How long before I get used to them?

JenMM

Diagnosed in February, bilateral mastectomy in April, tissue expanders in May, permanent implants on 9/30. They feel OK so far. They look weird, of course. A little soreness/swelling/tiredness still, but I feel pretty good, especially compared to some of the other parts of this ordeal. I know I will never look/feel the same as I did, but how long before most people start to feel "normal"-ish, or how long before your reached the feeling of what became the new normal?

MinusTwo

Six months - give or take.

Moderators

Welcome, JenMM! We're glad you've joined us here, and we hope you find this to be a supportive place. Everyone heals and adjusts at their own pace, but as MinusTwo mentioned, many people begin to feel "normal" around the 4-6 month mark. We hope you continue to heal well, and look forward to seeing you on the boards!

The Mods

WC3

JenMM:

Do you mean how long until the reconstructions feel normal? I think that varies from person to person. Mine never felt particularly foreign and actually felt fairly normal to me pretty quickly. I have enough sensation that they feel pretty similar to my natural breasts but I might be the exception here.

CBK

JennMM

I am a year and a half out from a pretty big revision surgery I sized down slightly, fixed a hematoma, pocket work, and liposuction etc. I feel like for me my swelling took a long time to go down. And am just starting to feel normal.

Between each of my surgeries my PS had me wait 6 months to do another revision so it would stand to reason that would be when most people see the bulk of swelling go down. But I feel like for me it was a lot longer.

I go back to my PS a lot and I really feel like things are still shifting and settling in. She does too, but in a good way. I guess I mean to say is try to give it some time and have an open dialogue with PS if you feel something isn’t quite right or needs some tweaking.

You just went through a lot in a short period of time. I hope you continue to heal and find some comfort with the implants.

JenMM

Thank you for the welcome and the responses, everyone! Yes, WC3, I think that's what I mean? Right now they don't hurt a whole lot, but I am very aware all the time that everything in that area of my body feels different, and I was wondering how long it would be until I stopped feeling so hyper-aware. They are changing very quickly right now, they feel different almost daily and look a little different too. The first week or two I hated the way they looked, but then I started feeling better about them.

Elizabrooklyn

I had bilateral, skin saving mastectomy in January, and exchange in June of 2020. Have smooth, silicone gummy bear implants. Regardless of the type, I think one will always 'feel' their breasts on their bodies going forward. As a friend said, 'it's like having on an internal bra. You always feel it.' And if you have the implants under the muscle, which I do, you are aware of your breasts constantly. Every flex of my chest muscles makes my implants react - whether I am sweeping the floor, lifting weights, or shifting my position on the couch. So, i am aware of them all the time. That is what you get used to.

BeingPresent100

Hello- I had my exchange surgery in August. The right, where the radiation occurred, is definitely tighter.

My question to the group is....does the tightness and discomfort alleviate in time? My doc says yes but she hasn't gone through this ;-)

I truly appreciate the time and input.

MinusTwo

BeingPresent - What did your RO say? I had radiation two years AFTER my implants. That side is yes - higher & tighter. BUT - she also told me radiations makes the muscles like a rubber band. You have to stretch and exercise them every day - and every day they'll pull back again. Usually you'll get used to the tightness and the discomfort goes away, unless you end up with lymphadema.

DiveCat

I had my PBMX, direct to implant in 2014. Under the muscle.

First had smooth rounds, switched to the Allergan 410s after a year, and switched to smooth round silicone in November 2019. Have had one fat grafting and planning another, as well as tattooing to even out and darken my nipples (nipple sparing, but they are a little uneven and lighter than were).

The only thing for me that is weird is the fact I have to get surgeries for them now and then and recover from that. I felt rather “normal” within 6-8 months once my muscles and nerves calmed down. Another poster mentioned being aware of them like an internal bra all the time - I really don’t feel that way but I am also a lot further out from my initial surgery. My subsequent revisions to switch implants had faster recoveries

I did notice my gummies sometimes though - they were cold and the “edge” sometimes irritated me (they have a flatter back and so have an edge”