Breast Augmentation: Stories

I am so thankful to have stumbled upon this online community! What a wonderful resource as I further my research regarding breast augmentation in preparation for my surgery.

I am a slender 29 year-old female who is 5'6" and 110lbs. I have been small-framed my whole life. It never bothered me growing up because I was a tomboy who played sports and was too busy working on my "tough girl" persona; in retrospect, I was not nearly as tough as I thought I was...believe me :) Now that I am an adult who has far outgrown the tomboy phase of life, I have become more self-aware of my body. And while I consider myself to be a grounded woman who has a healthy sense of self-worth, I am not too far above admitting that my less-than-average-sized breasts often leave me feeling less feminine and less confident.

So, after months of consideration and research, I had the initial consultation with my surgeon last week and decided on 250-300cc silicone implants. I have my pre-op appointment in two weeks and then surgery two weeks after that. I just wanted to thank my fellow breast-augmentation-sisters for their posts. I have found them so helpful and have thoroughly enjoyed reading them. I will do that same in keeping you posted on my progress. Thanks again!

I finally had “the conversation.” The conversation many of us dread – having to tell a loved one or significant other that you’re undergoing BA. I am by no means embarrassed about my decision. But unfortunately, our human nature propels us in a judgmental direction, and I am simply trying to avoid being judged by others. So, I am choosing to keep my BA surgery very private. If I could help it, I would opt to tell no one, but I am a single female who lives alone and need a caretaker after surgery – my sweet mama.

Here’s my story: a while back, I told my mom that I was thinking of having BA. She stood in the kitchen washing dishes and just rolled her eyes and shook her head. She told me I was beautiful just as I am (said the woman with a D-cup) and I know she meant it. After I had my initial consultation with my PS and decided on a surgery date, I sat with her and told her I was really doing this. She essentially shut down. She told me she would help care for me after surgery but that I need not mistake that for her supporting my decision. Her eyes filled with tears and she walked out. Later that same night I wrote her an e-mail letting her know how I came to make my decision. I told her that I loved her and asked her not to judge me – I respectfully told her she had no idea what it was like to feel as though you have the same tomboy figure you did in sixth grade; that she didn’t know what it was like to have relatively no curves and to feel less feminine as a result. She responded a few hours later and told me she was trying to see if from my viewpoint and that she loved me very much. A few days later we sat down together and had a really good talk. I cried, which in turn made her cry (do you see a pattern here)! Since then, she’s asked many questions and I’ve been able to have someone to talk to. Granted, I try not to shove my excitement in her face but it’s so nice to have an ally.

I know some people will never understand our decision…and I guess they don’t need to :)

I had my pre-op appointment yesterday! I was so nervous for some reason - I guess cause I knew that was "it." That was when final decision were made, payment completed and the last time I'd see my PS before the day of surgery. For lack of a better word, the appointment was awesome! Dr. Brown is serisouly so wonderful; he and his staff spent nearly two hours with me and never made me feel rushed or as if they had other things to do. I tried on the sizers again, wore a fitted tank-top top and took pictures this time (thanks to the idea from others on this site). Looking at the pictures really did help a lot! I told Dr. Brown that I really liked the 275cc and would place my max at 300cc (smooth, round, moderate plus profile). He will make the final decision on the operating table based on what they look like once under the muscle. I completely trust him; he knows what I'm looking for.

I also forgot to mention that Dr. Brown's wife is also undergoing BA the same day I am. In fact, I wasn't going to be able to get a surgery date until late September, but she gave me her original surgery time/date and moved hers to right after mine. Are you kidding?! Who does that?! She's amazing. We are very similar in our frame and she's getting relatively the same size implants - just one more thing that makes me feel at ease. She also ordered me a surgical bra free of charge, so now I don't have to spend the extra $30-$40!

Now all that's left to do is get my prescriptions filled and wait until a few days before to clean like a man woman and get laundry done. I can hardly wait for August 06 :)

Disclaimer: I took down my original photos because some of the ladies on RealSelf said there was a man making perverted comments on their photos. So, for peace of mind on my part I took down the bare boobie photos and posted covered ones. Not as good when you’re looking for someone with a similar frame, etc. but I think it’ll do.

