Breast Implant Removal: Stories

My journey with implants has been a roller coaster. I originally got them because my hubby dissed my post weight loss boob appearance and I told him if it bugged him so much PAY FOR NEW ones! He is relentlessly cheap and I was very surprised when he did.

So on 10/26/06, I had Mentor 450ccs high profile (big mistake! get the lift and BA if so inclined! skip those HPs) implanted sub muscularly. I really didnt have any big problems recovering from surgery and was back on my feet at a desk job in 10 days. BUT what looked awesome in shirts and nightys and swim suits, looked ridiculous in workout clothes and I began to feel self conscious when I wore tank tops to work out. Which in turn made me workout less and over the course of 6 years helped me put back on a lot of the weight I lost.

Hugging felt uncomfortable, the rocks under a shirt we obvious, the unwanted attention at times was embarrassing and just the heaviness of them and literal pain in the neck and shoulders was enough for me to start dreaming of explanting them. Hindsight is 20/20 and I think I wouldve went with a lift and no implants instead.

I was gifted some money recently, and the first thing on list was "get these outta of me". I went back to my original doctor and we discussed the why's how's etc and set a date. While we in the consultation, I asked the doc if he could deflate the implants that day and he, his assistant and my hubby had a shocked look! I told him since surgery was over a month away, wouldnt the breast have a chance to show their true appearance and give a better idea of what he would be working with? And the doc agreed! So, in less than 10 minutes the doc had me stand, and he inserted a needle thru my skin into the best location to hit the implant (no pain relief but it only stings for a few seconds) and withdrew 100ccs from each implant! The rest of the saline would naturally drain away over the weekend.

My hubby announced I was the "baddest bitch" in the world for taking a needle to the boob with no pain relief! LOL I had that done last Friday and true to doc's word, I am back to my natural, needing a lift boobies! It feels awesome to not have shoulder pain, to have soft boobs again and to jog with out any kind of discomfort! I came out of BA surgery with a pair of 42 BIG D's and post surgery/lift, I anticipate 38/40 big B or small C.

Just 2 more days and I will be in surgery to remove my implants. I feel confident in my surgeons ability and cant wait! I think Ive gotten as much done around the house as I possibly can, picked up my prescriptions and post surgery bra. The waiting is making me anxious thought and Im sure Im driving my hubby crazy. LOL Will catch everyone up a few days post surgery depending on how Im feeling.

I am one post explantation and lift surgery and am still feeling ecstatic about my choice. My plastic surgeon and I decided that the lollipop lift would be the best option for me as I had moderate sagging after deflation. When I woke up from surgery, I was surprised how sore I felt but the nurse assured me that that was the result of the incisions to do the lift more so than the implant removal. After 3 days on muscle relaxants and vicodin I was able to stop both and get up and move around the house more. Hubby was so sweet taking care of me and when we got the ok to take a shower 36 hours later he was right there in the shower with me! I did have to laugh with him because he was the one who removed the surgical dressings from me and was so careful I joked that he looked like he was defusing a bomb. :)

I went to the doc yesterday for my 1 week check up and while I am swollen and slightly bruised he is pleased how well I am recovering. I go back next Monday and will have the stitches removed which will be awesome because they are so dang itchy!

Will check back in Monday here for more news! If anyone has any questions please feel free to ask. I havent put up and post procedure pics yet but they are coming. Happy Thanksgiving to you all

well here I am 2 weeks and a few day post surgery and I feel great! Got the steri strips off last week and now have to wear this brown paper tape over the incisions til my 1 month follow up. Gotta say, the bruising is going away and the swelling is finally going down. The biggest surprise was how itchy every thing is! My skin is peeling on my breast because of the major swelling even tho I moisturized the heck out of every inch that wasnt covered in tape. My doc is allowing me to walk around the neighborhood, no jogging/bouncing and now weightlifting. I went out JC Pennys and got 3 zip front sports bra that are super comfy and do not bother any of the incision sites. Im building up to longer walks right now and getting my diet back under control so that makes me happy. My breasts dont look to awful, the incision sites and clean and very small and look like they will scar well. Follow up appointment is 12/17 cant wait to go bra shopping for a few nicer looking bras, but know I the girls will be changing and healing so I wont go to crazy shopping just yet.

Just an update! Im at the 6 week mark and got the go ahead to resume my normal fitness routine. This makes me happy because Ive missed working out, but sad because Ive lost a lot of the ground that I gained so its like starting all over again.

My breasts have healed nicely, scars are minimal and look great. The regenerating of nerve endings has been an adventure because of all the tingling and surprise random pains that occur but my sensitivity on my nipples returned and while I still have numbness on the longer scar its not that bad.

Looking forward to getting back into my groove and having fun doing it. This experience has changed my life dramatically. I no longer feel self conscious about having giant breast enter the room before I do, nor the heavyness in my neck and shoulders or the need to wear giant tops to cover myself up while working out or being poolside. I dont regret my implants, but I DO enjoy not having them in anymore.