I had my first expanding session on 28 March 2022. It was a very weird feeling, I could hear and feel the saline going in through the port hole. The doctor only put in 20ml to start with as my wounds are still healing and he wanted to ensure my skin was ok with the initial stretching. It might not sound like a lot but 20ml was enough. I wriggled my toes throughout the whole session to keep my mind off of what was actually going on!
After the expanding session my head felt like it had constant pressure and a lot of tension. I was instructed to take Panadol for the pain. The doctor plans to inject 40-50ml next week and build up from there on a weekly basis. The first few days after the expanding session I experienced on and off tension, pressure and pain. The plan is to keep it going weekly so my body can get used to the skin stretching before another lot is injected into the expander.
I am still struggling to sleep at night, currently sleeping upright with 4 pillows and then alternating between the bed and the recliner to try to get some rest. I think this has been the biggest struggle with this procedure, that along with trying to get into a comfortable position without placing too much pressure on my shoulders and head.
I have to keep thinking of the end goal.... I am now 20ml closer to the cranioplasty!
You can see in the picture below a slightly raised hairline where the incision is. This is where the expander is located. When it continues to expand it will inflate upwards, stretching my skin enough so that they can pull my scalp skin forward to cover my new titanium skull.