Tomorrow (Monday) is the big day! My surgery is scheduled for 10am; I have to be at the surgery center at 9am to fill out paperwork, etc. I’m not nervous at all…just over-the-top excited :) I have two minor concerns: (1) I have only told my mom, one of my sisters and my best friend, and I plan to keep it that way. I’m only staying at my folk’s house tomorrow night and then my mom is taking me back to my house Tuesday afternoon before dad gets home from work so as not to raise any suspicion. Bless his heart. I love my dad dearly; we are so close and I generally tell him everything. This is different though. I’ll always be his baby girl and want to keep it that way in his eyes. (2) I only took Monday thru Thursday off of work, so I better be off the pain medication and in semi-decent condition to return to work on Friday. Plus my birthday is on Saturday and I want to be able to celebrate with friends and family.

So, all that’s left to do is eat a light dinner and sleep! For anyone else out there who has yet to undergo BA, here’s a list of things I’ve done this past week in preparation for my surgery since I live alone:

-Changed the air filter
-Walked through the house and moved items to waist level (don’t forget the fridge and bathroom)
-Moved commonly-used items from the kitchen cupboard and placed them on the counter (i.e. blender, toaster, dishes)
-Bathed the dogs
-Prepared meals and portioned them in individual servings. I focused on high protein foods for healing & high fiber foods to help with constipation that nearly every woman experiences (hard boiled eggs, chopped veggies and light ranch, tuna salad made with Greek yogurt, tomato soup, Fiber One muffins, mixed greens salad, whole wheat English muffins & peanut butter, fresh fruit smoothies with protein powder and yogurt to promote healthy gut flora since the antibiotics will strip that)
-Started eating one serving of prunes daily earlier this week (again with the constipation fear)
-Got my underarms waxed
-Fixed a little table in my living room and bedroom with necessities (i.e. tissues, lip balm, remote controls, etc)
-I did pick up a few light food items in case I experience nausea post-op (i.e. applesauce, jello, popsicles, saltines)
-I considered purchasing a month of Netflix because I don’t have cable and I’m not one for soap operas. Lord know what else is going to be on all day. I'll probably cave tonight and buy Netflix :)

As one friend on here put it “I’ll be joining the ranks tomorrow!” I’ll see you ladies on the other side! xoxo

I have officially joined the ranks! Thank you ladies for all the words of encouragement and support...such sweet women. I'm a little less than three hours post-op and am feeling good. I arrived at 9am and only waited about 5 minutes before changing into the surgical gown, flattering hair net and sexy booties :) I got my IV with saline and then met the anesthesiologist. She went over what would be taking place and verified my medical history. My wonderful PS was smiling form ear-to-ear when he came in with a warm greeting. He made marks with a blue pen and gave me a few more details about the surgery. He just kept telling me "I'm so excited for" and "things are going to go great." He really is so caring and personable. And that's the last thing I remember!

I woke up feeling fine with minimal discomfort (not pain just pressure-like feeling). Dr. Brown's sweet wife came to see me in recovery before they wheeled her into surgery. She has been such a great source of encouragement through this whole process. The most pain I've experienced so far was the car ride home. I was at about an 8 out of 10 on the pain scale. I immediately took a pain pill and muscle relaxer and iced my new additions :) They took about 20 minutes to kick in and then I slept for a good solid 2 hours and now I feel great! For today, I'm going to stay on a tight scheduled with the pain medication and muscle relaxer. I've had no nausea at all.

I got up and walked around the house for a few minutes after I awoke, iced my breasts again and now it's back to bed for me :) My mom has been so great. I love you, Mama! Thanks again to all my wonderful friends on RealSelf. Oh! Dr. Brown ended up going with 286cc. I'll keep you posted on the healing process! Thanks again, ladies!! xoxo

POD (post-op day) #1: I am feeling 100% today! I slept really well last night; woke up a few times to stay on schedule with the pain pill, muscle relaxer and my antibiotic. I iced the girls once but then went right back to bed; I never thought I'd love frozen peas & corn this much. I was surprised at how easy it was to sleep sitting up. I would without-a-doubt recommend a neck pillow (like the ones you would take on an airplane) and a back rest pillow (here's a link to one I got at Walmart for $20: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Arlee-Micro-Suede-27-x-14-Bedrest-Cushion/17701238). I feel like those two items made all the difference in the world for a comfortable night's rest. My PS called me last night just to see how I was doing. He left me with his home phone number in case I wanted to call him...so nice!

