Breast Augmentation: Stories

I am 34 years old and mother of 3 children (all breastfed). I had gastric bypass surgery 4 years ago and have lost 100lbs. I have wanted to have breast augmentation my entire adult life. I have slightly tuberous breasts so I have never been comfortable with the shape of them. My ps seems confident he can correct this. I looked into having the procedure done years ago but just couldn't swing it financially. Good thing it worked out that way since I have had 2 more children since then and much more breast sagging. I am finally ready!!! I am as excited as I am nervous. I am counting the days. I am mostly concerned about the time frame for returning to work and the pain involved. I have a desk job for the most part, but lots of things I have read lead me to believe a week may not be long enough. I think my pain tolerance is pretty high. I am hoping so anyway :) Any preop or postop advice would be much appreciated. I am getting silicone implants under the muscle with a lollipop lift. Not sure what size yet. Preop is December 5 and will decide then. I am 150lbs 5'4".

So, my surgeon's office called me yesterday to let me know that they have an opening for my surgery on the 26th (which I had originally requested) so I am in a day earlier. That is better for me since I will have an extra full day of recovery before return to work. 48 days! :)

39 days to go! I went this week to my PCP to get labs and have ekg done to have those results ready for my surgery preop on December 5th. When the nurse asked me what I was getting surgery clearance for, I joyfully told her "breast augmentation and lift." It may be my imagination but it seemed as though her demeanor changed with me. She became quiet and cold and was no longer smiling and sweet. What is that? Oh well-I remain ecstatic that my time has finally come. 39 more days!!! :)

33 days to go! I cannot wait. I wish it were this weekend. My sister is in town for the holiday. She had breast augmentation (not with lift) about 2 1/2 years ago. I broke the news that I am finally doing it and got some advice from her about some things. I thought I had my mind set on silicone because of the more natural feeling they provide. She got silicone and was pleased with her results. BUT...now she is telling me that she pretty regularly has to massage/squeeze them because they become "hard." I wonder if this is a common issue for silicone implants. Anyway, I will be doing some research on that :) I need to make up my mind by the preop date. So excited!!!

24 Days to go!!! I feel like I am past the nervousness. I guess I may get nervous once the time comes but for now, I am just excited and hoping the days fly by. My pre op is Wednesday and I have tons of questions and topics to discuss with my ps so I hope he has a decent time block for me :) I am still up in the air about silicone vs saline. I have personal friends that have saline and think it's great. But, everything I read says silicone is the way to go for the natural feel. But really...I don't know how important that is to me. My ultimate goal is to have my girls placed where they belong and the implants are icing on the cake. Don't get me wrong. I absolutely want to feel normal and natural at some point. But I think when it comes right down to it, that goal can be fulfilled with either implant. DECISIONS!

Back from preop. I paid for the new girls and got most of my questions answered. Got my drugs and pre surgery do's and don'ts. Super excited! I was told to find pics of results that I really like to make sure that we are on the same page as eachother as far as size and position. I will bring those in the morning of the surgery to review before I get marked up. Now I am on the hunt for a few sports bras to have after surgery. I definitely don't want to wait until after surgery to try to shop for these and sending my wonderful hubby out to get them is...well...not a smart idea :) So, wondering if anyone prefers one brand/style over another? I have read that I should try to get one that falls further down on my ribcage so that it doesn't rest on my incisions. Any experience would help :)

So excited that the time is moving right along. It's getting close. I have all my drugs filled. I got percocet, flexeril and an anti-nausea patch. I picked up 2 pull over sports bras at Academy Sports today. I didn't find one with front closure. Still on the hunt for one that looks and feels comfortable for the first week until I can lift my arms enough to get the pullover types on. This bra is the last thing on my list to get. I feel pretty prepared. Still feeling over the nervousness. More and more excited as the day approaches. I will be spending my weekend preparing meals to freeze to help out my hubby during my recovery. I am hoping to just spend my first week in my recliner in front of a fire and my christmas tree. The kids will be at a daycamp since they are out of school for the holiday. No way I will keep them here. They will be bored and driving me nuts. I am determined to take it easy for at least the week I have off of work. Any suggestions for comfy post op bras would be much appreciated. Counting down :) OH! By the way, I decided on saline via full anchor lift. Still not sure what size but have lots of pics to show surgeon so I guess once I come out of surgery I'll know.

