The Bachelorette alum Rachel Recchia has shared updates on her post-op recovery from her breast reduction surgery.
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Rachel captioned her first of two video updates, "My surgery experience and life post op. Part 1."
In the video, Rachel shared that while she's not ready to do a big reveal yet because she's still "a bit swollen right now," she can see "a drastic change" in her body.
"Two weeks out, you have to go get some blood work, you have to stop drinking and taking any supplements that aren't Tylenol. I also had to stop taking my skin vitamins and stuff, and then I started to break out," Rachel shared.
"So I'm kind of just waiting for this to be over, so I can just kind of get back to my normal every day life."
Rachel said she went about a month "without having anything," essentially a cleanse, but then she went through a crazy sugar-craving phase.
Rachel advised women planning a similar surgery to buy all the products they'll before the surgery. She recommended braiding your hair before surgery and buying a pregnancy pillow for sleeping upright or on you back for six weeks.
"I had the most incredible surgeon... [He] is literally the best. His team is also incredible. My biggest advice is make sure you find a surgeon that you really, really trust and really love," Rachel said.
After Rachel was hooked up to an IV, a nurse discussed the medications she'd be taking such as muscle relaxers, anti-nauseous medicine, and cough drops for a sore throat after anesthesia.
Rachel recalled that when the surgeon mapped out on her body where he was going to cut, that's when it started to get "really real" for her.
"For those of you who have also wanted this surgery for your whole life like me, it is definitely a surreal feeling getting it," Rachel said.
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Rachel then uploaded Part 2 of her update and explained, "I was never scared for this surgery at all, ever, but when I got on the surgery table, I was very scared."
"I got really, really nervous and my surgeon held my hand," she recalled. "It was so sweet, and honestly there was nothing to be scared of at all."
Rachel said when she first woke up from the surgery, that was "the worst pain" she was in "the entire time."
"It felt like it was burning where the incisions were. I got an anchor incision, so I had a lot of incisions happening," Rachel shared.
About an hour later, Rachel's roommate Genevieve Parisi picked her up and brought her home to their apartment. Rachel said she felt "fine" but didn't really have an appetite.
"Don't push yourself too hard on that first day," Rachel told her followers. "Day 2, I had to go back to the surgeon so he could basically double check that your healing is going okay. It's a very invasive surgery, and there are a lot of things that could go wrong."
After the surgeon double checked that everything looked good, it was the first time Rachel got to see a glimpse of her new breasts.
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Rachel said she was able to do her skincare routine on the second day, but she advised women having the surgery to put all of their products on a low shelf since she couldn't raise her arms above her shoulders.
On the third and fourth days of post-op, Rachel said she experienced "some really bad headaches" and nausea from the headaches.
"I couldn't eat. No pain medication would get the headache to go away, and I believe that's because it's from the anesthesia. Have maybe crackers and Gingerale for those days when you really can't eat anything," Rachel explained. "I was not expecting that."
Two weeks after the surgery, Rachel had her stitches removed, and she admitted it was "really gnarly to see the scars" because she was still swollen.
"It looked a little scary, but I have been doing as much as I can to take care of them," Rachel said, adding how she's been using a scar gel and Vitamin E oil on the scars.
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Three weeks after the procedure, Rachel said she's still wearing compression sports bras and sleeping upright in her bed.
Rachel said she's thinking about doing a live Q&A with her surgeon to answer questions from a medical standpoint.
In February, Rachel shared on social media how she was considering having the operation, believing it would "change" her life for the better.
Rachel said she started thinking about having a breast reduction to decrease the size of her "really large" breasts at age 17 when she was a competitive cheerleader.
"I was having really bad back problems and I was having to go to a chiropractor at age 17," Rachel explained via TikTok.
Rachel recalled wearing "three sports bras at once" to try to alter her appearance and chest size.
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But Rachel passed on the surgery in college because she learned the recovery time would be too long and she wouldn't be able to fly for a month.
"[And a doctor] told me that I'd have to go on pain medication to 'prove it wasn't manageable with medication.' Who wants to be on medication like that when you can just get surgery?" Rachel admitted.
"I also had to go to a physical therapist. So at this point, I'm already paying to go to the doctor, paying to go to the physical therapist, and I'm basically calling up my insurance to try to even see how to start beginning this entire process."
Rachel ultimately wasn't approved by the insurance company.
"All I wanted in my 20s was to just enjoy my body and to be able to be proud of it and like it. And I feel like I spent all of my teenage years and my early twenties just really trying to hide my body," Rachel lamented.
Rachel explained that's why The Bachelorette viewers often saw her "covered up" on the show.
"I would always try on outfits or dresses... and always being like, 'When I get my boobs done, I can wear this.' I got to the point where I have so many tops and bras, and just bathing suits that are saved for when I get this [surgery]," Rachel said in the video.
"I didn't know when it was, but all I knew was one day, I was going to get it and I was going to be wearing little tops."
Rachel previously said that she supports a person doing whatever "makes them happy or improves their quality of life."
Rachel told Us Weekly in December that she's "grown so much" since competing for Clayton Echard's heart on The Bachelor's 26th season and then starring on The Bachelorette's nineteenth season.
Rachel also revealed on the "Bachelor Happy Hour" podcast in November she had begun dating again following her broken engagement and split from The Bachelorette 19 winner Tino Franco, "I'm obviously taking it slow."
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"I will not go without her," Rachel said.
But Rachel said she'd "absolutely" star on The Bachelorette again if it meant finding The One.
Rachel explained one month earlier on the "Off the Vine with Kaitlyn Bristowe" podcast how she just wants a commitment from a man and to be done with dating.
"The fact that I find myself now in the same position [as I was in before The Bachelor], I'm like, 'I don't want to do this.' I wanted to find my person," Rachel lamented to Kaitlyn Bristowe.
"I want to get married, I want to start a family. That's where I'm at in my life. I don't want to go back to the streets, and now I'm forced to! Literally!"
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
