Pain from fat grafting

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Luckydog42
Luckydog42 Member Posts: 51
edited May 2015 in Breast Reconstruction

I had my exchange surgery yesterday. My chest feels fine, maybe a little discomfort. However, my plastic surgeon did fat grafting and took the fat from both sides of my midsection. I have horrible bruising and it is very painful. Is this normal? How long until the pain goes away? My doctor has told me I would feel sore but I wasn't expecting this much pain.

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  • AmyQ
    AmyQ Member Posts: 2,182
    edited April 2015

    I did not have fat grafting but a dear friend of mine did. She said the pain was excruciating. She had fat removed from her thighs and midsection. She couldn't sit down or go to the bathroom without help. Her legs were very bruised and weak. She described the feeling as if she had no muscles left to lift herself up. It took a couple of weeks to feel close to normal. I do hope you make a quicker recovery, but I hear fat grafting is difficult.

    Good Luck

    Amy

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  • Luckydog42
    Luckydog42 Member Posts: 51
    edited April 2015

    thanks, it is good to know this is normal. But, if I had known how painful it would be, I would have said no and taken my chances with the dimple marks.

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  • SpecialK
    SpecialK Member Posts: 16,486
    edited April 2015

    lucky dog - are you in compression? It makes it hurt less, so if not, try that. If you have a lot of bruising don't take any aspirin or ibuprofen as that may make it worse, but Arnica gel can help the bruising dissipate. You will probably be uncomfortable for a week or two, then you will see improvement and be more comfortable

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  • Luckydog42
    Luckydog42 Member Posts: 51
    edited May 2015

    SpecialK - thanks for the advice about compression. I don't know why my PS didn't have me wear them from the beginning. Once I started wearing spanx, I noticed a huge improvement in my pain. After a week of wearing spanx, I could see the swelling went down considerably.

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  • Cindy_K
    Cindy_K Member Posts: 52
    edited May 2015

    This may be a silly question but for those of you who have had fat grafting done, do you notice a size change in the donor site (like one would with lipo)?

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  • Luckydog42
    Luckydog42 Member Posts: 51
    edited May 2015

    The fat grafting was taken from my "love handles". It wasn't really a problem spot, but I am hoping when the swelling goes down that I will be noticeable slimmer. It will take 3-4 months for all swelling to go away.

    I hope someone else responds with their results

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  • ganzgirl2010
    ganzgirl2010 Member Posts: 235
    edited July 2015

    hello ladies...Im going in for fat grafting on June 17th...anything I should be aware of ?

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