So close! Excitement is not a big enough word! Everyone in my house is sick and has been sharing it with eachother for the past week. I got a tiny touch of it last week but am totally fine now. I have been lysoling and germ-xing like crazy. I REFUSE TO GET SICK :) It is way too close to let a cold or flu postpone it. I work in a medical office (ob-gyn) everyday with tons of people coming in and out with their sick children and family members. And on top of that, I live in Southern Louisiana where it was in the 70's yesterday and the 40's today and probably in the 60's tomorrow. The weather here is crazy nuts! Catching a cold or dealing with allergies is almost a given for most of us here...BUT NOT ME...NOT NOW :) I'm ready.

I finished my Christmas shopping today. Got everything wrapped and tagged. I also went for a nice long massage. I have had an extremely busy couple of months at work, as November and December are the busiest months for a surgery coordinator. I just needed to get the "knots" out before surgery. I understand that sleeping will be uncomfortable for my back for a couple of weeks so I wanted to start off as relaxed as possible. It was great and much needed physically and mentally. I feel so ready. I love the holidays so I will enjoy these next few days with my family having great food and even better company. I have everything I can think I might possibly need based on all I have read from the great ladies on this site. I decided to google my plastic surgeon again just for the heck of it. I found a brand new review of him from a lady who had a reduction/lift and lipo with tummy tuck and she says her breasts are gorgeous. That really helps my nerves at this point. Not sure how I would've taken it had it been a negative review. Glad it wasn't :-) I am confident in my surgeon. Not long now...

Merry Christmas ladies! Waking up in the morning and finally doing it. It's about time :)

Post Op day 1: Well, I finally did it. I got up at 6:30a and showered. I made sure to shave my legs because I don't how long it will be before I can do that again. My hubby got up and we got the kids dressed and off to day camp (since they are out of school for the holidays). We headed to the surgery center which is about a 35-40 minute drive and got there right on time. The nurse brought hubby and I to the room to get my robe on and iv put in. I slept like a rock the night before surgery because we were so busy Christmas day. Anyway, we got there and I wasn't nervous...at all. I figured once the iv is in it will become real and then my nerves would kick in. But nope. The nurse came in and took my vitals and said my BP and pulse were great. She actually said "You must not be nervous." So we sat and waited our turn. Doc came in and we talked a minute about size and then he marked my chest. It was time to go. I gave my hubby a kiss and hug and off we went. I walked into the OR and lay myself down on the table and the anesthetist told me he was giving me the feel good stuff and out I went. The next thing I remember is my nose leaking and I was gagging trying to throw up. I get very very nauseous with anesthesia. They immediately started giving me more antinausea medication. The moisture from the oxygen mask collected in my nose and that is what was dripping down my neck. I felt NO pain at all. TONS of pressure. So the nurse dressed me and helped me into the wheelchair and loaded me into the truck and we were homeboud. I wish I had thought about bringing the car instead of the truck. It was higher off the ground and a little difficult to get into since you can't pull yourself up with your arms. The nurse told me to just pretend I don't have arms for the next 2 days other than some short arm exercises to be done a couple of times a day. I did bring a pillow to cover my chest for the ride home in case it was bumpy. I am so glad I did. I was in and out for the whole ride home and about 5 minutes from the house I was gagging again trying to throw up but since I hadn't eaten anything there was nothing to throw up. Miserable feeling that is. I took a 1/2 percocet when we got home and then a whole percocet and flexeril before bed (on the recliner) then I was out until about 5:15a. I slept so good. I was amazed when I woke up. I really expected to be up on and off through the night for pain meds. So, at 5:15 I took a 1/2 of percocet and went back to sleep. So far I am feeling quite good. The pressure is definitely there at all times. Like carrying around 2 bowling balls on my chest. For those of you who breastfed...it feels like engorgement x 10! It is intense to stand from a sitting postion. It feels very very heavy and that is the worst part so far. I have been walking around lots through the day and I make sure to sit when I need to. I can get to the bathroom by myself and I put a nightgown on so that I can go without my hubby having to pull my pants down for me every time. I have to go pretty regularly because of all of the iv fluids i received. I am determined to really take it easy and heal well. I cannot shower until Saturday so that means I can't see them until then. I am drinking prune juice to help the poopy issue after pain medicines. I got 375cc's saline via full anchor lift. He lifted me 7cm. He even said when he was measuring me "Wow, that's alot." I just giggled and told him I have been needing to see him for a really long time :) I will post pics as soon as I am able to. Thanks to all of the ladies who put their thoughts and encouraging words on this forum. What a tremendous help that has been. Got to get ready for bed. Hoping for another good night of sleep.