I'm finding I can already do things I couldn't yesterday: going potty by myself with ease (I couldn't really pull my pants up/down yesterday), getting in and out of bed is much easier. I would encourage women to work on strengthening their core prior to surgery. Since you can't really use your arms to their full ability, your stomach is doing most of the work. I still have had no nausea. I don't have much of an appetite but I think that's just cause I've been sleeping so much and not really expending any calories. I'm still going to take the pain pills and muscle relaxers today but only as needed instead of so tightly scheduled like yesterday. I'm an hour passed when I should have taken a pain pill and really have no pain. I'm not going to push my luck though...they're prescribed for a reason! :)

My sister text me yesterday before surgery and said "breast of luck to you!" Hahaha! So, to all my fellow BA sisters who are scheduled for surgery this week "BREAST OF LUCK TO YOU!"

POD #2: the swelling has gone down incredibly fast! The day of surgery I could only fit 2 fingers between my collar bone and the top of my swollen breasts. By POD#1 I could fit 3 fingers and by POD#2 I can fit a full 4 fingers! I’ve really had minimal discomfort for the most part; I think sitting up so much and sleeping elevated is starting to do a number on my tailbone though. So I used heating pad today on my bum, and it helped a lot. I focused on standing more and walking around a lot today to relieve some of that pressure. I made a brief trip to the store and out to lunch.

I’m amazed at how well I feel and how quickly the human body can heal itself. My PS explained that he did a nerve block along each side of my chest (along the outer rib cage) so that I wouldn’t have any pain beyond my sides or radiating into my back. And it worked! I’ve had no pain at all other than in my breasts and at the incision site. My boobs were itchy today but that means nerve regeneration so I’m OK with that! I also have nipple sensation which I am thrilled about it! I was able to nix the pain meds today; Extra-Strength Tylenol did the trick just fine!

I have my post-op appointment tomorrow and then back to work on Friday! I’ll try and post more pictures and keep you posted on progress. One last thing to brag about my PS: I mentioned Dr. Brown & his wife called me the evening of surgery. Then, one of the nurses called me the day after surgery to check on me and after that Dr. Brown called me in the evening to check on me again! What a wonderfully incredible PS and office staff!

POD#3: today seemed somewhat of a milestone. I had my post-op appointment with Dr. Brown today, and he said everything looks great! I won't see him again until November for my next follow-up appointment...so bittersweet. I feel so close to him and his office staff and will sadly miss them. I tried to ask Dr. Brown if I could visit the gym this Saturday just for a light walk on the treadmill or even limit myself to lower body exercises. He looked at me and shook his head as if to say, "you're nuts." :) He gave me the OK to do LIGHT walks on the treadmill after 2 weeks but not a day sooner and I need to wait 4-6 weeks before I can even dream of upper body workouts. And you better believe I'll follow his orders. He said it could cause serious bleeding, so why would I push my luck?

Well, as one of my friends on here so delicately worded it - the pipes started working today. I never had to take any laxative or medication, so I guess eating prunes daily for about a week prior to surgery did the trick...and plenty of water :) I even shaved my legs, dried my hair and straightened it this morning with no pain or discomfort at all. It felt nice to ditch the yoga pants, put on fresh clothes and feel pretty again!

I can start doing the breast massages in another week or two. I went without my bra for about 10 minutes after the shower this morning and that must be what heaven feels like. I'm looking forward to a continued speedy recovery but reminding myself that patience is key and "time heals all wounds." I'll continue to post pictures and will stay up-to-date on all my fellow BA sisters who are going through their own surgeries very, very soon! xoxo

POD#15
I can't believe two weeks have already gone by since my surgery! I am so thankful to have had such an overall smooth recovery. Right around post-op day 10 I started to get crazy sensitive skin around my cleavage. It hurt to even have my shirt brush up against my chest much less wear that dadgum bra 24/7 :) I did a little search and found that avoiding the problem only makes matters worse; most docs recommend massaging the skin. This has been a huge relief for me! I guess the hypersensitivity is from nerve regeneration...so I try to remind myself to be grateful for feeling at all!!

I was allowed to start light exercise yesterday...hahaha!! Girls, I was a sight! I started with a brisk walk - it felt so weird to move my arms and utilize those muscles. My implants literally felt like an entirely separate entity not remotely a part of my body. I know that will change and only get better with time. A slight blow to the ego thinking I could get right back into the fitness realm with no problem :)

Oh! The girls are really starting to soften up and actually move like real boobs! My PS is having me do breast massages three times daily and I wear a strap at night when I sleep. I have a little ways to go as far as dropping is concerned but patience is the key (that has become my mantra). I plan to post some updated photos within the next week. Hope all my BA sisters are doing well and recovering swiftly!! xoxo