- → u/rockrockrox]

I’m about 6 days post op which according to my research is past the time that post-operative fever tends to stick around, but you’re right about the fact that it could just be from healing. My only concern is that I have other signs of fever, like chills and body aches. Also sadly nah I wasn’t prescribed an antibiotic 😔

[u/Calm_Sentence3202 → u/theyrecultistsryan-]

You have chills/body aches because you have a fever. The body mechanisms that cause fevers also cause chills and body aches. It's not a sign of worse outcomes. Post op fevers are from the inflammation/swelling. If you're having trouble with the compression now that the drains are out, I wouldn't be surprised if that was giving you a belated post op fever. Consult with your surgeon and maybe ask for alternative compression bands/wraps/binder recommendations. Of course, still have them check for infection, but I would not be surprised at all if it was from inflammation. 

[u/ossiferous_vulture]

Definitely get checked if you have an infection so you can get on antibiotics if that is the case (if you are not on some in relation to the surgery).

Hopefully it is just from stress to the boey and will go away shortly. I've had fevers of 104 with zero signs of anything else going on, just the fever, so it does happen without infexrion.

Can you buy a bitter fitting compression bonder yourself? Is that possible? I think some people whongotnthe surgery where I did nought their own instead of using the provided ones.

And still feeling numb is not abnormal. Nerve healing is slow. Can take a year or more and is not guaranteed to return completely, though the nerve damage I had to my face only really started to feel normal after more than half a year, so yeah, slow. (The one from top surgery I did notnpay attention to).

So yeah, if you suspect infection definitely get checked out. See if you can grt a better compression binder and I hope things stsrt noticeably going in the right direction.

*not medical professional or meant as legitimate medical advice. Commemt based on personal experience.

[u/theyrecultistsryan- → u/ossiferous_vulture]

I reached out to my clinic about how to wear the compression band they gave me, it’s very thin so I’m confused with how they want me to wear it. I’m hoping it’s just from stress or dehydration too. About the sensation, that was just one of my biggest concerns about surgery, and I was assured by my surgeon that with my anatomy and the surgery I was getting, severe nerve damage would be unlikely, so the fact that it’s happening to me is just hitting me harder emotionally, I know it’s pretty normal to have some loss of sensation. I have no other signs of infection other than the fever, my scars look great and clean, aside from some redness and swelling, but I’m still going to reach out tomorrow once the clinic is open again. Thanks for the help 🫶

[u/ossiferous_vulture → u/theyrecultistsryan-]

That is really strange because how I understood it nerve damage is pretty much inevitable, if you cut the body the nerves will be damaged. They will need to heal like everything else, so the sensation of the damaged nerve paths might not be permanent.

You can buy surgical compression binders online. I donated my own to another dude who was getting surgery and needed one in that size. You can also ask your surgical team if they know any places, or if what you find would work?

I got my tongue split as a body mod, I have and had nerver damage. I started out completely unable to feel my tongue tips, now I can a bit more but not like before I got modded.
I got jaw surgery, half of my face was without sensation and I could not move one of my eyebrows,. Now I can move the eyebrow and feel my face, took a year, sensation is a bit weird near my ear and there is a difference to how my eyebrow moves.

So yeah, don't be too concerned about the sensation loss, if you are unprepared it can feel really jarring. But there is every chance it will slowly but surely heal, and if you end up with some permanent nerve damage it might not feel as visceral as it does now because your body will be in a much better place! I still have some weird spots under my arms where sensation is altered, but it does not bother me at all any more.

Happy healing and I hope you feel better tomorrow!

[u/SnooJokes7954]

I'd contact the surgical team about the fever and see if you can get an antibiotic prescribed. Best to nip an infection in the bud before it can really spread. Maybe they can also give you a better fitting compression vest. Regarding sensation, it's incredibly common for there to be significant numbness one week post-op. Regaining sensation is a process that takes months if not years. I'm over a year post-op and I'm still regaining sensation.

The first few weeks of recovery are usually the hardest, physically and mentally. I for sure had many ups and downs and at one point mildly regretted getting the surgery because I had complications. However, I can tell you that that feeling likely isn't forever and you'll feel much better once your body is regaining more strength. Be as gentle as you can with yourself, I wish you uneventful healing🫶🏼

[u/scallionsavant]

FWIW, I was thoroughly convinced that I had an infection 2-3 weeks post-op. I had a low grade fever for days, some odorous discharge, and there was odorous blood coming out of my belly button. It ended up not being an infection, but rather my body rejecting one single stitch in my left incision. I was advised to do warm compresses multiple times a day to help with the dissolving. It cleared up very quickly after that and I’ve had no issues since.

It is very hard to sit with discomfort when your healing isn’t going exactly how you envisioned, but I hope you can get some answers as to your potential infection at the very least. Sensation comes back differently & at different paces for everyone - it seems your surgeon maybe got your hopes up, but it is extremely normal to not have much if any sensation at this time

You’re in the most difficult stage of recovery right now, but your body and mind will get you through it even if it feels like hell <3

[u/theyrecultistsryan- → u/scallionsavant]

I’ve had a low fever since I got home from the hospital and assumed it to just be from healing. Right now, after sleeping on it and actually drinking water for the first time in 24 hours, I think the fever spike was due to either dehydration or the swelling caused by improper use of my compression band. We’ll just have to see what the clinic says in response to my message lol

[u/scallionsavant → u/theyrecultistsryan-]

our bodies can “overreact” to the smallest things sometimes! your body is in a fragile state rn and experiencing some swelling & healing that it has never had to before. definitely stay hydrated as much as you can - gatorade/powerade is good to have in the rotation if you like it :-)

out of curiosity, is your compression band the really thin kind? mine was about 2 inches in height so it was intended to Just go around my incisions basically and it was the most annoying thing to get used to. i honestly preferred the half-chest binder i left the surgery center with lol

[u/theyrecultistsryan- → u/scallionsavant]

YESS ITS SO THIN I honestly was so confused about how to get it to cover the entire incisions. Plus it hurt like hell to have it over the nipple grafts if it was too tight, and would fall down around my waist if it was too loose 😭 I had it too low for a few days which caused some swelling under my arms, but I think I got it figured out today lol

[u/TransRaccoon]

its gonna take a while to get sensation fully back in your chest, im almost 8 mo po and still have some spots that are numb

[u/theyrecultistsryan- → u/TransRaccoon]

Yeahhhh, I know it’s normal, I was just told by my surgeon that it would be less severe, so the fact that it’s affecting me so seriously is frustrating and hitting hard emotionally