Post Op Day 2: Doc called to check up on me this morning. He said I could shower if I wanted...and I definitely wanted to. So my hubby helped me get undressed and get in and washed my hair for me. I can pretty comfortably put my hands over my head but only for a few seconds at a time. After only about 3-4 minutes into my shower I started to get very lightheaded. Felt like I was going to pass out. Thank goodness I didn't try my first shower alone. Not sure why that happened since I have been on my feet for much longer periods than that. Anyway, I am still able to be comfortable taking 1/2 percocet during the day (2-3 times a day) and a whole percocet at night before sleep. I had another good night of sleep last night. I am very thankful for that. I anticipated much more discomfort and relieved (so far) that pain is very minimal. Only have some stinging/burning sensations from time to time. Hopefully I will get some pics in the morning before my shower to post. Now I'm going to enjoy the dinner hubby made for us tonight. He's on dinner duty for at least the next week :)

Slept great last night. Feeling really good today. Trying to keep reminding myself not to push it because I feel so good. The travel pillow I bought has been a lifesaver for sleeping on the recliner. I am still taking percocet 1/2 pill 2-3 times a day. I may try to make it on tylenol alone starting tomorrow. I had a fever for a few hours last night 100.9 so I got a little worried about infection but it was gone by this morning. I will try to get better pics to post soon. Once they drop they are going to be AWESOME. My nipples are finally where they belong :)

Post Op Day 4: Recovery moving along great. I have some stinging and burning sensations a couple of times a day and they are usually gone quickly. I have full sensitivity in my right nipple (yay!) but none in my left nipple. Hopefully it will come with time but I am okay if it doesn't. It is a risk we take and to me...it's worth the risk. I have my bra on around the clock on doctors orders but I really just want to look at them all the time :) My husband walks by and catches me in the bathroom mirror with my bra open checking them out and he says "You better leave those girls alone to heal." I do love him :) I can totally see how a woman can pop a stitch though. When you are feeling good it's easy to forget you still have limitations. But now I am day 4 and no BM. If no movement by tomorrow afternoon I am going to break out the castor oil. I have been taking a stool softener and drinking prune juice and since day 1 hoping that combo would do the trick. Didn't work. I am still on the recliner. It really is comfortable for me. I haven't been out of the house since I came home so tomorrow I will try a quick trip to the market with my hubby then I am back to work Thursday. But I am enjoying my rest in the meantime :)
Hope you ladies have a Happy New Year!!!

