But it was broader than that.
I knew his statement meant that my body wouldnt be the same: There would be trade-offs.
I would lose something.
The author and her son on the top of Mount St. Helen’s
Cancer risk won out, and I had the surgery in December of 2013.
And while I can eke out a few on my knees, my surgeon tells me that I shouldnt.
Just dont work your chest.
The author and her family
It can do what you need it to do, but dont purposely exercise those muscles, he pleads.
If I had elected to forego reconstruction, I would now be beating my younger son in push-up contests.
I did the usual questioning:Am I being vain in wanting reconstruction?
Shouldnt I care more about my upper body function than the way I look?
I like to look good.
My husband cares.I opted for reconstruction.
One, the pectoralis major muscle was stretched over the implant.
(The pectoralis minor remains untouched.)
This is standard in this reconstruction method, my surgeon told me.
An over-stretched muscle does not contract with as much strength as a muscle of normal length.
My surgeon described the purpose of denervation as keeping the muscle, and therefore the breast, quiet.
It can be because of activities as simple as shaking someones hand or picking up a glass of water.
In my case, my chest muscles were quiet for the first couple of months post-denervation.
Then, maybe due to my high levels of physical activity, they began getting active again.
I had another surgery to locate and cut the active nerves again.
If you do, you send a signal to your body, and your body replies, Uh oh!
My owner wants to do push-ups, and Im going to figure out a way to do it!
Most of my day-to-day activities remain unaffected.
One is during my own workouts.
I simply skip all chest exercises, and I miss them.
I want to do full push-ups.
Id like to do chest flys.
But I dont ache to do those things like I thought I would.
Lastly, I notice the loss when I do yard work.
Lopping shears and strong pec muscles go together.
Bringing the handles of lopping shears toward each other basically requires performing a chest fly.
Last spring, I injured my shoulder trying to cut through a thick branch with the lopping shears.
Im still paying for it.
Continue working the entire body with the exception of the chest muscles.
Those muscles still function to some degree, but not as powerhouse muscles.
Leave it alone or allow someone else to handle it.
Its one of those situations in which you’re gonna wanna respect and accept your limitations.
Most women who opt for the surgery will have several reconstruction options available to them.
If you make a highly-informed decision, you are not likely to regret the outcome.
Tracy Hafenis a Michigan-based exercise physiologist with 15 years of experience in personal training and corporate fitness.
She has authored and coauthored several publications related to fitness, diet, and exercise.
