? Capsular contracture....advice please!

Hi! I am now exactly two weeks post BA, (just little 225cc textured silicone unders). Don't really know where to begin, but......
My right breast was already a little bigger then the left, but according to my surgeon not warranting a larger implant in the left. Following surgery the right one has consistently felt different to the left (was more painful, bruised and, I feel, considerably bigger than the difference before). I am still experiencing temporary hardness in both breasts and still taking painkillers most days. Still in discomfort most nights and not sleeping well.

My main concern is the consistency of my right breast; I have a very firm and tender area at the bottom, especially nearest my breastbone. I had my second check yesterday and my surgeon told me that I should begin massage as I may have some contracture. I did this yesterday and am now in even more discomfort. I really could do with some advice from anyone who may have experienced similar symptoms as I am worried that I will go on to develop CC and end up back in surgery......not a good thought for me!!! I know that it is two separate operations, but I just can't see how this breast is going to go back to normal! HELP please!
Rachael x

Aw Rachael,
I have 260cc unders.
My left boob was much firmer and higher than the right one for about 4-6 weeks I was told if youre right handed the right one will drop quicker cos you are using the right hand chest muscles more so i tried using my left a lot more and just putting it up and down throughout the day so try that babe. You are really early doors love so try not to worry too much, mine are still changing now and almost 6 months P.O
Dont know much about CC but im not sure it happens THAT fast!! 2 weeks in???
Im sure someone who knows about CC will post on soon for you x x

Hi Rach,
If you are really worried Hun, ring your surgeon or clinic, when are you due to see your surgeon? I am 4 weeks post op and I had the same problem as you at 2 weeks, I have some posts about it on here. The ladies on here told me this was common amongst a lot of women and my boob would settle down eventually. They were right my problem breast is now settling and beginning to look and feel like my right breast. I was frantic and upset about the difference. The girls on here are right and it is two separate operations and they do heal at different rates. My left boob was higher, harder and fuller than the right,
At my post op appointment my surgeon assured me they were perfectly fine and lefty needed to settle, so between him and the girls on here my mind was put to rest.
I think it's just a case of having patience and let the healing process run it's course but
do ring your clinic and surgeon just for reassurance.
Happy Healing Hun & Congratulations on you new boobs
XShelleX

I had my second check yesterday and my surgeon told me that I should begin massage as I may have some contracture.

You should follow the advice given by your surgeon hun. If the pain is too much for you contact your surgeon again and ask for for further advice hunni.

I've read that massage can help in resolving CC if caught early enough, but if it causing so much discomfort you really need to address this with your surgeon sweetness. xxxx

Hi Janeybird!
Thanks for your reply, that makes perfect sense, as I am a leftie!! Feel a bit more relieved now that it will eventually "settle". Just the hardness/lumpiness that bothers me the most, but you're right - it's still very early days!
Thanks hon x :flowers:

Hi Cookie and Shelle!
I feel so much better about it now, thank heavens for forums like this! It's not completely unbearable to massage, so I guess I'll continue for the next couple of days and monitor the pain, then contact my surgeon if I need to. It all just so new, and nobody tells you about the aftermath in any great detail (bit like childbirth really!). Thanks a million ladies xxxx :flowers:

Rach wrote:Hi Cookie and Shelle!
I feel so much better about it now, thank heavens for forums like this! It's not completely unbearable to massage, so I guess I'll continue for the next couple of days and monitor the pain, then contact my surgeon if I need to. It all just so new, and nobody tells you about the aftermath in any great detail (bit like childbirth really!). Thanks a million ladies xxxx

That's good hun. I too had to use massage for my breast, it ached for ages after the massage but it did help and my boob did drop eventually hun. But this is something that needs to be kept monitored by your surgeon. If you do have any problems be sure to contact them for further advice babe. xxx

Cookie, can I just ask if you remember how many times a day you were told to massage? My surgeon told me to do about ten to twenty squeezes a day.... X

Same Rach... It's a pain in the bum having to constantly remind yourself to have to see to your boobs but it's worth it hun.

Keep squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeezin'!

Ha ha, will do hon! It's just frustrating as now the right seems even bigger than before, and the profile much higher than the left.....had bought a lovely dress to wear to my friends 40th on Saturday....will certainly have to rethink what I'm going to wear....grrrrrr! xxx

Hi Rach, I'm three weeks post op and my right boob is healing a lot faster than the left (i'm right handed) my left boob seems to be aching and a little higher but after reading this i can understand why. Fingers crossed everything will be ok for you xx

Thanks very much Kayleigh! I now have a strange thread-like thing under my left (which has so far behaved itself), but I'm going to see my surgeon on Thursday....he thinks it sounds like an inflamed vein!!?!?!? When does it ever end? Just can't wait to get back to normal!
Love your avatar by the way!! xx

Hi Rach -- I'm coming up for three weeks post-op and have the same thing -- left boob swelling up more and sitting a bit higher than the right (i'm right-handed.) i've also got some lumpiness under the curve of my left boob which has been making me nervous. i emailed my surgeon and got an answer tonight which was: it's perfectly common -- if you're not in significant pain try not to worry about it -- and come and see me if you remain worried. sounds like good advice .. :good:
take care, and happy healing. hope all turns out well.
xxx

Thanks Ava, sounds exactly the same as mine....some days it feels like it is almost the same as the left, and then I wake up the next day and it has gone all hard and lumpy again! it has definitely settled down a bit though. Am going this afternoon to see my surgeon about this ?inflamed vein, so that will be one less thing to obsess about!!
Hope all goes well with your healing too! xx
:flowers:

Aw hun, the inflamed vien thing could be mondors chord, wich is quite common with BA's, it's not a complication as such as it does go away on it's own, just takes a while. I hope you don't have CC, I know that this early post op it is very common for both boobs to feel different to each other. I didn't have unders, but I did have wonky boobs for a while because one dropped and softened faster than the other. It can take a while for them to even out. Mine took months I too had one breast bigger than the other, but not enough to warrent different size implants. Straight after the op they still looked quite different, one bigger than the other, I think swelling doesn't help with the look of them after the op, but as mine have settled the difference in size became less noticeable, the difference was blatantly obvious pre op (I also had a different shape breast to the other) but now they look even and the same shape. I'll always have a very slight difference as no one is completely even. I think I'm the only one who sees the difference.

Just had um 350cc silicone looked flat at first had hematoma had to redo starting to get bigger how does this work.

Welcome to BJSJ ntmire

Sorry to hear of your revision hunni not quite sure what you want to know though sweetness.

Feel free to as any BA questions in the 'General Breast Augmentation' section of the forum and if it's a question regarding your revision hunni, you can start a new thread for yourself in the 'complications and revision' section, just click on 'new topic' hunni to start your own thread. xx

Hi Misf1

Thanks for your post, it was very helpful and reassuring! It helps a lot to see that several people are having or have had the same thing, and that's why I like this forum! Otherwise I would be at home thinking that I was the only one and desperately trying to believe the surgeon telling me that it's common! I know that they will probably always be slightly different, as they were before, but hopefully not quite as much so as they are now!!!
I went to see the surgeon on Thursday, and Mondor's cord is exactly what I have! He said (again) it's very common, and as it isn't painful at all I don't need to do anything with it, and it should just resolve itself eventually.... hope so...it's a very strange looking thing!
Thanks for your post! Rach xxx