Post Op Day 10: Ten days have gone by and I am getting used to my new lady friends. I have started having some pretty minor but sharp pains in my left breast. It will usually last anywhere from 2-15 minutes a couple of times a day. I'm not worried about it. If it gets any worse I will check in with my ps. I never got any real bruising. I had some light green barely noticeable bruising on both breasts right around my areolas on day 7. I didn't even notice it in my bathroom light. I saw it as my post op visit with the doc. I stopped taking all of my medicine by day 5. I went back to work yesterday for the first time since surgery. I am a surgery coordinator and that is mainly a desk job but I was exhausted by quitting time. I am not sure if it is because I have mostly been in the house for the last week being lazy or still haven't gotten rid of the effects of anesthesia but I wasn't entirely sure I would make the drive home. I went to lunch and the grocery with my family today and that was my max. I came home and had to have a nap. I am definitely still swollen but I bought a bra before surgery for this time and I love it. I ordered another and received that one for a back up. I got it from the Marena surgical garment company $29. I have to say that the worst part so far is "morning boob." My goodness... :( My sister came for an early visit this morning and while she is talking to me all I could think about was my hard, tight, achy boobs. Much better after my shower though. I am still on the recliner. I am a side/tummy sleeper and not ready to try it yet. Not sure where I stand on massaging them. I am not ready to yet since my incisions are not healed but I guess I will have to call my ps. He did not mention it and I forgot to ask at post op but most everyone I know who has implants had to massage them to help them drop. But I don't personally know anyone who has had a lift with implants so it may be different. My hubby has been great picking up the slack. He is still sleeping on the sofa so that I don't have to sleep alone in the living room. I will take new photos and post soon. Thank you much to the ladies whose journeys have been posted and updated here. I continue to follow you and appreciate your courage :)

Post Op Day 16: I am home from my first full week of work and I am relieved to say that it was totally fine. I was a little worried about it since my first day back 1 week ago was pretty tiring. Monday was much much better as well as the rest of the week. "Morning boob" still shows up every morning but does not last and is not nearly as intense as it was this time last week. I have some 3 small scabs left so I will be purchasing my scar treatment much sooner than I expected. I cannot believe how quickly the girls have healed. Amazing! One of the scabs had a suture sticking out of it and I am sure that is why it is not healing as prgressively as the rest. I work in a medical doctors office so I had one of my gyn docs get it out for me. The scab had grown over the knot and my body didn't like it. So by this time next week I will be working on my scars :) They are definitely dropping. The right more so than the left. I think I may have some sort of issue with my left one. It just feels different (tighter skin, achier in the morning, etc.) Not sure what is going on and hoping it settles itself. But I will definitely talk to my ps at my next visit. So...I'm loving them and so happy I finally did it.

I am a little nervous about my new issue. My lefty girl has been a little bit different from day 1. Not as easy going as right one. But recovery has been a piece of cake up until now. I was laying on my left side for about 20 mins couple nights ago. I felt fine, no pain or discomfort. When I used my arm to push myself from laying to sitting my implant very noticeably moved. It felt like it literally flipped. It took 2-3 seconds to settle and when it did It felt wedged or caught somehow and higher than it had been. But no pain, just felt stuck. So I went to bed on my back with a couple of pillows and when I woke my breast was sore and bruised around the top of my areola & bigger than before. I think it is more swollen tonight than this morning and def more tender. I made an appt with ps for Wednesday but my mind is going crazy with negative thoughts about flipped implants and seromas and everything else I've read about. I need to go to bed and pray for Wednesday to come quickly :-/

4 Weeks Post op Today: Saw my ps again today and left feeling like I am on a cloud. I love my new boobies. While they may not be perfect to other women...they are perfect to me! Considering I have never ever ever had breasts that I was pleased with, this plastic surgery result seems amazing to me. Having had tuberous breasts that were never rounded and gigantic areolas all of my life I am in awe of these new perky bouncy breasts I have. It has brought me so much self confidence. I no longer have to tuck my breasts in to my bra several times a day and continuously adjust them. I can wear nighties without my nipples falling under the bra line. That wasn't very sexy :( My doc checked me out today and said my healing has gone great and my incisions are ahead of the game so I can wear a regular bra now. YIPPIE!!! Guess what I'm doing this weekend :):):) VS here I come. The new girls have been soft enough for hubby to squeeze them for a week or so now but I think he is scared to touch them. I'm going to have to work on that. Curious to see what size I am. I put on one of my old 36B bras and I looked ridiculous. I think I might possibly be a "D." But I will find out this weekend. Happy healing ladies!

