Looking Forward to the New Me! :) - New York, NY

Hi ladies. So it's week 4 and I can honestly say "I love my new breasts!". I don't think I've said that before, and it's about darned time :)
I have definitely seen a difference from week 3 to week 4. I have virtually no pain and very few moments of discomfort. I've been using foam, wireless bras 24/7. My open spots are drying up too. The vertical incision scarring on my left breast doesn't look as 'neat' as the one on my right due to the open spots, but it could be worse. The swelling under my left breast has decreased a lot as well. I feel like the girls have 'dropped'. They are a lot less swollen, sit a bit lower and are more tender to the touch. They're still pretty perky and full-looking to me :)
I've been applying the Palmer's oil w/vitamin E and trying to 'air them out' as much as possible.
I've been sleeping well on my back and I've been trying to sleep on my side by putting a pillow underneath my breast, which seems to help for a little while, but it's still not a comfortable position.
The one thing going on right now is some redness and itchiness along my horizontal incisions. It started yesterday, which has me a bit stumped, because I've been doing so well. The incisions became really itchy and all of the sudden the area was red...I have not scratched at all, so it's not caused by that. I don't think it looks like an infection, rather a skin reaction to something (don't know what), but I left a message today with the nurse to see what she says. I can definitely see that the red spots below my right nipple are being caused by the bandaid that the doctor told me to wear;but I haven't been putting anything on my horizontal incision, so I don't know why this is happening. Anyone else experience this?
I'm sorry my photos aren't that great...it's just a bit difficult to do it by myself. Other than that issue, I've been feeling great. I'm super busy all day, but I have not felt more tired than usual.
Thank you all for your help. I definitely stay up to date on your updates as well.

Hi ladies. I've been SO busy lately. Each night I say "I'm going to post an update", but then I have a million things to do and then I just want to go to sleep, lol
I've been feeling much better emotionally. I keep telling myself that this will pass and that I have not had any sort of complications, of which I should be thankful for. Yes, it would be great if my incisions were all healed up by week 3, like some of you ladies, but everyone is different and my time will come.
I went to the doctor's this morning for my 3 week check-up. I took a few more photos this morning, just in case I felt too tired to do it tonight. Bear with me, as it's pretty hard to take them by myself. The dark, dry scabs have slowly started to come off as I shower everyday and scrub my breasts softly. As you can see on the photos, I still have the opening at the 'T' on my right breast, and still have openings along the vertical incision on my left breast. I've been trying to be as careful as possible not to make them worse. Work is insanely hectic right now for me and there are things causing me some stress, so I know I'm probably pushing myself further than I should.

So, the doctor saw me this morning and both he and the nurse said that I look much better than last week. I apologize for not taking photos of the openings last week so that you all could see the difference. I've been pretty concerned with the openings. I know that most women experience them during recovery, but I guess psychologically, knowing that you have them is worse than the actual fact of having them. Anyways, the doctor instructed me to stop applying the ointment I was prescribed last week and to just cover up the left with non-stick gauze (so that I don't stick to the bra) and the right with a bandaid. He said not to worry about the openings, as they will close up in due time. As for the swelling underneath my left breast (which has also been concerning me), he said not to worry and that it's just 'puffiness' that will also correct itself. It still looks pretty weird to me.
The doctor wants to see me again in 3 weeks, which surprised me, as I thought they were going to keep making me come back until everything had closed up. The good news is I can now stop wearing the surgical bra! I was given the OK to wear whatever bra I'm comfortable in, as long as it doesn't have under-wire. I purchased a couple of foam, wireless bras that I will gladly give a try, as the sports bras I have don't look good under work clothes. I can finally sleep on my back too! I already know that it'll feel pretty weird for me, as I have not even dared to try it in 3 whole weeks (it's kind of scary). I was also given the go-ahead to work out my lower body, and if everything goes well on my next check-up, I'll be able to start working out my upper body. I can't wait! since I still have some swelling in my belly, though it's coming down a little each day, and I want to both look and feel as healthy as I did pre-surgery.
The doctor told me that I can start using cocoa butter all over my breasts...even around my open areas, which was surprising to hear. I don't know if I'll get too close to those areas, but I'll definitely start massaging with the Palmer's Oil with Vitamin E that I purchased and will also 'air the girls out' as much as I can...hopefully that will help my incisions close up quickly. I will try anything at this point.
These new photos aren't pretty and I do feel a bit self-conscious about posting them, but I remembered how I appreciated those ladies who had the courage to post their own, not-so-pretty photos and how much they helped me prepare; so I know that my photos will help other women understand that recovery is a process, and the end result will be great! :)
As always, I appreciate all of your advice, encouragement and kind words...even if I'm not commenting every day, I do still keep tabs of your journey thus far.

After posting my update last night I went to bed and I turned on the news. I saw a young mother who just lost her baby girl (and only child) AND mother in that horrible landslide on the West Coast. My heart broke for this woman. I immediately remembered how blessed I am...my children are here and healthy. I have a good job and a good life AND I got the surgery that I always wanted... and immediately the 'down' feeling started lifting off me. I know it's very easy to focus on the things that aren't so great about the recovery, especially when it involves pain and setbacks, but I know we all end up feeling happy we did this and it's a matter of focusing on that finish line. I will do my best to focus on that :)