Allergic to Bio Oil: I guess it's been about a week now that I have been using the bio oil. I am apparently allergic to it. I did fine for about 3 or 4 days and now I have an itchy red splotchy rash under both breasts. Now what? Wonder if all scar treatments have common ingredients since I have no idea what ingredient I am allergic to. Now I don't know what to use :(

Went shopping for bras for the first time this week. I went to VS and had a fitting. Good thing too. I am a 36D for unlined or lightly lined and 36DD for padded or push up. I can't see me getting any push up or padding...lol. They are full size on their own. I loved loved loved bra shopping. The girl kept checking on me because I was in the fitting room for so long admiring them that she thought I was having issues :) I have to admit, I was a little bit...ummm...surprised at how large they appear in a regular bra since they do not appear that big in clothing or even naked. As a matter of fact, my friends at work tell me that they don't look much bigger than they were before in a bra under clothes. In any case...I'm in love. It is taking my hubby a minute to get used to them. He seems to be afraid. Not sure what it is. The change? The size? The scars? Afraid to hurt me? He doesn't say but I am working on figuring that out. I want him to love them like I do. As with everything else...it will come in time. Hope you ladies are all doing well.

I am doing great. I have experienced a few spots along my incisions that seemed to be a strange reaction from my body to the sutures. I stuck a neosporin bandaid on them and went about the day and they have healed lovely. I am thinking about having my ps do a small revision on my left upper areaola. I just didn't end up natural on that one. Posting a couple of new pics. Hope they are helpful :)

Well, for the last several weeks I have noticed that my right breast was changing shape and it felt differently than it had been. When I look in the mirror my right breast has a "dent" on the outer side and the implant is higher now. It is also tighter or firmer than before. When I lay down it no longer moves slightly to the side. It stays exactly in it's spot while my left breast lays a little. I decided to just read about some possible issues it may be online and just keep an eye on it since I know they are still going through changes while healing. It feels and looks like my own breast tissue is sort of settled at the bottom of my breast and the implant fills the top of my breast. So I made an appointment to see my ps for today and he said it is definitely capsular contracture. He said while it is not a very common issue, it is the most common problem associated with breast implants. So, he instructed me to go home and massage it downward to stretch the scar tissue and said that has a 50/50 shot at helping at best. I made an appointment for 3 months from now and if it is not improved by then I have to schedule a revision to release the capsule. It is not painful but he said if it gets worse it may get painful and in that case the revision will be done sooner. No idea what this will cost. He said the recovery is not as harsh since it is much less cutting and manipulation involved. I posted some pics and hopefully you can see what I am talking about. Also, I posted a close up so that you can see the scars at this point. I think by a year the scars will be great. Otherwise, I am in love with my girls. They are still a wonder to me. My husband has really come around and finds it hard to keep his hands off of them :) I still look at them constantly even after all of these months and now shopping for a new swimsuit to wear out on the boat. Sooooooo happy I did this even with this issue.

After months my left breast has started with the suture spitting behavior that I went through for weeks with my right breast. It's like the suture comes to the surface, forms a small blister and then pops leaving a hole. Then it scabs and heals. This happened at the exact spot on the other breast. I can tell I have another about to surface at the areola line. SAME AS THE OTHER SIDE. Crazy! Why now? I guess it really takes a long time for the body to totally heal. I posted a pic. It looks odd because I've had a neosporin bandaid on it all day to help heal and save my gorgeous bra ;) But, I still love my girls. They were particularly fabulous in my new swim suit this weekend :) Hope you ladies are all enjoying your girls!!!!! Happy Summertime =}